Chile 2023: Puma, Mountains and much more….

[TonyQ]

@janzin thank you. Yes it was a shame your trip was derailed. We thought about Chiloe but decided to keep it simpler. (We also looked at the North which looks very interesting). The first part of our trip was physically easy (a bit of gentle walking at altitude at Yeso). The Puma tracking was a bit more demanding but well worth it!

 

@jeremie@PeterHG@Zim Girl@Treepol@gatoratlarge  Thank you – I am glad you liked the Inca Tern

@Atravelynn Thank you

@michael-ibk@offshorebirder   thank you. The Pelagic was very good – I have only posted about half of the species here. I am pleased you enjoyed the Inca Tern

 

South…..

We stayed at the Airport Holiday Inn as we would be getting early flight to Punta Arenas. The Hotel is fine, but has a big advantage that you can walk to Departures in the airport in five minutes.

 

Chile is a very long country! From North to South it is 4270km. (Roughly equivalent from London to The Gambia). Flying from Santiago to Punta Arenas takes about 3 ½ hours.

A word about flights. There are (I think) two airlines that fly on the major internal routes – LATAM and Skyairline. Some flights between Santiago and Punta Arenas are direct, some have a stop on the way. Flight schedules are not established as early as international flights. We originally booked flights in both directions with Skyairlines. However they changed the times quite significantly so we cancelled and switched to LATAM. (They emailed about the first change but not the second – we only saw it because we checked!). They did refund money to credit card very promptly.

 

So we had a LATAM flight at 07.11, check-in at 05.11. The flight was fine. We had booked a taxi from the airport to our accommodation for the next 3 nights, Aparthotel Endurance. They kindly allowed us to check in early.

 

https://www.ahendurance.com/

 

(The  Endurance is named after the ship that Sir Ernest Shackleton used for his Antarctic Voyage, not after the experience of staying there!)

The apartment was simple but comfortable and was very well located. They provided simple breakfast material in the fridge each day. All of the staff were really friendly and were very keen to practise their English.

 

We used the afternoon to explore part of the town. It was a short walk to the sea-front, so we were able to be “normal” tourist on a sunny Sunday afternoon

 

There were a couple of old Piers, used as nesting sites for hundreds of Cormorants

Some of the old buildings near the waterfront had been painted with really interesting scenes

 

 

 

 

 

Piloto Pardo  - took his ship from Punta Arenas to Elephant Island in the Antarctic winter to rescue the crew of the Endurance. Punta Arenas has many connections to Antarctic exploration and there are many signs around the town to commemorate this.

[TonyQ]

We also saw a few birds from the sea front

Flying Steamer Duck - it roatated the wings to move through the water really quickly. People thought it reminded them of Paddle-Steamers - hence the "Steamer Duck". There is also a FLlghtless version.

 

Magellanic Cormorant

Imperial Cormorant (as those nesting on the Pier) with a stunning eye-ring

Taking sea-weed to that nesting spot

 

We also had relaxing time going for a coffee, visiting a supermarket and going to a restaurant for an evening meal.

Edited December 20, 2023 by TonyQ

[Galana]

Fantastic series of photos and a very readable report. I have mentioned condors on buildings before but those Terns on the sea wall are as stunning. Love the Sea Lions. Given teh head profile it is easy to see how they got the name from early seamen.

Lots to think about. My old Geography teacher told me Chile was all Atacama desert so never had any desire to go there. Sorely tempted now.  I will blame you if I go.

Edited December 20, 2023 by Galana
words

[jeremie]

8 hours ago, Galana said:

Fantastic series of photos and a very readable report. I have mentioned condors on buildings before but those Terns on the sea wall are as stunning. Love the Sea Lions. Given teh head profile it is easy to see how they got the name from early seamen.

Lots to think about. My old Geography teacher told me Chile was all Atacama desert so never had any desire to go there. Sorely tempted now.  I will blame you if I go.

 

I exactly had the same image about Chile before settling there in 2010! A long, narrow Atacama desert. But it's clearly not! Very funny!

[Atravelynn]

You got the steamer duck steaming!  Nice murals too.

[Kitsafari]

awesome landscape and animal and bird photos. That's one good-looking tern. 

Great useful info and details in here that would help when i start planning a Chilean adventure.... before I get too rickety and old

[TonyQ]

@Galana@jeremie@Atravelynn@Kitsafarithank you

 

A relaxed day

When we originally thought about an itinerary for Chile, we thought about going on a boat trip to a Magellanic Penguin colony. When we thought it through we thought we would benefit from a more relaxed day – getting up a little later and having a more leisurely breakfast.

 

We got a taxi to a wetland that is about half way between the town and the airport – about 20 minutes. (I should say here that Punta Arenas and the wetland area felt very safe to walk about). The wetland was called “Humedal Tres Puentes”. It was a really nice place to see some birds on water, and to take our time.

Austral Negrito

Black-faced Ibis

Chimango Caracara

And we were really pleased to see some Chilean Flamingos

 

[TonyQ]

However, at some times there was a really strong, cold wind. With the stronger gusts it was difficult to hold the camera steady. (Parts of Patagonia are further South than New Zealand or Australia. There are no other Land Masses at this latitude so the wind can race around the earth with nothing to block it.)

Road sign

Southern Lapwing

 

Eventually the cold did get through our many layers of clothing, so we walked to a nearby gas station that had a simple café. An Empanada Queso and a cup of hot coffee fortified us for another visit.

Coscoroba Swans

Male Uplan Geese displaying to each other

Female Upland Goose with baby

Gartered Coot feeding their baby

 

 

Finally we hailed a taxi to head back to our apartment. It had been a really enjoyable visit!

[TonyQ]

A Day-trip to Tierra del Fuego

Today we will head to Tierra del Fuego to see the King Penguin Colony.

We are driven to the airport where we board a small plane for a 15 minute flight across the Strait of Magellan to Porvenir Airport. (It is possible to visit by ferry but it does require 2 days)

Our Plane

 

We have a coffee in Porvenir and head off for a two hour drive towards Bahia Inútil.

 

On the way we are excited to see a Grey Fox

 

 

 

 

We also see few Guanaco (we will see many more when we go to Torres del Paine and I will say more about them when we get there!). There are no natural predators for Guanaco in Tierra del Fuego, and people are allowed to hunt them (unlike in the rest of Chile). The fences are to keep sheep in – the Guanaco can jump them easily.

 

 

[TonyQ]

 

King Penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus, one of the two members of genus Aptenodytes, the large penguins, it is, at 90cm and 15kg, second only to the Emperor in size among all penguin species. It feeds mainly on small fish and squid.

 

It mainly breeds on sub Antarctic islands. The small colony here has over a hundred birds, (total estimated population of around six million birds overall). It is a naturally established colony – the only one on Continental South America. They did breed here in the past, so it is a return for them.

 

The colony is located in private, protected land. There is a visitor centre, and a viewing shelter, plus other viewing spots.

The shelter - useful in strong winds!

Groups visible as we walk towards the shelter

[TonyQ]

 

 

From the visitor centre

We were there in November, and there were a number of very large chicks

Begging for food

The chicks are covered in thick down. They cannot go in the water like this as it is not waterproof. They are dependent on their parents for food for many months

[TonyQ]

A few other birds were around the shelter

Meadowlark

Rufous-collared Sparrow singing loudly

And a few more penguins

 

 

 

One of the chicks is moulting - losing the down and will soon be waterproof

The one on the left is also moulting.

 

For us it had been a fascinating and really enjoyable visit. Such interesting and impressive creatures

[TonyQ]

So we headed back towards Porvenir.

Southern Caracara on fence post

 

 

Stromatolites

These are one of the earliest life forms First seen about 3.5 billion years ago. Cyanobacteria that deposited sediment and calcium carbonate. The were the first oxygen producing life form and had a huge part to play in the development of other life on Earth. There a number of sites in Chile where they can be seen, and also some in Australia. They were one of the major life forms for over a Billion Years.

 

There is a site where these can be seen just outside Porvenir. As we arrived, we were just about to get out of the car when there was an intense 5 minute snow-storm

 

It soon cleared. A walkway has been built so the you can view them without damaging them.

The live now in lakes of high salinity – the orange looking ones are alive, the white ones are the calcium remains. Generally, they grow layer upon layer.

 

 

They also provide a home for a few birds

 

 

A fascinating way to round up our brief trip to Tierra del Fuego. A return to the airport and the short flight back to Punta Arenas.

 

[Atravelynn]

Great stuff despite the snowstorm, especially the baby coot.  What a luxurious coat on the gray fox.

[PeterHG]

A very worthwhile trip to Tierra del Fuego, with beautiful photos!

[NSY]

I love the idea of seeing King Penguins without going further south. We had a trip paid for to Chile 2 weeks before 1st lockdown and was moved on 3 times as very hard to get refund. but we did get full refund after two years. Now in process of sorting another booking. Can I ask who you booked with? Love your photo,s

[TonyQ]

@Atravelynn@PeterHGthank you

@NSYsorry to hear about your previous cancellations. We booked the 4 days birding with Albatross   https://albatross-birding.com/

They were excellent.

We booked the hotels (except Torres del Paine) ourselves online. We booked the internal flights ourselves.

The company we used for Puma Tracking, I will mention now!

 

Onto Torres del Paine and Pumas (hopefully!)

 

We had booked this next section with Far South – a Chilean company based in Punta Arenas. (I forgot to mention that we also booked the visit to the King Penguins with them)

 

https://farsouthexp.com/

 

We exchanged a number of emails about what we wanted. Basically 3 days Puma tracking – which meant a 5 day/4 night trip. It is roughly a 5 hour drive from Punta Arenas to Torres del Paine – so most of a day in each direction.

 

We were picked from our apartment in Punta Arenas by our guide, Susanne, at 08.00 and headed off along a generally flat road towards Torres del Paine. After a couple of hours we stopped in a small village for a coffee then continued until we reached Puerto Natales – a very pleasant small town on the water’s edge. Susanne needed to pick up petrol (there is none available further on), including some in additional tanks. We walked around the town square while she did this, enjoying the opportunity to stretch our legs and take in the surroundings.

 

Ch

Chiloe Wigeon

 

We had a good lunch and walked along the edge of the water. All of this gave us a good opportunity to get to know Susanne – we got on very well with her – which is important when you are spending 5 days with someone!

View across the water

 

Magellanic Oystercatcher

Black-necked Swan

 

[TonyQ]

We then continued on towards Torres del Paine. We stopped a couple of times – once to look at a Southern Caracara nest

 

Youngsters in nest

 

And then to see some Condors flying overhead.

 

The landscapes were stunning, with snow-capped mountains in the distance.

 

 

 

We stopped at the base used by the Puma Trackers so that we could drop off our spare fuel for later use.

 

Again we enjoyed the views of the mountains as we headed to our hotel, enjoying specatacular views - including the famous Torres

 

including one of the many lakes

 

Hotel Torres del Paine - beautifully located

 

(Hotel Torres del Paine is in the National Park. It is beautifully located, and the buildings – including our room – were lovely. However there are faults in the management. For the evening meal, we had our starter but after another 90 minute wait and a number of complaints we decided to abandon it as we had to be up at 04.30 next morning. We would have packed breakfast each day, but we also decided to have packed evening meal on the remaining days (returning for lunch and a rest in the middle of the day.)

 

Still, we were excited that next day we would have our first attempt at tracking Puma.

[michael-ibk]

Gorgeous landscape photos Tony, what a stunning environment. Oh, I'm surprised to hear that about the hotel, thought it is the top place to stay in the park.

[Atravelynn]

Those Southern Caracara chicks are the cutest things ever. Magnificent scenery!

[xelas]

Well your report really portrays the country very differently to what I thought about it. In a much nicer colours. And the birds ... just awesome. The light must have been good as all of your photos are vivid and razor sharp. Looking forward to meet the pumas.

[Galana]

Just caught up to date.

Great photos. Loved the Fox.

Shame about the Hotel.

Fawlty Torres del Pain in the ??

[TonyQ]

@Atravelynnthank you

@xelasthank you - generally the light was pretty good (with one wet day when we went to the wetland)

@Galana@michael-ibkthank you. The hotel employs a lot of seasonal workers, and I think they were early in the season. Some of them clearly didn't know their job, and there was little visible management to train them. I think the hotel is the top place to stay in the park - a beautiful, comfortable building in a great location. But it should be better. However we didn't come for the hotel!

 

Puma Tracking

 

An early start (04.30) a cup of tea and we are picked up by Susanne at 05.15. It is just

beginning to get light. We are excited, hoping we will see Puma but of course with wildlife you are never sure. And seeing Puma is the main reason we chose to come to Chile.

 

The hotel is in the National Park of Torres del Paine, but our Puma tracking takes place outside the park (I will say a bit more about that later)

 

As it gets lighter, the scenery is beautiful. Susanne communicates with our tracker, Marcial.

We are in a 4X4, and Marcial is also in one. We head to the place that Marcial suggests and then get out to walk with him.

 

After a while we see (06.50)

 

We walk closer

 

 

The Puma is eating a Guanaco (we will see some live ones later)

 

 

 

 

We were amazed and delighted to get such a good sighting so early on our first morning. We were on an Estancia where you can drive off road and walk anywhere (unlike in the NAtional Park). The tracker that finds a Puma "controls the sighting". He can allow other clients with their guide to see it as well, depending on his perception of how relaxed the Puma is and of course how safe it is. So that Pumas do not feel pressure from human visitors, the trackers operate a rule that humans can only take up about 20 degrees of an imagined circle around the animal - so it can leave in pretty well any direction as it wants. The tracker also tells us if we can stand or sit (sitting can make us look more like prey).

 

(The last photo was taken at 312mm on a crop-sensor  with very little cropping. I guessed we were about 30m away)

 

 

[TonyQ]

 

Puma concolor. This is a female - the can be 2m nose to tail and weigh up to 65 kg. (taken at 278 mm with virtually no cropping)

The Puma began to walk off - we were delighted with the sighting.

"Come on, we will follow her" . So we walked after her!

 

[TonyQ]

 

It was a stunning landscape to walk after a Puma

After a while she stopped for a drink (as cats often do after eating)

 

She looked around

and began to lie down

 

Had a wash

and went to sleep.

 

So we left her. Only a few hours on our first morning and already the experience had exceeded our expectations and indeed our hopes!