A Photographic Journal
November 21, 2010 - Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego National Park
The usual drill: lots of stops in a variety of habitats.
The park itself is quite popular, with lots of people in a lot of the easily accessible places. I was frankly astonished by the number of people. The gravel and dirt roads were packed. We didn't get high at all, never out of the vegetation. Maybe 200 feet? The vegetation itself demonstrated the rule of polar ecological impoverishment: there are just three species of trees, all varieties of southern beeches. There are some shrubs, but not an awful lot. Mature forest in all but the peat bogs tends to be quite open and park-like. Don't know if that's true higher up.
Special treats were the Austral Parakeets and the Austral Pygmy-Owl.
Large mammals are not native to Tierra del Fuego. We saw all three introduced mammals: rabbit, mink and beaver. Each has done immense damage. The beavers are the most noticeable: drowned beech forests in a lot of the creek valleys. But Marcello says that the mink have done the most harm. A lot of the species, in the absence of predators, are ground nesters. Tierra del Fuego is an island with an island's fragile ecology.
Crab crepes for supper. Late meals make sleeping a little tough. But did enough walking today it shouldn't be a problem.
) Tierra del Fuego National Park |
) Kelp Goose |
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) Austral Pygmy Owl |
) Chimango Caracara |
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) Austral Thursh |
) Austral Negrito |
) Upland Goose |
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Bird List:
Chimango Caracara (very large numbers)
Kelp Gull
Dolphin Gull
Rock Shag
Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle (3)
Upland Goose
Black-faced Ibis
House Wren
White-crested Elaenia
Upland Goose
Ashy-headed Goose
Dark-faced Ground-Tyrant
Austral Thrush
Austral Negrito
Rufus-collared Sparrow
Chilean Swallow
Thorn-tailed Rayadito
Black-chinned Siskin
Magellanic Woodpecker
Tufted Tit-Tyrant
Great Grebe
Patagonia Sierra-Finch
Southern Crested Caracara
White-throated Caracara
Green-backed Firecrown
Crested Duck
Flying Steamer Duck
Dark-bellied Cinclodes
Bar-winged Cinclodes
Austral Blackbird
Austral Pygmy Owl
Austral Parakeet
Imperial Cormorant
Flightless Steamer Duck
Magellanic Oystercatcher
Kelp Goose
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All content © 2010-2011 Jim and Nancy DeWitt / Frozen Feather Images
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