ITINERARY
Day 1:
We started our trip in Santiago, where Rodrigo picked Nick up, who after travelling through Patagonia, arrived to the Central zone. The first day we went to the mountains southeast of Santiago, specifically, to the El Yeso valley, which is accessed after going up more than 45 km following the Maipo River. We made our first stop in the town of El Ingenio to then start to gain altitude, making birding stops at different elevations. Some prominent birds that we saw this day are Moustached Turca, Crag Chilia, Diademed Sandpiper-plover and Gray-breasted Seedsnipe. Overnight in Santiago.
Day 2:
This day we moved to the south, specifically to the area of Vilches, where the Nothofagus forest has its northern distribution limit. After about 4 hours of travelling, we visited the Colbún Lake and Maule river, where we found some highlights birds such as Burrowing Parrot, Spectacled and Torrent Duck. In the afternoon we walked through the forest and had the good fortune to get spectacular views of Chucao Tapaculo and Chestnut-throated Hut-huet. At the evening we tried our luck with the owls and on our last stop we had success with a couple of Rufous-legged Owl. Overnight in Vilches.
Day 3:
In the morning we visited a different sector of the forest and although it took a long time, we finally found a spectacular pair of Magellanic Woodpecker, which were photographed at close range. After lunch we returned to Santiago, making an unsuccessful stop at Los Lingues to look for the Screaming cowbird. Finally we arrived to Santiago, where we stayed overnight.
Day 4:
We started the day heading towards the coast, specifically, to the Maipo Estuary, which always offers good birding and a large number of birds. We continued our journey to the north, visiting the lagoons of San Antonio Port. After lunch we visited El Tabo, where we birded in a ravine that still conserves some native coastal thicket and we ended the day in Algarrobo, where we could observe some excellent birds like Plumbeous Rail, Spot-flanked Gallinule and the specialty of the place, Striped-backed Bittern. Overnight in Valparaíso.
Day 5:
This day we embarked on a pelagic excursion from Valparaíso, entering the Humboldt Current. With a spectacular weather, the trip ended with 3 species of albatrosses, added to fantastic views and lots of tubenoses. Once on the mainland we headed to the north along the waterfront, making our first stop at Roca Montemar, Reñaca, where we could observe the spectacular Inca Tern and the endemic Seaside Cinclodes. We continued to the north to reach the Aconcagua Estuary. Finally we arrived at Cachagua, where one of the largest colonies of Humboldt's Penguins are located in the central zone, although this time we could only observe a few specimens. Overnight in Santiago
Day 6:
On the last day we birded the mountains located east of Santiago, following the path that leads to the ski resorts of Farellones and Valle Nevado. We made stops at different heights, focused on finding some endemic species and specialties that were pending. Fortunately, we succeeded with Chilean Tinamou and Creamy-rumped Miner, thus closing a successful trip through the heart of Chile. Finally, Nick was Dropped-off at Santiago Airport.
BIRD LIST (152 bird species, 6 mammals & 2 reptiles)
Taxonomic order and notes follows South American Classification Committee
http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.html
TINAMOUS
1. Chilean Tinamou – Nothoprocta perdicaria
DUCKS
2. Coscoroba Swan – Coscoroba coscoroba
3. Andean Goose – Chloephaga melanoptera
4. Upland Goose – Chloephaga picta
5. Torrent Duck – Merganetta armata
6. Spectacled Duck – Speculanas specularis
7. Chiloe Wigeon - Anas sibilatrix
8. Yellow-billed Teal – Anas flavirostris flavirostris
9. Yellow-billed Pintail - Anas georgica
10. Cinnamon Teal – Anas cyanoptera
11. Red Shoveler – Anas platalea
12. Lake Duck – Oxyura vittata
NEW WORLD QUAILS
13. California Quail - Callipepla californica
GREBES
14. White-tufted Grebe - Rollandia rolland
15. Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
16. Great Grebe - Podiceps major
17. Patagonian (Silvery) Grebe – Podiceps occipitalis occipitalis
PENGUINS
18. Humboldt’s Penguin – Spheniscus humboldti
ALBATROSSES
19. Black-browed Albatross – Thalassarche melanophrys
20. Buller’s Albatross – Thalassarche bulleri
21. Salvin’s Albatross – Thalassarche salvini
SHEARWATERS
22. Southern Giant-Petrel – Macronectes giganteus
23. White-chinned Petrel - Procellaria aequinoctialis
24. Westland Petrel - Procellaria westlandica
25. Sooty Shearwater - Ardenna grisea
26. Pink-footed Shearwater - Ardenna creatopus
DIVING-PETRELS
27. Peruvian Diving-Petrel – Pelecanoides garnotii
STORM-PETRELS
28. Fueguian (Wilson’s) Strom-Petrel – Oceanites oceanicus chilensis
BOOBIES
29. Peruvian Booby – Sula variegata
CORMORANTS
30. Red-legged Cormorant – Phalacrocorax gaimardii
31. Neotropic Cormorant - Phalacrocorax brasilianus
32. Guanay Cormorant – Phalacrocorax bougainvillii
PELICANS
33. Peruvian Pelican – Pelecanus thagus
HERONS
34. Stripe-backed Bittern – Ixobrychus involucris
35. Black-crowned Night-Heron – Nycticorax nycticorax
36. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis
37. Cocoi Heron – Ardea cocoi
38. Great Egret – Ardea alba
39. Snowy Egret – Egretta thula
IBISES
40. Black-faced Ibis – Theristicus melanopis
NEW-WORLD VULTURES
41. Black Vulture - Coragyps atratus
42. Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura
43. Andean Condor – Vultur gryphus
HAWKS
44. White-tailed Kite – Elanus leucurus
45. Chilean Hawk – Accipiter chilensis
46. Variable Hawk - Geranoaetus polyosoma
RAILS
47. Spot-flanked Gallinule - Porphyriops melanops
48. Plumbeous Rail – Pardirallus sanguinolentus
49. Red-gartered Coot – Fulica armillata
50. Red-fronted Coot – Fulica rufifrons
51. White-winged Coot – Fulica leucoptera
PLOVERS
52. Black-bellied Plover – Pluvialis squatarola
53. Southern Lapwing - Vanellus chilensis
54. Diademed Sandpiper-Plover – Phegornis mitchellii
OYSTERCATCHERS
55. American Oystercatcher – Haematopus palliates
56. Blackish Oystercatcher – Haematopus ater
STILTS
57. Black-necked Stilt – Himantopus mexicanus
SANDPIPERS
58. Whimbrel – Numenius phaeopus
59. Ruddy Turnstone – Arenaria interpres
60. Surfbird – Calidris virgata
61. Sanderling – Calidris alba
62. Baird’s Sandpiper – Calidris bairdii
63. Magellanic (South American) Snipe – Gallinago paraguaiae magellanica
64. Red Phalarope – Phalaropus fulicarius
65. Lesser Yellowlegs – Tringa flavipes
SEEDSNIPES
66. Gray-breasted Seedsnipe – Thinocorus orbignyianus
SKUAS
67. Chilean Skua – Stercorarius chilensis
68. Parasitic Jaeger – Stercorarius parasiticus
GULLS
69. Brown-hooded Gull – Chroicephalus maculipennis
70. Franklin’s Gull – Leucophaeus pipixcan
71. Kelp Gull - Larus dominicanus
72. Inca Tern – Larosterna inca
73. South American Tern – Sterna hirundinacea
74. Elegant Tern – Thalasseus elegans
SKIMMERS
75. Black Skimmer – Rynchops niger
PIGEONS
76. Rock Pigeon – Columba livia
77. Chilean Pigeon – Patagioenas araucana
78. Eared Dove - Zenaida auriculata
79. Picui Ground-Dove – Columbina picui
80. Black-winged Ground-Dove – Metriopelia melanoptera
OWLS
81. Rufous-legged Owl – Strix rufipes
82. Austral Pygmy-Owl - Glaucidium nana
HUMMINGBIRDS
83. Green-backed Firecrown - Sephanoides sephaniodes
84. White-sided Hillstar – Oreotrochilus leucopleurus
85. Giant Hummingbird - Patagona gigas
WOODPECKERS
86. Striped Woodpecker - Veniliornis lignarius
87. Chilean Flicker - Colaptes pitius
88. Magellanic Woodpecker – Campephilus magellanicus
FALCONS
89. Mountain Caracara – Phalcoboenus megalopterus
90. Chimango Caracara - Milvago chimango
91. American Kestrel – Falco sparverius
92. Peregrine Falcon – Falco peregrinus
PARROTS
93. Austral Parakeet – Enycognathus ferrugineus
94. Burrowing Parrot – Cyanoliseus patagonicus
TAPACULOS
95. Chestnut-throated Huet-huet – Pteroptochos castaneus
96. Moustached Turca - Pteroptochos megapodius
97. White-throated Tapaculo - Scelorchilus albicollis
98. Chucao Tapaculo – Scelorchilus rubecula
99. Magellanic Tapaculo - Scytalopus magellanicus
100. Dusky Tapaculo – Scytalopus fuscus
OVENBIRDS
101. Rufous-banded Miner – Geositta rufipennis
102. Creamy-rumper Miner – Geositta isabellina
103. White-throated Treerunner – Pygarrhichas albogularis
104. Crag Chilia – Ochetorhynchus melanurus
105. Wren-like Rushbird – Phleocryptes melanops
106. Scale-throated Earthcreeper – Upucerthia dumetaria
107. Buff-winged Cinclodes – Cinclodes fuscus
108. Gray-flanked CInclodes – Cinclodes oustaleti
109. Dark-bellied Cinclodes – Cinclodes patagonicus
110. Seaside Cinclodes – Cinclodes nigrofumosus
111. Thorn-tailed Rayadito - Aphrastura spinicauda
112. Des Murs's Wiretail - Sylviorthorhynchus desmursii
113. Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetails – Leptasthenura aegithaloides
114. Dusky-tailed Canastero – Pseudasthenes humicola
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
115. Chilean (White-crested) Elaenia – Elaenia albiceps chilensis
116. Tufted Tit-Tyrant - Anairetes parulus
117. Ticking Doradito – Pseudocolopteryx citreola
118. Many-colored Rush Tyrant – Tachuris rubrigastra
119. Austral Negrito – Lessonia rufa
120. Spectacled Tyrant – Hymenops perspicillatus
121. Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant – Muscisaxicola maculirostris
122. Cinereous Ground-Tyrant – Muscisaxicola cinereus
123. Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrant – Muscisaxicola flavinucha
124. Rufous-naped Ground-Tyrant – Muscisaxicola rufivertex
125. White-browed Ground-Tyrant – Muscisaxicola albilora
126. Black-fronted Ground-Tyrant – Muscisaxicola frontalis
127. Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant – Agriornis montanus
128. Fire-eyed Diucon - Xolmis pyrope
129. Patagonian Tyrant - Colorhamphus parvirostris
COTINGAS
130. Rufous-tailed Plantcutter - Phytotoma rara
SWALLOWS
131. Blue-and-white Swallow - Pygochelidon cyanoleuca
132. Chilean Swallow - Tachycineta meyeni
WRENS
133. House Wren - Troglodytes aedon
134. Austral (Sedge) Wren – Cistothorus platensis hornensis
THRUSHES
135. Austral Thrush - Turdus falcklandii
MOCKINGBIRDS
136. Chilean Mockingbird - Mimus thenca
PIPITS
137. Correndera Pipit – Anthus correndera
TANAGERS
138. Gray-hooded Sierra-Finch - Phrygilus gayi
139. Mourning Sierra-Finch – Phrygilus fruticeti
140. Plumbeous Sierra-Finch - Phrygilus unicolor
141. Band-tailed Sierra-Finch – Phrygilus alaudinus
142. Common Diuca-Finch - Diuca diuca
143. Greater Yellow-Finch - Sicalis auriventris
144. Grassland Yellow-Finch - Sicalis luteola
SPARROWS
145. Rufous-collared Sparrow - Zonotrichia capensis
BLACKBIRDS
146. Austral Blackbird - Curaeus curaeus
147. Yellow-winged Blackbird – Agelasticus thilius
148. Shiny Cowbird – Molothrus bonariensis
149. Long-tailed Meadowlark - Sturnella loyca
FINCHES
150. Yellow-rumped Siskin – Carduelis uropygialis
151. Black-chinned Siskin - Spinus barbatus
OLD-WORLD SPARROWS
152. House Sparrow - Passer domesticus
MAMMALS
1. Fence Degu – Octodon degu
2. Coypu – Myocastor coypus
3. European Rabbit – Oryctolagus cuniculus
4. Gray Fox – Pseudalopex griseus
5. Marine Otter – Lontra felina
6. South American Sea-lion – Otaria flavescens
REPTILES
1. Thin tree lizard – Liolaemus tenuis
2. Short-tailed Racer – Tachymenis chilensis