We also have Frank Zino and his wife Buffy, who we met in Madeira, on board with us traveling to the Selvagems. Frank and Buffy have invited us to their home on Selvagem Grande and will teach us a bit more about the endemic seabirds there.

The first day we were taken to Selvagem Pequena Island by the park rangers who are stationed in these islands. The tenders we have on the Yersin are not able to go to the island shore because of their size and hard-bottom, so the rangers helped us be able to get to shore and back. While Raquel and a few others worked on collecting samples from lizards and geckos, the rest of us discovered the tiny, uninhabited island.

When we arrived on the island, the park rangers had us put the flags up, signaling that we were present on the island. Frank and Buffy Zino, and Manuel Biscoito and Conceiçao Ornelas.

On our second day in the Selvagems, we returned to Selvagem Grande Island where we spent the afternoon learning about the endemic birds with the Zino’s and Biscoito’s.

In the evening we were invited for dinner on shore with the Zino’s and their neighbors, the park rangers.