Coke Smith Photography & Travelogue

Birding & Mammaling in Paracas Peru!


 A lone South American Sea Lion on the rocks of Paracas, Peru.

 

My trips to Peru generally involved the more classic routes like Amazona, Lima and the Andes.  During one of my trips to the region, I was able to break away for a week trip to the Ica and Paracas Coast of Peru!  I was also able to get on a small plane for an hour flight over the famous Nazca Lines in the vast Nazca Desert.  

This trip was surprisingly rich in wildlife.  South American Sea Lions were plentiful on the Ballestas Islands of Paracas.  I was also able to see many fascinating birds like Humboldt Penguins, Inca Terns, Peruvian Boobies, Guanay and Red-legged Cormorants, Chilean Flamingos and many many more.

 

Click the links below to see more images from the Galapagos and South & Central America

Animals of South & Central America

Birds of South & Central America

South & Central American People & Places

 

Here are some more images of my trip to Paracas!

 

 

 

South American Sea Lions populate the shores near Paracas and the Ballestas Islands.

 

 

A few female South American Sea Lions warming on the rocks of the coast of Paracas.

 

 

South American Sea Lion colony in Paracas.

 

 

The rugged coastline of Paracas is where the desert meets the sea.

 

 

The caverns on the Ballestas Islands are where you can find South American Sea Lions, Humboldt Penguins and many other species.  I took several boat rides out to the islands.  Unfortunately the light was poor my entire time there and these were the days before digital cameras and I was using exclusively Fujichrome 100 ASA slide film.

 

 

The fishing fleet of Paracas.

 

 

A mysterious man-made formation on the Paracas coast that appears to point to the famous Nazca Lines in the central Nazca Desert.

 

 

A bird formed in the Nazca Desert!  I remember first hearing of these amazing lines in the movie, "Chariots of the Gods", and ever since then I knew I had to travel to the lines that were made to "communicate with aliens!".

 

 

Inca Terns are most likey the most spectacular of all the world's terns!  These were hanging out on the rocks of the Ballestas Islands.

 

 

Taking advantage of the cold waters and nutrient-rich Humboldt Current that originates in the Antarctic, these Humboldt Penguins are common in the Ballestas Islands.

 

 

Brown Pelicans and Guanay Cormorants are also common residents of the Ballestas.

 

 

The once-endangered Brown Pelican.

 

 

Red-legged Cormorants are rare but can be seen in the Ballestas.

 

 

Guanay Cormorants, Brown Pelicans and a couple Peruvian Boobies on a rock outcropping in the Ballestas.

 

 

Chilean Flamingos are commonly seen in the lagoons and shallow coastal estuaries in the Paracas area.

 

 

A nice grouping of Peruvian Boobies see on the Ballestas Islands.