The Return.

 

Day 12:

 

Rough seas throughout the night didn’t make for a good nights sleep! Birding at 8 am but nothing to be seen. A hour later Blue Petrels started to appear & I counted 115 passing directly south in a couple of hours. Three Soft-Plumaged & a Kergulen Petrel were also seen. Four Common Diving Petrels were as usual very skittish of the ship & didn’t let me get a photo. A couple of Grey-headed & a lone Black-browed Albatross were also seen. Conditions for viewing were challenging to say the least with mountainous seas.

 

Nothing of note in the afternoon, just very high seas made life difficult!

 

 

 

 

Day 13:

 

If anything the night was rougher than the night before! Difficult conditions to have breakfast! Sea watching produced several Wandering & Black-browed Albatross & a Southern Royal Albatross, with 2 White-chinned Petrels & 2 Sooty Shearwaters.

 

The afternoon was quiet with lots of Black-browed Albatross & Southern Giant Petrels & a scattering of White-chinned Petrel & Sooty Shearwaters.

 

Then the trip was over! A nice trip with stunning scenery & some great mammal sightings but pretty disappointing for birding, with many species either being totally absent or in very low numbers.

Ushuaia 27th March

Up before dawn to find ourselves anchored in port. Delana managed to get connected & had a long work meeting with colleagues in South Africa. 

We then went shopping for booze for the next month! It started to rain heavily but we once again walked to the small bird reserve along the coast. Many of the same birds present from two weeks ago. But it was difficult birding in the torrential rain. This time walked a little further & found a tiny freshwater marsh, just perfect for Magellanic Snipe! I walked down the banking for a closer look & flushed a Snipe but didn't see it! Thankfully Delana did & guided me expertly right on to the bird for some good close up views. We were amazed at how bulky it was & very dark plumage, well defined stripes & a large thick based long bill. It was a wet walk back but both of us very happy to see the Magellanic Snipe!

Back in our cabin to dry out & at 4.30pm we were off again on our next leg of this mammoth trip!