An old trip report that I need to revive as the older pdf version has had some problems - I'd really like to go back here one day!
I prepared very well
for this trip, as I had booked it seven months in advance. I got a guidebook
for Christmas, and scrubbed up thoroughly. I also planned two spectacular days
birding, with a guide. I felt that the birds would be so foreign to me, and
that so many were plain and brown, that this would pay off handsomely.
Wednesday
20th February
I worked a full,
bird-less day at the office and then headed for Heathrow where our flight to
Buenos Aires, via Sao Paolo, left at 9pm. Slight hiccup before we even started
as the baggage system at Terminal 4 failed and passengers were restricted to
hand luggage only, but somehow we made it on to the plane. Not a great start,
and it got worse: 1) My iPod broke in the departure lounge, and 2) My neighbour
for the next 11 hours was, shall we say, malodorous. Washing yourself is a
basic prerequisite. The only time when it is acceptable to skip washing
yourself is when you are out birding in the middle of nowhere, alone, with no
facilities (and in any case, bathing takes up valuable birding time). Not washing yourself for several days
prior to getting into a sealed steel tube for 11 hours with 300 other [washed]
people is completely unacceptable. He should have been thrown off. I don’t
remember much of the flight, I was too busy not listening to music and trying
not to be sick.
Thursday
21st February
My fragrant neighbour
got off at Sao Paolo, but his presence remained with us until Buenos Aires South America is.
Unless you have been, it is impossible to really convey a sense of what it is
like. For a start, the city appears to be European - reminds me of Barcelona Argentina Buenos
Aires from Pistarini
Airport Argentina
We dumped our stuff
in the Art hotel (very nice, pretty cheap, and in the heart of the Recoleta
district), incinerated our flight clothes, showered, and went straight out to
the civil wedding reception – the “real” wedding was on Saturday – which was
being held in the suburb of San Isidro. Here, amongst more Horneros, I found my first Eared
Doves, dainty things reminiscent of Mourning Doves in the US France
Friday
22nd February
Four hours passed in
five minutes, and somehow I made it down to reception. What time was it? The
streets of Buenos Aires
Our first stop, just
by the side of the road, we saw 2 Picui
Ground Dove, tiny birds feeding in the leaf-litter, a Glittering-bellied Emerald, Green-barred
Woodpecker, Checkered Woodpecker,
White-fronted Woodpecker, and in the
fields to one side, a Lark-like Brushrunner
– another member of the Furnarid family. The Furnarids are Alec’s favourite
bird family, as you will see if you consult his website, and they are unique to
South America . Many are very similar, but
overall the family is incredibly varied. The Rufous Hornero is also in this family (Furnarid = furnace = oven =
like the nest of the Hornero), and we saw a number of these on the road here.
Also here was a Great Rhea, many of
these birds roam wild, even though they are semi-domesticated. The first bird
that Alec used playback for was the Suiriri
Flycatcher, a smallish plain flycatcher, and eventually we got good views
of this tough bird. We also saw Rufous-collared
Sparrow here, and the amazing Red-crested
Cardinal – the cover bird from my guide book. Monk Parakeets, a Creamy-bellied
Thrush, and Southern Caracara
were also seen well.
We continued on down
the road, stopping by a small pool. There were 2 Spot-winged Pigeons here, Spot-flanked
Gallinule, and my first Wattled
Jacanas, with their amazing wing colour when they took off on short flights
around the edge of the pool. We also saw Brazilian
Teal here, Greater Yellowlegs
and a few Pectoral Sandpiper. Also
spotted was a Common Snipe, the same
species as the UK
When we hopped over a
fence and penetrated a little deeper, we encountered yet more species. This is
cattle country, but I’m not exactly sure what they eat. Maybe the answer is not
much, as there were bleached bones and skulls all over the place. Amongst this
scenery we found a group of Little
Thornbirds, a Freckle Breasted
Thornbird, many Tufted-tit
Spinetails, Short-billed Canastero,
Chotoy Spintetail, Sooty-fronted Spinetail, Pale-breasted Spinetail – all of these
members of the Furnarid family. The spinetails are exactly what it says on the
tin, with medium to long stiff tails, in a variety of formats, from a wedge
shaped fan to long streamers, and they are masters at flitting through the
tough scrub and vanishing into places you cannot follow. We also got a brief
in-flight view of an unknown species of Nightjar here, probably Scissor-tailed,
a Golden-billed Saltator, Sayaca Tanager, Sooty Tyrannulet, Warbling
Doradito, White-tipped Plantcutter, White-crested
Tyrannulet and Masked Gnatcatcher
– a delightful little blue-grey bird. Then Alec got very excited, as he thought
he had a site tick – Orange-headed Tanager. This very elusive bird led him on a
merry dance through the thickets. He couldn’t quite place it, and only a few
days later did he realize that it was a juvenile Blue-and-Yellow Tanager. I was more than happy to for him to take
some photos. In this respect we share the same interests, and Alec takes some great
pictures using modest equipment and a honed technique using a modified
mini-tripod which he balances on his chest and then stalks forward, with
playback coming from his waist. The Inspector Gadget of Argentine birding.
Our next stop was
more prolonged, and we went for a longish walk away from the road towards some
marshy scrapes. This tried and tested route proved to be very productive, and
it was not long before we had found a big group of Brown-and-Yellow Marshbirds, with some keeping lookout from
observation points in the landscape, whilst the others fed on the ground. We
were to see quite a few more of these as the day progressed. At this spot we
also saw Barn Swallow, Blue-and-White Swallow, Spectacled Tyrant, and White Monjita. Further on, closer to
the water, we saw a group of American
Wood Storks on the ground and in flight, and 3 juvenile Roseate Spoonbills, sadly only a very
light shade of pink. I would love to see breeding adults of this species, but a
tick is a tick. Means I have to come back, or go to Florida
Somewhere along this
road we also saw a Brown Cachalote, Black-and-Rufous Warbling Finch, Great Pampa Finch and a Narrow-billed
Woodcreeper, something like a giant treecreeper – both the cachalote and
woodcreeper are members of the Furnarid family. We also saw many wonderful Fork-tailed Flycatchers that always
stayed one step ahead of my lense – beautiful birds, really graceful. Unfortunately
it now began to rain. This had threatened all day, and had kept us cool despite
the potential for Ceibas to heat up to 36C, but when it became heavier we were
forced to make a tough decision. Rain turned the top level of the dust road to
mud, which sticks to the tyres, and builds up layer after layer to the point
where you cannot move. At that point we would be stuck – it had happened to
Alec before - and whilst we wanted to continue birding in this incredible
location, it was safest to get back to the main road while we still could. This
meant we never got to the ponds further up the Ceibas road that could have been
really good, and are on Alec’s usual itinerary.
Once back out of
Ceibas, we drove a little further up the main highway, and stopped up at what
Alec called a special treat, to make up for the disappointment of needing to
leave bird-filled habitat with loads more ticks close at hand. We parked up
just off the main road, and set off down a very muddy track with inquisitive
cattle following us along the fence the entire way. Here we encountered more Rufous Hornero, and more Fork-tailed Flycatchers, and two new
birds, the Firewood Gatherer and the
Stripe-crowned Spinetail – we were
cleaning up on the Furnaridae. After a short while we found the bird we were here
to see, a Burrowing Owl perched up
on a grassy mound. The cattle did their level best to restrict our view by
moving along the fence-line. A lovely bird, and the only owl of the entire
trip. Leaving the fields behind we entered a reedy area, and a bit of playback
soon encouraged a Sulphur-bearded
Spinetail to show really well, with its bright yellow throat patch. Another
Warbling Doradito put in an
appearance here. On the way back to the car we got close-up views of Yellowish Pipit on the earthy field
borders.
It was mid-afternoon now and we decided to head back to
Our final stop of the
day was close to the Parana River , on an
unmetalled road which appeared to be a short cut to somewhere, and found a
brilliant ditch, filled with interesting birds. There were a stack of juvenile Black-crowned Night-herons, Great White Egrets, Giant Wood Rails, and a Plumbeous Rail. Using the car as a
hide, we got some decent photos here. A little further along the ditch, Alec
got onto a Unicolored Blackbird, and
a Dark-billed Cuckoo eyed us warily
from a bush. We took some time for good views before Alec stalked it for a
photo, as he did not have a good one, and he is trying to build a photographic
record of all Argentine species. I took a few whilst he was at it. As we moved
closer, a Snail Kite that we had
previously not noticed flushed up and flew away from us, I got a shot of its
departure -a really distinctive bird with its orange legs.
By now it was about
8pm, and we were still some way from the city, so we decided that with our list
at well over a hundred, we should call it a day. Alec dropped me off at my
hotel at around 10ish, and headed back to his place for a few short hours of
sleep – he was meeting me at the hotel at 6.30am the following day for more of
the same. I meanwhile met up with Charlie and the gang for dinner. I can’t
remember what I had – assume steak. They told me that the day had been a total
wash-out, with torrential rain over the city for a large part of the afternoon
– we had clearly lucked out in Entre Rios.
Saturday
23rd February
At 6.30 on the dot
Alec arrived. Somehow I had managed to get up and be downstairs in time. The
wedding was today – starting at 8pm - I
was a little worried what state I would be in having had so little sleep since
I arrived, but put those thoughts to one side and headed off to Otamendi, a
Marshland habitat that bordered the Parana river .
This was on the same route we had taken to Ceibas, but within Buenos Aires Province
Although the road was
only a few miles long, it took pretty much the entire morning to go up and down
it, peering over the vegetation into the marsh beyond, or scanning the ditches
either side. First up was one of the true specialties of the reserve, the Scarlet-Headed Blackbird. Alec picked
up these on sound, a two-toned mournful whistling. Whilst we never got close
views, we spent about 10 minutes watching these fantastic birds move through
the reeds, and managed some reasonably atmospheric shots, if not the glorious
close-up I was hoping for. Near here we found a Curve-billed Reedhaunter, another Otamendi specialty, and of
course, another Furnarid. I would have loved to have spent more time observing,
but you get only very brief views, and you cannot leave the road to get any
closer.
At our next stop, we
found a very busy Gilded Sapphire, a
blazing ball of colour flitting from leaf to leaf. Whilst stopped here we also
found a Chicli Spinetail, another Furnarid
we had so far missed, and a Green
Kingfisher was spotted flying along the roadside ditch. At an obvious
pull-in, Alec used playback to try and draw in a Straight-billed Reedhaunter, and incredibly, very soon after we
heard one calling back. Eventually it gave quite close views. Behaviourally, it
is quite similar to our Reed and Sedge Warblers. This was another bird we had
hoped to see, but was far from guaranteed, and meant we had seen pretty much
every local Furnarid. A short way from here we found a Rufous-capped Antshrike, and Long-tailed
Reedfinch, and a Bran-coloured
Flycatcher.
A short burst of rain
confined us to the car, but had the positive effect of preventing the dust from
blowing everywhere. And the dust was a different type to Ceibas, so we were in
no danger of getting stuck. Further on down the road we pulled up again and
began to be tantalized by the calls of a White-winged
Becard and Streaked Flycatcher
coming from the trees to our right. This latter bird was incredibly elusive,
and took about forty minutes to pin down. It seemed to be calling right in
front of us but we were just unable to see it.
We eventually left the road and went down alongside the ditch in order
to get closer to it. By the time we finally succeeded we had also managed to
see an unexpected Rufous-browed
Peppershrike in the same tree. There was also a small path along the ditch
(more a creek really) leading between fishing spots, and we followed this and
got good views of a Red-eyed Vireo,
a Small-billed Elaenia, as well as
finding a Solitary Black Cacique, an
Epaulet Oriole, and a Diademed Tanager. So often when looking
for one bird you find another, but this was exceptionally good.
We carried on to the end of the road, and had a quick look at theParana river ,
which save for a single Great Grebe
was entirely bird-free. This was quite pleasing as it was a new species and
Alec had predicted zero birds. The views were not brilliant as it is not a
small river and the bird was right on the other side. We then concentrated on a
small area of trees to the left of the road. The birds here were awesome. We
got brilliant views of another Diademed
Tanager, as well as Picazuro Pigeon,
and best of all a Tropical Parula –
a small yellow, blue and olive-green bird that took about 20 minutes of
searching the tree-tops for before finally getting on it. This was my first
experience of looking for American Wood Warblers, and my neck let me know it
was not happy! A Rufous-bellied Thrush
was much easier to get good views of – these birds are very common in fact, and
you can get good views of them in many of the parks in Buenos Aires
We carried on to the end of the road, and had a quick look at the
The day was always going to have to be slightly truncated. After all it would be a shame to have missed the wedding, the entire point of the many thousands of miles I had traveled. So after lunch we headed back to Buenos Aires via one final location, the Reserva Natural de Vicente Lopez (VL being the name of the district) – just outside the city limits and in fact quite near to Alec’s house. We negotiated some road works and found our way to the boardwalk around a small lake. The first bird we saw was another Plumbeous Rail, which gave very good views in a small culvert, and then we were also rewarded with excellent views of Red-gartered Coot, Common Gallinule (our Moorhen!), more Jacanas, many Striated Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and a small colony of Neotropic Cormorant. Rufous Hornero were of course omni-present, and there was an easily-photographed group of Monk Parakeets, somewhat to my chagrin, having spent a futile 20 minutes at Ceibas trying to get a decent shot. As we left, we picked up a Glittering-bellied Emerald, and finally a small bird that I spotted turned out to be a Golden-crowned warbler. In common with many birding trips, the last bird we saw was the Eurasian House Sparrow!
Alec dropped me at my
hotel exactly at the time planned, and so ended two of the most fantastic
birding days I have ever experienced. He headed home for a well-earned rest,
and I had an hour zoned-out for a power nap prior to the wedding. I didn’t
actually think I would manage to last the course but I somehow got second-wind,
and danced/ate/drank until 4am, getting back to the hotel at 5am. By this stage
I had been in the country for 66 hours and had had just under 10 hours sleep.
Luckily the next day was a day off – we literally had nothing planned at all –
well, until the evening anyhow, when we were due on yet another bender.
Sunday
24th February
We spent a lot of the
day sleeping, and then had a wander through a reasonably touristy part of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires Palermo Buenos Aires before we flew back to London
We had a great
evening at a traditional Parilla restaurant, basically a barbeque place. Not
for those with small appetites, or vegetarians. The Caipirinhas were awesome.
If you’re in Argentina
Monday 25th February
Today we were off to Northern Patagonia . I added one more bird waiting for the
plane in Buenos Aires
The flight to San Carlos Patagonia are unpaved, so
we thought we had better be prepared. In the event though, our giant shiny 4x4
was repeatedly overtaken on these unpaved roads by the most clapped-out cars
imaginable, and we didn’t see any breakdowns.
We found our hotel to
be pretty crappy, but didn’t really mind as we didn’t intend to spend any time
there. We also realized that we were not young anymore, and found that a room
looking out onto a street in a town that doesn’t stop until 3am to be less than
ideal. San Carlos de Bariloche is a very touristy place, and full of trekkers
slumming it. We felt slightly out of place, and decided to spend the remainder
of the day out of town. We found the road to Llao Llao and headed off along the
side of Lago Nahuel Huapi. I almost drove into the back of the car in front
here as I noticed a Black Vulture in
a tree – Charlie was eventually to do the bulk of the driving on the grounds I
was not concentrating enough – a fair point. This was fine by me, but led to a
couple of minor disagreements when he drove past birds I really wanted to stop
and look at. We were both having too much of a great time to have any real
arguments though, and quality music remedied everything. My iPod had recovered,
and so we listened to a series of great albums, alternately chosen, as we drove
through stunning scenery. Llao Llao is the site of one of Argentina
We carried on up the
road through fantastic scenery, and stopped for a longer walk at a small lake
just to the north-west along the main road from Llao Llao. It is well
signposted from the road, and there is a decent car park. The path took us
through bamboo thickets and interesting trees before emerging at a glorious
lake. Austral Parakeets flashed
above us, and the trail was alive with Thorn-tailed
Rayadito, one of the most common Patagonian Furnarids. I was also fortunate
to get excellent views of a Black-throated
Huet-huet, described as a real skulker. We spent a long time just looking
at the Lake , appreciating the silence. Back on
the road we continued around to a view-point south of Llao Llao, that looked
back over Lago Moreno towards Lago Nahuel Huapi. This is one of the most
glorious views I have ever had the pleasure to gaze upon. Photographs just
don’t do it justice. It was 8pm at night, in warm sun, haze-free, and we could
see for miles.
Tuesday
26th February
Today we planned to climb Cerro Catedral, the
mountain at the heart of the ski-resort. It being late summer, there was no
snow, so it had potential for a magnificent trek up the pistes. We
unfortunately did not leave as early as we had planned, and once we had stopped
off to get provisions, it was mid-morning, which meant we would be climbing the
mountain in full sun and heat. We were soon on the winding road that led to the
ski-village at the base of the mountain, and en-route I enforced a couple of
stops where we saw a Cinerous Harrier.
We chose the medium route to the summit – these correspond exactly with the
grade of ski-run, i.e. gentle, medium, or straight up (down if skiing) – and
set off. Stupidly we decided a short-cut up a pony trail would be a good idea,
and this unfortunately killed me off, it being rather steeper than anticipated.
I’m not used to walking up steep gradients, and within an hour I had nasty
blisters developing that I did not want to exacerbate this early on the trip.
We were probably about half way up at this point, so Charlie left me
bird-watching, and continued to the next ski-lift station, from where he got to
the summit (and where he left his sun-glasses…). At this level on the mountain
there were some very bleak scree faces, and on these I had soon picked up a
number of very alert White-browed Ground
Tyrant and Dark-faced Ground Tyrant.
They stood like sentries on prominent rocks to check me out. Try as I might, in
such exposed terrain, I could not get close enough for a particularly good
photo – as soon as I came remotely close the bird relocated up the mountain to
the next rocky perch.
I had agreed to meet
Charlie at the village – walking downhill was not a problem – and whilst on the
way back I saw Red-backed Hawk, more
Austral Parakeet, and a number of White-crested Elaenia, whose familiar
calls would be such a feature of the landscape over the next few days. I wished
I had made it to the top, not only for the view, but for the possibility of
raptors. It was an immensely craggy landscape, perfect for large birds of prey
beginning with the letter C.
As Charlie had taken
the lift up the remainder of the mountain, and then all the way down again, we
actually had most of the afternoon free, so we set off for an area close to the
Chilean border which had views of a volcano, a waterfall, and some rapids. Once
again, the landscape was amazing, and is largely empty. Along the shore of Lago Mascardi Argentina
Wednesday
27th February
We left Bariloche to
drive to our next base, San Martin de Los Andes .
These two towns are connected by what is known as the Seven Lakes Drive
The final stretch of
the drive winds along the eastern shore of Lago Lacar, and in the distance we
could see the town of San Martin de Los Andes, nestled against the northern
tip. As we pulled in to the town we realized we would like it here. The town is
far less touristy, reflecting its relative isolation, and the streets were
wide, and empty. It had a relaxed and comfy atmosphere. This is the land of the
Pehuen, the Monkey Puzzle tree, and our hotel had one in the front garden, and
in fact they were all over town. Lanin NP contains the southern-most remaining
stands of the Araucaria forests that once covered the Argentine and Chilean
slopes at this latitude, and was one of the sights that more than anything I wanted
to experience. We went and had some lunch by the shore of the lake – so I had
fish rather than steak – and a quick survey of Lago Lacar wildlife produced Kelp Gull, Yellow-billed Pintail, and Chiloe
(Southern) Wigeon – the latter being a new tick.
After lunch we went
for a walk along the sides of Lago Lacar, about 45 minute’s drive from San
Martin. We could not initially find the path we were looking for, so ended up
walking along the road for a mile or so before turning back. We were hemmed in
by trees on this stretch, so did not get good views, but the road was for some
reason raptor-tastic. I got excellent views of 3 Turkey Vulture, and both a Peregrine
and an Aplomado Falcon flew
overhead. Once back at the car, we realized that the path was about 20 yards
behind us, and we had just covered 2 pointless miles. Even though we were
running out of daylight, we chose to give it a go anyway, and were soon in deep
forest, climbing slowly upwards, and happily engaged in ridiculous Arnie
impressions, taken mainly from “Predator”. During one memorable rendition of
the “it’s using the trees!” scene, I heard a faint, but deep tap, more like
a “plunk”’. My heart skipped a beat –
could this be the bird of the trip? And indeed it was – it took a lot of
searching, but eventually I was looking at a female Magellanic Woodpecker. After watching David Attenborough’s “Life of
Birds”, this had been one of the two top targets for the holiday, along with
Condor. I proceeded to try to attract the bird closer using the same tapping
technique as in the series. I had neglected to bring stones, but I found two
reasonably dense sticks, picked a tree trunk, and did a rapid double-tap. And
it worked!! Within three minutes the male bird had come to investigate me, and
I enjoyed wonderful views of this stunning woodpecker before the pair flew off
together. Unsurprisingly I was on cloud nine, and we had a very nice walk
before heading back to the car, and to San Martin for a celebratory steak.
Thursday
28th February
Our car gained a parking ticket at some
point this morning before we got up. We later learned that this was for parking
pointing the wrong way on the street. We had just driven up to our hotel,
parked, and went and had dinner. We were the only car there. We had to report
to some civic office in the town to pay up for this heinous crime, but elected
not to bother as it would take up too much time and we were late already.
Stupid law anyway. We were off to Lanin Volcano.
It was becoming more and more difficult
to add new birds to the trip list, but at the same time the landscape was
becoming more and more spectacular. Actually climbing the volcano takes two
days and you need a guide, but we planned to get at least to get to the first
waypoint on the lower slopes. We took route 61, which starts just north of
Junin de los Andes , and you start to see the
volcano from a long way off - it dominates the landscape for miles around. It
was mandatory to stop and take photos, and at one view point there was an isolated
stand of Araucaria. Just after this stop, at another viewpoint, I got a new
tick in Common Diuca Finch, which
were in a group in some scrub just near the side of the road. Kelp Gulls flew over Lago Huechulafquen
in ones and twos.
Maybe it was further away than we thought, or
maybe this far into our holiday we were beginning to relax, and so had a slow
start, but whichever it was, we arrived at Lanin far later than planned, which
meant we did not have time to do the walk. In fact the rangers will not let you
leave after lunch, though we convinced the Park Official present that we were
not doing the whole thing and would check in with him again in a few hours,
which we duly did. If you do want to do this walk and are based in San Martin,
you need to leave at first light to arrive there in time, as it is a 7 hour
hike, to 2300m. That being the case we decided to do a section of the Lanin
walk, as well as a shorter walk up to El Saltito waterfall, at Piedre Mala,
which we went to first. We had some sandwiches under a tree near a farm,
alongside Black-faced Ibis, and then
headed up to the waterfall. This was a great walk, and for once Charlie and I
reached the top almost at the same time. I found one bird I was unable to
identify, even with a record shot (ie crap) photo, and alongside the stream
below the waterfall there was a Dark-bellied
Cinclodes. This bird is typical of this habitat, and I was pleased to be
able to watch it hopping about on fallen logs, going about its business. I
guess the closest comparison is a Dipper. We retraced our route back to
the start of the Lanin walk, and set off.
The walk starts at Puerto Canoas
alongside a river, and gradually you get into a reasonably unvarying landscape
of low trees and scrub. Once again, birding and trekking didn’t go hand in
hand, so I lost Charlie (or rather he lost me) after about half an hour. We had
previously agreed that we would only walk for an hour and a half before turning
back, so I figured that if I kept going and stuck to the path I’d meet him
coming back. He ended up having a great walk with his iPod, and I got stuck
into some decent birding, but only added a few new birds. I found a colony of Black-chinned Siskin on sound, in pines
near the river – this is what caused Charlie to lose me - as well as a Cordilleran Canastero, and many House Wrens. Had we continued, I
suspect that the Landscape would have changed, first into pine forest, and then
into bare scree, both with different populations of birds. For another trip
perhaps. We returned to San Martin, parked the car facing the right way, and
went out for dinner.
Friday
29th February
Charlie was feeling a little sick, as
was I (we had stopped eating steak and had green stuff instead, this was the
problem – as soon as I started eating steak again I was fine – lesson learned).
Anyway, he had a lie in, and I went off to find some Araucano forest. I left
before dawn, and enjoyed a magical pink sun-rise. The landscape around the volcano
is flat scrubby plain with low bushes. It is widely used for grazing cattle,
and unfortunately is largely fenced off, but the birding is excellent from the
roadside.
This time I took route 60 heading
towards the Paso Tromen and Chile Chile Chile
I parked up and enjoyed a magical walk
through a dense, if small stand of ancient trees, with many fallen, and
pleasingly quite a few younger trees. Fresh seed is scattered all about, and it
is forbidden to collect it. I picked up a sharp stone for digging, planted
eleven fertile seeds in various spots around the immediate vicinity, figuring
that wasn’t collecting. If I went back now I would remember almost exactly
where I planted most of them, so I wonder if anything will come of it.
You walk though the Pehuen until you
reach a bluff above the lake. More wonderful views. At this point I was closer
to Chile
At another location a few miles further
on, where the road crosses a river, I stopped and went for a walk on some stony
and sandy ground alongside the water. In the bushes here I found Grey-headed Sierra-finch, and an
excellent Striped Woodpecker, the
austral counterpart to the Checkered Woodpecker at Ceibas. I saw many other
birds on the drive back, but no new ones.
Back at San Martin, Charlie had not
enjoyed a frustrating morning of Argentine bureaucracy. He had duly queued up
to pay the parking ticket, only to be told he then needed to walk to another
office the other side of town, get it stamped, and then come back and queue
again to actually pay it. Quite rightly he decided to stuff it, and went and
did something else, this after all was a holiday. I can’t remember what we did
for the rest of the day, I think we just went for a walk near San Martin, and
had steak for dinner. For the first time in Patagonia
it rained – and rained loads. The streets all but disappeared. Up until that
point though we had enjoyed blue skies day after day, so we were not
complaining.
The following morning we went for a couple of quick walks, one up to the top of the outcrop that overlooks San Martin and Lago Lacar. This starts from near the water treatment works, and is a moderate climb. Part of the walk takes you into the land belonging to the indigenous tribe of the area, so you have to pay a small fee. The view from the top is good, if not quite as spectacular as the Llao Llao one. Returning to town, we checked out of our hotel and started the drive back to Bariloche. Whilst it would have been great to do the
We saw two more Condors a little
further on, and arrived back at the airport in Bariloche highly pleased with
ourselves, and having thoroughly enjoyed our stay in the area. Our plane was
delayed by a couple of hours, so I went birding around the airport, and picked
up three new species. A mobile Plain-mantled
Tit-spinetail on the perimeter fence, Austral
Negrito right next to the parking lot, and Great Shrike-Tyrant near the entrance booths. Also present were
plenty of Long-tailed Meadowlarks.
We sorted out the parking ticket with the poor guy from Avis, who would
subsequently need to go and present the car paperwork back at San Martin to pay
it, and headed back to Buenos Aires
Sunday 2nd March
We had the morning in
Buenos Aires Palermo
Final Thoughts
My trip
total was 188 different species, which surpassed my wildest
expectations. However it was not the number of species, but more the
sheer abundance of birds. Whilst the best birding in the Buenos Aires Northern Patagonia has an entirely
different range of species, most of which are unique the narrow Andean strip,
and is worth a visit for the scenery alone.
If you went to Argentina purely for birding, for 2-3 weeks, and
also managed to get to the extreme south, the Valdes Peninsula
The enthusiastic and
knowledgeable Alec Earnshaw can be contacted through his excellent website http://www.fotosaves.com.ar/Birds.html,
which will also give you a great introduction to the birds you will likely see.
I can't recommend his guiding services highly enough. If you go birding in the Buenos Aires
In my opinion there
is no single quality guide to the birds of Argentina Argentina
and Uruguay
Trip List
Common
Name Species Location
Greater Rhea
|
Rhea
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Pied-billed Grebe
|
Podilymbus podiceps
|
|
White-tufted Grebe
|
Rollandia rolland
|
|
Great Grebe
|
Podiceps major
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Silvery Grebe
|
Podiceps occipitalis
|
Lago Mascardi,
|
Neotropic Cormorant
|
Phalacrocorax brasilianus
|
Buenos Aires & Patagonia
|
Cocoi Heron
|
Ardea cocoi
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Great Egret
|
Ardea alba
|
Otamendi,
|
Snowy Egret
|
Egretta thula
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Cattle Egret
|
Bubulcus ibis
|
Otamendi,
|
Striated Heron
|
Butorides striata
|
Otamendi,
|
Black-crowned Night-Heron
|
Nycticorax nycticorax
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Rufescent Tiger-Heron
|
Tigrisoma lineatum
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Wood Stork
|
Mycteria Americana
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Maguari Stork
|
Ciconia maguari
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Black-faced Ibis
|
Theristicus melanopis
|
Llao Llao, Neuquen & Lanin NP
|
Bare-faced Ibis
|
Phimosus infuscatus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
White-faced Ibis
|
Plegadis chihi
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Roseate Spoonbill
|
Platalea ajaja
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Southern Screamer
|
Chauna torquata
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Black-necked Swan
|
Cygnus melancoryphus
|
|
Upland Goose
|
Chloephaga picta
|
Nahuel Huapi NP, Neuquen
|
Ashy-headed Goose
|
Chloephaga poliocephala
|
Llao Llao, Neuquen
|
Mallard
|
Anas platyrhynchos
|
|
Brazilian Teal
|
Amazonetta brasiliensis
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Anas sibilatrix
|
San Martin de los
|
|
Speckled Teal
|
Anas flavirostris
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Yellow-billed Pintail
|
Anas georgica
|
Llao Llao, Neuquen & San Martin
de los
|
Silver Teal
|
Anas versicolor
|
Otamendi,
|
Rosy-billed Pochard
|
Netta peposaca
|
|
Black Vulture
|
Coragyps atratus
|
Bariloche,
|
Turkey Vulture
|
Cathartes aura
|
Lago Lacar, Neuquen
|
Andean Condor
|
Vultur gryphus
|
Paso Cordoba, Neuquen
|
Snail Kite
|
Rostrhamus sociabilis
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios & Costenara
Sur,
|
Long-winged Harrier
|
Circus buffoni
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Cinereous Harrier
|
Circus cinereus
|
Cerro Catedral,
|
Savanna Hawk
|
Buteogallus meridionalis
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle
|
Geranoaetus melanoleucus
|
Nahuel Huapi, Rio Negro & RP 63,
Neuquen
|
Roadside Hawk
|
Buteo magnirostris
|
Otamendi,
|
Red-backed Hawk
|
Buteo polyosoma
|
Cerro Catedral,
|
Southern Caracara
|
Caracara plancus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Chimango Caracara
|
Milvago chimango
|
Otamendi,
|
American Kestrel
|
Falco sparverius
|
RN 231 , Neuquen
|
Aplomado Falcon
|
Falco femoralis
|
Lago Lacar, Neuquen
|
Peregrine Falcon
|
Falco peregrinus
|
Lago Lacar, Neuquen
|
California Quail
|
Callipepla californica
|
RP 63, Neuquen
|
Limpkin
|
Aramus guarauna
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Giant Wood-Rail
|
Aramides ypecaha
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios & Costenara
Sur,
|
Plumbeous Rail
|
Pardirallus sanguinolentus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Common Gallinule
|
Gallinula chloropus
|
Vicente Lopez NR,
|
Spot-flanked Gallinule
|
Gallinula melanops
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
White-winged Coot
|
Fulica leucoptera
|
|
Red-gartered Coot
|
Fulica armillata
|
Vicente Lopez NR,
|
Wattled Jacana
|
Jacana jacana
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
White-backed Stilt
|
Himantopus melanurus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Southern Lapwing
|
Vanellus chilensis
|
|
Common Snipe
|
Gallinago gallinago
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Greater Yellowlegs
|
Tringa melanoleuca
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Pectoral Sandpiper
|
Calidris melanotus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Kelp Gull
|
Larus dominicanus
|
|
Brown-hooded Gull
|
Larus maculipennis
|
|
Picazuro Pigeon
|
Patagioenas picazuro
|
Otamendi,
|
Spot-winged Pigeon
|
Patagioenas maculosa
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Eared Dove
|
Zenaida auriculata
|
|
Picui Ground-Dove
|
Columbina picui
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
White-tipped Dove
|
Leptotila verreauxi
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Austral Parakeet
|
Enicognathus ferrugineus
|
Llao Llao, Neuquen
|
Monk Parakeet
|
Myiopsitta monachus
|
|
Dark-billed Cuckoo
|
Coccyzus melacoryphus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Guira Cuckoo
|
Guira guira
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Burrowing Owl
|
Athene cunicularia
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Nacunda Nighthawk
|
Podager nacunda
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Glittering-bellied Emerald
|
Chlorostilbon aureoventris
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Gilded Sapphire
|
Hylocharis chrysura
|
Otamendi,
|
Ringed Kingfisher
|
Megaceryle torquatus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Green Kingfisher
|
Chloroceryle
|
Otamendi,
|
White-fronted Woodpecker
|
Melanerpes cactorum
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Striped Woodpecker
|
Picoides lignarius
|
Lanin NP, Neuquen
|
Checkered Woodpecker
|
Picoides mixtus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Green-barred Woodpecker
|
Colaptes melanochloros
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Campo Flicker
|
Colaptes campestris
|
|
Magellanic Woodpecker
|
Campephilus magellanicus
|
Lago Lacar, Neuquen
|
Bar-winged Cinclodes
|
Cinclodes fuscus
|
Lanin NP, Neuquen
|
Dark-bellied Cinclodes
|
Cinclodes patagonicus
|
Lanin NP, Neuquen
|
Rufous Hornero
|
Furnarius rufus
|
|
Curve-billed Reedhaunter
|
Limnornis curvirostris
|
Otamendi,
|
Straight-billed Reedhaunter
|
Limnornis rectirostris
|
Otamendi,
|
Wren-like Rushbird
|
Phleocryptes melanops
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Thorn-tailed Rayadito
|
Aphrastura spinicauda
|
Llao Llao, Neuquen & throughout
|
Tufted Tit-Spinetail
|
Leptasthenura platensis
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail
|
Leptasthenura aegithaloides
|
Bariloche airport,
|
Des Murs' Wiretail
|
Sylviorthorhynchus desmursii
|
Lanin NP, Neuquen
|
Chotoy Spinetail
|
Schoeniophylax phryganophilus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Sooty-fronted Spinetail
|
Synallaxis frontalis
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Pale-breasted Spinetail
|
Synallaxis albescens
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Chicli Spinetail
|
Synallaxis spixi
|
Otamendi,
|
Sulphur-bearded Spinetail
|
Cranioleuca sulphurifera
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Stripe-crowned Spinetail
|
Cranioleuca pyrrhophia
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Yellow-chinned Spinetail
|
Certhiaxis cinnamomeus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Cordilleran Canastero
|
Asthenes modesta
|
Lanin NP, Neuquen
|
Short-billed Canastero
|
Asthenes baeri
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Little Thornbird
|
Phacellodomus sibilatrix
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Freckle-breasted Thornbird
|
Phacellodomus striaticollis
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Firewood-gatherer
|
Anumbius annumbi
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Lark-like Brushrunner
|
Coryphistera alaudina
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Brown Cacholote
|
Pseudoseisura lophotes
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper
|
Drymornis bridgesii
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Narrow-billed Woodcreeper
|
Lepidocolaptes angustirostris
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Rufous-capped Antshrike
|
Thamnophilus ruficapillus
|
Otamendi,
|
Black-throated Huet-huet
|
Pteroptochos tarnii
|
Llao Llao, Neuquen
|
Chucao Tapaculo
|
Scelorchilus rubecula
|
Llao Llao, Neuquen
|
White-tipped Plantcutter
|
Phytotoma rutila
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Rufous-tailed Plantcutter
|
Phytotoma rara
|
RN 231, Neuquen
|
White-crested Elaenia
|
Elaenia albiceps
|
Cerro Catedral, Rio Negro &
throughout
|
Small-billed Elaenia
|
Elaenia parvirostris
|
Otamendi,
|
Suiriri Flycatcher
|
Suiriri suiriri
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Sooty Tyrannulet
|
Serpophaga nigricans
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
White-crested Tyrannulet
|
Serpophaga subcristata
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Warbling Doradito
|
Pseudocolopteryx flaviventris
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Bran-colored Flycatcher
|
Myiophobus fasciatus
|
Otamendi,
|
Vermilion Flycatcher
|
Pyrocephalus rubinus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Austral Negrito
|
Lessonia rufa
|
Bariloche airport,
|
Spectacled Tyrant
|
Hymenops perspicillatus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Yellow-browed Tyrant
|
Satrapa icterophrys
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Fire-eyed Diucon
|
Xolmis pyrope
|
Lago Lacar, Neuquen
|
White Monjita
|
Xolmis irupero
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Great Shrike-Tyrant
|
Agriornis lividus
|
Bariloche airport,
|
Dark-faced Ground-Tyrant
|
Muscisaxicola maclovianus
|
Cerro Catedral,
|
White-browed Ground-Tyrant
|
Muscisaxicola albilora
|
Cerro Catedral,
|
Cattle Tyrant
|
Machetornis rixosa
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Great Kiskadee
|
Pitangus sulphuratus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios & Costenara
Sur,
|
Streaked Flycatcher
|
Myiodynastes maculatus
|
Otamendi,
|
Crowned Slaty Flycatcher
|
Griseotyrannus aurantioatrocristatus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Tropical Kingbird
|
Tyrannus melancholicus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
|
Tyrannus savana
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios & Costenara
Sur,
|
White-naped Xenopsaris
|
Xenopsaris albinucha
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
White-winged Becard
|
Pachyramphus polychopterus
|
Otamendi,
|
White-rumped Swallow
|
Tachycineta leucorrhoa
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Chilean Swallow
|
Tachycineta meyeni
|
Lago Mascardi,
|
Brown-chested Martin
|
Progne tapera
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Blue-and-white Swallow
|
Notiochelidon cyanoleuca
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Barn Swallow
|
Hirundo rustica
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Cliff Swallow
|
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
|
Otamendi,
|
Yellowish Pipit
|
Anthus lutescens
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
House Wren
|
Troglodytes aedon
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Chalk-browed Mockingbird
|
Mimus saturninus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios &
|
Rufous-bellied Thrush
|
Turdus rufiventris
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios &
|
Austral Thrush
|
Turdus falcklandii
|
Llao Llao, Neuquen
|
Creamy-bellied Thrush
|
Turdus amaurochalinus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Masked Gnatcatcher
|
Polioptila dumicola
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios & Otamendi
|
Crested Myna
|
Acridotheres cristatellus
|
|
Eurasian Starling
|
Sturnus vulgaris
|
|
House Sparrow
|
Passer domesticus
|
Vincente Lopez NR,
|
Red-eyed Vireo
|
Vireo olivaceus
|
Otamendi,
|
Rufous-browed Peppershrike
|
Cyclarhis gujanensis
|
Otamendi,
|
Hooded Siskin
|
Carduelis magellanica
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Black-chinned Siskin
|
Carduelis barbata
|
Lanin NP, Neuquen
|
Tropical Parula
|
Parula pitiayumi
|
Otamendi,
|
Masked Yellowthroat
|
Geothlypis aequinoctialis
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Golden-crowned Warbler
|
Basileuterus culicivorus
|
Vicente Lopez NR,
|
Sayaca Tanager
|
Thraupis sayaca
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios & Otamendi
|
Blue-and-yellow Tanager
|
Thraupis bonariensis
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Diademed Tanager
|
Stephanophorus diadematus
|
Otamendi,
|
Grey-hooded Sierra-Finch
|
Phrygilus gayi
|
Lanin NP, Neuquen
|
Mourning Sierra-Finch
|
Phrygilus fruticeti
|
Lanin NP, Neuquen
|
Long-tailed Reed-Finch
|
Donacospiza albifrons
|
Otamendi,
|
Common Diuca-Finch
|
Diuca diuca
|
Lanin NP, Neuquen
|
Black-and-rufous Warbling-Finch
|
Poospiza nigrorufa
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Black-capped Warbling-Finch
|
Poospiza melanoleuca
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Double-collared Seedeater
|
Sporophila caerulescens
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Saffron Finch
|
Sicalis flaveola
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Great Pampa-Finch
|
Embernagra platensis
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Red-crested Cardinal
|
Paroaria coronata
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios &
|
Yellow-billed Cardinal
|
Paroaria capitata
|
|
Rufous-collared Sparrow
|
Zonotrichia capensis
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Greyish Saltator
|
Saltator coerulescens
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Golden-billed Saltator
|
Saltator aurantiirostris
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Unicolored Blackbird
|
Agelasticus cyanopus
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Yellow-winged Blackbird
|
Agelasticus thilius
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
White-browed Blackbird
|
Sturnella superciliaris
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Long-tailed Meadowlark
|
Sturnella loyca
|
Lanin NP, Neuquen
|
Shiny Cowbird
|
Molothrus bonariensis
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios & Vicente
Lopez NR,
|
Epaulet Oriole
|
Icterus cayanensis
|
Otamendi,
|
Solitary Cacique
|
Cacicus solitarius
|
Otamendi,
|
Brown-and-yellow Marshbird
|
Pseudoleistes virescens
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios
|
Scarlet-headed Blackbird
|
Amblyramphus holosericeus
|
Otamendi,
|
Austral Blackbird
|
Curaeus curaeus
|
Lanin NP, Neuquen
|
Bay-winged Cowbird
|
Agelaioides badius
|
Ceibas, Entre Rios & Costenara
Sur,
|
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