I've always loved birds...🙂...I eagerly await the arrival of all kinds of colorful birds around here in Illinois, at the start of Spring season, and likewise I feel a touch of sadness to see (most of) these birds disappear in winter as they migrate to warmer climates of the south, as already has happened here by this time. 

So, out of curiosity, I recently picked up a FS BIRDS add-on from the marketplace, that I've been eyeing for some time...🙂...It's published by South Oak Co, and their website proclaims:

"Birds for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020/2024 have arrived! Stay tuned for rollout releases as we work towards covering the entire world!"

Sounds good to me...being a bird-lover...🙂..., though it's clearly a daunting challenge to cover our entire (virtual) world with these (virtual) flying species of birds. Anyway, I tested one specific FS BIRDS Title, "South America, South Region" (see the purple-colored region in my shot #2 below). For my flight, I wished fly from north to south down the western coastline of Chile, alongside the foothills of the lower Andes range, in the Patagonia region of South America; from Santiago (Chile) [SCEL], all the way to Punta Arenas (Chile) [SCCI], a total distance of nearly 1,400 miles (see my route on the Maps of iniBuilds EFB and MSFS EFB).

First of all, it was wonderful to see the birds flying around the sky near my departure airport (Santiago/Chile), at various elevations, up against the backdrop of the majestic Andes mountains (see shot #s 3-7, below; hopefully you can catch sight of these birds in my screenshots). However, though I mostly flew along at about (or less than) 10,000 ft, tracking south the Pacific coastline (while straining my eyes through the windshield...🙂...), I did not come across any more birds, on my route. I do understand, these (virtual) birds are to be seen only around specified locations and near major airports. So, I was not very surprised (and, in fact, relieved) to not have any (dangerous) bird-strikes against my Airbus A340 during my flight today...🙂...but I do plan to look more closely in this Southern region of South America...hoping to encounter more birds in my virtual world...with the help of this add-on... (and with an aircraft, a bit smaller and slower than this quad-jet Airbus A340...🙂...) ...

So, instead, I focused on the unique (and diverse) landscape passing by underneath my flight passage, between Santiago and Punta Arenas; a region characterized by deserts, volcanoes, lakes, rainforests, mountains and glaciers etc. that Patagonia's geography is so famous for.

Regarding the livery of this (iniBuilds) A340-300, I've chosen to fly at my discretion...🙂..., the (lovable) colors of (classic) Olympic Airlines, the one-time flag-carrier of Greece.

Hope you enjoy this collection of images from my trip today. 

Thanks for viewing...!

Interesting experiment. Truly something for everyone's special interests in MS2020/24.

51 minutes ago, John F said:

Interesting experiment. Truly something for everyone's special interests in MS2020/24.

Thank you for the comment, John.

With your avatar, I presume you're a lover of the critters (and birds) and such ...🙂...

These days, around here, I only see the ducks and geese; the pretty-colored smaller birds are mostly gone for the winter...

Fine set of shots, watch out the birds don't get in your engines..

cheers 😉

5 hours ago, pmplayer said:

Fine set of shots, watch out the birds don't get in your engines..

cheers 😉

Thanks, pmplayer.

Yes, I needed to be extra careful…🙂…throughout this low-altitude flight, especially because I may be missing some critical skills of “Sully” with the FBW Airbus jet…🙂…

Cheers…!

6 hours ago, P_7878 said:

 

With your avatar, I presume you're a lover of the critters (and birds) and such ...🙂...

 

Me too, for example here is a buzzard I photographed myself. ( Another hobby of mine for many years now. )

cheers 😉

29 minutes ago, pmplayer said:

Me too, for example here is a buzzard I photographed myself. ( Another hobby of mine for many years now. )

cheers 😉

That’s a magnificent photo, pmplayer. Did you use any special telephoto lens for this shot?
 

I’ve a just good binocular, that’s all…🙂…

BTW, I’m now reminded of the Crane and the Condor, symbols for a couple of your local airlines…🙂…

Thanks for sharing the above picture…!

Yes, I use Canon equipment, and this picture was taken with a Canon EF 500 mm f/4.0 L USM telephoto lens, also from Canon.

And by the way, for me a much better hobby than Flightsimming, i mean Real Life Wildlife Photografie is just amazing, but this is only my Opinion..

cheers 😉

11 hours ago, P_7878 said:

With your avatar, I presume you're a lover of the critters (and birds) and such ...🙂...

Yes, we're squirrel lovers first. 🙂 But chipmunks and rabbits aplenty here, And now we've got deer (3 bucks included) sometimes bedding down outside our dining room window. And we don't live out in the country, just suburbia.

Edited November 13, 2025Nov 13 by John F

On 11/13/2025 at 9:09 AM, pmplayer said:

Yes, I use Canon equipment, and this picture was taken with a Canon EF 500 mm f/4.0 L USM telephoto lens, also from Canon.

And by the way, for me a much better hobby than Flightsimming, i mean Real Life Wildlife Photografie is just amazing, but this is only my Opinion..

cheers 😉

I wished to know a bit more about your camera, so, I asked AI, and it agrees with your choice of equipment...🙂...

"Canon EF 500mm lenses offer excellent image quality with sharp details. They are particularly well-regarded for wildlife and sports photography due to their long focal length and fast f/4 aperture..."

And I couldn't agree with you more...on the latter remark...Whenever my MSFS/Xbox does not cooperate with me, I take a break heading for a walk in the nature trails...🙂...for a bit of nature therapy...

On 11/13/2025 at 10:54 AM, John F said:

Yes, we're squirrel lovers first. 🙂 But chipmunks and rabbits aplenty here, And now we've got deer (3 bucks included) sometimes bedding down outside our dining room window. And we don't live out in the country, just suburbia.

I see...Your squirrels over there have the blood of the Appalachian wilderness...🙂...We also have plenty around here, but they have probably escaped from the din and bustle of the Chicago Downtown...🙂...

I like a baby that often shows up on the back porch, just across the wire-mesh patio door, to (gently) mock our 6-month-old (indoor) kitten, who gets wildly excited...twitching his tail and whiskers...🙂...The (smart) squirrel, of course, knows this guy cannot escape...

That deer and buck bit is quite something...🙂...we certainly don't have that in the yard...

4 hours ago, P_7878 said:

Whenever my MSFS/Xbox does not cooperate with me, I take a break heading for a walk in the nature trails...🙂...for a bit of nature therapy...

That's a very good choice, making some kind of a free head, at least i can see this for me..👍

cheers 😉

Very nice environment pictures, i could stay staring to that birds all the day! 

2 hours ago, fscabral said:

Very nice environment pictures, i could stay staring to that birds all the day! 

Thanks for chiming in with this comment, and I wholeheartedly agree with your thought here…🙂…

Cheers…!

Wonderful shots, P_7878. For me the 340 is the logical successor to the iconic 707 when it comes to perfect aircraft design