Straits of Magellan, Chile | February 14, 2009.

South American Tern – A very windy summer day in Patagonia; strong westerly gales reach speeds over 75 miles per hour and the Straits of Magellan appearance is unusually stormy. A large flock of South American Tern, comprising at least 400 individuals, look for the protection of a sheltered rocky spit while many other individuals still fly around, struggling with the wind force. Late summer is the time for a new cohort of terns to start their flight training in these very difficult conditions. The juvenile terns are easily distinguished by the darkish appearance and buffy wash on the underparts. Many adults are also turning into their winter plumage with their characteristic snow-white crowns.

Crested Duck - This heavily-built duck is one of the commonest waterfowl of the Patagonian region, occurring not just on inland freshwater and brackish lagoons and ponds, but also along the seashores of the Patagonian and Fuegian channels and fjords, all the way down to the Cape Horn. During the breeding season is a highly territorial species and is not a rare event seen it attacking intruder individuals and even other duck species. This dabbling duck is very active by night, at least on the sea, where it feeds on large plankton right on the water’s surface.

White-rumped Sandpiper - Mono-especific small flocks of up to 50 WRS were seen this day. This Calidris is a long-distance migrant which nests in the high Arctic tundra regions of Canada and United States and winters in coastal areas and inland brackish lagoons of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. This species can be seen in quite large flocks along the Straits of Magellan, sometimes associating with the similar Baird’s Sandpiper and other local plover species. It actively feeds in rocky beaches and stranded patches of kelp searching for marine worms and other invertebrates; in inland ponds and coastal mudflats in probs the ground very close to the water edge.

© Photos by Claudio F. Vidal, Fantastico Sur Expeditions, Chile

A single individual of Franklin’s Gull (Larus pipixcan) was seen flying in the deep Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) Fjord, Magallanes, in the Chilean Patagonia on December 8, 2008.
This migratory species is an unusual visitor at these latitudes (app. 52 S), being very rare in the Straits of Magellan and the Beagle Channel (app. 54 S). Vagrant individuals have been recorded in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Orkney and in the Drake Passage, near South Shetland Islands, off the Antarctic Peninsula.
The regular southern range of this gull in the western coast of South America are the coastal mudflats and sandy beaches of Chiloe Island, Chile. © Photos Claudio Vidal, Fantastico Sur Expeditions.

The Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys) is a member of the medium-sized albatross group generally referred as "mollymauks". This is predominantly a sub-Antarctic species which breeds in many islands around the Southern Ocean and is widely distributed around the offshore and inshore waters of Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn. The previously known breeding colonies in Chile included Diego de Almagro and Diego Ramírez Islands as well as Ildefonso and Evout islets, off Tierra del Fuego.

Just recently, Chilean scientists discovered a new breeding colony located in a group of islets of the deep Almirantazgo (Admiralty) Sound, in western Tierra del Fuego, Chile.

These individuals were photographed during early October 2008; there are over 100 active nests on this islet which is covered by tussock-grass stands. © Photos by Enrique Couve, Fantastico Sur Expeditions.