The “Enchanted Isles” A Wildlife Paradise

The resident clown grabs a twig from the dirt, waves it in the air and then places it at the feet of the object of his affection. A blue foot raised, and then the other. Head held high, he unruffled the full stretch of his wings and whistles skywards. Even the quietest honk from his beloved brings satisfaction and justification for this comical dance, and it begins all over again.

But here on the volcanic islands of the Galapagos, some 600 miles from mainland Ecuador, the rather silly-looking Blue-footed Boobies are not the only ones to have cornered the market on ungainly, yet touching displays of courtship.

On another island a hopeful Waved Albatross couple engages in their own elaborate mating dance. Up, down, back and forth, the albatrosses face off and click their beaks together. Ah, it must be love! Nearby the dark form of a male Magnificent Frigate bird positions himself regally among the branches of a tree and balloons out a red bladder on his throat in an attempt to attract the ladies.

The archipelago of 13 large islands and more than 100 smaller isles and islets offers many pure, white sandy shores and luminous, blue waters, but this is no place...