A Common Diuca-Finch (Diuca diuca), sits on a fallen trunk of a Lenga Beech tree (Nothofagus pumilio) and is very nice to photograph. I already had a new twitch in my birdlist at the “campsite”, and I was able to report it quite unexpectedly. It is clearly recognizable by the white, black-framed chin, a White-throated Cacholote (Pseudoseisura gutturalis) of the nominate subspecies gutturalis. The White-throated Cacholote is currently working on an old, discarded milk carton. Then I can still take a very nice picture of the bird sitting on a branch. After aht the journey continues over a rather monotonous Patagonian plateau.
After staying in El Chalten at the Los Glaciares National Park and the great birds at Lago del Desierto with, among other things, Rufous-tailed Plantcutter (Phytotoma rara) and Black-throated Huet-huet (Pteroptochos tarnii) I am making my way to Perito Moreno. Near Bajo Caracoles, I find a gas station like something out of an American road movie.
I decide to go to the Cuevas de los Manos. Friends are really right: if you are already in the remote vicinity of this cultural heritage, you should actually look at it. So I’m driving a 50km gravel road to a World Heritage. The breathtaking landscape, the Canyon of the Rio Pintado among that, turns out to be an attraction. The evening sun breaks through the thick clouds. The often changing weather and strong wind are a constant companion in Patagonia and add to the roughness of this land. The bright screech of a Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) rarely mixes with the incessant howling of the wind. Finally I am there. That must be the end of the world. The area is really lonely.
First hand I am a bit disappointed. The paintings of the hands look like a hand held up and then sprayed with auto spray paint. This is probably the reason why the drawings are surprisingly good in shape, especially in the accessible area of the overhanging rocks. Otherwise, this would be all the more surprising, because the rock is formed by sandstone that weathered very quickly. However, what is really great is the whole scenery and the melody that the blowing wind produces. With a little imagination you can actually go back to the time when the Indians actually left these drawings with their hands in this obviously magical place. The great landscape with the river leading through a pasture-covered valley, the whistles of the strong wind, the rudiments of the drawings leave a lasting impression. Although, now I have to go back 50km. It is already 8:00 p.m. when I am driving down a valley on the way to Perito Moreno. Now I head for the national park “Los Glaciares” with the imposing glacier “Perito Moreno” and its ice towers up to 70 m high. Patagonia, the storm-swept south end of the South American continent, does not only captivate nature photographers. The further south you go and the narrower the country, the wider and more endless the landscape seems to become. Suddenly, rugged mountains protrude from the plain like fangs. Scraps of cloud hunt across the sky.
An experience is a drive through Patagonian landscapes whether on this side or beyond the Argentine / Chilean border. You simply have to experience the national parks with an impressive hike lasting several hours.
In order to meet the growing demand for top images of the rarer species of Palaearctic Bird-lens.com has specifically made trips to remote places. Additionally every chance is used, if a rare bird is around the homeground. This to do everything to ensure excellent photos of the Birds of the Western Palearctic . The yield of pictures also of rare Western Palaearctic birds is very good. There are other nice images of birds, that you will find behind the tab “Picture Shop“. Just give a notice if you need a picture of a bird which is not online.