Site Report: Puerto Deseado

Rockhopper Penguins, Isla Pinguino

Magellanic Penguins, Isla Pinguinos

Red-legged Cormorant, Puerto Deseado

South American Terns, Isla Pajaros

Snowy Sheathbills, Isla Pinguinos

Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus)

Puerto Deseado sits on a long fjord-like estuary. On the outskirts of town are many penguin colonies, Sea birds are plentiful in this area. There are quite a few places that you can get to with a long walk or a taxi ride.

Visits

2005-02-14: We came to Puerto Deseado hoping to arrange a trip to the penguin island. The first couple of days were not looking good, there were not enough people to fill the boat. Finally, we heard that some Germans were coming to visit the island. There was great birdlife all around the outskirts of town. This is one of the places that Darwin visited on the Beagle.

Species Seen

Kingdom: Animals (29 records)

Phylum: Chordates (29 records)

Class: Birds (28 records)

Order: Anseriformes (4 records)
- Family: Swans, Geese, and Ducks
- Upland Goose (Chloephaga picta)
- Flying Steamer-Duck (Tachyeres patachonicus)
- Crested Duck (Lophonetta specularioides)
- Red Shoveler (Spatula platalea)

Order: Pelicans (13 records)
- Family: Flamingos
- Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis)
- Family: Grebes
- Great Grebe (Podiceps major)
- Family: Jaegers and Skuas
- Brown Skua (Stercorarius antarcticus)
- Family: Oystercatchers
- American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)
- Blackish Oystercatcher (Haematopus ater)
- Magellanic Oystercatcher (Haematopus leucopodus)
- Family: Penguins
- Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome)
- Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus)
- Family: Sheathbills
- Snowy Sheathbill (Chionis albus)

Order: Perching Birds (3 records)
- Family: American Blackbirds and Orioles
- Long-tailed Meadowlark (Leistes loyca)
- Family: Mockingbirds, Thrashers, and Allies
- Patagonian Mockingbird (Mimus patagonicus)
- Family: Old World Buntings
- Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis)

Order: Shorebirds and Allies (7 records)
- Family: Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Dolphin Gull (Leucophaeus scoresbii)
- Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus)
- Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus)
- Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)
- South American Tern (Sterna hirundinacea)
- Family: Plovers
- Rufous-chested Dotterel (Zonibyx modestus)
- Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis)

Order: Tubenoses (1 record)
- Family: Shearwaters and Petrels
- Southern Giant-Petrel (Macronectes giganteus)

Class: Mammals (1 record)

Order: Carnivorans (1 record)
- Family: Otariidae
- South American Sea Lion (Otaria byronia)

Lifelists

Trips

Argentina