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Saturday 13 November ….The zodiacs took us across open water to the entrance of the River Valdivia for the scenic journey upriver to the town. This took about an hour and was very tranquil and pleasant. Along the river bank were sandy beaches and thick forest rose high into the hills. Highlights were Snowy-crowned Terns, many Black-necked Swans and a couple of Dark-bellied Cinclodes which, typically, were seen feeding along the water's edge.   We raised anchor and were underway late afternoon. At sea it was flat calm and there was a lovely glow from the sun on the ocean. A few Black-browed Albatrosses were our outriders as we left sight of land and ventured into open sea. An hour out, and the birds started to join the ship - albatrosses galore, shearwaters in numbers. The call went up ‘whales ahead, bearing eleven o’clock!’ These were conspicuous tall blows - these were Blue Whales! An announcement over the p.a system had all passengers coming on deck. Blue Whales were surfacing at all points, and best of all, individual whales were surfacing close to the Polar Star. People could be heard talking of the distinct colour and the sheer size of these animals. For me however these were ‘small’ Blue Whales, they were maybe up to 60 feet in length and they were of very bright colour, lacking the dark pigmentation blotches that I’m used to seeing on this whale. I believed we were seeing the form brevicauda which some biologists call Pygmy Blue Whale. It may be a distinct species...even cetologists have taxonomic arguments just like birders!

Left - Buller's Albatross

Off the stern the seabird extravaganza continued, we had thousands of birds following the ship. I have never seen so many Black-browed Albatrosses together - hundreds, and the total for the day was more than one thousand. Cape Petrels, Sooty and Pink-footed Shearwaters and Giant Petrels added assortment. Sunday 14 November We had arrived in the capital of the Chilean Lake District, Puerto Montt, and the ship docked alongside the pier. ….We drove alongside Lake Llanquihue and then higher in elevation into evergreen rain forest where we took a walk to see Petrohue Falls. A few birds were seen including Dark-bellied Cinclodes, both Chilean and Blue-and-white Swallows but the prize for a lucky few was three Chucao Tapaculos, calling and then observed running around, even on the path! These are charismatic birds of Chile. Later another two more were found for more members of the group.

….We drove higher to visit Lake Todos los Santos, the planned stop for the packed lunches. Some of the group opted to be dropped-off on the way so as to walk the track and be collected later. The Torrent Duck is found on the rushing river here and, true to form, a male and two females were seen on the rocks within the rapids. It was truly spellbinding to watch how these birds handled the torrents. ….back aboard and around us penguins were swimming, these now Magellanic Penguin. Monday 15 November We were cruising the waters of the Seno Aysén channel. The sea flat calm, the waters protected from the Pacific. There was low cloud but the visibility was good. Birds could easily be seen in these calm seas. Magellanic Penguins popped-up on the surface to dive again at the ship's approach, sometimes individuals or pairs, occasionally small groups. We had left the range of the Humboldt Penguin now. Black-browed Albatrosses, Sooty and Pink-footed Shearwaters were still being seen though we were well inside the fjords. ….The next island had a surprise in store as two giant Magellanic Woodpeckers flew over to cling onto a large Nothafagus. We lost them for a while but then we heard one drumming the tree, as powerful as a sledgehammer. The second called and we soon relocated the pair. They were both males, perhaps disputing territory. ….we reboarded the ship. We relaxed during the afternoon sailing the peaceful Moraleda Channel, which was to lead into the Darwin and Pelluche Channels. The journey was serene in a remote area. The shoreline was rocky, and Imperial Cormorants were common, as if on every exposed promontory.    Tuesday 16 November Early morning, 0700, and we were in the Canal Messeir, the entrance to the English Narrows. There were few birds around, just the occasional Black-browed Albatross. In the distance, at ‘twelve o'clock off the bow’, I called that there were some splashes in the water, maybe dolphins. We saw a blow and then the breach of a calf Orca. The pod was six animals, a small family group that included one male with his larger dorsal fin. They seemed to be encircling fish as some were swimming on their sides, others tail-lobbing, often linked to the fish being corralled into a tight ball. These Orcas were not interested in the ship at all and we soon had lost them. We were cruising down a pleasant channel within the Chilean fjords, many hills and mountains lay to both sides and noticeably less tree cover than yesterday. There was very little snow visible, only on the tops of the higher mountains. Early afternoon and we dropped the zodiacs into the water to take a cruise around a few of the islands. South American Terns flew over our heads calling loudly as we powered towards an island where a statue of the Madonna had been placed. A Flightless Steamer Duck was swimming in the kelp beds of a small bay, the first of more than forty that were found later along the shoreline. A small dorsal fin of a lone Chilean Dolphin broke the water surface – this is a species of coastal waters, found only in Chile, and remains one of the most poorly studied cetaceans. Wednesday 17 November ….The early morning sun was trying to break through and glinted off the snow and glaciers of the mountains that lined the fjord. Soon the scenery became even better - steep mountains, glaciers coming down to the sea, and circling over the peaks the bird that epitomises the South American mountains, the Andean Condor. Along the rocky shore Kelp Geese were feeding. We were now in the Montanes Fjord. The zodiacs were lowered to take us to the Heman and Bernal glaciers. The trees on the shoreline showed holes drilled by Magellanic Woodpeckers, along the water's edge more Dark-bellied Cinclodes, and we saw our first Rock Shag flying down the fjord. We landed at the glacial moraine and could walk to the ice-wall, in front of which was a deep blue lake. ….We were getting used to the shape of distant Andean Condors, another ten or more had been seen along the straights. Now we were into a large expanse of open water as we set course for the town of Puerto Natales. ….the ship dropped anchor in the bay, and Puerto Natales lay ahead. There was a huge concentration of more than one thousand Black-necked Swans swimming to one side of the bay. Through the scope we could also make out numbers of Upland Geese and a single pair of Ashy-headed. Thursday 18 November A very early start with wake-up calls at 0530. After breakfast the zodiacs took us to the quay where we had our own chartered bus waiting. Before 0700 we were on the road, the Ornitholidays’ bus was heading to Torres del Paine National Park, the most famous park in Chile. ….Our first stop was at a condor roost site, a cliff face alongside the road, but we were (already) too late to see  them on the cliff ledges but there were some soaring. One scruffy juvenile landed and was put into the scope for all to see. He was a male, but lacked the white ruff of the adult. These were huge birds and we did have some superb views overhead and of birds soaring along the cliff edge. ….we drove through open grassland where obeteros (Chilean gauchos) herded sheep. This, the habitat for Lesser Rhea and it wasn't long before our first was found. Travelling into the park there were a further forty. We started to see Guanacos also. These South American camels were found in small herds and are the ancestor to the domesticated Llama. We stopped at the park gates to obtain our entrance permits. A small lake was close by and we found Silvery and White-tufted Grebes as well as Lake Duck (this being an isolated population of this 'stifftail'). A major discovery was a pair of the uncommon Spectacled Ducks with young. ….A massif lay ahead with impressive sharp mountains and pinnacles. Unfortunately the cloud was low and meant we could not see the tops of some peaks. At least it was not windy or raining, both common in Torres del Paine.

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