discoverwildlife.com BBC WILDLIFE 61she is spoken for.
The couple takes turns to watch the nest:
when one goes in search of food, the other
stays to guard the egg, taking great care to
prevent it from falling into the water swirling
beneath the mangroves. Soon, the greenery is
adorned with fluffy white youngsters as the
island transforms into a kindergarten. The
adults dial down the aggression and channel
their energy into raising their chicks.F
rigate chicks are in the nest
for a year – the longest period
of parental care known for any
bird – with parenting a shared
affair. In the crucial early days,
the female barely leaves the nest, enveloping
her youngster to keep it safe and warm;
her partner, meanwhile, alternates between
sitting nearby and bringing her food. The
male then takes charge for a few months,
allowing the mother to feed, before she
resumes duties again, nurturing the chick by
herself until it’s ready to leave the nest.
Female frigates are known to be among
the most devoted parents in the bird world.
Indeed, watching the females of La Isla de
Los Pájaros, I was struck by how affectionate
they were. They would often give their
youngsters what looked like lovely, warm
‘hugs’ and regularly groom them, as well as
maintaining their nests with careful pecks to
keep them clean and tidy.
One of the most important skills a youngfrigate must master is flight.
Frigates are extremely agile
fliers, with each precisely
positioned feather guiding their
airborne manoeuvres. These
birds learn to fly from a very
young age, instinctively starting
to exercise their wings on the
strong winds that blow through the
mangroves, finessing their balance
by watching their mothers. As adults,
frigates can spend several days in the air in
search of food, taking only the occasional
break on the coast. They fly and glide on
thermal currents, helped by their wingspan-
to-bodyweight ratio, which is the largest of
any bird on Earth. No wonder Charles
Darwin referred to these birds as the
‘condors of the ocean’.
The life of the Peruvian frigates is
complex but fascinating. It includes
moments of savage competition and times
of great tranquillity. Over the years, the
population on La Isla de Los Pájaros has
grown, but the colony remains fragile.
Numbers declined during the most recent
El Niño event in 2018-2019, in which warmer
seas forced the local fish populations to
migrate to colder waters, leaving the area
devoid of prey.
It’s a stark warning of what
consequences global warming will have on
these birds: though frigates do supplement
their diet with fishing discards, theoverheating of marine areas will lead to
severe food shortages. Climate change is
already causing sea levels to rise, with the
risk that this low-lying mangrove island
could eventually disappear underwater.
La Isla de Los Pájaros is not only of
huge importance to the frigates, it’s also of
huge economic benefit to Puerto Pizarro,
providing opportunities for fishing, tourism
and birdwatching. It’s crying out for formal
protection, particularly as visitor numbers
are spiralling significantly here (see
‘Tourism: a double-edged sword’, above). In
1988, the Peruvian Government established
a marine protected area called the Manglares
de Tumbes National Sanctuary, but La
Isla de Los Pájaros wasn’t included in the
designation. It’s vital that it is annexed to the
sanctuary to ensure that fishing and tourism
are regulated, and we can safeguard this
spectacular and special colony of frigates.FRIGATES O
Tourism: a double-
edged sword
Over the past 10 years, Puerto Pizarro has
transformed from a fishing port into tourist
hub, as birdwatchers flock to see the
frigatebirds. Local fishermen take tourists
out to observe the birds, providing them
with an alternative source of income and
encouraging them to become involved
in the conservation of the colony. The
frigates are accustomed to human visitors,
allowing for close and guaranteed views,
but some boats are getting too close to
the birds, risking disturbance. With more
than to 26 birdwatching vessels visiting
the island per day in the summer, stringent
regulations are needed to avoid tourism
having a detrimental effect.Birdwatching
trips have
become popular
in the area