Author: Michael

A wow of a bird

The Red and Green Macaw is a wow of a bird.

Paula and I have seen them and wow they are awesome.

We have watched the birds fly in formation. Red streaks through the lush foliage.

Their penetrating shrieking calls driving through our heads

Now I believe the word ‘wow’ is much overdone.

I recently bought a friend a chocolate and strawberry milkshake and the reply was ” wow thanks”.

That made me think more about the word ‘wow’.

Should I apply it equally to a Red and Green Macaw as well as a strawberry milkshake?

Image result for Strawberry Milkshake

Now the word ‘awesome’ is even more overdone than ‘wow’ and we have heard people call a drink at the bar ‘awesome’.

One of the things I miss most as we are Living Wild in South America is a good English beer.

But I wouldn’t attribute a beer as ‘awesome’.

A beer is a beer. Everards Tiger is tasty, full of hops, smooth and delicious, that enough.

We were in the forests of Brazil some months ago and were watching Red and Green Macaws.

The birds mate for life and we often saw the pairs flying together in close formation. A lovely sight.

Our sightings of Red and Green Macaws might just be ‘awesome’, it is a wow of a bird.

But the most awesome day possible would be to eat a strawberry milkshake for breakfast.

Spend the day watching Red and Green Macaws and finish with a drink of Everards Tiger.

Long distance biking

Long distance biking is common in South America. There are a number of reasons for this.

Long Distance Biking

Biking the length of South America takes people from the shores of the Caribbean, to seas overlooking the Antarctic.
The biking trails from Tierra del Fuego to Colombia are beautiful and picturesque.
All the countries you pass through speak the same language – Spanish.
The Ruta 40 in Argentina and the Carretera Austral in Chile run either side of the Andes
Even more challenging is an extension by venturing on to Alaska, then you can bike the whole Americas. From the top to the bottom of the world.

Our travels as the Living Wild in South America team has crossed paths many times with bikers.

We regularly stop for a chat, finding out where they’ve come from or going to.

This is Rich and Emma from the UK.

They left their jobs behind and took off to bike from one end of South America to the other.

Share a coffee and biscuit at the side of the road, as we did with Dario from Germany.

Admire some amazing bike gear and be completely surprised when we met up with this couple from Brazil.

hey took their dog along and when the mut was tired, into a tiny 3-wheel carriage it went for a rest.

That was not just long distance biking, more like long distance dog walking.

The outrageous way I think of Chile

The outrageous way I think of Chile is to imagine the parrots that live there.

When I think of Parrots I try not to imagine palm trees and jungles.

Having visited Chile I now think of Chile as not typically shaped, its a bizarre shape.

Chile is crazy, its 4700 km long but only 170 km wide. I have found Chilean landscapes to be mountainous, and glaciated or dry and desertified.

The outrageous way I think of Chile is now to imagine the parrots that live their, and after our travels I have seen all of them.

Chile has 5 parrots.

1 Burrowing Parrot – Cyanoliseus patagonus

2 Austral Parakeet – Enicognathus ferrugineus

3 Slender-billed Parakeet – Enicognathus leptorhynchus

4 Monk Parakeet – Myiopsitta monachus

5 Mountain Parakeet – Psilopsiagon aurifrons

Mountain Parakeets. They prefer rocky outcrops to trees.

High up in the Andean mountains where it is hot and dry there lives the Mountain parakeet. Unlike most Parakeets this one feeds mostly on the ground.

Burrowing Parrots are both persecuted and collected.

Burrowing parrots are now endangered. There are less than twenty nesting colonies left in the country. A bizarre parrot which does not favour trees but nests in holes in cliffs.

he Monk Parakeet is common and is just as likely to be found in towns and cities. It builds huge nests in which a number of Monk Parakeet families live.

Many of these nests are on top of pylons which can cause significant problems due their heavy weight.

Slender-billed Parakeet loves to feed on the Chilean Fire Bush

The Slender-billed Parakeet is another endangered parrot of Chile, more importantly it is endemic to the country.

Austral Parakeet feeding on berries amid the snow of Tierra del Fuego.

The Austral Parakeet is perhaps the most bizarre. These parrots only live in the deep south of the country, a land of snow and glaciers.

An outrageous way to think of Chile therefore is to think of these five parrots and their crazy lifestyles. there.

“Chile for Olympic Gold”

If there was an Olympic competition for the most beautiful country in the world, Chile would certainly be on the podium and the crowd would be shouting – “Chile for Olympic Gold”

On Sara Wheeler’s travels through Chile a drunk told her this legend about his country.

“When God created the world he had a handful of everything left – deserts, mountains, lakes, glaciers – and he put it all in his pocket

But there was a hole in this pocket, and as God walked across heaven it all trickled out, and the trail it made on earth was Chile”

That drunk must have known a lot about Chile. For Chile is a ridiculously beautiful country, so diverse, accessible and dramatic. It really is – “Chile for Olympic Gold”.

Ridiculous because the spaghetti sized Chile stretches from the sub-tropics to Antarctica – but is only as wide as the English Channel.

A beautiful country, because its western side is brushed by the Pacific ocean and its east by the greatest mountain chain on earth. Its landscapes are nearly perfect.

Landscapes of Chile

1 Deserts

In the north is the stark and stunning Atacama desert. The driest place on earth with pink mountains and hidden oasis.

2 Flowers

The central part of the country makes you feel as if you are in the ‘Mediterranean’. The flora are an endemic hotspot of biodiversity. Valleys of colour, exotic and perfumed air.

3 Mountains & Lakes

Further south are the most gorgeous lakes and snow clad mountains. A photographers dream, surreal and silent.

Glaciers

Further south still, within a short sea journey to Antactica, you will find glaciers, cold winds and short days.

It takes a great imagination to consider your country as being the remains of bits and pieces lying in the bottom of Gods pocket.

“When God created the world he had a handful of everything left – deserts, mountains, lakes, glaciers – and he put it all in his pocket

But there was a hole in this pocket, and as God walked across heaven it all trickled out, and the trail it made on earth was Chile”

Perhaps he was just ‘drunk’ on the beauty of his country.

“What’s so special about the Valdivian Temperate Rainforest”

” Whats so special about the Valdivian Temperate Rain forest” ?

That was the questions we asked lots of people – and to our surprise, no one had heard of it.

That’s what’s so special about the Valdivian rain forest, its unknown.

Amazing facts about the Valdivian Forest

Its the third biggest in the world, after the Amazon and the central African rain forests.
Its a Temperate rain forest
Its the only rain forest with Glaciers
60% of its plants are endemic

The location of the Valdivian rain forest.

The word ‘rain-forest’ tells you that this is bound to be a wet area, a very wet area.

Many times whilst we were photographing the trees we had so much rain running down our clothes, our boots filled up.

The source of this rain is the westerly winds off the Pacific.

Reaching the coast with the Andes immediately behind, the clouds burst.

Many coastal areas, including Chiloe island, receive up to 4 meters a year.

Such a special, extreme climate, is likely to produce a special animals and birds

Accordingly the Valdivian forest has evolved plants and animals as special as anywhere in the world.

Enormous ferns taller than a man, help to make this,one of most spectacular woods we’ve been in.

Mosses of every size and shape cover, trees, rocks and paths.

Getting around and through a rain forest is always difficult. Fallen trees, slippery tracks and a profusion of plants wrapping round each other always make progress hard.

Many of the trees of this lovely forest, grow nowhere else. For example in the Valdivian rain forest there is one particular tree, the Tepu, (Tepualia stipularis). It is evergreeen and a member of the myrtle family.

The Tepu tree grows in the wettest of places, hollows left by ancient glaciers. It is a thin and tall tree, but grows densely.

After about after about one hundred years the trees die off quickly and strong winter winds cause them to easily fall onto the forest floor.

Here they pile up and in places raise up the forest floor up to a meter.

This provides a special habitat. Older, much slower growing tree saplings beneath, sheltered from the harsh conditions and grazing deer, whilst the thin soils are protected from the heavy rain.

As this artificial layer builds up humus, other shorter lived plants can survive on the top where there is ample drainage and a little more light.

Over the years the forest floor is covered with fallen trunks and as Tepu wood is water resistant they take generations to rot away.

Borders are created by man, not animals.

Borders are artificial, they get in the way of people working together.

Borders are created by man, not animals.

Global environmental problems need people of all nations working together. One solution to this has been the development of ‘Peace Parks’.

What are Peace Parks ?

They are usually National Parks that cross international boundaries.

Often they are called ‘Trans-boundary’ parks.

What is the advantage of a Peace Park ?

Migrating animals can cross between the two nations without hinderance from fences and barriers

The two parks follow and promote a common conservation plan.

Indigenous peoples can move freely over the border.

Examples from Europe.

An EU programme called Natura 2000 has helped creat an impressive network of European wildlife reserves amounting to protection of 18% of Europes land area.

A few of these are Peace Parks.

The image above is of Oulanka National Park in Finland. This park joins with the Paanajärvi National Park in Russia, protecting not only rare mammals such as the Lynx and Wolverine but the nomadic Sami people.

Between Poland and Belarus stretches the last primeval forest in Europe. A peace Park exist between the two countries. In Poland the Bialowieza National Park and in Belarus the Belovezhskaya National park.

Africa has some fine examples.

The world renown Kruger National Park stretches between Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

In 2003 a trans-boundary park between South Africa and Namibia was successfully negotiated.

This co-operation led to the creation of the !Ai-!Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Conservation Park.

This has protected the cultural heritage of the Nama people as well as securing the conservation of the endemic Succulent Karoo biome.

Nelson Mandela said of Peace Parks

” No political movement, philosophy or ideology does not agree with Peace Parks. It can be embraced by all. Peace is a cornerstone of the future and Peace Parks are a building block in this process”

South America

South America is unique. Of all the worlds continents, nowhere is their a greater plant and animal diversity.

The Cordillera del Condor is a trans-boundary protected area on the border of Ecuador and Peru.

In Patagonia something special has happened recently.

The Patagonia National Park is now a reality. Argentina formalized it in 2017, Chile in 2018

This national park exits on two sides of the border between Argentina and Chile. It is not joined up yet, as there is much private land in between. But the two parks are close together and the potential exists.

Patagonia has an ‘aura’ that attracts visitors from all over the world.

People that seek wilderness. People that want to see the very best landscapes and wildlife that exists on earth.

Patagonia has all that.

One day hopefullt there will be a trans-boundary Patagonia National Park.

A place where the Puma can thrive, where herds of Guanaco can travel unmolested across the land.

After all borders are created by man, not animals.

A beauty and a beast of a road

A beauty and a beast of a road refers to the Carretera Austral. The longest road in the longest country in the world, Chile.

Travelling south into Patagonia is not easy and staying in Chile will require use of the Carretera Austral.

The Carretera Austral meanders 1,250 km through rugged and remote terrain. It stretches from Puerto Montt in the north down to Lago O’Higgins in the south

The Carretera Austral is a beauty and a beast of a road.

This is part 2. A blog to highlight and illustrate some of the beastly difficulties we encountered on our journey.

Much of the road is in a poor state of repair. Small sections are terrible.

Always carry spare tyres and a puncture repair kit. There are few places to have such work done.

Try to ensure you have a good first aid kit. Medical facilities are few and far between. Drive with care.

If possible go in a 4-wheel drive. Its not an absolute requirement, but will make life so much more comfortable and safer.

Be prepared for the completely unexpected. Anything can happen.

We met an area where the road had been completely swept into a lake by a landslide.

All of a sudden we were directed onto a free ferry service. A voyage that lasted an hour.

Though Paula never expected to steer the boat !

Much of the Carretera Austral passes through forest. Thick temperate rain forest, more akin to British Columbia than people’s expectations of sunny Chile.

The prevailing weather is rain, more rain and sometimes a lot more rain, be prepared.

Bridges and roads can be swept away. We are British so we are used to rain, but not like the rain we experienced !

Chilean Patagonia is a land of rain, up to 4 metres a year.

On the other hand we are photographers so rain, sometimes, is beautiful.

The Carretera is not busy as such, but it is the ONLY route south.

Allow plenty of time to catch ferries and be prepared to wait.

Roadworks are common. Improving the road can involve dynamiting the rock away.

In some situations you can wait an hour or so before they clear the way through.

In conclusion, the Carretera Austral is wonderful.

Enjoy the little things, relax and talk to everyone you meet.

The Carretera Austral attracts the most interesting people.

A beauty and a beast of a road

A beauty and a beast of a road refers to the Carretera Austral. The longest road in the longest country in the world, Chile.

Travelling south into Patagonia is not easy and staying in Chile will require following the Carretera Austral.

The Carretera Austral meanders 1,250 km through rugged and remote terrain. It stretches from Puerto Montt in the north down to Lago O’Higgins in the south.

Paula and I completed this road, late in 2017. It was a beauty and a beast of a road.

Beautiful because of the stunning scenery

and a beast of a road because of its poor state of repair in places.

This blog (Part 1) and its photographs highlight the beauty of travelling the Carretera Austral, one of the world’s great driving experiences.

To give a balanced perspective about the Carretera Austral there will be another blog. Part 2 will highlight some of the disadvantages we encountered.

We started off by taking a Navimag ferry, booked in advance in Puerto Montt. It’s well worth using a ferry, there are lots of them. It breaks up the monotony of continuous driving and enabled us to experience aspects of the landscape we wouldn’t have otherwise seen.

Our boat left Puerto Montt and sailed overnight to Puerto Aisen. We were lucky, the weather was good so the sea stayed calm, enabling us to see albatrosses, gulls and petrels.

Black-browed Albatross

The ship travels through wide fjord like channels. The passage between the mainland and Chiloe island protects the ship from the roughness of the Pacific sea. The land either side being swathed in dense temperate rain forest, a memorable voyage.

There are a few places to stay in pretty Puerto Aisen or you can drive to the much larger Coihaique. We preferred Puerto Aisen!

Further south lies Puerto Tranquilo, a quaint village bustling with tourists. We found it a great place for accommodation, food and things to do. More importantly, it’s one of the few places on the route to get punctures repaired.

After Puerto Tranquilo the scenery becomes spectacular. The road skirts the azure coloured , glaciar fed Lake Tranquilo , overlooked by the distant snow capped Andes.

Most of the Carretera Austral is stone and gravel (ripio). However every year sees more and more improvements.

When the ripio is in good repair it’s fine, but it did cut down our speed. Not a problem to us as we are bird watching as we go and the surrounding countryside is full of colour and interest.

We drive our own vehicle and camp wherever we can. New stretches of road often leave older sections in disuse where it is easy to camp.

The discovery of a Painted Snipe chick

A memorable day for Paula and I was the discovery of a Painted Snipe chick accompanied by its parent.

We were sploshing about in a marsh, in central Argentina.

Mud was up to our knees and we were trying not to fall over in the stinking morass.

Marshes are wonderful places for animals to live because they are ‘on the edge’.

In between land and water, not the greenery of vegetation nor the cool trickling of liquid.

The quaggy, boggy, gooey stuff that can be both dangerous and exhilarating.

Birds that live here have the best of both worlds.

They can find ample food on the sparse vegetation and underneath the wet mud.

To survive in such a place a bird needs to be a specialist and the Painted Snipe is just that. The birds have long legs with splayed out toes, ideal for crossing the mud and sensitive bills to probe for food.

Cover, in the way of protection, is limited on a marsh. Keeping safe means keeping hidden and the Painted Snipe chick and its parent do this so brilliantly, they are seldom seen.

Many birdwatchers go their whole lifetime without seeing a South American Painted Snipe.

Paula and I were loath to go into this particular marsh. Marshes are not places for the faint-hearted. But we heard and saw lots of birds flying overhead, so into the marsh we went, treading carefully and quietly.

To our surprise and delight we came across an adult Painted Snipe. Its gorgeous cryptic patterns reflecting its surroundings.

We searched carefully, eventually finding what we were looking for – the nest of the Painted Snipe, with two eggs.

We retreated, so as not to disturb the bird.

A week later, with wellingtons on and a stick to feel the depth of the mud as we walked, we staggered back into the swamp.

The nest was empty, so we searched and searched.

We were lucky. This was the day we made the Discovery of a Painted Snipe chick and even better, with its parent.

The adult remained motionless, as if stuck in the mud.

But the little chick manoeuvred itself close to its dad and snuggled underneath the bird .

All you could see were its legs poking out from beneath the belly of its parent. The chick comfortable in the belief that if it couldn’t see us then we couldn’t see it !

We left the Painted Snipe and its chick in peace. Happy to have seen this reclusive wading bird so closely and to have watched a comical bit of bird behaviour.

Imagine a turquoise river

Imagine a turquoise river, a river as blue as a Pacific lagoon.

The same river, as cobalt blue as the Atlantic, whose waters turn pink at sunset.

With ripples of crimson pointing the way for geese.

Imagine a turquoise river, waters fed by a distant glacier.

A sinuous, sapphire scarf wrapping round sandy banks.

Imagine a river whose eddies, gurgles and foaming fury carry kayaks onward to an exhilarating ‘rush’.

Its difficult to imagine that river tamed. Stilled, quiet and sullen.

That’s what might have happened. 5 mega-dams planned across the Baker river, a wild river gone forever.

Dam the Baker river, dam Patagonia was the cry.

Now it’s saved.

Every river has its beauty, but the Baker is more than a river, it’s a magic Magellanic world.

Feeding forests as old as time, Alerce, Coihue and Lenga.

A pristine pearl, born from and protected by, snow capped mountains.

Stop imagining a turquoise river, it’s there and always will be. Waiting for you to go, in Patagonian Chile.