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South American Trip – Part 6: To Torres del Paine!

2008-04-2624 CommentsBirding, Nature, Photography, Travel

Friday, March 21:

We woke early-ish, packed, and ate a light breakfast. While the others got ready, I walked down to the waterfront to do some morning birding, and was glad I did, as the light was favorable and plenty of birds were out.

Black-necked Swan / Cisne de Cuello Negro

A strikingly-small raptor on the shoreline caught my eye, flashing a white rump patch, as Northern Harriers do, but being not even half the size, and shaped more hawk-like. Upon looking it up later, it turned out to be the first of many Chimango Caracaras (LIFER!) I would see on this trip.

Chimango Caracara / Tiuque

As I was admiring some Black-necked Swans, a pair of large pure white duck-like birds floated to the south. I walked on down and was treated to the only sighting I would have of the interesting Coscoroba Swan (LIFER!)

Coscoroba Swans / Coscoroba

This and the Black-necked are the only swans in Patagonia, and unlike the Black-necked, Coscoroba Swans do not look very swan-like at all, more like geese. Give this, it’s perhaps unsurprising that they’re in their own genus (their scientific name is Coscoroba coscoroba). A little wiki’ing showed them to be the smallest swan species, and endemic to South America.

Imperial Cormorants / Cormorán Imperial

A decrepit pier had Dolphin and Kelp Gulls, as well as many Imperial Cormorants. I spent some time trying to distinguish between King Cormorants and Imperial, only to learn later that they’re subspecies (the former ssp. albiventer, and the later the nominate ssp. atriceps) of the same species Phalacorax atriceps.

Dark-bellied Cinclodes / Churrete Común

I also saw more Chiloe Wigeons and Crested Ducks, and as I was preparing to return to the hotel, a dark contrasty little bird flitted about in the shoreline rocks. I photographed it and had a hard time figuring out what it was, but posting it at the always-helpful BirdForum quickly got it ID’ed as a Dark-bellied Cinclodes (LIFER!).

We checked out of the hotel and hit the road. Jim & Diane had heard that nearby Laguna Sofia (thanks BrianR for reminding me of its name!) was good for bird-watching, so a few miles out of Puerto Natales, we turned off on a dirt road and drove a few miles to it.

Dark-faced Ground-Tyrant / Dormilona Tontita

Austral Canastero / Canastero Austral

Storms looked to be brewing, and it was pretty darned windy (a near-constant phenomenon in Patagonia, especially this part of it), but we walked around a dirt double-track by the lagoon to see what we could see. Initially there wasn’t anything to see, but Jim spied a probable Condor roosting high on a cliffside, and a pair of Neotropic Cormorants (LIFER!) flew by. Some small bush birds entertained us briefly. I had to go to BirdForum to ID them too, but they were the Dark-faced Ground-Tyrant (LIFER!) and the very pipit-like Austral Canastero (LIFER!).

Andean Condor / Cóndor

As we walked back toward the car, we got a pretty good look at some circling Andean Condors. These beautiful scavengers are gigantic, with up to a 12-foot wingspan, and weighing in at 30+ pounds. A small group of Upland Geese on the shore rounded out the birds here, and as it started sprinkling, we continued on our way.

Many Black-chested Buzzard-Eagles were on roadside posts, but all successfully evaded my attempts to photograph them. This was more than made up for by many close-up Rheas and Guanacos. We got a little lost at a junction, but a local set us straight, and we continued on our way. The road was a well-graded dirt one, but our old’ish Nissan Pathfinder had a tough time not fishtailing, so I put it in 4WD mode, which helped, but it still handled like crap, unlike my considerably smaller and less guzzling Subaru Outback Sport, which handles quite well on dirt roads. Of course international travel luggage for 4 people would have been a problem in my car!

Some obliging guanacos stood right at the edge of the road, with the Torres del Paine behind them, so I just had to stop and take a few pics of them. The views were astonishing all around, with the huge Torres clearly visible in the distance (they’re the beige rock spires at the right in the photo above).

Lago Amargo

Around a corner another staggeringly beautiful vista, as we came upon Lago Amargo (“Bitter Lake”). This shockingly-green lake, the result of sediments in the water, stood in contrast to the brown wind-swept foothills and the huge outcrops of the Torres themselves. Despite constant 30+mph winds, we couldn’t help stopping and walking to this lovely lake, which has a beach-like area on its shore. If not for the winds, we’d have called it a lunch spot, but it was too blustery to linger, and on we went.

The torres went out of view, and instead we were treated to lovely views of the Cuernos del Paine (“Horns of Paine”). These gnarled black crags have a wide light-colored band running through them, given them an even more tortured appearance.

Grey Zorro

At a roadside turnout, where we’d stopped to admire the Cuernos towering thousands of feet above Lake Nordenskjold, 3 Grey Zorros ran out, begging food. These cute little foxes were obviously accustomed to being fed, as they had no fear of us at all. As we left, and right in front of a sign that clearly said “No alimentar,” some fool reached into his car and started throwing bread to the foxes, arrrgh! We pointed at the sign and shouted “¡No alimentar!” at him. A lost cause, I imagine, but it made us mad to see someone so obviously and obliviously feeding these should-have-been-wild animals.

Rio Serrano. The hotel we stayed at is the one with green roofs

Continuing onward we passed Lago Pehoe and Salta Grande (more on them later) and eventually, after quite some time, arrived just outside the park at Rio Serrano, and encampment of several hotels/cabins. Looking at the map later, it turned out we had taken quite the long route to get where we were, adding at least two hours of driving, but given the wonderful view we had enjoyed, I couldn’t be at all sad about it. Plus it saved us the need to take a day-trip to the park’s other side. This was important because although we had filled up before leaving Puerto Natales, the fuel economy and small’ish tank of our vehicle found us with less than half a tank of gas, and there’s nowhere at all to get more.

Geese with a view

We checked into our rooms at the Cabañas del Paine and rested for a few, then Sarah & I went for a little walk to stretch and get the lay of the land. The nice woman at the front desk said she’s seen Magellanic Woodpeckers (Carpintero in Spanish) nearby, and we were hopeful of seeing this regional specialty.

Upland Geese

No luck at all on that front, however, as all we saw were flocks of Ashy-headed and Upland Geese. Still I got some nice flight photos of them, and it was nice to walk anyhow. Dinner at the hotel was a rocky affair, with some language issues, and some menu issues, and we wound up all eating salads. Fortunately things would improve somewhat in the next couple of meals there, as there really aren’t any other options in the area.

Even here in the middle of nowhere, the hotel had an internet room with one computer and a surprisingly-fast connection. After catching up on email and making sure our kitties were well, we retired early’ish.

Trip Index:

Part 1: Getting to Patagonia
Part 2: El Calafate & Laguna Nimez
Part 3: Glaciar Perito Moreno
Part 4: El Calafate backcountry excursion
Part 5: Goodbye Argentina, hello Chile
Part 6: To Torres del Paine! <– You are here!
Part 7: Lago Pehoe and Paine Grande
Part 8: Mirador los Cuernos
Part 9: To Rio Verde and Punta Arenas
Part 10: Pelagic, Penguins, and farewell to Patagonia
Part 11: To Buenos Aires!
Part 12: BsAs’ Sunday markets and other diversions
Part 13: Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
Part 14: Buenos Aires’ Jardin Botanico and Costanera Sur
Part 15: There’s no place like home

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24 Comments
  1. Reply
    2008-04-26 at 12:01
    scienceguy288

    These photos are absolutely spectacular! What camera did you use? Your stories have whetted my appetite for some Patagonian adventures. The views you had from your hotel must have been spectacular!

  2. Reply
    2008-04-26 at 14:05
    jayleen

    I have caught up on your trip! What an adventure! Fantastic photos!

    Can’t wait to see the rest. It’s amazing the variety of birds you’re able to capture. Being a fellow photographer I know how hard it can be.

    Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  3. Reply
    2008-04-26 at 18:30
    montucky

    Outstanding photos! What a beautiful country that is, and I’m amazed at the bird and animal life there! I’m sure enjoying seeing and reading about the trip and greatly appreciate your posting about it!

  4. Reply
    2008-04-27 at 07:14
    Adam R. Paul

    ScienceGuy: Thanks very much! I shoot with a Canon 30D dSLR and on this trip had the Canon EF-S 17-85mm IS and Canon EF 70-300 DO IS lenses with me.

    Jayleen: Thanks for dropping by! I was very happy that I managed to get at least decent photographs of nearly every bird we saw – over 70 species so far.

    Montucky: Like here, I imagine the non-birder would miss most of the birds we saw, except for the obvious ones like Condors, Rheas, and Caracaras, which are very difficult to miss 🙂

  5. Reply
    2008-04-27 at 17:36
    Sandpiper

    Every time I tried to choose a favorite, I found another picture that I liked just as much. What a wonderful variety of wildlife and that scenery is amazing! How can one place have so much beauty? I would be in heaven in a place like this.

  6. Reply
    2008-04-27 at 18:47
    mon@rch

    Your South American Trip has been such a wonderful experience and so glad you are sharing your trip with all of us! Your photos are stunning as always! Thanks for sharing!

  7. Reply
    2008-04-28 at 00:24
    lchxian

    Nice photos!

  8. Reply
    2008-04-28 at 08:33
    scienceguy288

    What is the difference between Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego? You mentioned that you went to the later, but not the former, so I became curious.

  9. Reply
    2008-04-28 at 13:19
    aullori

    “12-foot wingspan” what can I say to that except WOW!… and that had to have been a really cool sight! Seeing your “guanacos” is the first time I’ve ever been introduced to the animal – I had to wiki it! 🙂 Neat animal. Lago Amargo; Gorgeous landscape shot!! Beautiful! I love that second shot of the gray zorro – what a perfectly created animal. Loved the way you composed that shot. Beautiful! “Geese with a view” That shot just amazed me… mountains and considering the way they are formed is something my mind always does when I look at shots like that. They almost look set in – like an afterthought by an artist.. what a gorgeous shot! Really beautiful shots Adam! I am so loving that you shared this with us!

  10. Reply
    2008-04-28 at 17:28
    Adam R. Paul

    Sandpiper: I’m so glad you’re enjoying the series! Patagonia’s an amazing place to be sure!

    Tom: Thanks!

    Ichxian: Welcome, and thank you!

    ScienceGuy: Tierra del Fuego is a large island at the tip of South America, owned by Chile and (mostly) Argentina. It is considered a part of Patagonia, but Patagonia encompasses all of the southern tip of Chile & Argentina, not just the islands.

    Lori: Yep, I’ve actually seen bigger (California Condors have a slightly longer wingspan, although Andean Condors are heavier), but they’re very impressive, especially up-close. The Guanacos were a lovely treat, and we saw many of them, unlike the Gray Zorros, which we saw only in that one place.

  11. Reply
    2008-04-29 at 06:46
    scienceguy288

    Have you seen any great Skuas yet? In a book I read (Cloud Forest) this was supposed to be the most imposing bird in all of Southern South America. Thank you for the clarification as well.

  12. Reply
    2008-04-29 at 10:49
    Bernie Kasper

    Wow…Adam these are great, especially geese with a view and Lago Armago, the views are absolutely gorgeous !!!

    The next time could you fit me into your back pack ??? 😉

  13. Reply
    2008-04-29 at 14:01
    ankush

    wow, these are a breathtaking set of images!

  14. Reply
    2008-04-29 at 20:31
    Adam R. Paul

    ScienceGuy: We saw some skuas on a boat trip later in our vacation, although I believe they were either Chilean or Brown Skuas. We did see Giant Petrels, however, which were very cool. More on both of those later.

    Bernie: Thank you! Lago Amargo was totally astonishing – we had to try hard to keep our chins from dragging on the gravel! I didn’t bring any backpack this time – it’d have been a /very/ tight squeeze fitting you into an air pocket in my camera shoulder bag.

    Ankush: Thanks!

  15. Reply
    2008-04-29 at 20:37
    BrianR

    Great pictures … I did my PhD (geology) in that area…mostly in the area northeast of Torres del Paine, the Rio Zamora valley. The lake near Puerto Natales is called Lago Sofia.

    Check out some of my photos here and here.

  16. Reply
    2008-05-01 at 21:12
    Adam R. Paul

    Thanks, and welcome, Brian – it must have been amazing spending some time in the region! Thank you also for naming the lagoon! Your photos from the region are very lovely too – I enjoyed the geological focus.

  17. Reply
    2008-05-03 at 04:19
    Klaus

    Again an astonishing array of images!
    Thank you for sharing! Cheers, Klaus

  18. Reply
    2008-05-04 at 14:16
    Adam R. Paul

    Glad you enjoyed them, Klaus!

  19. Reply
    2008-07-29 at 12:06
    Del

    Adam,
    Your blog is terrific!! We are headed to Patagonia in Dec on a similar trip and I enjoy seeing photos of what I hope to see then. We may be staying at the hotel Rio Serrano. Is your photo “Geese with a view” taken there?
    Thanks, Del

  20. Reply
    2008-08-11 at 20:36
    Adam R. Paul

    Del: I’m glad you like it! Yes, “geese with a view” was taken from the Cabanas del Paine. There are 3 hotels in this area, just outside the Torres del Paine park, along the Rio Serrano. It’s a stunning area, and I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic time

  21. Reply
    2008-09-23 at 11:22
    EJ

    Hello, my wife and I are heading to Patagonia in November, and we will be some of the same places. I was wondering if it we be possible to ask you some questions about your trip?

  22. Reply
    2008-09-23 at 17:53
    Adam R. Paul

    Hi EJ, Certainly – my email address is web(at)adampaul(dot)com

  23. Reply
    2009-11-03 at 12:54
    I

    Adam,

    I hope you get this message. I found your beautiful pictures while doing a search for an upcoming trip to TDP and just wanted to ask your opinion of Hotel Cabanas del Paine.

    I’d appreciate any comments you could share with me.

    Many thanks!

    • Reply
      2009-11-03 at 14:39
      Adam R. Paul

      Hi “I”!

      I liked the Cabanas del Paine just fine. The rooms were tidy and not too small, and the siting on the bend of the Rio Serrano with the outcrops of the Torres behind is very pretty.

      The onsite food was hit & miss at dinnertime, but there aren’t really any other options anywhere nearby. The Breakfast spread was generous.

      Another consideration is that it is a 20-60-minute drive to any of the attractions in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, which it is just outside of.

      If it matters to you, English was less well-spoken here than elsewhere we visited. This was only an (minor) issue once at dinnertime when we had a hard time figuring out what menu items were available. We were also there in the off season, and it was presumably less well-staffed than the high season.

      Although we did not stay here on my dime, my understanding is that it is considerably cheaper than the lodging inside the park itself (which isn’t saying too much – Explora & its ilk are extremely expensive!).

      They had one public computer with a passable internet connection – it was often in use in late afternoon/evening.

      Hope this helps, and enjoy your trip!

      Regards,
      Adam

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