Argentina; Punta Tombo - Day 4

  Today was one of the most anticipated days of our itinerary in Argentina. That was because this would be the first time I would ever see wild penguins, when we visited an active colony of several thousand birds just south of where we stayed the previous night, surrounded by beautiful Patagonian wilderness.

  There was still a bit of a drive to the site and on this route that we found quite a few interesting things to slow us down. There were a few birds perched on the fenceposts that were new for us, such as Rusty-backed Monjita and Grey-bellied Shrike-Tyrant. In open areas we also found our first Lesser Rheas of the trip, although they scarpered into the scrub pretty quickly when we pulled over to look at them. There were also a few groups of Patagonian Mara by the roadside, although these would also be common in the reserve itself once we arrived.

  The Magellanic Penguin colony was really quite spectacular. The scenery with the thousands of penguins dotted all around made for quite the spectacle. There were penguins of all ages even right next to the path. At the end of the short trail was a clifftop viewpoint from which we could watch the birds swimming in the surf below us, which is where they really came alive. The sheer spectacle of it is amazing, like the Farne Islands on steroids.

  In addition to the penguins there were many other birds to enjoy here. As we drove through the barren interior of the site we had a fantastic encounter with a gorgeous male Cinereous Harrier that flew across the road in front of us. The scrub around the site had a few nice birds, including some very relaxed Elegant Crested Tinamous, probably the best views I have ever had of any Tinamou, watching them feed just a few feet in front of us. There were a few birds around the sea as well, including Magellanic and Blackish Oystercatcher, and the range-restricted Chubut Steamer Duck.

  But perhaps the highlight of the day was an incredible Southern Giant Petrel that did flybys along the coastline. When it passed over us it was incredibly low, offering us a chance to really get to grips with the scale of these giants. Before I thought nothing these birds were nothing more than hideous brutes, but having seen one, now I was absolutely blown away by it.

  We had quite the drive across Patagonian to reach the Andes on the far side of the country for our next birding stop. Although we had no clear plan, we set off hoping to make it as far as we could before dark. In the end, we stopped in a beautiful canyon where we had a campfire and celebrated the new year cooking pizza. There were a few birds here, such as White-winged Black-Tyrant and Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, but the highlight was spotted a few relaxing Mountain Viscacha on the cliff-faces. There was literally no better way to celebrate the end of 2021!

Species List:
Punta Tombo: Elegant Crested Tinamou, Chubut Steamer Duck, Crested Duck, Great Grebe, American Oystercatcher, Blackish Oystercatcher, Magellanic Oystercatcher, Brown Skua, Dolphin Gull, Kelp Gull, Magellanic Penguin, Southern Giant Petrel, Rock Shag, Imperial Shag, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Chimango Caracara, Band-tailed Earthcreeper, Sharp-billed Canastero, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, Austral Negrito, Southern Martin, Chilean Swallow, Patagonian Mockingbird, House Sparrow, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Mourning Sierra Finch,