Bariloche – Argentina

About

San Carlos de Bariloche is a city in Rio Negro, Argentina. It is situated on the foothills of the Andes, on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake within the Nahual Huapi National Park. It is a well-known skiing, trekking, and mountaineering tourist resort town, both local and international. It is home to some of the biggest ski resorts in South America. Nahuel Huapi National Park is the oldest national park in Argentina. It is dominated by high mountain chains of the Andes, rivers, waterfalls, snow-clad peaks, glaciers, lakes, and extensive forests. One of Bariloche’s significant feature is its lakes and large rivers that either flow into the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean. Bariloche lies on the transition between the cool Mediterranean climate and an oceanic climate and is in the transition area between the Patagonian Steppe and Valdivian Forest, thus making it diverse and rich in native flora and fauna species. Bariloche is an excellent birding location being situated within a range of wetlands, lakes, and mountains. It is rich in birdlife. It is an exceptional place to seek out Patagonian birds. One can spot the Pie-billed Grebe, Great Grebe, and the Magellanic Woodpecker within Laguna Verde and the Ashy-headed goose and Black-faced Ibis in La Vega Wetland. Blue-eyed Cormorants, Andean Condors, Green-backed Firecrowns, Green Austral Parakeets and Magellanic Woodpeckers are also found within the Nahuel Huapi National Park.
Owen traveled to San Carlos de Bariloche in January 2013 and photographed the Magellanic Woodpecker, Ashy-headed Goose, Black-faced Ibis, Striped Woodpecker, the Austral Parakeet, Patagonian Sierra Finch, and several others.