 Magellanic penguin, Cabo dos Bahias, Argentina. For me, any outdoor adventure, and especially one spent wandering around in another country, is about many things, but first and foremost, it is about the habitats, and plants and animals I see in those habitats, which makes an adventure meaningful. I love to hike, bike, and paddle if I can, but nothing beats hiking down a trail, lined with unique vegetation, when suddenly something catches your eye, some movement, a flash of color, or you just hear something. You are not alone in that habitat. And for me, a given destination, a focus of my travels, is not just about the beautiful landscapes, the plants, the mountains, or the lakes and streams I plan to visit, to experience, it is also about the animals I hope to see, and hopefully, photograph. My travels so far have taken me from the insanity of Lima, Peru, to Chile, coast and high desert, through the Lake District, and then into Patagonia, Chile and Argentina. And now, I have also wandered a bit in Tierra del Fuego, and headed north into southern Argentina. Along the way, I have seen, visited and explored, even adventured in, many wonderful places, places where I was fortunate to often see some pretty cool animals as well. I began keeping a checklist early in my adventure, and at first, I tried to limit my list to animals I both saw, and photographed. Well, that did not work, exactly, and I saw many animals, especially birds, which I could not necessarily identify. So my checklist became a list of animals I saw, and identified, and often, photographed. This is my list, and I included the scientific name (which I hoped I spelled correctly), just to bore everyone, and because I am a scientist, and this is what we must do. This list is in no particular order, nor is it organized according to group, it is just a list, and images of many of the species are included below. I have also included a location of where I first saw the species, if I remembered, or for many species, simply indicated that this species was common, I saw them everywhere (e.g., guanaco). I have seen many wonderful things during my adventures, but pudu, pumas and burrowing parakeets, all so very cool. Black-necked swan (Cygnus melancoryphus)- Parque Patagonia, Chile Peruvian pelican (Pelecanus thagus) - Arica, Chile Black-face ibis (Theristeus melanopis) - everywhere, especially northern locations Flamingos (are 3 species, Chilean, James' and Andean) - San Pedro de Atacama, few in Parque Patagonia, Chile Southern caracara (Caracara plancus) - everywhere Chimango caracara (Miluago chimango) - everywhere, north to south, east to west Tawny-throated dotteral (Oreopholus ruticollis) - Parque Patagonia, Chile, but common Magellanic woodpecker (Campephilus magenllanicus) - Parques Pumalin and Patagonia, Chile Chilean flicker (Colaptes pitius) - Parque Patagonia, Chile Patagonia sierra-finch (Cometocino patagonica) - Isla Grande Chiloe, Chile Upland goose (Chloephaga picta) - common, lots in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina Humboldt's hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus humboldtii) - Parque Patagonia, Chile Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) - COMMON, Patagonia, Chile and Argentina Vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) - San Pedro de Atacama Chile, altiplano, Peru Southern pudu (Pudu pudu) - Pumalin Park, Chile Ringed kingfisher (Ceryle torquata) - Pucon, Chile Rufous-collaraed sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) - everywhere, and as far south as Tierra del Fuego National Park Red fox, Zorro rojo (Lycalopex culpaeus) - common, especially south, Chile and Argentina South American grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) - common, Chile and Argentina Big hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus villosus) - Tierra del Fuego, Chile, coast of Argentina Lesser rhea, Nandu (Pterocnemia pennata) - common, especially south, Chile and Argentina King penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) - Tierre del Fuego, Chile Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus megallanicus) - Cabo dos Bahias, Argentina Mara, Patagonia cavy (Delichatis patagona) - Bosques Petrificados, Argentina Sea lion (Otaria flavescesns) - south of Coleta Olivia, Argentina Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) - Peninsula Valdes, Aregentina Elegant crested tinamou (Eudromia elegans) - Peninsula Valdes, Argentina Burrowing parakeet (Cyanoliseus patagonus) - El Condor, Argentina Puma (Puma concolor) - Parque Nacional Pali Aike, Chile
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Brian C.L. Shelley, Ph.D.My South American Adventure. Archives
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