Bucket List Antarctica (during an eclipse): TIerra del Fuego National Park with birds.

Nothing can be more improving in a young naturalist than a journey to a distant land.

----Charles Darwin

The picturesque Beagle Channel as viewed from Tierra del Fuego National Park. On the second voyage of the Beagle, Captain Fitzroy invited a young naturalist named Charles Darwin. The rest is, as they say, history!

Today, Paul and I were out to see the crown jewel of the area, Tierra del Fuego National Park. As we outlined in a previous blog, Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago of islands owned predominantly by Chile, but in part, by Argentina. The Andes mountains are pretty much all in Chile and the Argentine part is formed by the meeting of the South American and Scotia tectonic plates with Argentina owning the Scotia segment. The National Park comprises parts of both countries, but there are only ROADS in Argentina. Hence, visitors are committed to visiting via Argentina unless going by water.  We were more than happy to head down the road about 12 miles out of Ushuaia with our local guide, Gaston, to visit the park and specifically to see some of the birds. But we got much more than we hoped for! The natural unspoilt beauty here is truly astonishing and cannot be captured in photos, but I tried!

Ruta 3 (AKA the Panamerican Highway) ends in the park. This was our approach.

When you go birdwatching, this is MOSTLY what you see with the occasional addition of a bird! On the other hand, it is good range of motion for your neck. 

The pirate impersonates a serious birdwatcher. He was looking for a pygmy owl--which we heard but never saw despite considerable efforts. 

The water in the Acigami lake is fairly shallow, completely clear and serves as a mirror for the Andes.

Tierra del Fuego National Park is located in southwest Tierra del Fuego and abuts Chile. It covers 68,909 hecateres in the southern tip of the Andes Mountains going from lake Fagnano (see prior blog for a look at this) to the Beagle Channel.  The main island of the archipelago was first occupied by man about 10,000 years ago. The various tribal groups integraed effectively with the local environs that we often would classify as 'hostile.'  The Yamana natives lived on its shores and made camps on the beaches harvesting from the sea. They moved about in canoes, hunted sea lions and harvested the still-abundant mollusks in the area. The extinction of these natives coincided with the migration of the first Europeans in 1890 and is attributed to infectious diseases as well as intentional violence against them. In 1910, there were 100 natives left. So this is the sad tale of the aboriginals here. 

The current inhabitants are very serious about preserving the pristine nature of this park after many years of introductions of non-native species. And we are happy to know their commitment. Such beauty deserves our attention. 

There were many wildflowers in bloom in the Fuegan spring. These were called buttercups.

There were fields of daises and many, many dandelions thriving. 

Upland geese were the predominant bird species we saw. 

Holly flowers. 

American tourist stunned by beauty!

We hiked along the lakes and through the forest searching for birds and just generally enjoying the scenery. We saw many birds, but the crowning glory was the Magellanic woodpecker of which we saw 5,both males and females. 

Fire-eyed Duicon

This is a huge bird. And so beautiful. Magellanic woodpecker.

Forests here are not overly diverse and are made mostly of beech species and a few evergreens, with some low lying bushed called "lengua."

The park has many well marked and maintained trails. 

We did see some wildlife today--- all introduced species though--the grey fox and fat rabbits. We also saw horses, and like the cattle ranging in the USA national parks, there is great controversy as to whether or not they should be allowed to graze there. 

Horse and foal

There were numerous horses seen with Andes as a backdrop. 

Really, we could go on and on about the scenery and the thirty species of birds we saw, but suffice it to say, this was a great weather day with outstanding views and a great walks. 

After our excursion, we visited the southernmost post office in the world and then we went to dinner at a local favorite restaurant, Maria Lola. The specialty there is king crab which was delicious. 

Fin del Mundo post office on the Beagle Channel

King crab salad made of nothing but king crab. YUM

More food porn. My salmon ravioli!

Paul's seafood linguine

This was a truly amazing day. We are here in springtime and although the weather is ever-changing year round, we would recommend a trip probably best positioned in early or late summer. The flight would be a bit expensive (about $1200-1800 USD) but lodging and food are cheap!

"Among the scenes which are deeply impressed on my mind, none exceed in sublimity the primeval forests undefaced by the hand of man; whether those of Brazil, where the powers of Life are predominant, or those of Tierra del Fuego, where Death and decay prevail. Both are temples filled with the varied productions of the God of Nature: -- no one can stand in these solitudes unmoved, and not feel that there is more in man than the mere breath of his body."
- Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle

Paul's Ponderings:  What a great day out in Patagonia.   The weather was greatly improved over the past couple of days -- sun and a bit of wind but not too much of the latter.   We saw a huge amount of local birds with our guide Gaston.   At the end of the day, our ship, the Hondius, was visible in the harbor from where we are staying.   We finished the day with a great meal at Cafe Maria Lola.   Mucho gusto!