Thanks to Prof. Alessandro Catenazzi for these rare photos of the lighthouse
on Isla Mazorca, located in the Pacific about 40 km (25 miles) southwest of
Huacho, Peru. It must be a tough climb to the lighthouse, which stands on the
summit of the island with a focal plane of 127 meters (417 ft). The 7.5 meter
(25 ft) cast iron tower is supposed to be painted black with a white horizontal
band, but the photo shows a serious need for repainting.
Dr. Catenazzi, a zoologist on the faculty of Florida International
University, writes the following about Isla Mazorca:
Mazorca, similarly to Lobos de Afuera, is
a guano island under the administration of a public enterprise (Proabonos)
that collects and sells the guano produced by cormorants and boobies.
The lighthouse itself is maintained by the Marina [Peruvian Navy] --how
frequently they visit the island I don't know. As in most guano islands,
there is a guardian that keeps fishermen away from stealing guano and
killing cormorants. A permit from Proabonos is necessary to visit the
island. All sides of the island, which roughly looks like a dome, are
pretty steep or vertical rocky walls --the island is entirely granitic.
I have just checked on my map and the island is 14 km west of Punta
Salinas (which is also owned by Proabonos, but is currently deserted
by seabirds), the closest point on the mainland. It took me about 3h
to get from Huacho to Mazorca with fishermen on a small boat. There
are only a few boats fishing in the area (most leave from Huacho). The
exact location is 11°23'30''S / 77°45'20'' W and the area of
the island is 11.63 ha [28.7 acres]. There are resident colonies of
guanay cormorants, Peruvian boobies, and Inca terns; also Humboldt penguins,
pelicans, Peruvian gulls are pretty common. Seabird parasites, especially
blood-sucking flies and ticks, are everywhere. These parasites are in
turn prey for spiders and scorpions, that are very abundant on the island.
The picture below gives us a good idea of just how steep the island is.
Notice the dwelling for the caretaker at the far left. |
 |