Hi everybody


I received several messages from people telling they are interested by some south american informations... thank you very much ! So, I will sometimes send some chilean news.

Whimbrel is the only migrating shorebirds you can see all year in central Chile. Of course, they are more abundant during the northern winter, but it's still common on the coast during the northern summer.

2 weeks ago, we also had a Hudsonian godwit near Valparaiso (always more or less 33° S). This species is common during northern winter in Chiloe island (42° S) for example (2-3000 birds in the Caullin bay only in january-february), but there are very few records of this species on the central chilean coast. You now that the migration of the Hudsonian Godwit is fascinating as they probably cross the pacific ocean during spring migration !!!

I also have a question for the Oystercatcher specialists : in the book "Shorebirds, an identfication guide to the waders of the world (P. Hayman, J. Marchant and T. Prater)", it's writen that the sub-species pitanay of the American Oystercatcher (ocurring on the west cost of south america) don't have white on the primaries. But there are some American Oystercatcher here with white on the primaries (I can send pictures if you are interested).... aberrant pitanay ? migrating paliatus ??

all my best,
Fabrice Schmitt
Santiago de Chile


----- Original Message ----- 
  From: [log in to unmask] 
  To: [log in to unmask] ; [log in to unmask] 
  Sent: Saturday, June 03, 2006 12:40 PM
  Subject: Re: [SHOREBIRDS] shorebirds in central Chile


  as someone who studied sanderling in chile and peru and a variety of shorebirds in argentina some years ago, i'm always interested.  it would be nice to see a rufous-chested dotterel again.

  best wishes,
  Pete Myers