Urban wildlife of Santiago
Sep. 7th, 2005 05:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
urbpanTo be honest, it was kind of a let down to be in Santiago after Easter Island.
Don't get me wrong, Santiago is a vibrant, bustling, cosmopolitan city--but maybe that was the problem. Easter Island is so other-worldly, so unique, that trying to cram another tour in seemed superfluous. Our city tour driver, Gabriel, was very nice, but the tour was not terribly interesting. I have spared you photographs of my father and I standing stiffly in front of a race track, of a government building guard, of a convenience market called "kali," because they weren't very good pictures of not very interesting things. Finally, Gabriel took us to a rich neighborhood on a huge hill.
Manqueue Hill
The hillside was a beautiful cacophany of birdsong. I soon realized that most of the noise was coming from a couple mockingbirds and a small flock of blackbirds. While my father stalled Gabriel (encouraging him to talk of his time as a fruit inspector) I got my binoculars and field guide out. The mockingbirds were Patagonian mockingbirds Mimus patagonicus, not the more common Chilean mockingbird. The blackbirds were Austral blackbirds Curaeus curaeus. "And those could be condors," Gabriel helpfully added, pointing out two huge birds soaring over the hill. I got a good look at them, and while they weren't condors, they were very impressive black-chested buzzard-eagles Geranoaetus melanoleucus, with six foot wingspans. They casually circled the area looking for rabbits, as if we were supposed to just come up a hill in Santiago and see eagles.
I felt like my dad had heard enough about fruit inspection, and we moved on. We were dropped off, and went on a walk on our own.
Quickly I found my first urban Chilean mushrooms. Coprinus of some species or another.
These little sparkly warts seem like a good field marking to me.
This was a common lawn weed, with aster-like flowers and African violet-like leaves. Some yards were covered with them.
Loose dogs were more common in Santiago than on Easter island.
Next: more street art.
Don't get me wrong, Santiago is a vibrant, bustling, cosmopolitan city--but maybe that was the problem. Easter Island is so other-worldly, so unique, that trying to cram another tour in seemed superfluous. Our city tour driver, Gabriel, was very nice, but the tour was not terribly interesting. I have spared you photographs of my father and I standing stiffly in front of a race track, of a government building guard, of a convenience market called "kali," because they weren't very good pictures of not very interesting things. Finally, Gabriel took us to a rich neighborhood on a huge hill.
Manqueue Hill
The hillside was a beautiful cacophany of birdsong. I soon realized that most of the noise was coming from a couple mockingbirds and a small flock of blackbirds. While my father stalled Gabriel (encouraging him to talk of his time as a fruit inspector) I got my binoculars and field guide out. The mockingbirds were Patagonian mockingbirds Mimus patagonicus, not the more common Chilean mockingbird. The blackbirds were Austral blackbirds Curaeus curaeus. "And those could be condors," Gabriel helpfully added, pointing out two huge birds soaring over the hill. I got a good look at them, and while they weren't condors, they were very impressive black-chested buzzard-eagles Geranoaetus melanoleucus, with six foot wingspans. They casually circled the area looking for rabbits, as if we were supposed to just come up a hill in Santiago and see eagles.
I felt like my dad had heard enough about fruit inspection, and we moved on. We were dropped off, and went on a walk on our own.
Quickly I found my first urban Chilean mushrooms. Coprinus of some species or another.
These little sparkly warts seem like a good field marking to me.
This was a common lawn weed, with aster-like flowers and African violet-like leaves. Some yards were covered with them.
Loose dogs were more common in Santiago than on Easter island.
Next: more street art.
