Last weekend

April 16
Dad and I woke up early because we needed to catch the bus to Santiago to rent a car. We were successful, and we started to drive east of Santiago to go high up into the mountains. We started by trying to get into the National Monument El Morado, but it was closed due to earthquake damage. However, we birded around that area, and were successful in rustling up a pair of Torrent Ducks which, along with the Inca Tern, is probably one of my favorite birds. The entire landscape all day was dominated by huge mountains that towered over everything around us. It wasn't just that there was one or two large mountains, but we were in valleys completely surrounded by 16,000ft+ peaks. We decided to drive down one of the valleys, and we continued slowly along a dirt road for the rest of the afternoon. We were only a half a day's drive from the city, but it felt like we were completely isolated in the middle of nowhere. We also saw three Andean Condors throughout the day. We continued along that road until it began to get dark (at this point we were about 9,000ft in elevation), and we drove back out of the valley during the night. We were unable to find a hostel to sleep in until late, and we ended up staying in Rancagua far to the south, but on the way to our next destination.
A funny story: During our drive into the valley, we were approached by a older man on a horse wearing traditional leather cowboy equipment, a large sombrero, and an Old Navy sweatshirt. He motioned for us to stop, and after we rolled down our window, he dismounted, shook our hands and introduced himself. He then reached into his Old Navy sweatshirt, pulled out a piece of what both dad and I thought was bark, and broke off two pieces. He handed the pieces to us, and insisted that we try it, what he called "Charqui". By this time, dad and I had correctly identified the "Charqui" as belonging to the animal kingdom, and we both bit off a piece. As I was chewing I asked the man what type of animal it was, he responded with, "Yes, it's an animal". I didn't press the issue. We're guessing either goat or horse, but I don't particularly want to know. He then informed us that he was selling more of this wonderful treat, and we could buy it from him right then and there. We had already purchased lunch, so we said thanks, but no thanks. He then apologized for taking our time, remounted, and road off down the road.

Our rental and a huge scree slope:


A Mountain Caracara:




A pair of Torrent Ducks:




The infamous "Charqui"




Bird highlights: Andean Condor, Torrent Duck, Mustached Turca, Band-winged Nightjar, Mountain Caracara, Crested Duck, Scale-throated Earthcreeper, Mourning Sierra-finch, Greater Yellow-finch

April 17
After waking up in Rancagua, we set out down another mountain valley, albeit a little lower in elevation to go to the National Reserve Río de los Cípreses. Our goal for the day was to see the Burrowing Parrot, an endangered species that lives in a very specific habitat. Most of the park was closed due to earthquake damage, but we were able to find the parrot, and it was again a beautiful day full of beautiful scenery. We found the parrot relatively early in the day, so we decided to just book it back and get home to Viña del Mar that night. We didn't exactly go by the most direct route, but we drove through the central valley of Chile, passed many vineyards and orchards, and spent the last fading light of day looking at a large pond full of waterfowl.

Burrowing Parrots flying over the river:


The gorge where the parrots were living:


An Austral Pygmy-owl that remained relatively unconcerned with us:


The river valley we spent most of the day in:


Some gauchos:


Dad also saw a tarantula for the first time:


Bird highlights: Chilean Tinamou, Burrowing Parrot, Chilean Pigeon, Austral Pygmy-Owl, Spot-flanked Gallinule, Chilean Swallow, Shiny Cowbird, Coscoroba Swan, Red Shoveler, Red-fronted Coot

April 18
We spent the day enjoying the company of my host family and seeing a little of the local area. In the morning we drove up to Concon again, and also drove by the airport, which looks like they get planes in every other week or so. All afternoon my host family had an asado (basically a barbecue), and we enjoyed just sitting, eating raw shellfish and grilled meat, and talking about everything. It was definitely a relaxing day, and we enjoyed it tremendously. Also, the tall sailing ships had a parade around the coast, and we were able to see each one from the patio as it went by.

The Colombian tall ship:


April 19
Monday was my dad's last full day in Chile, and we spent it driving up to the border between Argentina and Chile. The border crossing was a heady 13,000ft in elevation, and we were definitely feeling the thin air throughout the day. Right near the border is one of the most famous ski resorts in South America, called Portillo, and we hiked around the slopes. To get up to the border, you have to drive along some of the most ridiculous switch-backs that I have ever seen in my life. There are twenty-nine curves in total, and they climb 2,300ft in elevation over 6 miles. The mountains around the border were incredible, and you could even see glaciers off in the distance. We then spent the rest of the day descending the valley, watching condors, and finally ending up at the coast looking at more waterfowl.





The incredible switch-backs we climbed:


A high Andean lake that was part of the ski resort area:


The theme for my five months here:


I know it's hard to see, but if you zoom in, there's an Andean Condor in this photo:


Bird highlights: Plumbeous Sierra-finch, Lake Duck

Los Alerces and Valparaíso

April 11
We woke up early in order to get to our next national park, Parque Nacional Los Alerces Andino. The Alerce tree is the largest species of tree in South America, and the second oldest trees in the world, growing up to 230 feet tall and living more than 3,500 years. We met a fellow hiker on the bus to the park, and he stayed with us for the rest of the day. He was an interesting fellow, originally from the Ukraine, and he emigrated to Israel during the Soviet era, now working as a computer programmer. He was currently traveling through South America for several months, and he had plenty of interesting stories. He spoke Russian, Hebrew, English, and a little Spanish. We got to see an Alerce tree, and it was definitely a pleasant hike, minus the land leeches. We took an overnight bus back to Santiago, and then another bus back to Viña del Mar.

The national park was a rainforest full of lush mosses, trees, and tree ferns:


A massive Alerce tree:


A beautiful waterfall along our trail:


A park ranger explaining the park's trails to me and our Soviet/Israeli companion, Sergy.


Bird highlights: No new species for the day, but we got some more good looks at the Black-throated Huet-huet.

April 12
We didn't get back to my house until around noon, and we spent the rest of the day cleaning up and talking with my host family. It was a restful day, and I had a good time learning to be a translator between my host family and my dad. It's definitely not an easy job.

Bird highlights: We were successful in spotting a Black-chested Buzzard-eagle out the window of our bus on the way to Viña del Mar.

April 13
As it was Tuesday, I had to get back into the swing of my classes. Dad accompanied me around the city, and spent his time exploring the area while I was in class. After classes we went to the Roca Oceanica, a rocky point that has an incredible view of Viña del Mar and Valparaíso. We spent some time watching the birds along the coast in Valparaíso as well. Today was also the arrival of a fleet of tall sailing ships to Valparaíso. It was a fleet of eleven vessels, each from a different country, and they are sailing around South America to celebrate the bicentennial of both Chile and Argentina. It was an amazing sight seeing them all sailing into the port, and the crowds in Valparaíso were definitely larger because of the ships.

The main building of my university, Pontifical Universidad Católica de Valparaíso:


An ascensor, the famous hill-climbing transports of Valparaíso:


A vegetable market:


One of the buildings of the Marine Sciences section of my university where I have my Introduction to Oceanography class:


Bird highlights: Silvery Grebe, Peruvian Booby, Guanay Cormorant, Gray Gull, Inca Tern, Seaside Cinclodes

April 14
I had classes morning and early afternoon, so dad had the city to himself. He watched the bands of the tall ships playing in the main plaza of Valparaíso (Plaza Sotomayor), took a boat ride around the harbor to see the tall ships, went up several ascensors, and walked around the markets. After classes, we both took a micro up the coast to Concón, where we ate fried empanadas and birded where the Aconcagua river meets the ocean.

Part of the working port of Valparaiso:


The Chilean tall ship, called the Esmeralda:


A typical fish vendor's stall including Conger Eel, Merluza, squid, and octopus:


Probably my favorite bird ever, the Inca Tern. The white lines on the face stick out like a curly mustache:


The naval bands warming up in Plaza Sotomayor:


Bird highlights: Cocoi Heron, White-winged Coot, Picui Ground-dove, Many-colored Rush-tyrant, Yellow-winged Blackbird

April 15
I again spent the day going to classes, and dad again spent the day wandering around Valparaiso. We then prepared for the busy weekend we had planned.

More of Chiloé

April 8
Dad was feeling much better this day, and we left early to go to the town of Cucao where the entrance to the national park of Chiloé is located. We hiked around all day in a wide variety of habitats, and spent the day birding and enjoying the scenery. We hiked along the beach, and also along this one trail into a unique habitat that consisted of a boggy tangle of fallen and stunted trees. We then spent the rest of our day trying to find another trail that was fairly well hidden down the road, down a side road, past some random residential houses, through someone's yard, and into the woods. We finally found it, and it was well worth the trek as the forest was a prehistoric conglomeration of towering moss-covered trees and bamboo thickets. We also had a long discussion about what time the last bus of the day was, and we finally decided to play it safe and go with the earlier time. I think we played our cards right :). More pictures are always available on request.

The first, boggy trail:


The second, forested trail:


A denizen of the Chilean forests:


Bird highlights: Chiloe Wigeon, Cinereous Harrier, Plumbeous Rail, Slender-billed Parakeet, Wren-like Rushbird, Black-throated Huet-huet, Chucao Tapaculo, Ochre-flanked Tapaculo, Austral Negrito, Rufous-tailed Plantcutter, Patagonian Sierra-finch

April 9
This was another adventurous day as we left Castro early to get the bus to another town on the north end of the island called Ancud. Once we arrived in Ancud and placed our bags in a hostel, we spent the next two hours searching for a bus to the northwestern corner of the island. It turns out that there are at least five bus terminals in town, and only one of them leaves to go to the town we wanted to go to. It didn't help that the town is called Punilluhue, and I still couldn't pronounce it at gunpoint. However, we finally got the correct bus, and arrived at the area around 1:00. We wanted to go to this particular location because it is a national monument that protects a penguin colony. Unfortunately it was too late in the year for the penguins, but we saw several other southern Chilean specialties.
The weather had been fantastic the entire trip, but in this afternoon it began to rain. We again caught the last bus of the day back to our hotel, dried out, and went to dinner. Up until this point, dad and I had been buying food in the grocery store and cooking for ourselves in the hostels' kitchen. This meant that breakfast was cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, and eggs. Lunch was bread, tomatoes, avocado, cheese, and eggs. And dinner was condensed soup, rice, noodles, and eggs. However, this day we at the traditional Chiloean meal called Curanto, which consisted of potatoes, meat, clams, mussels, and chicken all steamed together with spices. It was delicious and we were definitely full afterwards.

A family of Kelp Geese:


A Flightless Steamer-Duck demonstrating his ridiculously short wings:


A handsome Blackish Oystercatcher:


During the penguin breeding season, the town of Punihuil makes a fair amount of money running tour boats to the island:


Most of the island of Chiloé is pastoral, and this is a typical vista:


The Isolets of Punihuil:


Our dinner of curanto:


Bird highlights: Kelp Goose, Flightless Steamer-Duck, Rock Cormorant, Blackish Oystercatcher

April 10
Our last day on Chiloé was a relaxed day, with the main purpose getting to Puerto Montt by nightfall. We spent the morning again confused by the bus system in Ancud, this time trying to get off the island. However, we finally go the correct bus, and after getting on the ferry again, we decided to just stay on and watch the birds. This was definitely a good move because we were successful in finding penguins! They were swimming around in the channel, and we got some great looks at them, including a family of five. After our fifth ride on the ferry, one of the employees approached me and kindly asked, "What exactly is your purpose on the ferry?" I told him that we just were watching the ocean and taking photographs. This seemed to satisfy him. After getting off the ferry, we walked around the shore and caught a bus to Puerto Montt, one of the big cities of the south.

Me eating a famous "completo". The most popular Chilean fast food which is a hot dog with tomatoes, avocado, and mayonnaise:


A typical fishing vessel anchored in the Chucao channel:


Our bird-watching station for three hours:


Bird highlights: Humboldt Penguin, Rufous-chested Dotterel, Gray-flanked Cinclodes

Finally

Hello all, sorry I haven't posted for a while, but I've been traveling to the far reaches of Chile with my dad for the past two and a half weeks. I didn't have class at all the first week, and then I just came back for three days for the second week. I'm so glad that he came, and we had a blast together. Now I have to catch up on all the blogging I missed. I'll try to keep this organized.

April 3
I left early to pick up my dad at the airport, and we then spent the day in Santiago. We climbed to the top of this hill overlooking Santiago, and we started talking to an American who asked us to take his picture. It turns out that he is an airline pilot, and he was flying the plane right behind the one that dad was on the night before. We then got an overnight bus down south, and I must say that they are awesome. They have fully reclining seats, and they are so comfortable that dad and I slept for almost the entire 11 hour ride to Puerto Varas.

A view of Santiago, the smog is very bad in Santiago, and this is considered a very clear day:


Here's proof that dad was here and having a good time:


Bird highlights: Variable Hawk, Southern Lapwing, Green-backed Firecrown, Chimango Caracara, Austral Thrush

April 4
We arrived in Puerto Varas at around 8:00, and then walked around town until the hostels opened up. We town is a little touristy but very nice, and it has a strong German influence. Chile had two strong waves of German immigration, roughly coinciding with the world wars. We then caught a bus to the falls of the Petrohue river which is part of the first national park of Chile, Parque Nacional Vicente Perez Rosales. The falls were beautiful, and dad definitely enjoyed his first real day in Chile.

Here's the falls:


Volcano Osorno with the falls:


Bird highlights: Brown-hooded Gull, Yellow-billed Pintail, Thorn-tailed Rayadito, White-throated Treerunner, Tufted Tit-tyrant, Black-chinned Siskin

April 5
We caught the early bus to get all the way to the town of Petrohue where there's a trail that climbs the base of the main feature of the national park, Volcano Osorno. The volcano is often called the Mt. Fujiyama of Chile because it's so symmetrical and it just dominates the landscape. We hiked all day and definitely got a work out. The volcano itself is 8,700 ft in altitude, and a popular site for mountain climbers. It's also one of the most active volcanoes in the region. We made it back to town just in time to catch the last bus of the day. This would become a theme for the trip.

Us and the volcano:


Dad and the view in the opposite direction:


Sunset over the volcano highlighting the snow:


Black-faced Ibis roosting on the roof of a hotel in Puerto Varas:


A handsome lizard sunning itself on Volcano Osorno's slopes:


Bird highlights: Great Grebe, Aplomado Falcon (preceded by a Peregrine), Patagonian Tyrant, Striped Woodpecker, Black-faced Ibis (roosting on the roofs of the houses in town), Fire-eyed Diucon

April 6
We spent the morning running errands in Puerto Varas, and then took a Cruz del Sur bus all the way to the town of Castro on the island of Chiloé, the second largest island in South America. To get to the island, you need to take a half-hour ferry across the channel. This ride gave us some great surprise birds including an albatross. We got to the town in the late afternoon, and after dropping our stuff off at a hostel, we walked around town. The towns of Chiloé are known for their old, wooden churches, built by Jesuits in the 18th and 19th centuries. Dad began to feel ill by dinner time, and we went to bed early.

Our ferry across the channel:


Part of the town of Castro:


Bird highlights: Black-necked Swan, Black-browed Albatross, Red-legged Cormorant, Imperial Cormorant, South American Tern, Speckled Teal

April 10
Dad was pretty sick this day, so I just got him some drugs at the pharmacy (200mg Nifuroxazide and 350mg Activated Attapulgite for those interested). We spent the day resting, and I wrote an essay for school. Not too much else happened.

The houses here are the famous "palafitos" of Chiloé. They are brightly painted houses that are on stilts over the water. In reality, only the poorest people live here as they don't have modern plumbing and are at a high risk for tsunamis. The town of Castro has been destroyed several times by fires, earthquakes, and tsunamis.


That was the first week.