March 06, 2016
Yup a new bird! But I’ll leave you in suspense - does that mean we saw a new godwit individual? Or a new bird species?
We woke up and got ready to leave Chiloé. When we met with Jorge he told us our best chance at seeing a Pudú would be on a certain stretch of the highway between Castro and Ancud. We’ve been searching every time we drove it since with no luck. We were determined today though - it was our last chance! So we looked and looked and looked. No Pudú. Sigh.
We continued driving along, and I started writing a blog post as we drove from Ancud to the car ferry not paying much attention to the scenery. G exclaimed, “a Pudú!”, as we drove past the research station we’d been staying at for most of the field season. At last! It was up on the side of the road foraging - we turned around at a nearby intersection and got a better look and a quick photo before it dipped back down into the brush.
Pudús are a type of deer but miniature - they’re the world’s smallest deer. G said it reminded him of a Capybara in size and shape. They have short antlers and are only about two feet tall. They’re listed as endangered due to habitat loss and declining populations - so it really was a treat to see one!!
We were pretty ecstatic. I think I just kept saying over and over, “You found a Pudú!” So, we knew the rest of the day would go well. We got on the ferry with high hopes for Diving-Petrel, Fulmars, and/or Guanay Cormorants. But saw little - there weren’t even many Sooty Shearwaters moving!
We had a few targets for our drive to Puerto Montt on the mainland as well. So it was no surprise when G quickly spotted … a new Los Lagos bird! A pair of Chilean Mockingbirds! This is about as far south as the species occurs. We saw them last year when we drove up into the Andes from Santiago, so these individuals weren't lifers. Still, a fun new bird!
After checking in to our hotel, we headed out for our scan at a nearby bay where we found two FEGs in January. We noticed a flock at another entrance point as we drove by so we stopped. As we were scanning through the flock of 600 birds, G found a flag but couldn’t read the code - too distant with the heat haze. We approached. We approached again. Finally we were close enough. Who could it be? I completed my focal and still hadn’t been able to read it. Did G get the ID?
Indeed he did! And yes! A new bird! A male CJ - a breeder on the north plot and FINALLY a new individual! We did it! We have two more days of scans, but we can now officially say it: we’ve seen 30 unique individuals from my breeding population in south-central Alaska!!
Yup a new bird! But I’ll leave you in suspense - does that mean we saw a new godwit individual? Or a new bird species?
We woke up and got ready to leave Chiloé. When we met with Jorge he told us our best chance at seeing a Pudú would be on a certain stretch of the highway between Castro and Ancud. We’ve been searching every time we drove it since with no luck. We were determined today though - it was our last chance! So we looked and looked and looked. No Pudú. Sigh.
We continued driving along, and I started writing a blog post as we drove from Ancud to the car ferry not paying much attention to the scenery. G exclaimed, “a Pudú!”, as we drove past the research station we’d been staying at for most of the field season. At last! It was up on the side of the road foraging - we turned around at a nearby intersection and got a better look and a quick photo before it dipped back down into the brush.
Pudús are a type of deer but miniature - they’re the world’s smallest deer. G said it reminded him of a Capybara in size and shape. They have short antlers and are only about two feet tall. They’re listed as endangered due to habitat loss and declining populations - so it really was a treat to see one!!
We were pretty ecstatic. I think I just kept saying over and over, “You found a Pudú!” So, we knew the rest of the day would go well. We got on the ferry with high hopes for Diving-Petrel, Fulmars, and/or Guanay Cormorants. But saw little - there weren’t even many Sooty Shearwaters moving!
We had a few targets for our drive to Puerto Montt on the mainland as well. So it was no surprise when G quickly spotted … a new Los Lagos bird! A pair of Chilean Mockingbirds! This is about as far south as the species occurs. We saw them last year when we drove up into the Andes from Santiago, so these individuals weren't lifers. Still, a fun new bird!
After checking in to our hotel, we headed out for our scan at a nearby bay where we found two FEGs in January. We noticed a flock at another entrance point as we drove by so we stopped. As we were scanning through the flock of 600 birds, G found a flag but couldn’t read the code - too distant with the heat haze. We approached. We approached again. Finally we were close enough. Who could it be? I completed my focal and still hadn’t been able to read it. Did G get the ID?
Indeed he did! And yes! A new bird! A male CJ - a breeder on the north plot and FINALLY a new individual! We did it! We have two more days of scans, but we can now officially say it: we’ve seen 30 unique individuals from my breeding population in south-central Alaska!!