Venture to Chile 
January 17 - February 4, 2006

Travelling in Chile is, as one author called it, "Adventures in a long, thin country." And sometimes it felt just like that, with plenty of internal air-flights from one end of the country to another! Regardless of that fact, birding and traveling in Chile is a wonderful experience. From Punta Arenas in the far south to Arica on the northern border with Peru and Bolivia, our trip took us through most of Chile's biological regions in just over 2 weeks. Despite initial delays with luggage, our Venture got off to a good start as we drove west towards the coast and the very rich lakes near Leyda. Thankfully we had seen most of the waterfowl on the lake before the windsurfers arrived and scared everything off!! Highlights were many, including Black-necked and Coscoroba Swans, 2 White-cheeked Pintail and a pair of Black-headed Ducks amidst the mass of Red Shoveler, Chiloe Wigeon and Yellow-billed Pintail. Adult Many-colored Rush-Tyrants and Wren-like Rushbirds entertained us in the coastal wetlands while a couple of Plumbeous Rails with their outrageously green bills walked around in the open. Nearby arid mountain valleys outside Santiago are haunts of several endemic or near-endemic species and, despite the moonscape of rocks and scrubby vegetation, we spent the day searching (and finding) Moustached Turca, Crag Chilia and our first Andean Condor of the trip. 

It was waterfowl time again once we arrived in Patagonia, but we added some geese into the mix. Kelp, Ruddy-headed, Ashy-headed and Upland are all great birds, especially the former with the sexes being so strikingly different. And of course there are the penguins - hundreds of Magellanic Penguins coming ashore at Seno Otway. A great sight, despite 10+ busloads of tourists from a nearby cruise ship! Our ferry trip across to Tierra del Fuego was too calm for many seabirds, and even the Black-browed Albatrosses were just sitting around on the waters. Porvenir is a strange little town, but like any outposts of civilization, it has its charms. Whether it's lurid green hallways in our hotel, conversations with injured British bikers or walking around bizarre salt-encrusted mounds looking for Magellanic Plovers (which we found!), a couple of days in this windswept place is good for the soul. Heading north from our unusual lodging near San Gregorio (with Olga at the helm!) the Pali Aike Road was wonderful. We did not see another vehicle for the whole 4 hours we were on this unpaved road, but lots of great birds. Highlights were many, including flocks of Rheas and Guanacos, an unseasonable White-bellied Seedsnipe that sat on the roadside, several flocks of Tawny-throated Dotterel (2 were quite close) and some exquisite Black-throated (Canary-winged) Finches. Add to this Peregrine and Aplomado Falcons and never-ending views across Patagonia and you will get the picture about this superb area. Torres del Paine National Park had a horrific fire last February and most of the vegetation in the eastern section of the park had been completely burned, but the scenery was still magnificent. The basalt towers were mostly cloaked in mist and rain and the wind howled during our whole visit, and with aqua blue ice chunks in Lago Grey to sleeping Torrent Ducks and herds of Guanacos, this park has to be one of the most impressive I have ever seen. A side trip to a nearby valley proved most interesting as the wind was blowing the dust from the roads into our ears and eyes. A family group of the uncommon White-throated Caracara was the highlight this afternoon. Walking in the forests at Puyehue National Park was a pleasant (and wind-free) change from the windswept plains of Patagonia. The sounds of the Chucao resounded from the dense thickets, although they mostly stayed hidden. A slight bout of food poisoning on my behalf forced an afternoon of relaxation - much appreciated by all. Chilean Pigeons were common and some folks got good, if brief, views of 2 Magellanic Tapaculos. Our pelagic trip out of Valparaiso was outstanding, even if everyone was not quite up for the weather. Hundreds of Dusky Dolphins fed around us, often breaching time after time; 3 spectacular Southern Right-whale Dolphins were also seen briefly (for some lucky folks) while hundreds of seabirds fed in this mass feeding frenzy. It was very good to see both Westland and White-chinned Petrels at close proximity and be able to differentiate these similar species. A Juan Fernandez Petrel gave us a fly-by, while Salvin's and Black-browed Albatross and Southern Giant-Petrel fed close to the boat. A real surprise was on our way back in as we found what turned out to be an adult Chatham Island Albatross sitting on the water. Apparently this is now considered a component of the offshore Chilean bird avifauna, although very rare. A real bonus for us!

A visit to a sulphuric acid plant gave us a distant Spectacled Tyrant (thanks, Frank) and a stray Bank Swallow, and we finished the day enjoying a colony of the endangered Humboldt Penguin. Our last portion of our Chile trip was Arica and the far north and a close contender as to my favorite part of the country. The mouth of the Lluta River was alive with birds and thousands of Gray and Franklin's Gulls were on the beach, as was a single American Golden Plover and a rare pair of Killdeer. The Atacama Desert is bleak with barely a scrap of vegetation, although on our return trip down out of the mountains, we were treated to a thick garua fog and evidence of a fair amount of rain in the desert; most unusual. Putre was its normal charming self and the valleys were full of the expected species, although an immature Tamarugo Conebill was a surprise and the town has recently been colonized by Spot-winged Pigeons. After doing some reading, it seems that this large Andean pigeon is increasing its range in many areas due to the planting of eucalyptus and other trees. Lauca National Park is one of the most scenic places in the world with volcanoes rising above the Altiplano, lakes covered in waterfowl and herds of Vicuñas grazing along the roadside. We never did find the Andean or Puna Flamingos, but the rest of the birdlife almost made up for them. A final excursion up the Azapa Valley out of Arica our last morning was excellent as we "mopped up" our last remaining birds. We found a pair of Burrowing Owls at the museum, 2 Peruvian Thick-knee along the roadside and all three hummingbirds, including a female Chilean Woodstar (now seemingly critically rare) at a flower-filled private preserve. 

All in all, a great trip to a very scenic and friendly country. Thanks to everyone - we'll definitely be back.

Simon Thompson