If you want a proper downer before you go, read my brief report
Okay, let's see if it's "third time lucky"... I am going to be in Santiago on Dec. 27, on the way to Chiloe Island. The flights on the way there don't mesh very well, so I'm stuck with a long layover at the International Airport, all afternoon and into the early evening (we touch down around...
www.birdforum.net
which is hidden in another thread somewhat, which is a shame, because it has some real gems, such as the conclusion: "Next time I feel the need to burn 50 dollars uselessly, I will do better by doing that literally instead." - yes, I am my own biggest fan
Truth to be told, the next day, I went to the "endemics road" to Farellones and it was splendid! I also tried to find some birds in the areas between Santiago and the coast where there should some endemic Hawks and Pigeons as far as I recall and it again completely failed on the lack of access to anywhere.
I know a fantastic DSP site in Argentina if you ever wanted, one where probably no birder has been before (it's a solid day of hiking away from any road). I have not seen the Chilean Woodstar due to lack of preparation (it's pretty much impossible to just bump into it) during my magnificent 5 day Arica/Putre stunt, but the Putre area was quite nice. I was quite randomly in San Pedro de Atacama a few years back and the road to El Tatio had pretty good altiplano birds - there is the weird situation that the higher you go into the mountain the
less of a desert it is - I come to work to the deserts above Antofagasta sometimes and that's dead as Mars.
A long long time ago I was on Chiloe. Not many birds, it was very early spring, rainy and I still did not know much about birding but I still remember seeing my first ever hummingbird there! Then years later I saw another one in Torres del Paine - at that point I have seen many hummers, but was still shocked to see one at 52 degrees south!
