Just five kilometers (3 miles) north of Porvenir is Monumento Nacional de los Cisnes, a 25-hectare reserve. This lagoon is an important spot for diverse aquatic and shore birds, such as the Flamenco Chileno (Chilean flamingo, Phoenicopterus chilensis) and the Cisne de Cuello Negro (black-necked swan, Cygnus melancoryphus) for which it is named, and the rare Chorlo de Magallanes (Magellanic plover, Pluvianellus socialis), whose population here is one of the largest in the world. The lagoon's islets are important nesting grounds for the Cisne Coscoroba (Coscoroba swan, Coscoroba coscoroba), Cormorán Imperial (imperial shag, Phalacrocorax atriceps), Bandurria (Black-faced Ibis, Theristicus melanopis), Salteador Chileno (Chilean skua, Stercorarius chilensis), Gaviota dominicana (kelp gull, Larus dominicanus), Pato Quetru Volador (flying steamer duck, Tachyeres patachonicus) and black-necked swan. In all, over 40 dozen types of water and land birds can be observed here.

Location:
Porvenir, Chile

Birdwatching Types:
Birdwatching

Getting There
Take the road heading to Bahía Azul. Or head towards the cemetery, towards the aeródromo (three kilometers / 1.8 miles) and just before the farm Laguna Chica is a footpath that allows direct access to the lagoon. The path goes through private property.

Travel Tips: Laguna de los Cisnes is also called Lago de los Cisnes.

Humberto Cordero, in his “El Lago de los Cisnes, Sitio de Concentración de las Aves del Tierra del Fuego,” a report of the status of bird life at the lagoon suggests visiting in the winter, as this is the best time to see the Chilean Flamingo, Blanquillo (Silvery Grebe, Podiceps occipitalis) and Pimpollo Tobiano (Hooded Grebe, Podiceps gallardoi ). His paper has an extensive survey of the species that can be seen at the Laguna.

You can read the report here:

www.unorch.cl/documentos/boletinobschile/la_chiricoca_4_part_3.pdf

On the way, along the stream beds, you can spot other species not found at the lake, like the Chercán de las Vegas (Sedge Wren, Cistothorus platensis) and the Pimpollo (White-tufted Grebe, Rollandia rolland).

Price Description: Free.

Relative price: Budget

Open Hours from:Dawn

Open Hours to:Dusk

Travel Skills: None

You Need to Bring: Binoculars and camera; warm clothing, waterproofs, sun screen and sun glasses; a picnic lunch and water.

Stroll around the town, taking in the Fuegian architecture or walk along the costanera; visit Museo Provincial Fernando Cordero Rusque; take a boat tour of Bahía de Porvenir to see dolphins. Hit the various circuits through the surrounding countryside like the Histórico Cultural de Oro o Petróleo. Go fishing at Lago Blanco, or trek the Cordillera Darwin, Parque Nacional Alberto de Agostini and other reserves.

Currencies accepted
Chilean Peso

By Lorraine Caputo

Upon re-declaring her independence at age 29, Lorraine Caputo packed her trusty Rocinante (so her knapsack's called) and began traipsing throughout...

Created: 25 May 2009

Updated: 07 Jul 2009

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