Feathered & Furry Findings November 13th

Some of my favourite finds from today's half day walk up a windy Cerro
Antenna.

• Andean Condor
• Guanaco 
• Long-tailed Meadowlark

Just as predicted, it’s a windy day in El Chalten. We seized a brief
lull in the weather—a precious window between yesterday's gusts and the
stronger winds forecast for this afternoon and tomorrow. With our
backpacks loaded with cameras and extra layers, we set out.

My expectations for wildlife sightings were low, but the morning held
some beautiful surprises. The undisputed stars were the Andean Condors,
putting on a dramatic show as they battled the ferocious winds,
struggling just to land.

A hilarious theme is emerging on this holiday: the moment I hand Richard
my camera for a landscape shot, wildlife magically appears. Today was no
exception. I had wandered away to peer over a cliff edge when I heard
him shout. I turned to see a Condor that had soared up from below,
hovering almost at eye level. I yelled for him to start shooting, but by
then, the bird was already straight overhead before vanishing. To his
credit, he managed a half-decent photo of the departing Condor—on
landscape settings, no less!

That was my cue to finally give him a quick lesson on my camera's
settings! We continued our hike, cresting a hill to spot a Guanaco
resting on our right, sheltering from the wind. It was completely
unbothered by our presence, peacefully chewing its cud (do they do
that?). It glanced our way before resuming its meal. We took a few quiet
pictures and left it in peace.

Our final encounter came as we dropped down into an unexpected wooded
area, miraculously sheltered from the wind. There, we found a few
families of Long-tailed Meadowlarks diligently foraging for grubs in the
damp earth.

It wasn't a long list of sightings, but they were memorable—especially
the Guanaco. We'd only ever seen one from the window of a charging
minibus on the road from Calafate airport, making this quiet moment
together all the more special.