January 23, 2016
We don’t always have epic days or great birding days, but we always try to make the best of it. Today was one of those days.
Our morning didn’t run smoothly so we decided to head back to the island without surveying one last mainland site. (We have a small or not so small problem of too many sites and not enough time so some sites just have to be cut).
We always look forward to birding on the ferry crossing because we can see different species and there’s the potential for new birds like the lifer Pincoya we got the other day. Today the ferry was packed. We were the second to last car to pay the fare, so we were late up on the observation deck - nowhere to stand. We both managed to squeeze in and enjoyed the hundreds of Sooty Shearwaters streaming by.
We planned on surveying two new sites for godwits along the north west spit, but we headed out a little early to bird. We drove out to Faro Corona - a lighthouse. G set up his scope hoping an albatross would fly by and instead got treated to more shearwaters.
Then we went to a beach/sand dunes hoping for a couple of new species - a pipit, a miner, and a plover. Maybe we were too distracted by the breathtaking scenery but no new birds were to be had. Alas, it was time to hit the tides. We surveyed both sites but could find no godwits anywhere.
While it’s easy to feel like the day didn’t go our way, we were both pretty happy to explore a new part of the island. The beach was gorgeous and it was the highlight of our day. We’re both happy to back on Chiloé and away from the hustle and bustle of the mainland. I guess we like the island life!
We don’t always have epic days or great birding days, but we always try to make the best of it. Today was one of those days.
Our morning didn’t run smoothly so we decided to head back to the island without surveying one last mainland site. (We have a small or not so small problem of too many sites and not enough time so some sites just have to be cut).
We always look forward to birding on the ferry crossing because we can see different species and there’s the potential for new birds like the lifer Pincoya we got the other day. Today the ferry was packed. We were the second to last car to pay the fare, so we were late up on the observation deck - nowhere to stand. We both managed to squeeze in and enjoyed the hundreds of Sooty Shearwaters streaming by.
We planned on surveying two new sites for godwits along the north west spit, but we headed out a little early to bird. We drove out to Faro Corona - a lighthouse. G set up his scope hoping an albatross would fly by and instead got treated to more shearwaters.
Then we went to a beach/sand dunes hoping for a couple of new species - a pipit, a miner, and a plover. Maybe we were too distracted by the breathtaking scenery but no new birds were to be had. Alas, it was time to hit the tides. We surveyed both sites but could find no godwits anywhere.
While it’s easy to feel like the day didn’t go our way, we were both pretty happy to explore a new part of the island. The beach was gorgeous and it was the highlight of our day. We’re both happy to back on Chiloé and away from the hustle and bustle of the mainland. I guess we like the island life!