Galapagos field notes, v579
Page 353
Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. | www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
DeBenedictis 1964 Feb 20 Isla Santa Fe (Bannington), Galapagos. Had the bill heavily covered with pollen; all the birds I saw were working in Cordia buds and Opuntias flowers and the crops of the two birds contained fine black lava sand and what I think was @puntias pollen. (or ground bells). The dull plumaged bird was very heavy worn, and showed no signs of body molt. The only other land bird species I saw was the dove I shot. It was on a bare soil patch. Its crop contained many large corks but no obvious seed or seed parts. It dribbled water copiously when I squeezed it (shot not jotted) as did the Hood doves. Goat droppings and skeletal parts were everywhere but I saw no goats. About 13:30 we boarded the Patrol boat again and went to Academy Bay. Saw lots of Noddies and Audubon Shearwaters on the way and a Tropicbird just of James Island. There were about 100+ Northern Phalaropes on the water off the NE corner of Bannington, in 3 small groups, and scattered Boobies and Frigate birds along this route. Only took about an hour to get in; Noddies on and along the cliff banana as usual. Spent an hour after we got off the Patrol boat finding out what's going on around here now. It was a pleasure to get off the boat, for although the trip was very calm, the Ecuadorians had two goats strapped to the back of the boat and this caused all 15 or so of us to the front of the