Founded in 1960, the National Park Tierra del Fuego is the southernmost nature reserve of Argentinia.
Its 63,000 ha of surface are bordering Chile on the West side of the park, and the Beagle Canal on the South side.
On the East side, the city of Ushuaia is only about ten kilometers away and there are good connections, for example by
taxi vans (that offer regular pickups at scheduled times). Various hikes can be followed along marked trails.
The National Park is characterized by lots of old trees, mosses and ferns. In general the wildlife is rather tame and
more easy to observe than for example in Europe. All pictures were taken at the end of February 2005, which marks the start of the Patagonian Autumn.
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End of February, Autumn in Tierra del Fuego.
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Thick layers of moss are growing all around; much wood is covered with a bearded kind of moss.
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The Flying Steamerduck (Tachyeres patachonicus) is a robust species of duck that can be seen when taking the coastal trail.
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| As its name suggests, the Flightless Steamerduck (Tachyeres pteneres) is unable to fly, but it has evolved into an excellent diver. |
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The typical stirring sound of a Flightless Steamerduck. This recording was made early in the morning at the side of a lake where two ducks where swimming.
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The Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys) is a regular visitor of the Beagle Canal, and was spotted here flying along the coast line of the Ensenada Bay. This bird could belong to the colony from the nearby Diego Ramirez islands (Chile), since these birds are commonly found feeding South of Tierra del Fuego along the coastline.
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| The impressive Magellanic Woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus) is the biggest woodpecker of South America. The male is characterized by its red coloured head, the female is completely black. |
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The first part of the recording shows the powerful slams of the beak hitting the dead wood. Listen closely to hear the woodpeckers fly off to another tree. The second part plays the funny calls that the family exchange to keep in contact with one another.
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| A very common bird is the Thorn-tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda) that is easier to hear calling from dense bushes than to observe. |
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The rattle that has been recorded here is a characteristic signal that the bird will play every once in a while, hidden behind the leaves of the bushes. This sound can be heard everywhere in the park.
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| The Chimango Caracara (Milvago chimango) is one of three Caracara species that live in the nature reserve, the Chimango being the smallest of these birds of prey. |
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High up in canopy, these Chimangos display a plaintive call to the other birds that circle above the trees.
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The biggest of the Caracara family is the Crested Caracara (Polyborus plancus). This species lives in open areas and is known to be an opportunistic scavenger/parasite.
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Rain falling down on fields of moss at the Laguna Negra (Black Lake) creates a palette of dull colours.
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| The Black-faced Ibis (Theristicus melanopis) is usually spotted with other birds gathered in small groups. |
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Black-faced Ibises are actually rather quiet birds, and are more remarkable by their bright colours and size. This recording shows two ibisses that were alarmed when a group of tourists got too close.
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The rabbit is an introduced species that is now abundant everywhere in the park.
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