juan fernandez islands

What fun for me to sit with Peter Hodum on the UPS campus and talk about his passion and work on seabird conservation both in Washington State and in the Juan Fernández Islands off the coast of Chile. Peter did his PhD work on seabirds near Antarctica, but his more recent work has been on seabird research in both Washington State and in the Juan Fernández Islands. These islands are located about 670 kilometers off the coast of Chile, and due to their remote location have a very large percentage of endemic organisms.

Map of the Chilean Islands

Per Wikipedia 62% of the 209 species of vascular plants on the islands are endemics there. (means that they are only found there) There are no native land mammals, reptiles or amphibians on the islands, and only 17 species of land and sea birds breed on the islands, with several endemic bird species.
If you are interested in the organization supporting this research check out the Oikonos website.
Peter’s research is primarily on the seabirds of the islands, but there are super-cool passerines there too, and he shared some photos with us for this post.
The islands are named after the explorer Juan Fernández who discovered them in the 1570’s and are famous as the place where th sailor Alexander Selkirk was marooned for several years in 1704. His story is believed by many to be the inspiration for the Robinson Crusoe book. Of note two of the three major islands in the archipelago are named Robinson Crusoe Island and Selkirk Island.
Enjoy.

We talk about how Tufted Puffins are able to catch, hold in their bill, and carry back to their nest to feed their yound large numbers of fish. Here is evidence!