H.J. Ruiz – Avian101

While I was in Peru last February, their weather conditions were remarkably altered by the “El nino” current. The coastal areas were very warm and with high percentage of humidity. The humidity in form of clouds and fog would travel east toward the Andes and then precipitate as heavy rains that ultimately cause gigantic mudslides (Huaico in native Peruvian language).

My observations in the matter of El Nino current, this natural current flows waters at a warmer temperature than the regular Humboldt current that is much larger but  it’s waters are frigid,which it propitious for abundant marine life Plankton which is highly nutritious for small and large fish. The presence of El Nino makes a chaotic environment for plankton to reproduce.

The lack of abundant small fish becomes a feeding problem for sea birds of all kinds. I noticed the presence of large flocks of sea birds idling at beaches and hardly going fishing, this in comparison to previous years.

Among the sea birds I could easily recognize a gentle giant such as:

The Peruvian pelican (Pelecanus thagus) is a member of the pelican family. It lives on the west coast of South America, from Lobos de Tierra Island in Peru to Pupuya Islet in Chile.

These birds are dark in color with a white stripe from the top of the bill up to the crown and down the sides of the neck. They have long tufted feathers on the top of their heads. It was previously considered a subspecies of the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). The Peruvian birds are nearly twice the bulk of the brown pelican, averaging 15.4 lb (7 kg) in weight; they are also longer, measuring about 5 ft (1.5 m) overall.

The main breeding season occurs from September to March. Clutch size is usually two or three eggs. Eggs are incubated for approximately 4 to 5 weeks, with the rearing period lasting about 3 months.

This bird feeds on several species of fish. It feeds by diving into the water from flight, like the brown pelican. Information © Wikipedia

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© HJ Ruiz – Avian101