Neil Gray's birds and other wildlife
Santiago, 21 May 2012 Today is Navy Day, a public holiday in Chile. I spent a good part of the day walking around the golf course at Maria Pinto again. I haven’t played golf at all in the last 10 years and borrowed a 6-iron from one of my colleagues playing, to try a few …
Santiago, 19 May 2012 I have just spent 4 nights in south-eastern Peru on a work-related trip but managed to start a Peru list with 32 species (incl. 18 lifers). On 14th May I took an early morning flight with some colleagues, from Santiago to Arica in the far north of Chile. We were collected …
Santiago, 13 May 2012 May 1st in Chile is Labour Day, a public holiday. So, taking advantage of the empty streets I took my camera and walked to the large patch of lawn at the end of my street, on which there are always some of the common birds in urban Santiago as I walk …
Santiago, 30 Apr 2012 Yesterday I drove to the Yerba Loca Nature Sanctuary again. It was only 2 weeks to the day since my last trip, but the first major snow of the year on the Andes made me return. I was hoping for some good shots of the snow-covered mountains. I parked at the same …
Santiago, 23 Apr 2012 Yesterday was my second outing with my two new Chilean birding pals. On the first trip with them we visited the El Yeso valley (trip report can be found here). This was an area for mid-altitude montane species, but yesterday’s area was deliberately chosen to be completely different, a wetland environment. …
Santiago, 15 Apr 2012 Since I posted my last report, I have experienced a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. It happened at 7:30 p.m. on March 25th, 3 weeks ago today. The quake was centred near Constitución and Talca, roughly 220 km south of Santiago, at a depth of about 35–40 km, causing significant damage in that …
Santiago, 18 Mar 2012 Yesterday, the Saturday of my second weekend in Santiago, I went birding again. Earlier in the week, I posted a request on the Birding Pal website for possible Santiago-based birders, who would be willing to introduce me to the best birding spots around Santiago. I received an almost instant reply. So …
Santiago, 12 Mar 2012 I arrived in Santiago late in the evening of Wednesday, 7th March, having flown from Johannesburg via Buenos Aires. It will be 3 months before my first break. My work here will be largely office based, with periodic visits to several project sites in Chile and one in Peru. Being office …
Atlasville, 01 Mar 2012 I will not have as much free time on my hands for the next 2 years. On the work front it is very much a case of ‘and now for something completely different’, as I will be spending extended periods in Chile, based in the capital, Santiago. My wife will remain …
Atlasville, 25 Jan 2012 The Baillon’s Crake is still present at Marievale. It is still defeating the attempts of many to try and get even a glimpse of it. I have been one of the lucky ones, but I am determined to get a photo of it out in the open. Well, a clear view …
