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PARACAS PENINSULAR & ISLA BELLASTAS |
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Written by Charles Hesse
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Aug 24, 2006 at 12:00 AM |
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PARACAS PENINSULAR & ISLA BELLASTAS
PERU
PISCO (Compass)
Lat:00o00´S/00o00´W ha topography msl
Protected/registered status
Best Time for visit (23rd May, 2006)
Birding Site Guide
Isla Ballestas is a really spectacular seabird colony only accessible on a tour. These are very cheap (30s) from Pisco. Pisco is a large town with many places to stay, eat and do internet. It also has some dodgy characters and it is best to stick to the areas near the plaza with lots of people, especially at night. Tours are easily arranged through a hotel or tour agency. They leave about 7am and return about 11am. The boat trip to Isla Ballestas is about 2 hours and you can see 3 cormorant species, Peruvian Booby, Inca Tern, Peruvian Seaside Cinclodes and Humboldt's Penguin (only a few) plus lots of sea lions. Pelagic species can sometimes be seen in the area but I saw none. The area around El Chaco port has 5 species of gull plus some waders.
I arranged a full day tour (through my hotel) for 40s which went to the island in the morning and the reserve in the afternoon. The land on the peninsular is desert with little life, but the coast has many sea birds. Our tour stopped at the museum nearby which there is a viewing platform where you can see Chilean Flamingos plus some waders and terns in a small bay. On the walk from the museum to the platform I saw Coastal Miner. It is quite far from the platform to the bay and binoculars don't really suffice. A telescope would be very handy. I saw some very small terns feeding in this small bay which were probably Peruvian. A better place for this species is further on this road where there is another platform. Our tour didn't go there though. Walking though the dessert to get there yourself wouldn't be very pleasant. The tour also stopped at a beach which had Black Skimmer, Osprey and oystercatchers and another place called 'La Catedral' with a spledid view over the cliffs.
I saw 35 species including 5 lifers
Species seen
Humboldt Penguin Spheniscus humboldti Vulnerable Photographed
Peruvian Pelican Pelecanus thagus Photographed
Peruvian Booby Sula variegata Photographed
Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus Photographed
Guanay Cormorant Phalacrocorax bougainvillii Photographed
Red-legged Cormorant Phalacrocorax gaimardi Near-threatened Photographed
Great Egret Ardea alba
Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
Snowy Egret Egretta thula
Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis Near-threatened
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura Photographed
Osprey Pandion haliaetus
American Kestrel Falco sparverius
Blackish Oystercatcher Haematopus ater Photographed
American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus
Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola Possibly seen
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres Photographed
Belcher's Gull Larus belcheri Photographed
Gray Gull Larus modestus Photographed
Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus Photographed
Gray-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus Photographed
Franklin's Gull Larus pipixcan Photographed
Royal Tern Sterna maxima Possibly seen
Peruvian Tern Sterna lorata Near-threatened Possibly seen
Black Tern Chlidonias niger Possibly seen
Black Skimmer Rynchops niger
Rock Pigeon Columba livia Introduced species
Pacific Dove Zenaida meloda
Croaking Ground-Dove Columbina cruziana
Coastal Miner Geositta peruviana Endemic
Peruvian Seaside Cinclodes Cinclodes taczanowskii Endemic
Blue-and-white Swallow Notiochelidon cyanoleuca
Rufous-collared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis
House Sparrow Passer domesticus Introduced species
Other Fauna
A total of -- species of mammals.
There are -- recorded species of amphibians and reptiles.
Flora
Author: Charles Hesse
www.birdingsiteguide.com |
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Last Updated ( Jul 20, 2008 at 06:17 PM )
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