Date: 5/10/26 2:54 pm From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Anyone ever visit the landfill in Ushuaia, Argentina?
Yes, a lot of us BIRDERS -- not "birdwatchers" -- have visited the
landfill. And, yes, we did see several White-throated Caracaras on our
tour. It is a usual stop for birding groups in Ushuaia, along with a visit
to Tierra del Fuego National Park (for forest birds like Magellanic
Woodpecker) and the Martial Glacier (to look for the difficult
White-bellied Seedsnipe, which we missed).
I find it a bit hard to believe that the husband and wife, who were Dutch
birders, would contract hantavirus THERE, if hundreds or thousands of
birders have visited the landfill over the years without ever contacting
the virus. And, especially, think of all of the trash collectors who take
trucks there to dump garbage, on a daily basis, and never apparently get
hantavirus either. Also, it seems that it was too quick a turnaround from
when they likely visited the landfill and him getting sick and passing
away. So, I suspect they contracted the virus elsewhere in the Andes.
We know of one NC birder who was on the ship and was transported to
Johannesburg with her very sick British birder friend, who is in a hospital
there. She has not contracted the virus as far as we know. I'm not
mentioning names out of some privacy concerns.
Harry LeGrand
Raleigh
On Sun, May 10, 2026 at 10:31 AM Kevin Hudson <carolinabirds...>
wrote:
> This irony in this article about hanta virus may have been intentional
>
> "The spot, overrun with trash, is *avoided like the plague* by its
> residents, but serves as a pilgrimage point for birdwatchers from all over
> the world in search of a rare creature — the white-throated caracara"
>
> Kevin Hudson
> Apex NC
>
