Appendix 5 Daniel Rosengren’s journey
Some email from my friend Daniel Rosengren to me and the Newspaper in Gävle, Gefle Dagblad which he also wrote about his journey.
I'm still in Punta Arenas in southern Chile. But I haven't spent the time here but have taken me to a place few people come to. Everything to look for a small yellow butterfly.
12th of January 2009 Organization of the boat trip: It was Monday and time to organize the expedition to look for the harbor boat, Colias ponteni. The butterfly found during a Swedish world sailing in 1852. No one has seen it since and no one knows exactly where it was found. Göran Sjöberg, who lives just outside Gävle, heard that I was traveling in southern South America and asked me to take me to the mouth of the Bachelor River where the butterfly was possibly found. Göran is the only one in the world who
currently has this butterfly in his museum together with the Natural History Museum in London. But getting there wasn't easy. No roads or paths are available at the site. I went to the University of Punta Arenas to talk to an entomologist. He knew the butterfly well and had himself looked for it in different places. He also knew that there were five ex. in Sweden. But more than that, the entomologist couldn't help me. In the afternoon I instead visited the whale watching company that I visited earlier. It arranges boat trips to an island, Isla Carlos III, located near the mouth of the river. They agreed to take me on one of their whale safaris, then they would leave me alone on the river for four nights before coming back with the next whale watching. Now it was about shopping and packing fast. The boat would go early the next morning.
16th of January 2009 Hiking where few walked: It was a pause and some sun when I woke up. The rain came soon. It was constantly changing between a few minutes of rain and a few minutes of sun. After breakfast, I made a meal bag and walked up the salt river. I was looking for the butterfly and did what I really liked. To take pictures of the place so that Göran can see what kind of nature is on the river, if it would fit a butterfly. Sometimes I was forced to cross mosses. The pillows of the moss were large and soft, it became hot to walk. After just over four km I came to a place where the river narrowed. It was fresh water. I went a bit to see if nature changed with the freshwater. It didn't and it was time to turn again. Long distances of the way back I did not recognize myself. I went on a rocky shore I didn't recall having gone before. After a while I found out why, the tide was coming down and exposed a little more of the bottom. Once back to the house I made a fire in the stove to dry clothes and boots. On the bridge, a Kingfisher waited.
A view that few have seen. Photo Daniel Rosengren.
This year it is probably just me and the Huemul. It wouldn't surprise me if nobody sees it the rest of the year either. No butterfly in sight.
20th of January 2009, Punta Arenas, Chile It turned out that the memory of the Huemul I wrote about in the previous post was a real rarity. Having talked to biologists and naturalists, I understand that I had a lot of luck seeing it and also managed to photograph it. The numbers vary but there are only between 1300 and 2000 huemuls left in the world and they are endangered. Only one percent of the original population size remains.
Probably one of the most south specimens of the extremely rare and endangered Patagonian Huemul, Hippocamelus bisulcus near the Bachelor river. Photo: Daniel Rosengren
Daniel Rosengren www.danielrosengren.se Instagram: @naturebydanielrosengren
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- Chincha-islands outside Callao. Here they made a visit during a few (some) hours, but with
the millions of birds on these guano-covered islands, so probably this place is a hard
surrounding for butterflies.
- Callao - only a short visit for complementation of the supply for the ship, eventually small
excursions near the city. Magister Andersson (the botanist) made during the latest (the last)
day by boat to the island San Lorenzo, which he found very bare (big chariness) for the
vegetation but with great numbers of birds - perhaps mr Pontén followed him on this
excursion.
- The island Puna in the Guayaqil-gulf - Here we know that several persons on the ship landed
on the island for hunting (mostly bird-hunting). Perhaps Mr Pontén also here followed the
other to the island and found the butterflies. Some persons also go with a boat up to Guayaqil,
but I do not think Mr Pontén followed them here. The lieutenant Fries who were in Guayaqil
for a longer time bring some naturalies from locals up along the river, a cayman were
specially mentioned.
- Panama - a short visit where there are less probable anyone made any collections, but at the
Pearl-islands they stayed a few days to collect wood and water and here Pontén for sure
landed several times together with the scientists.--The Galapagos islands - Here they made a
visits at Chatham-, Charles- and James-islands. Here the main reasons was to collect
naturalias and Pontén was surly helped them.
3. Mr Haras comments "Eugenie is too slowly ship?" is really strange when he speculates over the
different times between the different harbours. Perhaps he does not know that Eugenie was only a
sailor and therefore the winds quite caused when they reach their destination.
Just now I am working hard trying to convince the Royal Naval Society together with the Royal
Science Academy to propose the Swedish Navy that HMS Carlskrona (a ship) made voyage around
the world the same way as Eugenie during the first part of year 2003. During that voyage they also
would make scientific experiments and collections on many of the places where Eugenie were 150
years ago. Perhaps they during that trip also can have a case to find your disappeared butterfly - we
shall see in a few months if that voyage can be a reality.
Yes, this was all for this time.
With my friendly wishes
Christer
Bilaga 5
Utdrag ur Daniel Rosengrens reseberättelse
Några mejl från vännen Daniel Rosengren till mig och Gefle Dagblad som han också skrev för om
sin resa.
Jag befinner mig fortfarande i Punta Arenas i södra Chile. Men jag har inte spenderat tiden här utan
har tagit mig till en plats få personer kommer. Allt för att leta efter en liten gul fjäril.
12 januari 2009
Organisering av båttur: Det var måndag och dags att organisera expeditionen för att leta efter
höfjärilen, Colias ponteni. Fjärilen som hittades under en svensk världsomsegling år 1852. Ingen har
sett den sedan dess och ingen vet exakt var den hittades. Göran Sjöberg som bor strax utanför Gävle
hörde att jag skulle resa i södra Sydamerika och bad mig försöka ta mig till Bachelorflodens mynning
där fjärilen möjligen hittades. Göran är den enda i världen som just nu har denna fjäril i sitt museum
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tillsammans med Naturhistoriska museet i London. Men att ta sig dit var inte lätt. Inga vägar eller
stigar finns till platsen. Jag tog mig till Universitetet i Punta Arenas för att prata med en entomolog.
Han kände väl till fjärilen och hade själv letat efter den på olika platser. Hann kände även till att det
fanns fem ex i Sverige (Göras samling). Men mer än så kunde entomologen inte hjälpa mig. På
eftermiddagen besökte jag då i stället det valsafariföretag som jag besökte tidigare. Det arrangerar
båtturer till en ö, Isla Carlos III, som ligger i närheten av flodens mynning. De gick med på att ta med
mig på en av deras valsafarier, sedan skulle de lämna mig ensam vid floden i fyra nätter innan de
kommer tillbaka med nästa valsafari. Nu gällde det att handla mat och packa snabbt. Båten skulle gå
tidigt nästa morgon.
16 januari 2009
Vandring där få vandrat: Det var uppehåll och lite sol när jag vaknade. Regnet kom dock snart. Det
växlade hela tiden mellan några minuters regn och några minuters sol. Efter frukost gjorde jag i ordning
en matsäck och vandrade upp längs den salta floden. Jag letade efter fjärilen och gjorde det jag
egentligen främst kommit för. Att ta bilder av stället så att Göran kan se vilken slags natur som finns
vid floden, om den skulle passa en fjäril. Ibland var jag tvingen att korsa mossar. Kuddarna av mossa
var stora och mjuk, det blev varmt att gå. Efter drygt fyra kilometer kom jag till ett ställe där floden
smalnade av. Det var sötvatten. Jag gick en bit till för att se om naturen ändrade sig med sötvattnet.
Det gjorde den inte och det var dags att vända åter igen. Långa sträckor av tillbakavägen kände jag
inte igen mig. Jag gick på en stenig strand jag inte mindes att jag gått tidigare. Efter ett tag kom jag på
varför, tidvattnet var på väg ner och exponerade lite mer av bottnen. Väl tillbaka till huset gjorde jag
upp en eld i kaminen för att torka kläder och kängor. På bryggan väntade en kungsfiskare.
En vy som få har sett. Detta år är det nog bara jag och Huemulen. Det skulle inte förvåna mig om
ingen ser den resten av året heller. Ingen fjäril i sikte.
20 januari 2009 Punta Arenas, Chile
Det visade sig att huemulen som jag skrev om i förra inlägget var en riktig raritet. Efter att ha pratat
med biologer och naturkunniga har jag förstått att jag hade mycket tur som fick se den och dessutom
lyckades fota den. Siffrorna varierar men det finns bara mellan 1300 och 2000 huemuler kvar i världen
och de är utrotningshotade. Bara en procent av den ursprungliga populationsstorleken finns kvar.
Daniel Rosengren www.danielrosengren.se Instagram: @naturebydanielrosengren