After almost exactly a year, I returned to
Bustamante. I found last year that this location is a staggering point for shore birds starting in their migration to the
northen hemisphere. Sure enough, sandpipers and others were congregated in great numbers feeding and resting waiting for the night to fly out.
Bustamante remains a quiet place, ideal for doing nothing. It used to be a busy hacienda back in the XX century when kelp was gathered from the bay and processed to
obtain algin, a product used in the cosmetic and food industry.
This suddenly ceased in the early 1980's due to an oil spill in the bay. When I returned this year, the kelp has recovered and the operations resumed in a small scale with workers returning to the previous empty apartments.
Although this may be my wrong perception, the fauna seems to be more acclimatized to humans and not as weary as they used to be. For the first time I was able to approach the
martinetas without them running away; not only that but they appeared to be more numerous.
The wildlife photo opportunities this year were limited this year due to the high winds; as high as 120 Km/hr for a couple of days. I spent most of the time in the cabin but one day I ventured out. I went to the "
Playa de las Roquitas" (little rocks) and did some
HDR photography; I just kept myself low among
the rocks avoid the wind gusts.
One day while waiting in the cabin for better weather, I heard a noise coming from a nearby trash can and went to investigate. The noise maker was a young skunk that could not climb out of the metal can and was trapped inside. I decided to be his freedom fighter and tipped the can over to allow for his escape. The skunk walked out and to show his gratitude, turned his rear towards me and raised the tail to spray me aromatic perfumes...I ran in time. No good deed goes unpunished!
One day I went to the "
Isleta de los Pinguinos" to visit the nesting colony,it was as I saw it last year. I stayed a short time and mostly observed their behavior; how many pictures of a penguin can one have? But there was a family
of caracaras with young ones learning to fly that offered me a great opportunity for doing fly photography
Matias, one of the owners of the
estancia, is not only interested in the local wildlife but has
intimidate knowledge of their activities. He
directed me to a peregrine falcons nesting area in the walls of a canyon. I went and proceed to walk in the ridge of canyon looking at the opposite wall for the raptors. I was in the wrong ridge, as I paused and glanced down, and there it was, so close that I my lens could not focus on it. An opportunity of a lifetime just flew way. Instead I got a consolation image,
that of a fabulous sunset like no other.
In the way back to civilization, my photo mentor, Mariano, took me to one of his secret places. A canyon with sandy and gypsum walls where the
barranqueros or burrowing parrots nest. They are very leery of people since they are captured for the illegal animal trade that is adversely affecting their populations; you can read more about this at
http://www.orn.mpg.de/masello/PAGES/home-englsih2.html. Wish I could have spend more time with them.
After almost exactly a year, I returned to Bustamante. I found last year that this location is a staggering point for shore birds starting in their migration to the northen hemisphere. Sure enough, sandpipers and others were congregated in great numbers feeding and resting waiting for the night to fly out.
Bustamante remains a quiet place, ideal for doing nothing. It used to be a busy hacienda back in the XX century when kelp was gathered from the bay and processed to obtain algin, a product used in the cosmetic and food industry. This suddenly ceased in the early 1980's due to an oil spill in the bay. When I returned this year, the kelp has recovered and the operations resumed in a small scale with workers returning to the previous empty apartments.
Although this may be my wrong perception, the fauna seems to be more acclimatized to humans and not as weary as they used to be. For the first time I was able to approach the martinetas without them running away; not only that but they appeared to be more numerous.
The wildlife photo opportunities this year were limited this year due to the high winds; as high as 120 Km/hr for a couple of days. I spent most of the time in the cabin but one day I ventured out. I went to the "Playa de las Roquitas" (little rocks) and did some HDR photography; I just kept myself low among the rocks avoid the wind gusts.
One day while waiting in the cabin for better weather, I heard a noise coming from a nearby trash can and went to investigate. The noise maker was a young skunk that could not climb out of the metal can and was trapped inside. I decided to be his freedom fighter and tipped the can over to allow for his escape. The skunk walked out and to show his gratitude, turned his rear towards me and raised the tail to spray me aromatic perfumes...I ran in time. No good deed goes unpunished!
One day I went to the "Isleta de los Pinguinos" to visit the nesting colony,it was as I saw it last year. I stayed a short time and mostly observed their behavior; how many pictures of a penguin can one have? But there was a family of caracaras with young ones learning to fly that offered me a great opportunity for doing fly photography
Matias, one of the owners of the estancia, is not only interested in the local wildlife but has intimidate knowledge of their activities. He directed me to a peregrine falcons nesting area in the walls of a canyon. I went and proceed to walk in the ridge of canyon looking at the opposite wall for the raptors. I was in the wrong ridge, as I paused and glanced down, and there it was, so close that I my lens could not focus on it. An opportunity of a lifetime just flew way. Instead I got a consolation image, that of a fabulous sunset like no other.
In the way back to civilization, my photo mentor, Mariano, took me to one of his secret places. A canyon with sandy and gypsum walls where the barranqueros or burrowing parrots nest. They are very leery of people since they are captured for the illegal animal trade that is adversely affecting their populations; you can read more about this at http://www.orn.mpg.de/masello/PAGES/home-englsih2.html. Wish I could have spend more time with them.
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