The Ballestas Islands are a group of small uninhabited islands off the southern coast of Peru. These islands are off limits to people but boats can get close so I took a 2 hour boat tour one morning to get out on the water and up close and personal with nature!
While the Ballestas do not have any human inhabitants, thousands of birds call these rock formations home.
There are Peruvian boobys, pelicans, Humboldt penguins, terns, and cormorants that all compete for nesting space among the crevices in the rocks.
The funny thing about a lot of birds, they produce a lot of waste. . .the rocks are literally covered (several inches thick) with guano (the excrement of sea birds). As the boats approach the islands, the smell lets you know that thousands of birds are nearby. There´s so much guano here that the islands have been nicknamed the Guano Islands!
Interestingly, the word guano originates from the Quechua language (the language of the Incans) and means “dung.” The Incans collected guano off the coast of Peru (likely from this very spot) to use to enrich their soil. Guano was apparently very important to the Incans -- anyone caught disturbing the sea birds was punished by death!
In the 1800´s, the effectiveness of guano as a fertilizer was resdiscovered by Europeans. And Peruvian guano was considered some of the best for farming. What makes these bird droppings so much better than others? The weather conditions off the coast of Peru. The Humboldt current which brings cold water from Antarctica north, up the coast of Peru, creates a unique situation. The cold water and warm air prevent rainfall in this part of the world. Without rain to wash it away, the guano bakes into the rocks in the dry atmosphere, thus preserving more of the nitrates in the guano. Today, while no longer a major revenue source for Peru, guano is still used in fertilizers. Every five years over 4000 tons are mined from the Ballestas Islands!
Birds (and their droppings) aren´t the only sites to see in the Ballestas – both fur seals and sea lions breed here as well. It´s always great fun to see them up close!
Finally, an interesting mystery. . .during the 30 minute boat ride out to the islands, on the hill facing the sea is a massive trident carved nearly a foot deep into the rock. Some have called it a cactus others have called it a candleabra. It is over 400 feet long and over 250 feet wide and visible only from the sea.
No one knows which culture created this huge symbol or when it was created. The speculation is that it was created to be a beacon to those at sea but what message it was meant to send remains a mystery.
Maybe it´s the Incan symbol for “don´t touch our guano!”
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