Seymour Norte

A small island with great discoveries

Highlights

magnificent frigate bird, blue-footed boobie, land iguana

Possible encounters

sea lion, magnificent frigate bird, blue-footed boobie, dovetail gull, marine iguana, mocking bird

Explore and experience

When you take your panga from the ship to the island of Seymour Norte it does not seem very impressive at first sight: this small island lies in the ocean low, flat and rocky. But don’t be mistaken, the island is a paradise for birdwatchers. Landing on the rocks can be a bit challenging in a rough sea, but once on land some sleepy sea lions look at you with reassurance. The path runs along the picturesque coast and then circles inland.

Seymour Norte offers a home to a large breeding colony of magnificent frigate birds. The frigate bird is known for its bright red throat pouch. When the male wants to win the love of a possible partner, he blows up this sack in a big way and tries to impress the female. The magnificent frigate bird does this all year round (in contrast to the great frigate bird) so you have a good chance of being able to observe this spectacle on Seymour Norte. You often see downy white frigate chicks in one or more of the nests along the path.

In addition to the frigate bird, this island also has a good population of breeding blue-footed boobies. Where the frigate bird shows off his pouch, the blue-footed boobie presents its blue feet by performing a nice dance for his partner and offers gifts in the form of stones and twigs.

Hold your gaze down while continuing the path. Not only to ensure that you do not stumble over the boulders, but also because there is a large population of land iguanas on Seymour Norte that are very sheltered by their environment.

There is an interesting story about the land iguanas on this island. In the early 1930’s, amateur naturalist Allan Hancock noted that Seymour Norte had no land iguanas, so he brought some over from neighboring Baltra. The iguanas flourished, in particular because the plants here had not yet developed a natural defense against these newcomers. By the mid-1950’s, the land iguanas of Baltra Island had become extinct, partly as a result of hunting by American soldiers stationed there during the Second World War. The iguanas were reintroduced from Seymour Norte to Baltra and today both islands are home to thriving populations.