CHILE: Heading South

We decided it was time to head south.

Really far south.

To the southern half of Chile and an island called Chiloé, about 1,000 km south of Santiago.

Chiloé Island is the second-largest island in Chile (after Tierra del Fuego), about 180 km (110 miles) long and 50–60 km (30–37 miles) wide in most places.

A small coastal area on the northwest coast of Chiloé is famous for being one of the few places in the world where both Humboldt and Magellanic penguins nest together.

It was the end of breeding season and the beginning of the migratory season, but, we figured we'd try our luck and go check it out anyway. 

More on the penguins later.

 

Castro is the capital and largest city on Chiloé Island. Founded in 1567 by the Spanish, it is one of the oldest cities in Chile. 

Castro is best known for its palafitos, colorful wooden houses built on stilts over the water. 

These houses developed because the tides in the bay rise and fall dramatically, so the buildings stand on wooden posts above the shoreline.

 

Another landmark in Castro is the Church of San Francisco, a large wooden church with bright yellow and purple towers, built in the early 20th century.

There are 16 historic wooden churches built between the 17th and 19th centuries on Chiloé Island. They are made of native woods and built with shipbuilding techniques because stone was scarce on the island.

 Their unique blend of European religious architecture and local craftsmanship led them to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Chiloé Island has a strong storytelling tradition filled with legendary creatures, sea spirits, forest beings, and ghost ships. In Castro there are wooden sculptures on the streets and waterfront that keep the legends alive.

This one is El Trauco, a small forest spirit who lives in the dense woods of Chiloé. In the stories, he carries a small axe or walking stick and has the power to charm people with his gaze.

The Invunche is a bit more sinister. In the mythology of Chiloé, a child is supposedly kidnapped and transformed through rituals into the Invunche, whose body becomes twisted and powerful. The creature is then placed at the entrance of secret caves to guard the meeting places of witches, preventing outsiders from entering. 

The legend of El Caleuche tells of a ghost ship that appears at night in the waters around Chiloé, brightly lit and filled with music and laughter. In the folklore of Chiloé Island, people who disappear at sea are sometimes believed to become part of the crew of the Caleuche. 

La Pincoya is a female sea spirit or mermaid-like figure who is believed to control the abundance of fish and shellfish around the island. In the legend, she rises from the ocean and dances along the shore. The direction she faces while dancing predicts the fishing fortunes of the islanders. If she dances facing the sea, it means the waters will be full of fish. If she dances facing the land, it signals poor fishing and scarcity.

As promised, back to the penguins.... One of the reasons I wanted to go to the island was to see penguins. A small coastal area on the northwest coast of Chiloé is famous for being one of the few places in the world where both Humboldt and Magellanic penguins nest together. 

I knew it was the end of the breeding season and start of the migratory season, so they would probably be gone, but, I figured since we were so close we had to check it out.

It is a very pretty area.

It was interesting that the “dock” was on wheels and passengers got wheeled into and out of the boats. I suspect it had to do with not disturbing the environment.

 

The area has mixed-species of seabird colonies, so penguins share the area with cormorants, gulls, and terns.

I can get excited and take a lot of photos, because you can never tell how many photos of birds you need, or, more aptly put, what ones will turn out. Needless to say, I spent the evening editing and deleting 549 ½ photos of blurry birds.

It was exciting because we did get to see a few of both penguins. Humboldt penguins have a black head with a white border that runs from behind the eye, around the black ear-coverts and chin, joining at the throat. Black stripe across the chest shaped like an inverted horseshoe. They are smaller with a more upright posture. 

Magellanic Penguin have a black head with two white bands: one runs over the eye and around the ear, the other loops under the chin. There are two black bands across the chest, and the lower band is broader and more distinct. They are slightly larger and the white bands on the head are more pronounced. For those of you with a keen eye, you'll notice this photo has both types of penguins. (Personally, I'm not sure I can tell the difference, and I might even have their photos mixed up.)

I was quite perturbed that there were a few left behind and wondered if they were sick or really old. But, apparently my marine biologist skills rank up there with my parking skills. It takes a lot of energy to migrate, and, the penguins that figure there is enough food nearby opt to stay, while others choose to travel long distances for what they figure will be better feeding opportunities.

As you can see, feeding opportunities and scarcity of food was not a problem for John. 

YIKES!