About 30 minutes into our boat ride we approached Isla Chorros that is one of the three islands that makes up the Islas Damas. Isla Chorros is part of the National Humboldt Penguin Reserve that represents the northernmost point in the southern hemisphere where penguins are found all year round.
The area around Isla Chorros is fed by the Humboldt Oceanic current. This current is extremely cold, which makes the area perfect for a wide range of wildlife.
The coastline of Isla Chorros is really rocky, which makes it perfect for nesting seabirds. In this picture we are on the backside of the island that is protected from ocean swells. With our mobility with the boat we were able to get really close to the rocky outcroppings.
Some of the first birds we found were the common Peruvian Pelican, Pelecanus thagus. It is the only species of pelican in Chile and is very common from Peru in the north through Cheloe in southern Chile. Above the peclicans can be seen on the rocks. As we approached they decided to find somewhere else to hang out.
Pelicans like this one are commonly found in all of the ports where fishermen through their fish scraps back into the ocean. They are large bird and are fun to watch, especially when they fly in patterns along the beach.
As we continued along the coastline we found a species of cormorant. In Spanish it is called the Cormoran Lile, Phalocrocorax gaimardi. It is a solitery cormorant that makes its nests on the rocks. Below are two pairs of adults.
It was really fun to see these cormants with their offspring. Below are two adults (center and left) with two immatures (one to the right and one in the nest). Immatures are a more uniform grey in color and are more fuzzy.
The next bird we found was in groups up on the rocks. It was the Peruvian Booby, Sula variegata. In Spanish it is calle a Piquero. Their nests were much less conspicuous, but the large numbers of their groups made them easy to spot.
Below is a close-up of a male and female Booby. They are about the size of a large seagull.
As we continued out tour we found a rare species of cormorants called the Guanay Cormorant, Phalocrocorax bougainvillii. This species is listed as nearly threatened but you wouldn't know it by the group of them we saw making their nests up on the hill.
We were thoroughly impressed by the nests of these birds that were made 100% out of their own guano. Their guano nests were about a foot tall. We are guessing that the nests just keep getting taller and taller as they keep getting used and keep getting pooped on.
Throughout the trip we were thoroughly enjoying ourselves and all of the wildlife. However, the most important reason for the trip was to find the penguins. Below Dave spots a group of them on in the cove off of the bow of the boat.
Several places along the coast we were able to find groups of just a few to several dozen penguins.
As we continued along the coastline we were able to find places where we could get closer and closer to the penguins. About two thirds of the penguins were adults and the other third were still immature.
Adults have the traditional striped, ringed appearance of their feathers whereas the immatures are a uniform grey color (similar to the rocks) and really fuzzy. See if you can tell the adults from the immatures in the picture below.
Below is a close-up of the adult penguins to the top left of the photo above. This is the Humboldt Penguin, Spheniscus humboldti
We found it really interesting that these penguins were nesting on a desert-like island with no snow, no ice, and lots of cactus. In fact, it is common for the Humboldt penguin to make its nest up on the hills of the island at the base of rocks and cacti. Below is a picture of the trails forged over many years by penguins marching up and down the hill. If you look really closely you can see a penguin towards the top of the photo walking up the trail.
We had so much fun watching the penguins waddle up and down the beaches. It is hard to capture in a still photo, but you can almost imagine the funny waddle of the penguins in the photo below.
We had such a fun time watching the penguins and all of the other shore birds on the island. Below Jill takes one final pose in front of a cormorant (top of the rock) and three penguins (left hand side of the rock).
Overally we had a fabulous experience looking at all of the birds and wildlife on the island. However, our adventure did not end there. There is more to report in our next post. Stay tuned.
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