Leaving Conception for Punta Arenas.
View taken north of Punta Arenas
Rufous Collared Sparrow near Punta Arenas.
Andean Condors - Vultur gryphus We noticed seven Condors appeared to be coming lower, so we quickly made our way towards them and found them and several other raptors which came in to feed on a dead sheep along the Puerto Natales Road.
One Condor passed directly low over our heads.
Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus megellanicus found standing on the beach along the Punta Prat road. Breeds in southernmost Chile, Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. Highly migratory with many moving north in winter.
Dark Bellied Cinclodes - Cinclodes patagonicus The common summer Cinclodes of central and southern lowlands , the others are winter visitors. Six Dark Bellied Cinclodes were found in a small wooded area along the Punta Prat road.
Least Seedsnipe Thinocorus rumicivorus Widespread, and the only small seedsnipe likely to occur in lowlands. Ten Least Seedsnipe of the race rumicivorus were seen in the Punta Arenas area.
Chocolate Vented Tyrant Neoxolmis rufiventris A species of open Patagonian grassland with scattered bushes. Forages on the ground and often perches on fence posts. Range: 0-500 m. We saw odd Chocolate Vented Tyrants along the Punta Dungeness Road and 12 near Pali Aike.
Darwin's Rhea Pterocnemia pennata A common species of grassy Patagonian steppe with scattered scrubs. Up to 60 Darwin Rheas of the race pennata were seen on a day north of Punta Arenas. By using the car as a hide we were able to approach this bird very closely.
Adult male Cinereous Harrier Circus cinereus Inhabits grassland, pastures, marshes and Patagonian steppe. Four males of Cinereous Harriers were seen daily in Patagonia.
Ruddy-headed Geese Chloephaga rubidiceps Local and scarce with fewer than 800 individuals in Chile. We found pairs of Ruddy Headed Geese along the Punta Dungeness Road.
Long-tailed Meadowlark - Sturnella loyca Common and widespread and the only Meadowlark in C and S Chile. We saw them in good numbers virtually throughout Chile.
Two Banded Plover Charadrius falklandicus Highly migratory breeding in S. Chile and moving north in winter. During our trip we found twenty along the road to Pali Aike.
Rufous-chested Dotterel - Charadrius modestus When not breeding present on rocky coast and mudflats. Another brillant wader and one of our highlights of the trip. We found 15 Rufous Chested Dotterels including a pair with a chick along the road leading to Pali Aike. Superb!!!
Adult Coscoroba Swan - Coscoroba coscoroba Usually seen in freshwater/blackish lakes , also larger lakes with marshes. The ones we saw were on road side pools which we saw from the car when we were driving past.
Black-necked Swan - Cygnus melancoryphus Found in a variety of open-water environments. We also saw them on road-side pools.
Rock Cormorant - Phalacrocorax magellanicus Our only Rock Cormorants were seen at the ferry terminal at Punta Delada, whilst waiting for the ferry to Tierra del Fuego.
A Chilean Skua Stercorarius chilersis flew over the car ferry on our jorney to Terria del Fuego. The common skua in Chile and the most likely to be seen from the coast or on a short pelagic. Unique among skuas as it is colonial and nests in colonies. During our trip, it was the only Chilean Skua that we saw.
We had now arrived by ferry to Tierra del Fuego.
A Fox came walking right past us on Tierra del Fuego.
Guanaco's were also seen on Tierra del Fuego.
