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.