October 12, 2008, Peninsula Valdes
For the past several days Ana and I have taken a break from the fieldwork in Sierra Paileman and traveled to the coast. We visited Peninsula Valdes, a provincial reserve that encompasses a wide variety of marine mammals, as well as terrestrial mammals and birds. There are breeding colonies of Southern Elephant Seals, Southern Sea Lions, Magellani
c Penguins, Southern Right Whales and Orcas. We stopped by an area favored by Southern Right Whales and saw an amazing number of whales as they approach close to shore. There were so many whales in this area that they were everywhere we looked and they were so close we could hear them vocalize. We also saw several whale carcasses that had washed up on the beach. A scene that reminded me of Big Sur, California where California Condors regularly feed on sea lion and whale carcasses. This seems like an ideal place and only a matter of time before Andean Condors fly here and discover this food source.
c Penguins, Southern Right Whales and Orcas. We stopped by an area favored by Southern Right Whales and saw an amazing number of whales as they approach close to shore. There were so many whales in this area that they were everywhere we looked and they were so close we could hear them vocalize. We also saw several whale carcasses that had washed up on the beach. A scene that reminded me of Big Sur, California where California Condors regularly feed on sea lion and whale carcasses. This seems like an ideal place and only a matter of time before Andean Condors fly here and discover this food source.
We also traveled to Punto Tombo where there is a huge breeding colony of Magellanic Penguins. It was an incredible sight to walk through this semi-arid scrubland and see tens of thousands of penguins walking around and crawling in and out of burrows where they nest.
Traveling up and down the coast, as well through Cordoba and Buenos Aires, I can’t but help to notice how the image of the condor is everywhere. It is used on clothing, there is El Condor bus line, it is used as a street name and as a store name, and by airlines as name for a frequent fliers club. There seems to be a deep appreciation for the condors as a symbol of the country and the beauty of wilderness. It has been a great few days but Ana and I are both anxious to get back to Paileman and to hear how the condors are doing.
Traveling up and down the coast, as well through Cordoba and Buenos Aires, I can’t but help to notice how the image of the condor is everywhere. It is used on clothing, there is El Condor bus line, it is used as a street name and as a store name, and by airlines as name for a frequent fliers club. There seems to be a deep appreciation for the condors as a symbol of the country and the beauty of wilderness. It has been a great few days but Ana and I are both anxious to get back to Paileman and to hear how the condors are doing.
No comments:
Post a Comment