The entire coastline of Peru is a desert, but the cold and nutrient rich ocean is rich with fish due to the cold Humbolt Current. Thus the coast was once teaming with sea birds like these royal terns. Due to human activities the marine birds have become fewer and farther between, and breeding grounds previously harboring 3-4 million pairs, now only have less than half. If one forgets this fact it seems that today there are lots of birds here, and that this group is proof of a system in balance. Alas!
These individuals are resting on poles set down to make a barrier to stop seaweed from entering the beach of one of the hotels in Paracas – DoubleTree Resort by Hilton. The hotel is the closest neighbor to the reserve, yet feels the need to separate itself from nature and how functions. This seaweed, when stranded naturally on the beach, harbors lots of insects and marine life that is food for migrating birds. When collected daily as this particular hotel does, this beach becomes a desert!
It sounds like this:
The photo above is a little south of the village of Paracas.
Last updated on 22 June 2024
