Argentina Tour Report , 2nd to 18th November

Our British Airways flight from Gatwick departed a few minutes late, but otherwise an excellent flight, which arrived at Buenos Aires International Airport 20 minutes early on the morning of Day 2.

After arriving at Buenos Aires International Airport at 7.30 a.m., we were met by our ground operators and transferred to Hotel Bristol in Buenos Aires.   We had a most enjoyable buffet lunch in a local restaurant and then met our guide (Rosendo Fraga) and visited the marvellous Costanera Reserve on the edge of Buenos Aires docklands.

This is a marshland reserve that gives an excellent introduction to Argentina's bird life - particularly some of the more common species.  Wildfowl were particularly well represented, including Coscoroba and Black-necked Swans, Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, Silver Teal, Speckled Teal, Red Shoveler, Lake Duck, Black-headed Duck and Rosy-billed Pochard.  Other highlights were: Snail Kite, Bare-faced Ibis, Spot-winged Gallinule, Red-gartered and White-winged Coots, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Monk Parakeet, Guira Cuckoo, Eared Dove, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Rufous Hornero (National Bird), Great Pampa-Finch, Shiny Cowbird, Yellow-billed & Red-crested Cardinals.

It was a memorable start to our birding tour of Argentina.

An early start, departing Buenos Aires domestic airport on the flight to Trelew in Patagonia. The flight passed without incident and we arrived on schedule.  We were met by our local tour representative, Diana, and boarded our private coach.  On leaving Trelew Airport we immediately started our birdwatching in earnest - observing American Kestrel and Chimango Caracara in the airport environs.

A short distance further on, we were taken to the superb 'La Caca' lagoons, which held an abundance of bird life: Chilean Flamingo, Great Grebe, Silvery Grebe, Red Shoveler, Yellow-billed Pintail, Masked Duck, Cinereous Harrier, Southern Lapwing, Wilson's Phalarope, Kelp Gull and Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant.  From here we then visited the famed Punta Tomba Penguin Colony and a super time was had by all.  Walking amidst these comical characters was an experience not to be missed.  There were also many other sightings including Lesser Rhea, Southern Giant Petrel, Chubut Steamer-Duck, Patagonian Mockingbird and Mourning Sierra-Finch.  We then drove to our hotel at Trelew.

We drove to the Valdes Peninsula after breakfast - which was to be the scene of our birding activities for the next two days.  We commenced our visit in real style, by being taken to Estancia Las Charas and escorted in 4WD vehicles around the property to a Sea Lion colony in a marvellous location.  We were very privileged to experience close encounters with these wonderful creatures.  However, not only were there Sea Lions but a marvellous colony of King and Rock Cormorants, all three Oystercatchers (American, Magellanic and Blackish), and Snowy Sheathbill, whilst Giant Petrels patrolled close inshore.  Later there was a period of excellent birdwatching with White-banded Mockingbird, Upland Geese and Long-tailed Meadowlark.  Our afternoon treat was the boat trip from Puerto Piramides to see Right Whales.  We were not to be disappointed, for we were privileged to have observations at close quarters - almost touching distance - a superb ending to a fantastic day's wildlife watching.  Even on the journey back we were experiencing splendid situations and at one stop encountered Two-banded Plovers, Baird's Sandpiper and Cinereous Harriers.  We then drove to our splendid accommodation at Punta Delgarda – a converted lighthouse and naval station, now a hotel.

A super start to the day whilst heading for Punta Norte, for in a very short distance we encountered a Skunk, Grey Fox and four Tawny-throated Dotterels.  Caleta Valdes is an important site for a colony of Elephant Seals and one is provided with grandstand views of these impressive creatures.  Giant Petrels were always present.

A constant vigil was kept for Orcas (Killer Whales) but without success.  Patagonian Mockingbirds were very approachable, as were a pair of Patagonian Yellow-Finches building a nest in a Common Miner's nest hole in a bank.

After a hearty picnic lunch we drove to Punta Norta - famed for its presentation in a BBC Wildlife documentary about Killer Whales taking Sea Lions off the beach.  This area provided some excellent sea watching: Kerguelen Petrel, White-chinned Petrel and Black-browed Albatross were all seen.  Mammal species were not to be outdone, with Hairy Armadillo and Grey Fox observed at close quarters.

Today was a day of travelling and after an early breakfast we reluctantly departed from our Lighthouse Hotel to Trelew, where we caught our domestic flight to Buenos Aires and then connected with a flight to Salta.  Here we were met by our guide and driver and transferred to our comfortable downtown hotel.

On our way to El Rey National Park, we stopped at Cobos.  Driving along a dirt track on the outskirts of the village, we suddenly came upon an area with abundant bird life and an excellent spell of birdwatching ensued - Chaco Chachalacas, Small-billed Elaenia, Lined Seedeater, Red-crested Finch and Hooded Siskin were all observed.  Our next stop was at the River Juranmento where the birdwatching was excellent: Cliff Flycatcher, Sooty Tyrannulet, Black Phoebe and Golden-billed Saltator were amongst many species
present.  Just before we stopped at this spot, a Bay-winged (Harris) Hawk was observed, perched in a roadside tree.  Our next venue was El Rey National Park, where we enjoyed splendid birding, while only journeying a short distance into this marvellous National Park.  A superb encounter with an adult and immature Roadside Hawk was soon followed by an array of sub-tropical forest bird life, including Green-cheeked Parakeet, Tropical Parula, Blue-hooded Euphonia, Sayaca Tanager and Rust-and-Yellow Tanager.
En route to our base for the night (Joaquin V. Gonzalez), the roadside verges attracted multitudes of doves - mainly Picui Ground-Doves but also Eared Doves and Ruddy Ground-Dove.  Finally before retiring to our hotel in Gonzalez we encountered Red-legged Seriema and Striped Cuckoo.

After an early breakfast we drove back to 'El Rey', with the aim of reaching the Park's HQ - some 40 kilometres off the main road on a dirt track.  At our first stop we discovered Spot-backed Puffbird and Plush-crested Jays.  A series of further stops produced Olivaceous Cormorants, Roseate Spoonbill, Buff-necked Ibis, Gilded Hummingbird, Alder and Turquoise-fronted Parrots, Fawn-breasted Tanager, a group of Swallow-tailed Kites and our first Toco Toucan.

There are seven river crossings to make to get to the Park's HQ, and we had made four of these when our journey came to an abrupt end - heavy overnight rain made road conditions impossible and forced us to turn back, but not before seeing Dark-billed Cuckoo and Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant.  On our return journey we paused at one of the river crossings to check the bird life, and were pleased to add new birds to the list: Grey-necked Wood-Rail and King Vulture.  It was then time to make the trip back to Salta for an overnight stay.

Today we drove into Los Cordones NP, through Escolpes Canyon, with a goal of reaching the Puna habitat.  En route we saw our first and only Wood Stork and then in a lovely marshy section of the valley, a super selection of species presented themselves.  First was a very impressive Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, then Grey-hooded Parakeet, followed by South American Snipe, White-winged Black-Tyrant, Chiguanco Thrush, Mourning Sierra-Finch and Saffron Finch. 

Travelling through the Canyon the scenery was breathtaking, and in fact gradually became even more impressive.  Eventually we reached a superb escarpment where the appearance of the shadow of a very large bird against the rocks could only mean one thing - Condor!  The coach was promptly vacated and everyone had excellent views of an adult bird, accompanied by a juvenile.  Several other Condors were seen in this area, but were a little more distant.  Our journey continued through a wonderful montane environment with superb panoramic vistas.  Our next stop was at a gully with a delightful waterfall set against an escarpment of cacti and flowering scrub.  It was here that we enjoyed marvellous views of Red-tailed Comets - several females but also two superb males.  We eventually reached the high Puna zone, a much drier and dustier habitat.  After a few stops to see some of the area's avian inhabitants, namely Common Miner and Rock Earthcreeper, our final birding and photography within the National Park was in an area of 'Giant Cacti'.  It was here that we discovered a group (20+) of Tawny-throated Dotterels and a little further on a Streak-fronted Thornbird.  The landscape here was dramatic - a dry mountainous plain, with Giant Cacti but with snow-clad peaks in the distance.  It was then time to turn around and make the long return journey to Salta.

After an early breakfast we left Salta behind, travelling northwards along the Humahuaca Rift on picturesque mountain roads through rainforest, which provided super birdwatching on our frequent stops.  Buff-browed Spinetail, Buff-browed Foliage-Gleaner, White-crested Elaenia, White-throated Tyrannulet, Mottle-cheeked Tyrannulet, Cinnamon Flycatcher, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Common Bush-Tanager, Golden-billed Saltator and Black-backed Grosbeak, starred amongst a marvellous avian cast in this beautiful montane forest habitat. We then moved on to a different habitat - a beautiful hillside area with a fast-flowing mountain stream, which appeared perfect for our target species: Torrent Duck and Rufous-throated Dipper.  It was our lucky day: firstly we saw a pair of Torrent Ducks and then we enjoyed wonderfully close encounters with a Rufous-throated Dipper.  Later on, we located two more Torrent Ducks at a higher elevation.  After a late lunch we headed for Purmamaca - an Indian village, well known by tourists, and we spent a pleasant hour here.  Before reaching our hotel, we spotted two Andean Gulls on the river, which at this point ran extremely close to the road.  As we were crossing the river near to the hotel, an Aplomado Falcon was observed eating prey (pigeon) on the ground.

Laguna Pozuelo is situated on a high Andean plateau (Puna) and the area to find some of the special and rare Andean avifauna was to be our venue today.  En route we passed through some fascinating and dramatic scenery - the geological formations were fantastic.

Passing through beautiful valleys we saw and photographed our first Llamas and amongst the bird life here we studied White-tailed Hawk and Red-backed Hawk.  At higher elevations were many feeding finches and a few other species - Puna, Citron-headed and Greater Yellow-Finches and Black Siskin. 
We eventually reached the town of Abra Pampa, only to receive some bad news - Laguna Pozuelo was dried up.  Where would we find our special Puna species?  The answer was actually not too far away, but it was some time before we found it.  Most of this time was spent driving around a desert-like environment in search of water.  At a very tiny tributary, we did see Andean Lapwings, Crested Duck, Brown Pintail and Bar-winged Cinclodes, but it was only when we were taken to a marshland on the outskirts of Abra Pampa that we found all the birds we were hoping for.  Here were Puna Ibis, Andean Geese, Andean Lapwings, Andean Gull, Puna Teal, Andean & Chilean Flamingos, Andean Swallow and Baird's Sandpipers.  Mountain Caracaras had been seen earlier but were photographed on the way out of town.  The last couple of hours had been superb - a great finish to the day.

Much of the day was spent travelling (by air), commencing with a flight from Jujuy to Buenos Aires.  At Jujuy Airport we did manage a little birding from the comfort of the departure lounge, and several species were recorded, including White-tailed Kite, Crested Caracara, Glittering-bellied Emerald, Burrowing Owl and Cattle Tyrant.  After the 1½-hour flight to Buenos Aires domestic airport, we connected with a shorter flight to Iguazu.  On arrival our local representative and private coach met us, and we were transferred to the International Hotel - which has an enviable position overlooking the Falls.  This tropical zone adjacent to the Brazilian border would yield not only new species, but also new families of birds.  There was much bird life in evidence, even close to the Hotel: Toco Toucans, Plush-crested Jays, Giant Cowbirds and Great Dusky Swifts were soon added to the day's list.  Then followed a period of just enjoying the sheer magnificence of the Falls, but still adding new birds to the list - Swallow Tanager and Blue Dacnis.

A pre-breakfast amble got the day off to a pleasant start, seeing many of the species recorded the previous evening: Toco Toucan, Red-rumped Cacique, Giant Cowbird and Southern Lapwings which nest on the hotel lawn.  After breakfast, a real treat - we were driven to the Brazilian side of the Falls, where one can get within almost touching distance. The experience of the walkway down was fantastic, as different angles of view were obtained but at the same time getting closer and closer.  During this period the birding probably became secondary but some excellent sightings were made and a splendid selection of species included Collared Forest-Falcon, Great Black Hawk, Plumbeous Kite, Blue-naped Chlorophonia, Violaceous Euphonia and Swallow Tanager.

Our final approach to the Falls was breathtaking.  Viewing platforms at frequent intervals and a causeway brought us right above the falls, providing an awesome experience and eye-ball to eye-ball contact with the Great Dusky Swifts that were clinging perilously to the cliffs, immediately adjacent to the thundering water.

During the latter part of the afternoon we drove to the campsite and enjoyed a boat ride and a walkway to the top of the Argentinian Falls to view the 'Devil's Throat'.  As well as more dramatic views of the Falls, good observations of birds were made, including two new species - White-winged and Black-collared Swallows.  Snail Kites were very confiding subjects, being watched at close quarters.
A little later, birding near the campsite was quite rewarding: Greater Ani, Pale-breasted and White-necked Thrushes, Plain Antvireo and Green-headed Tanager were seen well.

The Macuco Trail was the scene of our morning birdwatching walk.  Surucua Trogon was heard and then the male responded to the Leader's attempts to imitate its calls and eventually both male and female of this beautiful Trogon provided excellent views.

Bird life was not abundant, but several bird species (mainly Antbirds) were located by their calls and then generally seen quite well.  These included: White-shouldered Fire-eye, Plain Antvireo, Variable Antshrike and Dusky-tailed Antbird.  There were longish time intervals between some of the observations, but then a new and quality species would suddenly appear.  On one occasion, it was Purple-throated Euphonia, next a super confrontation with Red-breasted Toucan, then Southern Antpipit; another situation involved Greenish Manakin responding to its imitated calls.  After some distance some of the group decided to continue to the trail-end, whilst others opted to head back.  Those who continued enjoyed excellent views of Squirrel Cuckoo, while others saw a Helmeted Woodpecker on their return journey.

After a leisurely lunch the group again divided: some decided on a leisurely stroll around the Falls, and were rewarded with good views of Blond-crested Woodpecker, while several people returned to the Macuco Trail, enjoying good confrontations with Toucans and Guira Cuckoos.

We were leaving Iguazu today, but not until mid-afternoon which gave us the opportunity to have a full morning's birding.  Our guide (Miguel), private coach and two waiters (to serve up a picnic breakfast) arrived at 5.30 a.m.  This was to be a super morning, in an area of forest a few miles outside the Park.  Miguel knew this area like the back of his hand and this was to pay great dividends over the next few hours.  Immediately on entering the trailhead, we saw our first new bird species - Blue-winged Parrotlet – but what followed was simply astounding: as we entered a clearing, birds were everywhere.  One tree alone contained several species of tanager, as well as other avian delights.  Splendid views of Blue Dacnis, Green-headed, Black-goggled and Guira Tanagers, Chestnut-bellied and Violaceous Euphonias, Southern Beardless Tyrannulet, Sirystes, Three-striped Flycatcher, Black-crowned Tityra and Epaulet Oriole were due in part to the presence of a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, which had been coaxed out of cover with imitations of his call.  After this fabulous birding period came a real treat - a picnic breakfast in the forest, with tables, napkins and waiters: croissants, papaya, orange juice and coffee – sheer enjoyment.  We continued our birding and saw Blond-crested Woodpecker before continuing on a different section of trails.  The quality of bird species seemed never-ending: Black-throated Trogon, Rufous-capped Motmot, Chestnut-eared Aracari, Ochre-collared Piculet, Yellow-fronted & White-spotted Woodpeckers, White-throated Woodcreeper, Rufous-winged Antwren, Eared Pygmy-Tyrant, Swallow-tailed Manakin, Golden-crowned Warbler and Green-winged Saltator.  Tropical birding at its best!

After this fantastic morning we returned to the hotel to shower and change, and enjoy a relaxed lunch.  It was then time to go to the airport for our domestic flight to Buenos Aires where we were met by our ground agents and transferred to the Hotel Bristol.  We had our last dinner in Buenos Aires at a local restaurant.

After a later breakfast than normal, participants did their own thing, mainly sightseeing, but four people re-visited Costanera Sur Reserve and had a good morning's birding: one new species for the group list was recorded - Plumbeous Rail.  We then departed for Buenos Aires International Airport to catch our return flight to London Gatwick, where we arrived at about 11.00 a.m. on Wednesday, 18th November - the conclusion of a super holiday in Argentina.

Full Bird List