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Birding the Magellan Straits | Day tour from Punta Arenas, Chile 

Book this trip, reserve space now!On this full day birding journey along the mythical Straits of Magellan, we will explore a great variety of habitats; from the Patagonian shorelines and wetlands, to sub-Antarctic woodlands and wind-swept steppes. We will discover the birdlife of Patagonia and its many endemic species, including the charismatic Magellanic Woodpecker plus a large array of waterfowl and range-restricted passerines. This trip includes private transportation and the services of an experienced birding guide. This tour is highly recommended for cruise passengers with restricted time at the port of Punta Arenas.

Daily departures from Punta Arenas, Chile. Duration: 8-10 hours. Available from September 2011 through March 2012.

 

Lesser Rhea (Pterocnemia pennata), Pali Aike NP, Magallanes, Chile © Claudio F. Vidal - www.fsexpeditions.com

 

Birding the Magellan Straits | Day Tour | Trip Code PUQ03

Versión en Español / Spanish version

 

We will start our journey visiting the southern Beech (Nothofagus) woodlands located south of the city of Punta Arenas. On route we will survey some freshwater lagoons where we will be rewarded by a wealth of waterbirds including Great and White-tufted Grebes, Crested Duck, Chiloe Wigeon, Speckled Teal, Yellow-billed Pintail, and Red-gartered and White-winged Coots, among several others. We also expect to see Cinereous Harrier, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle and Aplomado Falcon hovering in these places in search of its prey; carrion-eaters such as Chimango and Crested Caracaras will be a common sight throughout the day.

At San Juan Bay we will explore the beech forests searching for some of its specilties including Austral Parakeet, Thorn-tailed Rayadito, White-throated Treerunner, Magellanic Tapaculo, Patagonian Sierra-Finch, Austral Blackbird and the striking Magellanic Woodpecker. From the shoreline, we will scan the waters of the Magellan Straits; it is likely that we will see Black-browed Albatrosses, Southern Giant Petrels, Flightless and Flying Steamer-Ducks, Chilean Skuas, Dolphin, Kelp and Brown-hooded Gulls as well as South American Terns. Peale's Dolphins, South American Sea Lion and Southern Fur will be possible marine mammal species to observe today.

In the afternoon we will explore the vast wind-swept Patagonian steppes and the interesting scrub community which holds a large variety of birds. Among our target species will be interesting shorebirds including Two-banded, Tawny-throated and Rufous-chested Dotterels, and Least Seedsnipe. Chilean Flamingos, Black-necked and Coscoroba Swans as well as thousands of waders such as Wilson’s Phalarope, Baird’s and White-rumped Sandpipers will be common at the roadside wetlands while we explore and enjoy of the beauty of this 'big sky' open country. Then we will explore the shrubby slopes and moorlands in search for specialties such as Lesser Rhea, Austral Canastero, Band-tailed Earthcreeper, Chocolate-vented Tyrant and the stunning Black-throated Finch. There is a great chance that we will see all the southern Chloephaga geese species, including Upland, Kelp. Ashy-headed and the local and scarce Ruddy-headed Goose.

Note: Your guide will bring a spotting scope for your use during the trip.

 

PRICING & RATES

Day Tour: Available from September 2011 through March 2012.

 

Meet/Depart: Daily departures from Punta Arenas, Chile.

 

Duration: Approximately 8-10 hours | Pick-up time at the hotel / Punta Arenas port 7-9am.

 

Rates 2011/2012:

Birding the Magellan Straits (Full Day)
From Punta Arenas, Chile
  # of guests
2 3 4+
  Price per person
$257 $234 $203

 

What the trip includes/excludes

The above prices are per person in US Dollars. All payments are in US Dollars.

The trip price includes: Private transportation and birding guide services during the tour, lunch and snacks, and mineral water. VAT of the tour is also included.

The trip price excludes: Tipping, travel insurance, à la carte dishes, alcoholic drinks, and anything else of a purely personal nature.

 

Tour Registration:

To book this tour, please complete the online registration form and pay a deposit of US$ 100 per person. Full payment of the tour fee is due 90 days prior to tour departure.

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE

 

Cancellation Policy:

Notice of cancellation can only be accepted IN WRITING from the person who signed the booking form and takes effect on the day such noticed is received by us.

Refunds are made according to the following schedule:

- If cancellation is made 120 days or more before departure date, the deposit less US$ 50 is refundable.

- If cancellation is made between 120 and 60 days before departure, the deposit is not refundable, but any payments covering the balance of the fee will be refunded.

- If cancellation is made fewer than 60 days before departure date, no refund is available.

This policy and fee schedule also applies to pre-trip and post trip extensions, as well as any transfers from one tour to another. We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance to protect yourself.

 

SPECIES CHECKLIST

Birds and mammals possible to be seen during this trip:

 

Rheas | Rheidae

Lesser Rhea Rhea pennata

 
Grebes | Podicipedidae

White-tufted Grebe Rollandia rolland

Great Grebe Podiceps major

Silvery Grebe Podiceps occipitalis

Albatrosses | Diomedeidae

Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris

Shearwaters & Petrels | Procellariidae

Antarctic Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus

Southern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialoides


Diving-Petrels | Pelecanoididae

Magellanic Diving-Petrel Pelecanoides magellani

Cormorants | Phalacrocoracidae

Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus

Rock Shag Phalacrocorax magellanicus

Imperial Shag Phalacrocorax atriceps

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns | Ardeidae

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

Ibises & Spoonbills | Threskiornithidae

Black-faced Ibis Theristicus melanopis

Flamingos | Phoenicopteridae

Chilean Flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis

Ducks, Geese & Swans | Anatidae

Black-necked Swan Cygnus melanocorypha

Coscoroba Swan Coscoroba coscoroba

Upland Goose Chloephaga picta

Kelp Goose Chloephaga hybrida

Ashy-headed Goose Chloephaga poliocephala

Ruddy-headed Goose Chloephaga rubidiceps

Flightless Steamerduck Tachyeres pteneres

Flying Steamerduck Tachyeres patachonicus

Chiloe Wigeon Anas sibilatrix

Speckled Teal Anas flavirostris

Spectacled Duck Anas specularis

Crested Duck Anas specularioides

Yellow-billed Pintail Anas georgica

White-cheeked Pintail Anas bahamensis

Silver Teal Anas versicolor

Red Shoveler Anas platalea

Black-headed Duck Heteronetta atricapilla

Lake Duck Oxyura vittata

New World Vultures | Cathartidae

Andean Condor Vultur gryphus

Hawks, Eagles & Kites | Accipitridae

Cinereous Harrier Circus cinereus

Chilean Hawk Accipiter chilensis

Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus

Variable Hawk Buteo polyosoma

Falcons & Caracaras | Falconidae

Southern Crested Caracara Caracara plancus

Chimango Caracara Milvago chimango

American Kestrel Falco sparverius

Aplomado Falcon Falco femoralis

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

Rails, Gallinules & Coots | Rallidae

Plumbeous Rail Pardirallus sanguinolentus

White-winged Coot Fulica leucoptera

Red-gartered Coot Fulica armillata

Red-fronted Coot Fulica rufifrons

Oystercatchers Haematopodidae

Magellanic Oystercatcher Haematopus leucopodus

Blackish Oystercatcher Haematopus ater

American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Southern Lapwing Vanellus chilensis

Two-banded Plover Charadrius falklandicus

Rufous-chested Dotterel Charadrius modestus

Tawny-throated Dotterel Oreopholus ruficollis

Magellanic Plover | Pluvianellidae

Magellanic Plover Pluvianellus socialis

Sandpipers & Allies | Scolopacidae

South American Snipe Gallinago paraguaiae

Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica

Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus

Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes

Red Knot Calidris canutus

Sanderling Calidris alba

White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis

Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii

Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor

Seedsnipes | Thinocoridae

Least Seedsnipe Thinocorus rumicivorus

Sheathbills | Chionidae

Snowy Sheathbill Chionis alba

Skuas & Jaegers | Stercoraridae

Chilean Skua Stercorarius chilensis 

Gulls | Laridae

Dolphin Gull Larus scoresbii

Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus

Brown-hooded Gull Larus maculipennis

South American Tern Sterna hirundinacea

Doves & Pigeons | Columbidae

Rock Dove Columba livia

Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata

Parrots, Macaws & Allies | Psittacidae

Austral Parakeet Enicognathus ferrugineus


Typical Owls | Strigidae

Magellanic Horned Owl Bubo magellanicus

Austral Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium nanum

Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus


Kingfishers | Alcedinidae

Ringed Kingfisher Ceryle torquata

Woodpeckers & Allies | Picidae

Chilean Flicker Colaptes pitius

Magellanic Woodpecker Campephilus magellanicus

Ovenbirds | Furnariidae

Common Miner Geositta cunicularia

Short-billed Miner Geositta antarctica

Scale-throated Earthcreeper Upucerthia dumetaria

Band-tailed Earthcreeper Eremobius phoenicurus

Dark-bellied Cinclodes Cinclodes patagonicus

Gray-flanked Cinclodes Cinclodes oustaleti

Bar-winged Cinclodes Cinclodes fuscus

Thorn-tailed Rayadito Aphrastura spinicauda

Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail Leptasthenura aegithaloides

Lesser Canastero Asthenes pyrrholeuca

Cordilleran Canastero Asthenes modesta

Austral Canastero Asthenes anthoides

White-throated Treerunner Pygarrhichas albogularis

Tapaculos Rhinocryptidae

Magellanic Tapaculo Scytalopus magellanicus

Plantcutters Phytotomidae

Rufous-tailed Plantcutter Phytotoma rara

Tyrant Flycatchers | Tyrannidae

White-crested Elaenia Elaenia albiceps

Tufted Tit-Tyrant Anairetes parulus

Patagonian Tyrant Colorhamphus parvirostris

Fire-eyed Diucon Xolmis pyrope

Chocolate-vented Tyrant Neoxolmis rufiventris

Dark-faced Ground-Tyrant Muscisaxicola macloviana

Cinnamon-bellied Ground-Tyrant Muscisaxicola capistrata

Austral Negrito Lessonia rufa

Swallows | Hirundinidae

Chilean Swallow Tachycineta meyeni

Blue-and-white Swallow Pygochelidon cyanoleuca

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

Wagtails & Pipits | Motacillidae

Correndera Pipit Anthus correndera

Wrens | Troglodytidae

House Wren Troglodytes aedon

Sedge Wren Cistothorus platensis

Mockingbirds & Thrashers | Mimidae

Patagonian Mockingbird Mimus patagonicus

Thrushes & Allies | Turdidae

Austral Thrush Turdus falcklandii

Old World Sparrows | Passeridae

House Sparrow ( I ) Passer domesticus

Siskins, Crossbills & Allies | Fringillidae

Black-chinned Siskin Carduelis barbata

Buntings, Sparrows & Allies | Emberizidae

Gray-hooded Sierra-Finch Phrygilus gayi

Patagonian Sierra-Finch Phrygilus patagonicus

Mourning Sierra-Finch Phrygilus fruticeti

Canary-winged Finch Melanodera melanodera

Patagonian Yellow-Finch Sicalis lebruni

Rufous-collared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis

Troupials & Allies | Icteridae

Long-tailed Meadowlark Sturnella loyca

Austral Blackbird Curaeus curaeus

 

M A M M A L S

 

Armadillos | Dasypodidae

Big Hairy Armadillo Chaetophractus villosus

 

Rabbits & Hares | Leporidae

Old World Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus

Brown Hare Lepus capensis

 

Nutrias | Myocastoridae

Nutria Myocastor coypus

 

Camels | Camelidae

Guanaco Lama guanicoe

 

Dolphins | Delphinidae

Peale's Dolphin Lagenorhynchus australis

Commerson's Dolphin Cephalorhynchus commersonii

 

Eared Seals | Otariidae

Southern Sea Lion Otaria byronia

 

 

Dogs | Canidae

Southern Grey Fox Pseudalopex griseus

Culpeo Fox Pseudalopex culpaeus

 

Skunks | Mephitidae

Patagonian Hog-nosed Skunk Conepatus humboldti

Last Updated on Friday, 15 April 2011 12:13
 
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