Ushuaia and the Drake Passage
The start of a new adventure. Yesterday evening we arrived on board the MS Endeavour for our expedition to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. But before joining the ship, we were guided through the Argentine port city of Ushuaia and the Tierra del Fuego National Park to the west of the city.
Driving along a dirt road through the forests of southern beech trees, the bus stopped and all eyes were directed to the right. There, on a dead tree over a small stream, was a large black bird with a vivid scarlet head, chipping away at the trunk. A Magellanic woodpecker (pictured above) - one of the biggest woodpeckers in the world. The bus disgorged an excited group who enjoyed wonderful views of a pair of these rarely seen birds.
We then continued to explore the Park reaching the southern end of the PanAmerican Highway (17,848 km from Alaska) where a short stop gave a chance for the budding birders to see black-faced ibis, flightless steamer ducks and upland geese among others before turning back towards Ushuaia. On the return journey, another shout of ‘woodpecker’ and this time three Magellanic woodpeckers were seen on trees close to the road. Scarcely able to believe our good fortune, we headed for the ship in high spirits.
We departed Ushuaia in the late evening and headed south into the Drake Passage, awakening to a grey and windy morning with moderate seas. The day was filled with lectures - a chance to learn about the oceanography, geology and wildlife of the southern ocean and Antarctica. Outside, a variety of seabirds wheeled over the waves and whitecaps as we made steady progress south.
The start of a new adventure. Yesterday evening we arrived on board the MS Endeavour for our expedition to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. But before joining the ship, we were guided through the Argentine port city of Ushuaia and the Tierra del Fuego National Park to the west of the city.
Driving along a dirt road through the forests of southern beech trees, the bus stopped and all eyes were directed to the right. There, on a dead tree over a small stream, was a large black bird with a vivid scarlet head, chipping away at the trunk. A Magellanic woodpecker (pictured above) - one of the biggest woodpeckers in the world. The bus disgorged an excited group who enjoyed wonderful views of a pair of these rarely seen birds.
We then continued to explore the Park reaching the southern end of the PanAmerican Highway (17,848 km from Alaska) where a short stop gave a chance for the budding birders to see black-faced ibis, flightless steamer ducks and upland geese among others before turning back towards Ushuaia. On the return journey, another shout of ‘woodpecker’ and this time three Magellanic woodpeckers were seen on trees close to the road. Scarcely able to believe our good fortune, we headed for the ship in high spirits.
We departed Ushuaia in the late evening and headed south into the Drake Passage, awakening to a grey and windy morning with moderate seas. The day was filled with lectures - a chance to learn about the oceanography, geology and wildlife of the southern ocean and Antarctica. Outside, a variety of seabirds wheeled over the waves and whitecaps as we made steady progress south.
