Albatross • Blue Footed Booby • Frigate Bird • Iguana • Masked Booby • Penguins 

Red Footed Booby • Sea Turtle • Sealion • Misc

Frigate Bird Photographs from the Galapagos Islands

Frigate Birds are my least favorite birds of the trip.   Not because they lack grace or beauty, but because they ATE THE BABY SEA TURTLES.   We came across a nest of hatching sea turtles on one of the beaches.  Normally they hatch at night when the birds are sleeping.  Sometimes, on overcast days, they will hatch during the day.  This is basically a death sentence.  Seeing the baby turtles was wonderful.  Seeing the frigate birds snatch them up as soon as they poked their head out of the nest was the pits.  Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, I haven't been able to find my slides of this yet.  If I do the pictures will be added to the turtle page.

Frigates

Greater Frigates

Below are the greater frigate birds.   Logically that would make the ones above the lessor frigates, but logic doesn't work with animal names and I don't remember what the frigates above are called.   Anyhow, when male greater frigates are trying to attract females they poof up a red pouch on their neck.  It is really quite a site.