First success

Hi Everyone,

This is Bud writing once again, this time on Monday morning, from the deserts of Chile. I apologize for the delay in these reports. We have been strung out all along the north central coast. In the last two days the three teams have been widely separated each night and the satellite base station wound up 300 miles away from the laptops. However last night we were all able to rendezvous in Caldera at the southern tip of the Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth. The days are cloudy until the afternoon when the sun gets pretty intense.

As in all field studies, the reality often diverges from our expectations. Just before we departed for Chile, we heard from Christian that his population of peregrines in the south were absent this year. He had seen only a single falcon where there were normally 14 or so during an 8 day pre-survey. This was daunting news as we had planned to trap to the south.

We made a change in plans to start on the central coast and work our way north to the Atacama where we knew there were falcons. We started south of Valparaiso and worked north in separate cars. However, as these things go, we did not know that this was the last two weeks of summer vacation in Chile. There were thousands of people everywhere. Each trappable beach was covered with families, dogs, the works, which made it difficult to trap there. So the last few days have been a survey up the coast looking for birds. Those that we have seen have been mainly in cities. They love the new cell towers present in each town and we have learned to look for them there first. Unfortunately these structures are usually located right in the middle of town among the buildings, stores and streets, again making it almost impossible to trap there.

Christian knew of a pair using an old cathedral (built in the 1500s), in La Serena, a gorgeous coastal town. We went there and found an adult male and female perched together on the bell tower. So we asked around and we have received permission from the Archbishop to try to trap there on our return. We are racking our brains trying to figure out a way to capture them. We’ll see how it goes.

We are also working on an adult female at Tongoy who always uses a cell tower, ignores our bait, sleeps all day and hunts the local bats at night. Zach and I are scheming out a new technique. More later.

In short, we are finding that the birds are scarce and not easy to trap.

In the meantime, Tom and Mark in one car and Zach, Kathy and I in the other have been driving the desert highways and side roads (many 4WD), looking hard for birds and trying to shorten the learning curve. We are all feeling the pressure to catch a bird so we do not disappoint all of you.

Yesterday, we had a break-through. While driving the main highway north, we found an immature female in Copiapo. Zach threw for her and she came in immediately and was caught. We were ecstatic. She was a very small immature female tundra falcon (714 grams) and we thought we had our first candidate for a radio. However, Zach had noticed that she had a wing injury that appeared to be a week or two old. This, coupled with her small size, argued against a tag. We all felt that she was having a hard enough time, so we released her back into the wild without a transmitter.

Last night we all camped on a beach south of La Caldera and got together for the first time in days. We generally get to bed around 2300.

This morning, Mark, Zach and I did a run down the road at 0745 while everyone got up to eat. Zach spotted an adult female perched on a bench over the beach and he took a pigeon out to catch her. She came in immediately and was caught on the eighth stoop after breaking a single noose. Zach worked her like a pro.

We brought her back to camp and Tom put on our first satellite transmitter of the trip. So based on the last two birds, we are hoping that we are in the right habitat now. The Atacama is dry, sandy, and has little vegetation to interfere with finding and trapping the birds.

We know from work Christian and I have done on the past that there are many peregrines in this area. We caught 9 here many years ago. So our plans for southern Chile have transformed to Atacama tundra peregrines for now.

We’ll see how it goes over the next 5 days.

More later,
Bud

Tongoy

Hi Everyone,
Bud here.

I am typing this message while camping on a sandy beach in central Chile at midnight. Mark has the laptop connected to an inverter in the car and we are linking to you all via a satellite Internet connection. My friend, Jesus, is here peering into the screen as I write, both of us marveling at the technology Mark has put together. The waves are rolling in about 50 meters away. It is calm and warm and the moonset was stunning, golden and shimmering against the water.

Beyond us are the lights of Tongoy, a small pueblo situated on the desert coast. Today, we observed an adult female peregrine perched on a cell phone tower on top of the hill the town is situated upon. It is as perfect a situation as I have ever seen for a tundra peregrine. There are long beaches to the north and the south of town, loaded with shorebirds. This falcon has a 360 degree view from her commanding perch and can not only see everywhere but has a head start on her stoops as she drops down over the huge bay to the south.

Her site is so effective that she is fat and near impossible to trap. This is the holiday season in Chile and the beaches are loaded with people as their summer is ending. There are hundreds of men, women and children playing during the day and the beaches are not accessible to us for our work.

We drove north today for several hours, looking for the desert environment we prefer. Tomorrow, we will begin to trap seriously. Tonight it is time for bed.

Here are some comments from my companions…

Hola mi nombre es Jesus, estoy en Chile con mis amigos de FRG estudiando los peregrinos del artico que pasan sus vacaciones de invierno en este fantastico pais. Besos a mi mujer Rosa y mis hijos, David, Carla and Claudia.

Howdy folks. Zach here. Perhaps the most important part of any trapping expedition is the lurebirds with which we capture our precious falcons. I have been entrusted with care of our “volunteers.” No, seriously, I am merely in awe of being in the presence of such great people in such a great country…Chile. I wish words could describe how amazing and beautiful is this place. Read on in the coming two weeks for more interesting trapping action from the wilds of Chile.

Hola, aqui el local, cargando un gran piano en la espalda, esos maravillosos tundreros estan aqui pero no se fijan en las trampas ni se uelos, sera pore so que vienen a estas tierras australes, lleno de comida y un veraneo de puchamadre…. El equipo ha decidido virar el timon y buscar en el Atacama, confiados en que el desierto mantenga mas templados y hambrientos a los tundreros, por ahora solo la certeza de que estan alli nos mantiene en pie, mas la incertidumbre de la reaccion de la saves…Diosss, son tan diferentes a los peregrinos en migracion, estos maestros de la caza, ya conocen y manejan un territorio perfectamente, la hembra de Tongoy durmio toda la tarde, y desperto al anochecer para cazar…MURCIELAGOS!!!!. Jesus dize, a las ziete ha abierto zus alaz….
Un abrazo, Christian G

Hello Mark here …… This is my second trip to this wonderful country. Such a wonderful place … with spectacular scenery and an abundance of wildlife. Why wouldn’t a peregrine winter here?!! As I think about my trip down here, all the planning, all the logistics, gathering supplies, loading vehicles, nightly camping on the beaches, etc. I am truly amazed and am in awe these falcons make this journey twice a year. The days ahead will bring us new adventures and we look forward in sharing them with you.

Tom would love to add his comments but he is passed out in his tent at this hour.

I want to thank Pat Little in Seattle for taking all of these messages and putting them on our website. Thanks Pat!

Tongoy , Chile 0130 24 February 2007

First day, Santiago

To all Southern Cross fans,

The team has assembled here in beautiful Santiago. Tom and Mark arrived yesterday after an all night flight. We are staying with our friends, Christian and Giannina Gonzalez, and their two children, Sebastian and Francisca, at their home in La Florida.

This photo shows all of the team members. Starting from the left, you have Christian Gonzalez, his wife Giannina, Tom Maechtle, Jesus Garcia Ubierna (from the Canary Islands in Spain), Kathy Gunther, Bud Anderson, Mark Prostor and Zach Smith.

The weather is gorgeous with 75-80 degrees F during the day and 55 or so at night. We are nestled up against the Andes Mountains which are quite dry and brown at this time of year.

We just had our team organization meeting this morning and are ready to head for the coast which is about about two hours west. We'll be traveling in three vehicles, all 4WD. Our plan is to begin trapping this afternoon at a seacoast cliff where a tundra peregrine is known to perch. This cliff used to support a population of ground or hole nesting parrots.

Christian runs a falconry operation chasing birds out of the local Chilean vineyards. So he has several hawks here including Aplomado Falcons, a Bicolored Hawk and several Harris' Hawks. Here is a photo of his adult male Aplomado, Tito.

Well, we are heading out the door now. We hope to have daily reports for you each night. Mark has a satellite phone base station that can upload text and data. Next report will hopefully be from the coast.

Hasta luego,
Bud

Southern Cross team assembles in Chile

The Southern Cross team assembles today in Chile.

Bud Anderson, Kathy Gunther, Tom Maechtle, Mark Prostor, and Zach Smith are from the USA. Jesus Garcia Ubierna is coming from the Canary Islands.
Christian Gonzalez is from Chile, and he is the local expert on these peregrines.

Over the course of the next two weeks they will attempt to put satellite transmitters on twelve peregrines.