Paraguay Day 15; Estancia Arrecife

  Our first day in Estancia Arrecife started with somewhat of a misunderstanding of the plan for the day. We awoke and thought that we were going to see the Hyacith Macaws but with no sign of Carolina, our guide, we set off by ourselves to the Apa River on the northern edge of the property to do some exploring. Before we set off we saw one Hyacinth Macaw which was an individual from the pair around the Estancia. Sadly it was not perched for long, but it was good to see one so early into our day.

  Our journey to the river passed through some farmland but also some gallery forest where we found a few birds. A White-throated Piping Guan perched up in the canopy was a good species to see, a target for our time here, and we also saw Chestnut-bellied Seed Finch and Black-throated Saltator.

  Our walk in the forest along the river was pleasant and we had a wide range of species but most of them were common. Along the river there were two Capped Herons and a few commoner species, but in the forest here there was very little,  a Pale-crested Woodpecker the best of it. There was another trail deeper in the forest and here we saw more birds, including goodies like White-throated Spadebill, Sibiliant Syrestes and the white-bellied form of Golden-crowned Warbler. Here I also had a new bird with flocks of Blaze-winged Parakeet feeding above the trail. In addition we found two more Hooded Capuchin.

  After this, at around 10:30, we returned and took the afternoon off until 15:00 when we decided to set off to go and look at the Macaws. On the way we searched for Chaco Eagle without success, but did have brief views of a Jaguraundi as it ran away. Once at the Macaws, we were also introduced to an orphaned baby Giant Anteater, which was very sweet but eaqually sad to see.

  There are only five known Hyacith Macaw individuals left in Paraguay, with possibly a few others also in the area. This site hosts the only pair with a chick, and so we got to look at the birds from afar as they sat atop the nest box and flew around just once. They were spectacular birds. In addition, one of last years chicks which was rescued during a period of poor weather and is unfortunately quite habituated was around, and showing very nicely within touching distance.

  Also in this area were a few pairs of Red-and-green Macaw, but we never got to see them perched up. Otherwise it was the same species complexion as other areas of the site, which were obviously still enjoyable. On the drive back it was nearly dark, and we had a Tapir run away from the road, and a Nacunda Nighthawk fly over the car.