We finally arrived in Santiago on the evening of 03/12/11,after flying from Mount Pleasant Airport Falkland Islands via Punta Arenas to Santiago. We then headed to our hotel after our luggage had been x-rayed for at least the sixth time that day and they still did not find the knife that was in one of our hand luggage .
Next morning at 04.00 we had breakfast, then our guide for the day picked us up at 04.30 and we headed for Cachagua approx 90 minutes away. We stopped on the way as dawn broke for a comfort break and managed to see a Stiped Woodpecker.
At Cachagua we saw Fire Eyed Diucon, Giant Hummingbird, Rufous Collared Sparrow, Austral Pygmy Owl, Chilean Mockingbird, Common Diuca Finch, Thorn Tailed Rayadito, Plain mantled Tit Spinetail, Southern Lapwing, Chilean Seasde Cinclodes, Chilean swallow, Grassland Yellow finch, Austral Thrush, Austral Negrito, Eared Dove, Hudsonian Whimbrel, American Oystercatcher, Peruvian Pelican, Neotropic Cormormorant, Kelp Gulls and our target species Humboldt Penguin making 9 species of Penguin for the trip. Also had great views of a Sea Otter.
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| Fire eyed Diucon |
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| Common Diuca-Finch |
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| Thorn Tailed Rayadito |
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| Plain-mantled Tit-spinetail |
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| Rufous-collared Sparrow |
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| Chilean Seaside Cinclodes |
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| Humboldt Penguins |
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| Sea Otter |
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| Neotropic Cormorant |
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| Hudsonian Whimbrel |
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| Peruvian Pelicans |
Sadly all to soon we had to leave Cachagua to travel to Valperaiso for our next target species. On the way we stopped at a small marsh for wildfowl and where we saw a pair of Coscoroba Swans, Chiloe Wigeon, Red Shoveler, Cinnamon Teal, Lake Duck, White Winged Coot, Red Gartered Coot, Red Fronted Coot, White Tufted Grebes, Franklin's Gulls, Speckled Tyrant and very elusive Many Coloured Rush Tyrants.
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| White Tufted Grebe |
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| Guanay Cormorants |
Just a couple of Kilometres from Valperaiso the local police had shut the road because of a marathon run taking place. Our brilliant driver drove up to the road block and told the policeman we were official photographers as we waved our cameras around and he waved us through. Finally we arrived and glimpsed our last target species Inca Terns. These were joined by Guanay Cormornts, Red Legged Cormorants, Ruddy Turnstones, Peruvian Boobys, Peruvian Pelicans and a few very distant Grey Gulls.
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| Red Legged Cormorant |
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| Inca Tern |
As we had to back at the airport for 15.00 we could only spent ashort time with the Inca Terns. On the way back we a very brief stop at marsh where we had better views of Many Coloured Rush Tyrant and also had good views of Black Skimmers, Franklin's gulls and Southern Lapwings. A superb end to fantastic holiday.
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| Many Coloured Rush Tyrant (Worst image ever of a stunning bird) |
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| Franklin's Gull |
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| Black Skimmers and Franklin's Gulls |
Sadly all to soon we had to leave Cachagua to travel to Valperaiso for our next target species. On the way we stopped at a small marsh for wildfowl and where we saw a pair of Coscoroba Swans, Chiloe Wigeon, Red Shoveler, Cinnamon Teal, Lake Duck, White Winged Coot, Red Gartered Coot, Red Fronted Coot, White Tufted Grebes, Franklin's Gulls, Speckled Tyrant and very elusive Many Coloured Rush Tyrants.
As we had to back at the airport for 15.00 we could only spent ashort time with the Inca Terns. On the way back we a very brief stop at marsh where we had better views of Many Coloured Rush Tyrant and also had good views of Black Skimmers, Franklin's gulls and Southern Lapwings. A superb end to fantastic holiday.
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