By Bryce Martin from Ithaca College
Hi all, my name is Bryce Martin, and I am from Fort Collins, Colorado. I currently attend Ithaca College and am studying Environmental Science. While you are reading this you will be taken along with the Fall 2024 Round River Patagonia Group as we go to the Jeinimini Valley Sector of Patagonia National Park. So far we have had a semester full of adventures all around the Aysen Region of Chile. While in the Jeinimeni Sector of Patagonia National Park(PNP) we measured active nest cavities of the Magellenic Woodpeckers to see if they are producing offspring. The Magellenic woodpeckers are an important Keystone, Umbrella, and Indicator species for 2 main reasons: Their empty nest cavities provide new homes for other animals and they serve as insect control. Currently the Magellenic Woodpeckers are threatened by other birds of prey and, most notably, minks which are invasive to the region. This trip was 8 days from start to end.
We woke up early on November 5th in our base camp area called Aqua Sol which is in the town of Cochrane. After packing we hopped in Blanquita, Rojita, and Vicente (Names of the cars we use) and started to the long haul to Jeinimini. Unfortunately for the first two days of the trip our group of 9 was cut in half because of a camp cold that had made its way around. After driving for a long while we finally got to base camp in the Jeinimini Sector of PNP. When we arrived there was snow on the ground which made for a fun setup. After dinner we went to bed because it was cold.
We woke up the next morning to a fresh sheet of snow that covered the ground around us. After eating breakfast, we got our field gear ready for a nest spotting training session just outside of the camp. For the training we were practicing how we would be conducting field surveys and what to do when we ran into a nest. Our survey process had the steps as follows: We assigned people to be on the two far sides of the line, their job was to decide on a bearing and follow that as we walked through the area. The rest of the group was assigned to looking at the trees for nests which could be spotted because of their oval shape and the clearly carved out insides.
Once we stumbled upon one, we all gathered to collect the data, this was done by first marking the coordinates on our GPS, then get the distance to the tree from a bearing tree(one that’s nearby and one can clearly see the nest from, record the angle with our compasses, gather micro and macro discussions, and finally determine the priority of the nest. Whenever live findings were found we would take coordinates, pictures, and total number of birds spotted. We repeated this process of surveying for the next 7 days.
After survey days we would either have a short hour-long class or occupy our free time. We often would play pelt or relax in our tents. Our pelt games are very serious, and the group has all been get ting better since the beginning of the semester. During the trip we had our first official game and one of our classmates Cat was the first winner
During each of our trips we all receive a study sheet for what we should know because on the final day of every trip we have a natural history quiz. During the final afternoon we had a study session where we went around, and the instructors talked about various different species that were on our list. After studying we all went to bed to get good rest for the test.
After the quiz we packed up made lunch and started off on our next adventure to Chile Chico. On the way we stopped at the valley of the moon to do a quick hike, along the hike we saw cave paintings, cool rocks, and felt at one with the moon. After spending the afternoon there, we headed off to Chile Chico where we would spend the next two days in town.
Upon arrival in Chile Chico, we were all greeted to a wonderful hot shower. After setting up we all went out to get pizza at a local restaurant. The next day was personally my favorite part of the trip. This was because we planned to bike over the border from Chile into Argentina and would spend the day in Los Antigous, Argentina. The morning of the trip excitement rang in the air for the opportunity of a lifetime. After waking up and eating we walked over to the bike shop where we would rent from. After getting the bikes we started the group ride to the border, this was around 9 miles in total length. Along the ride we had one flat tire.
After crossing the border we went into the town. Los Antigous is a small agriculture-based town along the border. After parking our bikes, we walked over the one of the local pizza shops to fuel up and try local foods.
Post pizza I split off from the group and went to go explore town. The rest of the group went to the beach.
Around 4pm we all gathered back in the town square to start the adventure back to Chile. During the bike ride back, one of the students chains snapped so we had to create a system to bike back. Once back in Chile we had the evening to relax and prepare for the trip back to Aqua Sol. Thank you for following this blog!