Wandering Nature

Series: common birds of Chiloé, pt 11

Part 11: Austral thrush. This bird was like the Chilean equivalent of the American Robin (same genus), by the way it moved and acted.

Spanish name: Zorzal. Scientific name: Turdus falcklandii.

Photos in the series are my own unless noted, taken in Jan-Feb 2011 in Chiloé, Chile.

Series: common birds of Chiloé, pt 10

Part 10: Southern Lapwing. This wader is very strikingly colored, and I never got my own picture that showed those beautiful marks; see more pictures here. The calls are loud and distinct; hear them here. I actually saw the same species recently in Tobago in the Caribbean; quite the range!

Spanish name: Queltehue. Scientific name: Vanellus chilensis.

This photo is from Flickr user Frank Shufelt.

The first two photos are my own, taken in Jan-Feb 2011 in Chiloé, Chile.

Series: common birds of Chiloé, pt 9

Part 9: Yellow-billed pintail. A widespread South American dabbling duck. Dabbling ducks feed at the surface rather than diving down.

Spanish name: Pato jergón grande. Scientific name: Anas georgica.

Photos in the series are my own, taken in Jan-Feb 2011 in Chiloé, Chile.

Series: common birds of Chiloé, pt 8

Part 9: Great egret. A very widespread migratory wetland bird, you’ve probably seen it gracefully stalking its prey in a pond, lake, or swamp.

Spanish name: Garza grande. Scientific name: Ardea alba.

Photos in the series are my own, taken in Jan-Feb 2011 in Chiloé, Chile.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I know I’ve reblogged this before, but it’s just irresistibly appropriate today…here are two radio pieces I did about insect sex when I was at KTRU at Rice University: part 1 and part 2.

And happy Valentine’s Day to my love, wish you were here!

Series: common birds of Chiloé, pt 7

Part 7: Chilean seaside cinclodes. This pretty little bird likes the rocky shoreline.

Spanish name: Churrete costero. Scientific name: Cinclodes nigrofumosus.

Photos in the series are my own, taken in Jan-Feb 2011 in Chiloé, Chile.

Series: common birds of Chiloé, pt 6

Part 6: Black-faced ibis. This strikingly-colored bird is common in fields, dunes, and beaches in Chiloé. It’s another noisy bird with a very distinct call (click here to listen).

Spanish common name: Bandurria. Scientific name: Theristicus melanopis.

Photos in the series are my own, taken in Jan-Feb 2011 in Chiloé, Chile.

Series: common birds of Chiloé, pt 5

Part 5: Whimbrel. This beautiful bird has an equally beautiful name. It’s a widespread migratory wader. I think the ones I saw in Chiloé were from the Hudsonian subspecies.

Spanish common name: Zarapito. Scientific name: Numenius phaeopus hudsonicus.

Photos are all my own, taken in Jan-Feb 2011 in Chiloé, Chile.

Series: common birds of Chiloé, pt 4

Part 2: Chimango Caracara. These birds of prey like to hang out in small groups. I remember their calls being surprisingly raucous, it just didn’t look like the kind of bird who would call like that (click here to hear some).

Spanish common name: Tiuque. Scientific name: Milvago chimango.

Photos are my own, taken in Jan-Feb 2011 in Chiloé, Chile.

Series: common birds of Chiloé, pt 3

Part 3: American oystercatcher. This shorebird is, obviously, fond of eating oysters, which it pries open with its big beak.

Spanish common name: Pilpilén. Scientific name: Haematopus palliatus.

Photos are my own, taken in Jan-Feb 2011 in Chiloé, Chile.

Series: common birds of Chiloé, pt 2

Part 2: the Chiloé wigeon. This beautiful duck is common in freshwater environments on the island of Chiloé. These pictures are from a lovely morning along the Chepu River, close to where the river meets the ocean.

Spanish common name: Pato real. Scientific name: Anas sibilatrix.

Photos are all my own, taken in Jan-Feb 2011 in Chiloé, Chile.

Series: common birds of Chiloé, Chile, pt 1

I’ve been told that this winter in Michigan (my first) is really quite mild, but it’s sure a lot colder and grayer than anything I’m used to. So it’s nice to daydream about where I was a year ago—enjoying summer in the southern hemisphere. I was doing a lot of hiking around the gorgeous island of Chiloé in Chile (click on the Chiloé tag to see more pictures of it). Here’s a series about the common birds I was able to photograph while I was there last year. If you’re a pro birder and you notice I’ve gotten one wrong, please correct me! Thanks!

Part 1. Baird’s sandpiper. A pretty little shorebird that breeds in the northern tundra of eastern Siberia to Greenland, and summers in South America.

Spanish common name: Playero de Baird. Scientific name: Calidris bairdii.

Photos are all my own, taken in Jan-Feb 2011 in Chiloé, Chile.