Patagonia, Araucaria forests and Atacama (1 Viewer)

Joern Lehmhus

Well-known member

• Jul 27, 2005

• #1

Hi all;

I am thinking of visiting South America this winter (respectively summer on the southern hemisphere -End of December till end of January or begin of February). It is still not sure if it will be possible,but I have to start planning.

I would like to go to Places like Ushuaia and Puerto Montt in Patagonia, but I would also like to see the Araucaria forests and Nothofagus forests, and the Atacama in Northern Chile.
Another option might also be Peninsula Valdez in Argentina ...

I will not be able to visit all these sites, but I have to decide which sounds best...so I´d like to profit from other peoples experiences concerning places to visit.

Also if you can recommend bird identification books for these regions (and also for plants and mammals, this would be great help.

Many thanks,

Jörn

 

A

albatross02

Well-known member

• Jul 27, 2005

• #2

Chile

Hallo Joern,

south of Chile I recommend different german books. "Trekking Guide" from Bruckmann company is excellent books, which also exists for Patagonia.
For mountain informations is good "Traumberge Amerikas" written by Ekkehard Radehose.
For Nothofagus I know only a french homepage
http://nothofagus.free.fr/nothofagus.htm
( Nothofagus is also in NZ ).
I have been different times in South America ( North Patagonia, Lauca NP, Bolivia, Argentina ), but mostly for mountain climbing.


Best regards
Dieter

 

jurek

Well-known member

• Jul 27, 2005

• #3

Hmm, dear German birding flock. Can you borrow me a copy of "where to watch birds in south america" for a weekend?

 

S

sclateria

Well-known member

• Jul 27, 2005

• #4

The field guide of choice for Chile is Alvaro Jaramillo's Birds of Chile from Princeton Field Guides. I just got a copy of Birds of Argentina and Uruguay: a field guide by Tito Narosky and Dario Yzurieta, and it also looks like it would be a useful field reference. It covers most of the southern cone, including 85% of the birds in Chile. A combination of those two guides would probably do the trick. Both are very portable field guides.

Brad

 

Last edited: Jul 27, 2005

jurek

Well-known member

• Jul 27, 2005

• #5

I looked for a guidebook for Argentina and found only "Birds of southern south america" Anybody knows how it compares with this "Birds of Argentina and Uruguay a field guide" by Tito Narosky and Dario Yzurieta?

 

Rasmus Boegh

BF member

• Jul 27, 2005

• #6

jurek said:

I looked for a guidebook for Argentina and found only "Birds of southern south america" Anybody knows how it compares with this "Birds of Argentina and Uruguay a field guide" by Tito Narosky and Dario Yzurieta?

Click to expand...

The Narosky & Yzurieta guide is the one most local birders use and I certainly agree 100% on their "verdict" - even if neither this nor the "Birds of Southern South America" can compare to Jaramillo's great guide to Chile. If you visit Argentina I'd recommend bringing both Narosky & Yzurieta Argentinian guide and Jaramillo Chilean guide, expecially as the former leave quite a bit to be desired in its coverage of seabirds & waders.

As for recommendations for the various localities: I've spend a fair deal of time in all the regions/habitats mentioned in the thread-started and find it impossible to weigh them agaist each other as they really are very different. You certainly shouldn't miss the Nothofagus & Araucaria forests, though.

 

Last edited: Jul 28, 2005

jurek

Well-known member

• Jul 28, 2005

• #7

Thanks,

 

erizzo

Well-known member

• Aug 1, 2005

• #8

For Chile defenetly go with Alvaro Jaramillo's Birds of Chile. Its a very well done book with great ilustrations.
And as far as birding goes I would recomend birding in the far south and the far north if you want to see lots of birds but if you want to see very beautiful countryside and forest, etc and not as many birds (but still a good amount) go to the central and southern regions. Like the mountains to the east of Santiago (an idea could be El Yeso Resevoir) and to the South try 9th and 10th region from Temuco to the mountains and south to Puerto Montt like you said. The best places or the easiest to see birds in Chile are in National Parks that are very nice.
I hope I didnt give and over load of Info. But thought id give a bunch of ideas and places to check out for you planning if it all works out.
Good Look

 

Fritz73

Wat mutt, dat mutt!

Staff member

Supporter

• Aug 8, 2005

• #9

I agree with erizzo and with Rasmus about the books. I've got the book of Jaramillo and it's well done and for Argentina I use the book of Narosky & Izurieta because it got good descriptions of the birds to fill in the drawings.

About places to visit in the far south I would say the 'Torres del Paine' National Park in southern Chile and 'Tierra del Fuego' and 'Los Glaciares' National Parks in Argentina. In the north on Argentina's side you will find four National Parks: 'Los Cardones' and 'El Rey' in Salta province and 'Laguna de los Pozuelos' and 'Calilegua' in Jujuy province. For El Rey and Calilegua you must take into account that on mid December or not later than beginnig of Jannuary, the rain season begins and all the routes will be impossible to take.

Any information you need, please ask.

 

Joern Lehmhus

Well-known member

• Aug 8, 2005

• #10

Hi all,
Many Thanks for the valuable information- in the next days I will ask some more questions... at the moment it is still only 70% certain that we can go...

Jörn

 

E

Eugeni

Active member

• Aug 17, 2005

• #11

Sites to visit in Xile and Argentina

Hello,

I will visit the folow places. I can send to you one abstract of many bird reports. An if you can go first of december we can meet in South xile or Argentina.

Eugeni


30-oct Costanera Sur
31-oct Esteros
01-nov Esteros
02-nov Esteros
03-nov San Martín
04-nov PN Araucaria
05-nov Iguazú
06-nov Iguazú
07-nov Iguazú
08-nov Iguazú
09-nov Iguazú
10-nov Iguazú-Trelew
11-nov Península Valdés
12-nov Península Valdés
13-nov Península Valdés
14-nov Trelew-Usuhaia
15-nov Terra del Foc
16-nov Terra del Foc
17-nov Terra del Foc
18-nov Porvenir
19-nov Punta Arenas
20-nov Punta Arenas
21-nov PA-Torres del Paine
22-nov Torres del Paine
23-nov Torres del Paine
24-nov Torres del Paine
25-nov Calafate
26-nov Calafate
27-nov Calafate
28-nov Calafate
29-nov Calafate -Bariloche
30-nov Bariloche- Xile
01-dic PN Vicente Rosales
02-dic Puerto Varas-Xiloé
03-dic Xiloé
04-dic Xiloé- PN Puyuhé
05-dic PN Puyuhé
06-dic PN Puyuhé-Bariloche
07-dic Bariloche
08-dic Bariloche- BA-Costanera Sur/Otamendi
09-dic Otamendi / Ceibas
10-dic San Clemente
11-dic San Clemente
12-dic San Clemente
13-dic Costanera Sur-Barcelona

Joern Lehmhus said:

Hi all;

I am thinking of visiting South America this winter (respectively summer on the southern hemisphere -End of December till end of January or begin of February). It is still not sure if it will be possible,but I have to start planning.

I would like to go to Places like Ushuaia and Puerto Montt in Patagonia, but I would also like to see the Araucaria forests and Nothofagus forests, and the Atacama in Northern Chile.
Another option might also be Peninsula Valdez in Argentina ...

I will not be able to visit all these sites, but I have to decide which sounds best...so I´d like to profit from other peoples experiences concerning places to visit.

Also if you can recommend bird identification books for these regions (and also for plants and mammals, this would be great help.

Many thanks,

Jörn

Click to expand...

 

Joern Lehmhus

Well-known member

• Sep 2, 2005

• #12

Hi Eugeni,
we can only start at the end of December or beginning of January (If at all- still some problems with our jobs to sort out). So it won´t be possible to meet, I am afraid...

Best wishes,
Jörn

 

Joern Lehmhus

Well-known member

• Sep 2, 2005

• #13

Hi all,
one more question: What about car hire in southern Chile or Argentina?
Is this better done from Germany or should we do this when we are in the country?

I am asking, because for South Africa I had experienced it was cheaper to do this from Germany...

 

E

Eugeni

Active member

• Sep 9, 2005

• #14

Rent a car in Argentina

Hello,

the cars in Argentina are expensive, especialy in calafate, and south. If you travel alone in Peninsula valdes, perhaps you can go with a tour is about 25 € and they visit the same spots that birders needed to visit.

Eugeni Catalonia