January 13
Successful expeditions to catch sandpipers, whether they occur in South or North America, takes considerable work. My take on it that the effort ratio is 90% preparation, 10% execution. The better the preparation, the greater the probability of success. A little luck never hurts either.
Today, after a sumptuous Chilean breakfast of scrambled eggs, cheese and avocado, we began the preparation phase of the project. Field equipment left behind from previous expeditions was assembled with the help of several Chilean colleagues. In particular, we met with Riccardo Matus who is the project's point of contact in Punta Arenas. He runs his own natural history tour company and has been involved with the project from its inception. Riccardo is invaluable with respect to project logistics and has great knowledge of the region's birds and natural history.
Another project partner, local businessman Jorge Jordan, provides a truck to help transport equipment to the ferry that will take us to the Bahia Lomas ("bay of low hills"), where most of the field work will take place (try a look up of Bahia Lomas on Google Earth to see where in the world we are).
We also need supplies. Lots of supplies. Especially food. In addition to the five North Americans (remember people from South America are "Americans" too) and one Brit, our field team will include Riccardo, Carmen Espoz, Professor of Biostatistics, University of Santo Tomas, Santiago, Chile, and two of her students, Gabriella Gonzalez and Sergio Urrejola. We will all be sharing a small, two-room ranch house on a working alpaca farm. Mandy and I spend about two hours in the local supermarket in Punta Arenas deciding what to feed the crew. I think the bill came to about 177,000 pesos (about $400, US).
With the trucks loaded, we head out of Punta Arenas for a two hour ride to the ferry that will take us to Tierra del Fuego. Now's my chance for some quality birdwatching at 60 mph. This approach can often be productive and this was no exception. On our car list we had Rhea, Southern Caracara, Upland Goose, Long-tailed Meadowlark, Kelp Gull and Black-crowned Night Heron. The list grew quickly once we arrived at the ferry. We had Imperial and Rock Cormorant, both very handsome species, Great Grebe, South American Tern, Chilean Skua and the highlight for me, Magellanic Penguin.
The ferry trip was all too short but it meant that we were only 20 minutes from our destination. We arrive at the ranch house and meet the rest of the team. For most, it's a small reunion for friends that have not seen each other for a year or more. Larry and Humphrey, who had traveled to TDF earlier in the day to scout for birds, report that there may be a good opportunity to get out tonight to catch. No rest for the weary.
Very quickly we gather up our equipment and head out to one of the study sites. High tide is about midnight so if we catch anything we´re bound to be home really late. More to report tomorrow.