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Day
1 – Arrival
in Punta Arenas
We arrive today in Punta Arenas after a flight from Santiago. After
meeting as a group we will do some afternoon birding to “get our
feet wet”. Near Punta Arenas we bird the open steppe and wetlands
of the area plus comb the shoreline of the straits of Magellan. We should
see many waterfowl including Upland Goose and Chiloe Wigeon and get
our first glimpses of Southern Giant Petrel and Black-browed Albatross.
A highlight will be our visit to a nearby Magellanic Penguin colony
out in the strait on Magdalena Island. We are on the early side of the
nesting season but we should see penguins as they prepare for another
summer of raising young.
Day
2 – Ferry
to Tierra del Fuego
We cross the Straits of Magellan over to Tierra del Fuego today
on a ferry that takes us to the town of Porvenir. This can be
a productive
2.5 hour crossing, with good looks at Black-browed Albatross, Southern
Giant-Petrels and other procellarids. We then bird the area around
Porvenir for other specialties such as Magellanic Plover, Short-billed
Miner
and Ruddy-headed Goose. Night in Porvenir.
Day 3 – Birding
the Patagonian steppe
From Porvenir we drive northeast and cross back over to the mainland,
and then head inland along the Pali Aike Road searching the landscape
for great birds such as Black-throated Finch, Rufous-chested and
Tawny-throated Dotterels and Chocolate-vented Tyrant. We end our
day in the town
of Puerto Natales.
Day 4 – Torres
del Paine
The world famous Torres del Paine National Park is our destination
for the day. Its spectacular scenery is a wonderful backdrop
for our birding
day. Here we hope to find specialties such as Austral Rail,
Yellow-bridled Finch and White-throated Caracara. Night in Puerto
Natales.
Day 5 – Senos
and Steppe
Our return to Punta Arenas is via the dramatic southern sounds
(senos) of Patagonia and the windswept Nothofagus forests
that line them.
This route also keeps us close to the steppe and we should
see a wonderful mix of bird species. Ruddy-headed Goose, Spectacled
Duck, Kelp Goose
and Flightless Steamer-Duck are some of the birds we’ll
be looking for. Night in Punta Arenes.
Day 6 – Flight
to Puerto Montt/ Drive to Temuco/Cerro Nielol NR
We catch our flight north to Puerto Montt today and then
drive north through the temperate zone of Chile, its famous “lake
district”.
The fertile, lush green fields are nestled at the feet of
the Andes and make for a wonderfully scenic drive up to
Temuco. We keep our eyes
open for roadside species such as White-tailed Kite, Long-tailed
Meadowlark and hope for elusive species such as Chilean
Tinamou and Hellmayr’s
Pipit. Time permitting, we visit the small but birdy city
park of Temuco, Cerro Nielol and look out for Slender-billed
Parakeet.
Day 7 – Conguillo
NP
Upon arrival in Temuco, we spend some time birding the region.
Here we see the heartland of Chile - the temperate area
of “La Araucania”-
the land of the Mapuche Indians. This area of Chile is
where the famous Araucaria (Monkey Puzzle) tree grows
on the slopes of the Andes in
lush Nothofagus forests. The city of Temuco boasts a wonderful
Market where
the Mapuche come to sell their trademark hand-made woolens.
We visit Conguillio National Park where we look for birds
such as Magellanic
Woodpecker, Black-throated Huet-Huet, Chucao Tapaculo,
White-throated Hawk, Patagonian Tyrant, White-throated
Treerunner and Fire-eyed Diucon
which find the heart of their ranges in these forests.
Day 8 – Flight
to Santiago/Drive to Vilches/Altos de Lircay
We return to Santiago today and then head south to National
Park Vilches a couple hours away. We will be in the
transitional zone
between the
scrub-like “matorral” of central Chile and
the Araucania forests of temperate Chile. We continue
to search for specialties,
such as Dusky Tapaculo, Chilean Pigeon and Burrowing
Parrot en route today.
Day 9 – Altos
de Lircay/Colbun Reservoir
Here we hope to see more birds typical of the Nothofagus
forests that we may have missed, but our main target
is the Chestnut-throated
Huet-Huet – a
nearly endemic species whose range is separated to
the north of the Black-throated Huet-Huet by the Bio-Bio
River. While in the mountains
we also have a great chance to see the Thorn-tailed
Rayadito, the amazing DesMur’s Wiretail, Austral
Parakeet and other forest species.
Day 10 – Drive
to Vina del Mar via San Antonio
Today we travel west of Santiago to the Pacific
Ocean, across some of Chile’s matorral, a
shrubby habitat similar to California’s
chaparral. We stop at several wetlands to look for
waterfowl such as White-tufted and Great Grebes,
and three species of coots. Our tally
of ducks may include Rosy-billed Pochard, Lake Duck
and perhaps the skulking and rare Black-headed Duck.
Landbirds abound as well—we
may see scarce species like Great Shrike-Tyrant,
Giant Hummingbird, White-throated Tapaculo and Dusky
Tapaculo as well as more common
birds such as the endemic Chilean Mockingbird, Common
Diuca Finch, and Austral
Blackbird. Night in Vina del Mar.
Day 11 – Pelagic
trip off Valparaiso
Valparaiso is a hotspot for pelagic birds as the
deep Chilean Trench comes quite close to the shore
here;
the upwelling
of this cold water
brings nutrients to the surface which make it
a fertile feeding ground for many seabirds. Possibilities
are
phenomenal. Up
to seven species
of Albatrosses occur here, with Salvin’s
and Black-browed usually common. Other widespread
seabirds include White-chinned Petrel, Cape
Petrel (looks like a flying checkerboard), Sooty & Pink-footed
Shearwater, Wilson’s Storm Petrel, Peruvian
Booby, Guanay Cormorant and Red-legged Shag (maybe
the most beautiful cormorant in the world). Six
hour pelagics
are a mix of exhilaration and fatigue, so be prepared
with a good night’s
sleep and light breakfast! After an afternoon
rest, we have an optional trip to check some coastal
sites for waterbirds. Night in Vina del
Mar.
Day 12 – Lo
Prado/ Batuco/ Lampa
We venture inland back towards Santiago through
more Chaparral to look for some Chilean specialties
such
as Dusky-tailed
Canastero, Moustached
Turca, White-throated Tapaculo, Chilean Pigeon
and Chilean Tinamou. Two hummingbirds we hope
to see
are the tiny
Green-backed Firecrown
and the huge Giant Hummingbird, the largest
hummingbird in the world.
We then head for the wetlands of Batuco north
of Chile to search for wonderful birds like
Yellow-winged Blackbird,
Stripe-backed Bittern,
South American Painted Snipe and a selection
of waterbirds. Night in Santiago.
Day 13 - El Yeso/Banos
Morales
We drive up the Andes to the head of the Yeso
Valley. As we climb and leave the expansive
city of Santiago,
the scenery
changes
and so do
the birds. We look for Torrent Ducks and the
endemic and local
Crag Chilia. Once we enter the Yeso Valley,
the fauna is truly Andean.
Here we may encounter the Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant,
several ground-tyrants, Cordilleran Canastero,
Grey-flanked Cinclodes,
Greater Yellow-Finch
and the beautiful Yellow-rumped Siskin. The
spectacular Andean Condor is common here.
The prize for the
day is the much sought-after
Diademed
Plover, a bird so strange that it was once
called the Diademed Sandpiper-Plover. The Yeso Valley
is now considered
one
of the most reliable places
to
see this odd bird. However road conditions
are variable from year to year so we will keep our
fingers crossed.
We finish
the day
with an
enjoyable meal in a small local restaurant.
Night in Santiago.
Day 14 – Farellones/
Depart for home
Our trip today is up into Andes above Santiago
towards a series of ski chalets. Here we
try to ‘clean up’ on any of the Andean
species we have missed earlier. Our chances are very good for finding
Creamy-rumped Miner, a local, nearly endemic bird to Chile up near
the top chalets. We then descend back into the city and head for the
airport
to catch our return flights home in the evening.
What
to Expect
Our daily travel
schedule will vary to account for weather, tides, bird species and
travel times. You can expect some early morning,
pre-breakfast
walks, as well as optional evening forays to look for owls and mammals.
The tour generally involves easy to moderate walking; there is some
hill-climbing which we take at a steady pace. There is an open ocean
pelagic trip. We visit locations up to 2500 m, during which we keep
walking to a minimum, conducting most of our observations from the
vehicle. In general, we keep all our nature study to a reasonable
pace, maximizing the number of things we see but allowing enough time
to properly enjoy them. Having two leaders, we may split into "faster" and "slower" groups.
Around noon, we stop for a box lunch at a scenic spot or stop for
a sit-down meal at a local restaurant.
Weather will be pleasant; during the day it will be warm but unlikely
hot, and participants should be prepared for some cool days and cold
nights at high elevations and in the south of the country. We should
encounter little rain. In the evening, we relax at the hotel restaurant,
or a local place selected for its good food and local charm. At this
time we discuss the day's activities and review the list of birds and
wildlife seen, and outline events for the next day.
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