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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jos Stratford" data-source="post: 3520674" data-attributes="member: 12449">Top Day!20 December. Puerto Natales & Torres de PaineThe waterfront off Puerto Natales is jam-packed with birds, flocks of Black-necked Swans lining the town's promenade (at least 300), South American Terns roaming up and down, Imperial Cormorants on the jetty, stacks more. A pleasant couple of early morning hours here notched up quite a good species list, some of the additional birds including Magellanic Oystercatchers, a posse of eight Southern Giant Petrels and two Northern Giant Petrels lingering near some fishing boats, a lone Black-browed Albatross sitting on the water and a wonderful Andean Condor flying low over the rocky shores to the north, all to the backdrop of a distant glacier and small-peaked mountains. Roosting amongst Kelp Gulls and Brown-hooded Gulls, my first Dolphin Gulls of the trip, eight in all.The plan for this day was to meander northwards towards Torres de Paine, then find somewhere to camp and await the evening. Numerous stops on route, Austral Parakeets and Thorn-tailed Rayadito at one place, one more Andean Condor at another. Overall however, as we gradually gained altitude and passed endless kilometres of scrubby woodland, birding did not prove particularly productive. Ahead through the dramatic pinnacles of Torres were rising, soon we would be entering the lands of the Mountain Lion! Casting my eyes over the high slopes, patches of snow in great gullies, this was truly an place that I was dreaming of – reportedly one of the best places in the world for this most elusive of cats, chances of encountering one were still basically remote. It was for Mountain Lion however that I had ventured this far north in Patagonia – my plan was to relax much of the day, then begin my search late evening, seek out likely-looking areas and spend the whole night out there if need be. Plan B was to repeat the same the following evening, etc, etc. For now though, I arrived at an expanse of open meadowland adjacent to the Rio Serrano, a quite quaint campsite nestled beneath trees. Perfect for the day with Upland Geese and Black-faced Ibises in the open areas, a mix of passerines in the campsite. Erected the tent, chucked out a few scraps ...Patagonian Sierra-Finches and Rufous-collared Sparrow immediately around our feet taking the hand-outs.So passed the day, enjoying the sun and some rather easy-going birding. By 5.00 p.m., I was getting a little itchy – time to get moving! Traversed the grassland, the Black-faced Ibises in a flock of 40 now, then began my route through Torres. Almost from nowhere, a wicked wind suddenly appeared, roaring through the mountains, an accompanying snowstorm obliterating everything in its path ...all of a sudden, things were beginning to look not too rosy for cat-spotting! White-tufted Grebe and Lake Ducks sheltering in the lea of reeds on a large lake, pods of Chiloe Wigeon and Red Shoveler too.I continued onward and crossed a mountain ridge, bye bye the storm, the weather was quite different on this side – still windy and now quite cold, but a dappled evening sun painting a rather nice picture across a landscape of mountains, hillocks and small lakes. My first Guanicos of the day grazed a hillside, then a few more. As I encountered more, these I would watch for any sign of alert, possible indicators of feline presence. One false alarm as a couple engaged in some territorial dispute, chasing each other across a slope. Venturing further east, four Ashy-headed Geese, increasing numbers of Guanaco, then two Hog-nosed Skunks, a mother and youngster.Approaching 10 p.m., as the sun began to sink, it began to feel like a make or break moment – surely the most likely time for the Mountain Lions to be stirring, but still with enough light to easily spot one. I reached the Rio Paine, a broad flow of water with wide grassland margins, a scatter of Upland Geese dotted around. Scanned in vain, then prepared for night, setting up my spotlight in readiness for dark, planning my route. Chugged off again, intially following the river. Pulling herself into a sleeping bag in the passenger seat, my younger companion had decided that our chances of seeing Mountain Lion had evaporated and she was going to sleep! Mutiny! I was however instructed to wake her if we should find one, or a fox of any description. And then it happened ...at 10.20 pm, with the light still good, something caught my attention, I think it was initially Long-tailed Meadowlarks alarming. I glanced down towards the river and stopped almost in disbelief. There, poking up through the long grass, the head of Mountain Lion staring straight at me! And there it sat, a metre or so from the river, just sitting and looking around.Little one was up and out of the sleeping bag and got a glimpse before it turned and vanished into the grass. Some minutes later, more chacking of birds a little further along and there reappeared the Mountain Lion, walking along the river bank, then sitting in full view on some shingle. Minutes passed, the Mountain Lion continued to sit there. Eventually, as the light began to fade, a night of hunting beckoned the animal, it turned and strolled out of sight.High fives in our car! Well, no need for any Plan B anymore, nor a long night scouring the hillsides. We opted for a direct return to our campsite, using the spotlight all the way back in the hope of finding perhaps a Grey Fox. Was about 40 km back to our tent, soon we spotlit a few Guanaco, then we came across a pair of bright beady eyes on a slope above the road. What is that? Whatever it was, it had long legs and two very bright eyes and was sitting facing us! Fixed the spotlight, then raised the binoculars. Then it got up and began to walk parallel ...stone me, another Mountain Lion! Flanking the slope, it walked right the way past us and up onto another ridge, Guanico below. Over the ridge it went, a creature into the night.The last hour has been mindblowing, I really had not expected to find Mountain Lion, but here we were, two different individuals now seen! Didn't find any Grey Foxes on route back, the only additional animals being a dozen Brown Hares as we crossed the grasslands. An hour or so after midnight, we arrived back at camp, happy sleeping that night.</blockquote>

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