Sunday, July 12, 2015

Booby: Strange & Beautiful!

The Blue-footed Booby is perhaps more famous than the Brown Booby by virtue of its unusual blue feet. The Brown one is no less so with its fairly bright yellow feet.


Charles Darwin was most likely inspired by the boobies' ungainliness on land but precision in the sea to the formulation of his theory of evolution.     


The Cockroach Catcher was fortunate enough to be joined by his wife and a number of high school friends for a special reunion on a secluded island resort in Bocas del Toro.

                                                    

We knew we were in for a treat when we get morning views like this:

Laguna Azul, Bocas del Toro©Am Ang Zhang 2013

And you can snorkel just off the resort which is on a mangrove island.





Laguna Azul, Bocas del Toro©Am Ang Zhang 2013

The highlight of the reunion has to be the visit to Bird Island. The greatest surprise was that the young Boobies just hatched and it was truly a photographer’s delight.


Bird Island, Bocas del Toro©Am Ang Zhang 2013

Welcome:
Brown Booby, Sula leucogaster©Am Ang Zhang 2013
Brown Booby, Sula leucogaster©Am Ang Zhang 2013

The diet is comprised mainly of flying-fish, squid and some other cephalopods, as well as mullet and anchovy. Prey is usually caught by plunge-diving. Their nostrils are closed to help with diving for food. On land they open their beaks for breathing.

Brown Booby, Sula leucogaster©Am Ang Zhang 2013
Booby (which sounds rude) is meant to be but it was derived from the Spanish word Bobo which means stupid. When Darwin first studied Boobies in the Galapagos Islands they showed little fear of the human intruders.

Brown Booby, Sula leucogaster©Am Ang Zhang 2013

Yet, called them stupid or what they are one of the few bird species that is not in any danger of extinction. 

Brown Booby, Sula leucogaster©Am Ang Zhang 2013




 Brown Booby, Sula leucogaster©Am Ang Zhang 2013


Boobies use the colour of their feet for attracting mates and apparently for survival as the vividness of the feet is an indication of health. 

No comments: