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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jos Stratford" data-source="post: 3517889" data-attributes="member: 12449">16 December. Quintero, Concon & the Rio Maipo.Seawatch from dawn at Quintero – ideal lighting conditions now, but not a scrap of wind to push any of the deep water pelagic species onshore. Overall I would describe it as moderately quiet, but still, I was in for a treat! As expected, a steady stream of Peruvian Boobies and Peruvian Pelicans passing, but totally not as expected, rather large numbers of Peruvian Diving-Petrels. These are superb little things, little doodle-bugs with whirling wings, very reminiscent of Little Auks as they wizzed by. Had hoped for one or two, but in a space of three hours, I recorded a grand total of at least 180, all southbound, some settling on the water for short spells. Also about 30 Sooty Shearwaters, one close-range Southern Giant Petrel and, major surprise, a Blue-footed Booby! A vagrant to Chile, the few records of Blue-footed Booby in Chile are usually associated with El Nino years, when warmer waters push the species further south than usual. This particular individual, an adult, tried to sneak by with Peruvian Boobies - tagging on the rear of a small group, they had almost passed by before I gave them a glance, the pale rump patch and streaky head then immediately standing out.So no albatrosses or small petrels, but a pretty good seawatch regardless. On route back, stopped at the mouth of the Concon River, adding a flock of about 200 Black Skimmers, an assortment of Nearctic waders and, the highlight, a family of five Burrowing Owls on the sandy ground just adjacent. To be honest however, I had messed up my plans here – not paying much attention to the birding reports that I had read, I actually expected the far better Rio Maipo to be at this spot! Checking my maps, I then realised it was actually 70 km further south and actually quite close to where I had been the day before. Hmmph! Got in the car and retraced my steps and as mid-afternoon approached arrived at Llolleo. I aimed for two big pools that were visible on my map, but was a little surprised to find myself right in the middle of a huge container port, trucks rumbling in all directions, stacks of containers piled high. Not a very attractive destination it had to be said, but the pols were indeed there ...and the first was crammed full of birds! So, sat on the grass with trucks to our rear, there we enjoyed the spectacle: ducks, coots and cormorants numbering 800 or 900, Black-necked Swans at 44, Coscoroba Swans eight. Black-crowned Night Herons lined the banks, a few Snowy Egrets too, bunches of White-tufted Grebes and Silvery Grebes bobbed in the water, while three Spot-flanked Gallinules worked the edges. At the one end, stuffed up against a car park, a small reedy patch added a few more new birds, most notably several Wrenlike Rushbirds and, the males a dazzle of colour, a few Many-coloured Rush-Tyrants. Also a few waders present, the best being a Collared Plover on the second of the pools.I realised however that I was still not at the main birding locality, ie the actual mouth of the Rio Maipo. To get here, I had to retrace my way through town, pass over a major bridge and access the river via the beachfront to the south. At this point, there is a reserve headquartes and a trail looping off towards the river. Late afternoon and very hot by now, but off we trudged ...Rufous-tailed Plantcutter in the first area of dune scrub, then a relatively barren area of dune until the rivermouth. Here though vast flocks of gulls and terns in the shimmering heat, Franklin's Gulls in the main it seemed, but a good scattering of Grey Gulls too and many waders too. Heat haze and the decision to leave the scope behind did few favours, but closer waders were Baird's Sandpipers in the main, quite a few Lesser Yellowlegs too. Better stuff though in a patch of marsh – a quick pish prompting both Grass Wren and Many-coloured Rush-Tyrants to pop out into the open. Not the same for a Warbling Doradito – a quiet tick tick tick revealing its position, but it was quite some time before I finally got to see it as it crept along reed bases. Female Spectacled Tyrant here too, plus Yellow-winged Blackbird and Shiny Cowbird.Ambled along the each for a while, no seabirds offshore, then headed back to Concon, via an extensive area of smouldering hillsides and burnout skeletons of trees ...massive wildfires in central Chile this year. Two White-throated Hawks in this general vicinity.</blockquote>

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