Nine people sharing a one bath room house gives rise to the easily predicted early morning queue for the facilities. There was some urgency, as we needed to be at the harbour at eight for our boat trip to Isla Chañaral, one of four islands that make up the Reserva Nacional Pinguinos de Humboldt. Hernan had received permission from Conaf, who are responsible for all National Parks and Reserves, for our group to visit the island during the penguins' breeding season.

Last night's concerns by some about the (lack of) size of the boats was not helped by the slight delay while Hernan went to find the fishermen who had promised to take us. I joked that they would soon arrive in a boat three times the size of the ones we could see. This proved not to be the case, but, fully dressed in life jackets, we all fitted comfortably in the boat. Fortunately the sea was calm, as at 8:30 we started our crossing of the deep channel between the island and the main land, where at various times five different species of whale and numerous dolphins and other marine animals and birds have been recorded. The twitchers in our party, particularly Mike, were more enthusiastic about the birds we saw here, than about plants found at any cactus location I can recall. Names of birds that I had never heard of came reeling forth and Mike has promised me faithfully to supply a list of names that I will add to these pages later.  Most impressive was a formation of thirteen Pelicans that flew straight over the boat

Forty-five minutes after our departure, we reached the island, but we were to spent another fifteen minutes sailing along the shores to be treated to the sight of more wild life, including groups of sea lions (Otaria flavescens), Chungungo or sea otters (Lontra felina) and a range of marine birds such as cormorants (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), Sula variegata, petrels, gulls, including Larus dominicanus and of course Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus humboldti). The island is also the home of a small marsupial called Yaca (Thylamys elegans), all in all plenty of reason to visit the island. My main interest however were the cacti. Much has been written about cactus island populations off the coast of Baja California, where over time species of Echinocereus, Ferocactus and Mammillaria have evolved that are different from those found on the peninsula. As I hope to visit some of these in February and March 2008, it seemed a good opportunity to see what grew on this Chilean island.

But first, the landing. The island does not have a formal harbour nor a sandy beach that would have been ideal for the purpose of disembarkation. Instead, our boat bopped merrily up and down on the waves as we approached a rocky out crop, covered in slippery sea weed at what was known as Caleta Esperanza (The Cove of Hope). One of the fisherman was first ashore and shouted Spanish words of instruction and encouragement is one by one he pulled us out of the boat and on to the slippery rock, which needed to be evacuated quickly to make space for the next person. Eventually, the boat was empty and all explorers were safely ashore, although some with bruised knees and legs as they had been caught between rock and boat.

The next challenge proved more daunting for some of us as Andy and John decided not to climb the two wooden ladders, estimated at 30 and 40 m long that would take us straight to the top of the cliffs. Mike made the assent via a steep rock path but this was also too risky for Andy and John.

At the top, we were rewarded by the sight of the same Eulychnia that we had seen on the mainland (E. 'Chorosensis' n.n.), hanging down the steep cliff faces and seemingly crawling towards us. The plants where in bud and flower and showed the same, hypanthium, covered in dense short wool as there mainland cousins. They also had the same large thickly felted areoles as seen at the Caleta and elsewhere on Llanos de Choros.

The Copiapoa was also clearly the same as the densely spined forms of C. coquimbana that we had also seen yesterday on the mainland at Los Hornos. Hernan mentioned that many years ago, rabbits had been introduced to the island and without their mainland predators had increased alarmingly in numbers. Much of the damage to the Copiapoa was caused by these rodents. To solve the problem, foxes were brought in from the mainland, but these had found the nesting grounds of the rare Peruvian Petrel a more convenient place to eat, with almost disastrous effects as the number of these birds plummeted. It seems therefore likely that the spiniest Copiapoa had the best chance of survival here. Thinking back to conditions at Los Hornos, here large numbers of goats caused similar problems and again, the most spiniest cacti would seem to have the best chance of survival - an example of survival of the fittest that in time, in isolated places such as the islands could result in speciation.

We also found small number of Eriosyce, probably E. subgibbosa ssp wagenknechtii, but again failed to find any significant differences when compared to plants from Caleta Chañaral.

Mesembryanthemum cristallinum was another import that had found its way onto the island, but the most interesting pictures of the day belong to the penguins that build their nests between the roots and stems of the sprawling Eulychnia. They are very shy animals when caught in the open and will run at quite a pace if you come within their comfort zone of around 70 m. Hernan was keen to keep the group together as we walked through centre of the breeding colony, as it was not unknown for penguins to run away in blind panic and, if too close to the cliffs, would throw themselves over the edge to a certain death. At least one of each breeding couple would stay in the nest where we could see eggs as well and would peer at us inquisitively, believing that we could not see them. We would quickly take our pictures before leaving them in peace.  

As we returned to the ladders for the journey home, red headed Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) were circling overhead. Were they hoping to find their lunch at the bottom of the ladders? Some five hours after our arrival we were once again all aboard the boat and by 3 p.m. we were back on terra firma, ready for a hearty lunch. 

We ended the day with another seafood meal, this time in the house of the sister of our chef, as his diner was undergoing expansion and had no roof. Hernan joined us for a night cap and an impromptu digital slide show detailing the different taxa of the genus Eulychnia. Even the most hardened insomniacs were now ready for sleep.