Patagonia: Birds and Mammals

Departure from home airports to Santiago, Chile, where we’ll have time to relax before embarking on our journey in search of the wide variety of mammals and birds of South America.

Night: Santiago

After a good night’s sleep, we’ll take a short flight to Chiloé Island before a three-hour drive towards Tepuhueico Park.

Chiloé Island, located off the coast of southern Chile, is the largest island in the Chiloé Archipelago and is known for its rich cultural heritage, unique folklore, and stunning natural landscapes. The island’s history is deeply intertwined with both indigenous Chono and Huilliche peoples, as well as Spanish colonization, which has shaped its distinctive identity.

Night: Tepuhueico Lodge, Chiloé Island

Meals: BLD

Today will be spent exploring Tepuhueico Park. A private nature reserve known for its pristine landscapes and rich biodiversity, it spans over 20,000 hectares and features a mix of ancient temperate rainforests, crystal-clear lakes, and wetlands. The park is home to several native species, including the elusive, endangered Darwin’s Fox, the Pudú (the world’s second smallest deer), and the Kodkod or Guigna (a very rare woodland cat). While searching for this array of enigmatic and poorly known mammals, we’ll find several endemic birds of the Patagonian woodlands such as Black-throated Huet-huet, Chucao, Ochre-flanked and Magellanic tapaculos, Patagonian Tyrant, Des Murs’s Wiretail, Chilean Pigeon, Magellanic Woodpecker, Chilean Hawk, and Green-backed Firecrown.

Night: Tepuhueico Lodge, Chiloé Island

Meals: BLD

The morning will be spent exploring the Chepu River. This meandering and pristine river is bordered by lush, dense rainforests, and its clear waters are home to the endangered Southern River Otter. We’ll also have chances to find the rare Rufous-tailed Hawk (the counterpart to our Red-tailed Hawk) and the endemic Slender-billed Parakeet. On the way back to Puerto Montt we’ll stop at the mudflats of Caulin Bay. The bay holds an important part of the world population of Hudsonian Godwit, which winters here and in other extensive bays of Patagonia along with Red Knot and a variety of other shorebirds.

In the afternoon we’ll take a boat to explore two groups of islets that are home to a surprisingly diverse ensemble of seabirds and marine mammals. We’ll start with the closest to shore, Puñihuil Islets, where we’ll find Magellanic and Humboldt penguins, Flightless Steamer-Duck, Kelp Goose, and Red-legged Cormorant, among other seabird species, and Southern Marine Otter. We’ll then head south to Metalqui Islets, where we’ll watch a South American Sea Lioncolony and small groups of South American Fur Seal. A careful inspection of the beaches might produce sightings of Southern Elephant Seal.

On our way back we’ll first sail into offshore waters to look for the largest animal that has ever lived on our planet: the magnificent Blue Whale. We’ll also have great chances of seeing pelagic seabirds such as Black-browed Albatross, Southern Giant Petrel, and Pink-footed, Sooty, and Little shearwaters. From here we’ll board the ferry back to Puerto Montt and drive to the beautiful town of Puerto Varas by Lake Llanquihue, where we’ll spend the night.

Night: Hotel Panamericana Ancud or similar, Chiloé Island

Meals: BLD

Primarily a travel day, we’ll take a ferry crossing across Caulin Bay, returning to the mainland. We’ll then drive to the airport to take a two-hour flight down to Punta Arenas, Chile’s southernmost city, located at the very tip of the South American Continent in the Northern shore of the Straits of Magellan.

Night: Hotel Cabo de Hornos, Punta Arenas

Meals: BLD

This morning, we’ll take a two-hour ferry ride across the Straits of Magellan. We’ll be entertained by an interesting array of tubenoses such as Southern Fulmar, the delightful Cape and White-chinned petrels, Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, and Magellanic Diving-Petrel. We’ll see other seabirds, including Chilean Skua, Kelp and Dolphin gulls, and SouthAmerican Tern. Possible marine mammals will include playful pods of Peale’s Dolphin. Once we land in Tierra del Fuego, we’ll check the coast, where we’ll hope to see Crested Duck, Chiloé Wigeon, Baird’s and White-rumped sandpipers, Magellanic Oystercatcher, and Dark-bellied Cinclodes, among several other goodies.

During the afternoon we’ll visit some alkaline lagoons east of the village. Our target here will be the local and odd-looking Magellanic Plover. This enigmatic wader looks more similar to a little dove rather than to any shorebird, and is often seen “scratching” the mud with its bright pink legs! Other birds of the area will include Two-banded Plover, Wilson’s Phalarope, Short-billed Miner, and Austral Negrito.

Night: Yendegaia House, Tierra del Fuego Island

Meals: BLD

We’ll continue east to explore the large embayment of Useless Bay (Bahía Inútil), where it’s likely we’ll find a wealth of seabirds and other aquatic birds. On route we’ll be checking for potential raptors including Variable Hawk, Aplomadoand Peregrine falcons. Lesser (Magellanic) Horned Owl nests in some of the nearby ravines. The main target of our visit is the newly established King Penguin breeding colony. The species congregates year-round on this site and has successfully started to breed. A short ferry ride will take us back to the mainland and, if we’re lucky, we’ll have the striking Commerson’s Dolphin following the wake. Chilean Flamingo, Upland Goose, Coscoroba Swan, Silver Teal, Black-headed Duck, and Rosy-billed Pochard are all found here. Wading birds will be common at the roadside ponds while we explore and enjoy the beauty of the open country.

Night: Hotel Costaustralis or similar, Puerto Natales

Meals: BLD

Today we’ll embark across windswept Patagonia in search of steppe specialties, including Ruddy-headed Goose, Least Seedsnipe, Tawny-throated Dotterel, Short-billed Miner, Band-tailed Earthcreeper, and Chocolate-vented Tyrant. We’ll make our way towards Torres del Paine National Park, where we’ll end our trip exploring this legendary destination.

Night: Hotel Pehoé or similar, Torres del Paine National Park

Meals: BLD

The next couple of days will be focused on searching for pumas in the area. We’ll inspect the hunting grounds located in the eastern flank of the park and throughout a private ranch where we have special access. The area is well known for holding one of the largest concentrations of pumas in the wild. We’ll have the support of a 4×4 vehicle to move inside the ranch, but there is also the possibility of some easy to moderate walks. Topography is usually not too demanding, but there might be differences in altitude of around 160-1,000 feet, although the group will walk at a slow and gentle pace. The maximum elevation during this trip will be 1,000 feet above sea level. Pumas are normally quite active at night, early in the mornings, and late in the evenings. We’ll focus on searching around these times, when they are usually patrolling their territory, hunting guanacos and other prey, interacting with their young, or commuting from their hunting grounds to their dens. We’ll have two sessions each day, a morning session and an evening session, each approximately four hours.

We’ll also explore the ponds on the eastern side of the park in search of more waterfowl, including Spectacled Duck, Speckled Teal, and Yellow-billed Pintail, among others. Black-necked Swan and Great Grebe are also found here. Cinereous Harrier and Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle are often seen hovering in search of prey. Chilean Flicker, Striped Woodpecker, and Austral Pygmy-Owl will be our targets around a patch of secondary woodland. We’ll scan the white-water rivers for the remarkable Torrent Duck. The reed-fringed lagoons can be very interesting: Andean Duck, Silvery and White-tufted grebes, and, with luck, the elusive and recently rediscovered Austral Rail, are all present here.

We’ll visit Lake Grey to enjoy the dramatic sight of its southern shore dominated by stunning blue icebergs, and the surrounding sub-Antarctic forests will provide us with chances to see Thorn-tailed Rayadito, White-throated Treerunner, Austral Parakeet, Austral Blackbird, and the striking Magellanic Woodpecker.

Nights: Hotel Pehoé, Torres del Paine National Park

Meals: BLD

Drive to Punta Arenas airport for flights to Santiago and home.

Meals: BL