Report from Chile: Tierra del Fuego to the Atacama Desert
The spectacular country of Chile rewarded us this year with another wonderful trip, a long list of incredible birds, and impressive scenery.
Starting in Patagonia, we were blessed by fantastic views on a pair of the unique Magellanic Plover, Tawny-throated Dotterels and Least Seedsnipes with chicks, a group of King Penguins packed on a windy Tierra del Fuego beach, Lesser Rheas running together with Guanacos on the Patagonian steppe, great views on the endangered Ruddy-headed Goose, and more!
Near Puerto Montt, we enjoyed the majestic Nothofagus forest, where we met and heard the fantastic Chucao Tapaculo, and plenty of other stunning birds such as Black-throated Huet-huet, Des Murs’s Wiretail, Slender-billed Parakeet or White-throated Treerunner! We also had a lovely excursion on Chiloé Island, having a boat ride to a small Humboldt and Magellanic colony, and found large flocks of wintering (or austral summering!) Hudsonian Godwit.
In Central Chile, we enjoyed the comical Moustached Turca running on the barren slopes of the impressive Andes while a group of Condors soar high in the sky. We also did a memorable pelagic trip off Valparaiso, having amazing views on no less than four species of albatrosses (Black-browed, Salvin’s, Buller’s and Northern Royal) and plenty more seabirds and even the minuscule and recently described Andean Storm-Petrel.
Finally, the Northern part of the country rewarded us with even more impressive sceneries, such the beautiful Parinacota volcano in the background of Chungara lake, or the majestic altiplano steppe, where we found Giant Coot, Puna Tinamou, Black Siskin, no less than three species of Flamingoes, and quite a few Viscachas (sort of hybrid between a rabbit and a kangaroo).
We ended the trip by a visit to the most arid Atacama Desert and some oasis, where we found the critically endangered Chilean Woodstar. We also stopped by a colony of Markham’s Storm-Petrel, small seabirds breeding in crevasse in the middle of the driest desert of the World. With the help of an endoscopic camera, we even had views on chicks ready to depart soon for their first flight to the Ocean!
An eBird report illustrated by many photos taken by the participants can be consulted here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/291729