Author Archives: BobR

160 Seconds on Peru’s Bird Island

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Magnificent Frigatebird or Fregata magnificens, on prowl on Isla de los Pajaros (Bird Island) near Puerto Pizarro, Peru

Magnificent Frigatebird or Fregata magnificens, on the prowl on Isla de los Pajaros (Bird Island) near Puerto Pizarro, Peru

.. or the Isla de los Pájaros, one of the most unusual and surreal environments I’ve ever experienced.

Located in the mangrove of Puerto Pizarro Bay in northern Peru, about 13 kilometers north of Tumbes and not far from the border with Ecuador, the Island is home to thousands of birds, some 140 resident and migratory species. Most common on the island are frigatebirds, ibises and Great White Egrets. It’s mating season, which means that all the male frigatebirds are puffing out their chests hoping to impress the ladies.  Check it out!

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‘Around the World’, at 120 Days

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Salt Miner, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, 28-Mar-2013

Salt Miner, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, 28-Mar-2013

Today, 21 May 2013, marks 120 days since I began this Around The World Trip, exactly four months to the day, and the first day of the 18th week. It’s been an amazing ride. And in many ways, it’s only just begun.

To mark the occasion I put together this quick slide show featuring one or two pics taken each day, set chronologically. One hundred and eighty in all, shot from 22-Jan-2013 thru 19-May.

Many thanks to everyone who’s followed and participated here on Piran Cafe, my personal and blog Facebook pages, Google+, twitter, Flickr and Vimeo. It’s all appreciated more than you’ll ever know. The next four months will have more of a work-based focus, so look for more posts, more stories and more photos. Please continue to spread the word.  :)

Pictures taken in:
~ Buenos Aires, Argentina ~ Ushuaia, Argentina ~ Punta Arenas, Chile ~ Puerto Natales, Chile ~ Calafate, Argentina ~ El Chalten, Argentina ~ Los Antigos, Argentina ~ Chile Chico, Chile ~ Rio Tranquilo, Chile ~ Villa Cerra Castillo, Chile ~ Coyhaique, Chile ~ Puyuhuapi, Chile ~ Chaiten, Chile ~ Puerto Montt, Chile ~ Puerta Varas, Chile ~ Peulla, Chile ~ Bariloche, Argentina ~ Mendoza, Argentina ~ Santiago, Chile ~ San Pedro de Atacama, Chile ~ Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia ~ Uyuni, Bolivia ~ Potosi, Bolivia ~ Sucre, Bolivia ~ La Paz, Bolivia ~ Copacabana, Bolivia ~ Cusco, Peru ~ Lima, Peru ~ Zorritos, Peru ~ Puerto Pizarro, Peru ~ Guayaquil, Ecuador ~ Puerto Lopez, Ecuador ~ Manta, Ecuador

~ music ~
Terra
by
Chico Correa and Electronic Band
(CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Today’s Catch in Manta: Banned Sharks Netted ‘Legally’

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Fresh catch: shark on Tarqui beach in Manta, Ecuador

Fresh catch: shark on Tarqui beach in Manta, Ecuador

Manta, Ecuador – Shark fishing is illegal in Ecuador but a loophole allows fisherman to legally sell sharks that end up in their nets. The law doesn’t define a distinction between landings that are accidental or intentional, which generally means that sharks are plentiful among the morning catch fisherman unload on beaches throughout the coast.

Below is a quick slideshow of photos taken this morning on Tarqui Beach here in Manta. As you’ll see the majority of the fish are sharks, caught, intentionally or not, primarily with the valuable fin in mind, to feed Asia’s insatiable appetite for shark fin soup. Not surprisingly, the number of sharks landed has increased dramatically since the loophole went into effect in 2007. Walking along the beach with a camera in hand, I wasn’t made to feel excessively welcome, so I didn’t linger too long.

The real prize: pile of shark fins on Tarqui beach in Manta, Ecuador

The real prize: pile of shark fins on Tarqui beach in Manta, Ecuador

Similarly a few days ago in Puerto Lopez, a small fishing community a few hours south of here, I saw dozens of piles of hammerheads in their morning fish market, many of them juveniles. I’ll post pics of some of those shortly.

Intentional finning –a brutal practice in which fins are hacked from sharks and their live bodies thrown back into oceans– is banned by many countries but has left many species on the brink of extinction.

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Six Snaps From Ecuador’s Playa Los Frailes

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Los Frailes Beach, Machalilla National Park, near Puerto Lopez, Ecuador

Here are half a dozen shots taken earlier today at Playa Los Frailes, which according to the tourist literature, is one of Ecuador’s most beautiful beaches.

I can’t vouch for the accuracy of that characterization, but I can say that it’s a very nice laid back spot. Set in Machalilla National Park about 12 kilometers from Puerto Lopez, it’s said to rarely be crowded. That was the case today –a Saturday no less– with only about a dozen people spread along the mile-wide crescent when I arrived at 11:30. When I left three hours later, the number of people enjoying the exceptionally clear warm water had perhaps doubled.

A nice lookout point is just a short hike away from the north end which provides nice vistas in all directions. The only company you’ll likely have  on the trail are dozens of small lizards quickly darting back and forth across the path. The refreshing breeze at the top is well worth the 15-minute hike.

Open daily from 8 to 4; mototaxi ride from the center of Puerto Lopez takes about 20 minutes and should set you back about $5 one-way. There is a small stand at the entrance selling water, soft drinks, ice cream and souvenirs, but there is no restaurant. As is the case with all of Ecuador’s national parks, entry is free.

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Escaping the Sun (Pic de Jour)

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Puerto Lopez 002

The closer I get to the equator the more I realize that the only sensible thing to do in the middle of day is to somehow escape from the midday heat.

Escape is this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge theme, which is exactly what I did after snapping this gentleman’s photo.

Puerto Lopez, Ecuador, or 1°34′00″ South

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26 Seconds at Guayaquil’s Malecon Gardens Fish Pond

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pond

The amount of plastic I continue to see –strewn about, blowing about and haphazardly piled about– as I make my way north through South America is staggering. Whether at home or on the road, it’s one thing I simply can’t become immune or jaded to. Who throws bottle caps, candy wrappers, spoons and sporks into ponds in public gardens? Or flings plastic bags and bottles out their windows?

Does anyone know these people? If so, can you please ask them to stop?

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(Very) Magnificent Frigatebird – Pic de Jour

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Magnificent Frigatebird or Fregata magnificens, on the Isla de Aves (Bird Island) near Puerto Pizarro, Peru

Magnificent Frigatebird strutting his stuff

.. or Fregata magnificens. This is a male doing his best to attract the ladies. I hope he succeeded.

This gentleman is perched atop some trees on the enchanting Isla de Aves, or Bird Island, home to thousands of large and loud sea birds in the mangroves just outside of Puerto Pizarro, Peru. A short video of this surreal setting coming VERY soon.

The purplish sheen in the plumage on its back is one of the main differences between the Magnificent Frigatebird and Great Frigatebird (Fregata minor), whose back plumage tends toward a yellowish red sheen.

Apologies for the hard light. The timing of the tides, which shift roughly every six hours, forced a trip here in mid-day.

Near Puerto Pizarro, Peru, 11-May-2013

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Forty Seconds With Bolivian Traffic-Directing Zebras

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zebras directing traffic

Your 42-second mental health break for the day..

I have no explanation for this. I shot this in Sucre, but I also saw them busy at work in La Paz as well. Enjoy!

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Checking out of Peru

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So a funny thing happened this afternoon as I was checking out of Peru and into Ecuador. The moment the Peruvian officer began to scan my passport, his phone, resting on the opposite end of the small counter, began to blink incessantly. It then proceeded to belt out a very loud version of the Mission Impossible theme song.

He smiled, stamped my passport and said in perfect English: “My ringtone always lightens the mood in here.”

Painted Ghost Crab (Pic de Jour)

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Painted ghost crab, or cypode gaudichaudii

Painted ghost crab, aka cart driver crab

This is a Painted ghost crab, or ocypode gaudichaudii, with a feather. (No, it’s not his.) They’re a common species found on Pacific beaches from El Salvador all the way to Chile, and on the Galapagos Islands. They’re fun to watch, particularly in early evening as they scurry about, often in large numbers, before sunset.  They’re very fast, which is presumably where their name came from. As you approach, they vanish quickly into their deep burrows with nary a trace.

They’re fascinating little creatures; I spent about an hour observing and photographing them yesterday and the day before. More pics forthcoming.

Zorritos, Peru, 10-May-2013

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