Feathered Findings November 16th

Some of the finds from Sunday's walk.

We seized a small break in the Patagonian weather for a walk to Chorillo
del Salto. As I write this on Monday, it's snowing in town—you've got to
love a Patagonian summer!

• Thorn-tailed Rayadito
• Austral Thrush
• Fire-eyed Diucon
• Southern Lapwing
• American Kestrel
• Andean Condor
• Upland Goose

We arrived early and had the waterfall to ourselves—a luxury! On
the trail, one of my "nemesis birds" landed right in front of me. I
raised my camera only to see: "battery exhausted." I was devastated.

The good news? Richard's camera uses the same battery. On the return
trip, we stopped at the same spot. The bird was still there, busily
finding insects in the trees. The light was bad and it moved fast, but
I'm happy I finally got to spend time with it and capture some better
pictures than in previous years.

As we walked past the river, it was obviously flooded. I was concerned
for the Lapwing and Geese families whose ground nests were likely washed
away. If the weather eases, we'll go back later to check on the chicks
and hope they found higher ground. The high water even led to fighting
among the Upland Geese over territory—the pair in my photo were actually
chased off by another couple.