Tango in the wind

On a hostile mountaintop in Patagonia, a select few witness the courtship dance of one of the rarest birds in South America

MICHAEL WEBSTER

This story represents one episode from the four years my wife, Paula, and I spent traveling in South America, making films on a pro bono basis for cash-strapped bird conservation non-governmental organizations. The most important bird protection group in South America and the BirdLife International partner in Argentina is Aves Argentinas. We had been asked by its director, Hernan Casañas, if we would make a film about the rare and iconic Hooded Grebe. One other film about the species had been created years before, but the courtship display, reputed to be incredible and seen by few people, never had been filmed in its entirety. The critically endangered bird is found in scattered locations throughout Patagonia, and Aves Argentinas has had a project led by professional biologists, supported by volunteers, working…

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BirdWatching (Digital) - 1 Issue, January/February 2023

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