Category Archives: travel

Peruvian boobies

Yes, we saw much more than Peruvian boobies and South American sea lions on our visit to Islas Ballestas.  Here, for instance, are a pair of Humboldt penguins crashing a Pervian booby party:

A pair of Humboldt Penguins crashing the party

We also got a good view of this colorful little guy, a red rock crab, also known as a Sally Lightfoot (grapsus grapsus):

Sally Lightfoot meandering amongst the mollusks

Another look at the nursery:

Sea lion moms and their pups

More Peruvian boobies:

Peruvian boobies

And two sea lions enjoying a break:

South American sea lions

For Additional Information:

• Islas Ballestas — Wikipedia
• Islas Ballestas — Lonely Planet
• Paracas National Reserve — Wikipedia
• Paracas National Reserve — Trip Advisor
• Paracas National Reserve — Nature.org
• Ballestas Islands — Trip Advisor

Natural Bridge

Entire cliffs on Islas Ballestas were covered in birds.  Here are more of the ever-present Peruvian boobies demonstrating what I mean:

A Cliff of Birds

Meanwhile Islas Ballestas beaches were crowded with mother sea lions and their army of pups (note the gigantic male on the left side of the photo):

Babies on the Beach

Lest you think that the above photo was merely a tight cropping that misrepresents the numbers, here’s another view:

Pups and Moms

Here are some females enjoying some quiet time alone:

Conserving Energy

And more Peruvian boobies:

More Guano Factories at Work

Oddly, the sea lions were just as likely to rest on hard rock as they were on gentle sand:

For Additional Information:

• Islas Ballestas — Wikipedia
• Islas Ballestas — Lonely Planet
• Paracas National Reserve — Wikipedia
• Paracas National Reserve — Trip Advisor
• Paracas National Reserve — Nature.org
• Ballestas Islands — Trip Advisor