A Double Dose of Duck Delight on the Río Fitzroy!

Talk about a lucky day in Patagonia! We were treated to the spectacular sight of not one, but two stunning male Torrent Ducks riding the rapids of the Río Fitzroy.

These aren't your average pond ducks! These are the white-water kayakers of the avian world, true specialists, built to thrive in the fast-flowing rivers of the Andes. 

The story goes something like this.....
So, we set up camp and immediately embarked on an expedition to find the elusive Torrent Ducks. We'd been hiking past their neighborhood earlier but hadn't spotted any. 

Cut to: five minutes from camp. Richard asks to borrow my camera to snap a photo of Cerro Torre. Being a good sport I adjust the settings and hand it over.

And in that EXACT MOMENT the universe decided to gift us with not one, but two Torrent Ducks, riding the rapids.

What followed was a blur as I performed a full-on snatch-and-grab from Richard, who was now innocently pointing my camera at a mountain.

My brain then entered full system failure. In a panic, I fumbled to reset all the settings, raised the camera with the dramatic flair of a wildlife documentarian, and... was greeted by darkness.

The lens cap. The lens cap was on, smugly sitting there, mocking me.

Seeing this dynamic duo darting through the rapids was a powerful reminder of the incredible and unique wildlife that calls this wild place home. 

And these... these are the photos I managed to get after the comedy of errors. A miracle, really.