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, 

Argentina; Las Grutas & Playa Union - Day 3

  Las Grutas sits in the middle of the coastal reaches of the Monte Desert ecosystem. This was a new ecosystem for Lia and myself, and we were excited to explore it. Because the region is so vast, there is nowhere specific to go birding, and so we headed to the area immediately behind the town to begin our birding.

  The mornings birding was, as expected excellent. There were many new species for us, including White-throated Cacholote, Patagonian, Steinbachs and Sharp-billed Canasteros, Ringed Warbling Finch and Greater Wagtail Tyrant among others. While most of these were simply brown birds, it was good to see the White-throated Cacholote as it was a tricky species that we were hoping to target further to the north. Despite all the new birds the highlight has to be continued excellent views of the Burrowing Parrots, with many perching in the desert vegetation quite close to where we were watching from. A male Cinereous Harrier that flew by distantly was probably the best of the new birds that we were able to see.

  Obviously, it being a desert, by around midday the heat had all but killed activity in the area so we headed off to grab some supplies in the town, and then head to a beach where we hoped to find some shorebirds. We were able to find a few interesting species on the beach, including Crested Duck and Snowy-crowned Tern. We used the scope to scan out to see where there was good activity but unfortunately it was just too far to be sure. Many of the shearwaters I got a good view of appeared to be Manx, but it is impossible to be certain.

  It was then a long drive before our destination for the evening, a small town called Playa Union. Once again we arrived in the late afternoon so had some time to head to the beach This beach was composed of pebbles, and being further south we decided not to go swimming but instead to scan for any passing seabirds. There was a little activity, but the undoubted highlight was at least two Southern Giant Petrels, both of which flew by to the north.

Species List:
Las Grutas: Crested Duck, Spot-winged Pigeon, Picui Ground Dove, Eared Dove, American Oystercatcher, Southern Lapwing, Brown-hooded Gull, Kelp Gull, Snowy-crowned Tern, Neotropic Cormorant, Snowy Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Cinereous Harrier, Chimango Caracara, American Kestrel, Burrowing Parrot, Rufous Hornero, Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail, Sharp-billed Canastero, Patagonian Canastero, Steinbach's Canastero, White-throated Cacholote, White-tipped Plantcutter, White-crested Tyrannulet, Straneck's Tyrannulet, Greater Wagtail-Tyrant, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Blue-and-white Swallow, Southern Martin, Barn Swallow, House Wren, Patagonian Mockingbird, White-banded Mockingbird, Austral Thrush, House Sparrow, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Long-tailed Meadowlark, Shiny Cowbird, Ringed Warbling Finch, Diuca Finch, Mourning Sierra Finch,
Playa Union: Great Grebe, Feral Pigeon, Eared Dove, Brown-hooded Gull, Kelp Gull, Southern Giant Petrel, Rock Shag, Rufous Hornero, Great Kiskadee, Southern Martin, Brown-chested Martin, Patagonian Mockingbird, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, House Sparrow, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Greyish Baywing, Blue-and-yellow Tanager,

Argentina; Saavedra & Las Grutas - Day 2

  The Pampas is the most threatened ecosystem within Argentina, as much of its area had been converted to pasture or crop fields. As such, some of its inhabitants are now considered endangered, and it was one of these species that we would be trying to find during the morning today; the Pampas Meadowlark.

  For the most part the birding revolved around driving through remote farmland tracks in the search for Meadowlarks. We would then have to wait for these birds to fly so that we could check the colour of their underwings; black being the rare Pampas Meadowlark and white being the common Long-tailed Meadowlark. During the morning we checked hundreds of Meadowlarks and all had white underwings. At this point it was not looking promising, but Giselle and Facundo knew a location near where we would end our search where they felt we had our best chance, this being where some birds had been studied by a PhD student, investigating why the species had declined so markedly. As soon as we arrived at this point a large flock of maybe 100 Pampas Meadowlarks took off from the middle of the road. Frustratingly they all landed distantly in the adjacent field, and we never managed such good views again, often restricted to flybys. Still, we had managed to find our number one target and we had seen it well.

  This was obviously not the only species we saw during the morning, as we managed many Pampas species as we cruised around the fields. Some commoner species we found that were new for me included Bearded Tachuri, Firewood Gatherer, Short-billed Pipit, and the rare Pampas Pipit. At one point we found a small wetland and while birding there we found a few birds, including Yellow-shouldered Blackbird and Wren-like Rushbird, as well as a very relaxed Coypu. A pair of Chiloe Wigeon flew over as well. We found a few Greater Rhea during the drive as well, but they typically made a break for it as soon as we stopped to look at them. And finally, as we were admiring the Meadowlarks, a Spotted Nothura ran out of the grass onto the road, allowing us to get fantastic views of this elusive species.

  So having achieved what we wanted in the Pampas here we began our long drive south to the town of Las Grutas where we would spend the night. We, fortunately, arrived just before dark and so had a short walk to the beach for a quick swim. Obviously, there were not many birds to go with this, but the town was rammed with Burrowing Parrots, hanging from the wires in loud, noisy groups, it was really something to behold.

Species List:
Saavedra: Greater Rhea, Spotted Nothura, Chiloe Wigeon, White-cheeked Pintail, Yellow-billed Pintail, Yellow-billed Teal, Lake Duck, Feral Pigeon, Picazuro Pigeon, Spot-winged Pigeon, White-backed Stilt, Southern Lapwing, Lesser Yellowlegs, Brown-hooded Gull, Snowy Egret, Western Cattle Egret, Whistling Heron, White-faced Ibis, Bare-faced Ibis, Black-faced Ibis, Long-winged Harrier, Amazon Kingfisher, Green-barred Woodpecker, Campo Flicker, Chimango Caracara, Rufous Hornero, Firewood-gatherer, Bearded Tachuri, Sooty Tyrannulet, Scarlet Flycatcher, Austral Negrito, Spectacled Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Tropical Kingbird, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Southern Martin, Brown-chested Martin, White-rumped Swallow, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, American Cliff Swallow, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Short-billed Pipit, Pampas Pipit, Hooded Siskin, Grassland Sparrow, Rufous-collared Sparrow, White-browed Blackbird, Pampas Meadowlark, Long-tailed Meadowlark, Shiny Cowbird, Greyish Baywing, Yellow-winged Blackbird, Brown-and-yellow Marshbird, Grassland Yellow Finch, Pampa Finch, Brown Hare, Coypu,
Las Grutas: Southern Lapwing, Brown-hooded Gull, Black-crowned Night Heron, Burrowing Parrot, 

Argentina; Nechochea & Tornquist - Day 1

  We had landed the previous day and taken an overnight bus to meet up with our friends Giselle and Facundo in the south of Buenos Aires province. By this point we were pretty knackered but with so much potential good birding on offer we were given an adrenaline boost and off we went. At first, we only birded the river near the town where we had a few new species but mostly birds we were familiar with from Brazil. Chief among the new species was the obviously non-native Crested Myna, with at least two individuals sitting by the side of the road as we departed the site. Otherwise, it was nice to see Lesser Yellowlegs and spot our first Yellow-billed Pintail.

  After some shopping and packing, we headed out for a late morning’s birding in the Pampas. Despite it already being quite hot, we found a few of the pampa’s endemics quite easily. At our first location, we had nice views of Brown-and-yellow Marshbird and eventually good views of our key target, the elusive Hudson’s Canastero. We then moved on to a new location where we found Bay-capped Wren-Spinetail and Correndera Pipit, but by this point, the heat had ground activity to almost a complete standstill, so we started with our huge trip south.

  It was not until early evening that we arrived at our Campsite, near where we planned to bird the following day. Although for the most part, the landscape had been flat with fields, in this area it was truly stunning with beautiful hillsides and forested valleys. There was some good birding as well, with our first Burrowing Parrots of the trip flying across the road here. At the campsite itself there were more new birds for us, although these were common birds that we would get used to over the next few days; Spot-winged Pigeon, Screaming Cowbird and Stripe-crowned Spinetail. There were also some very spectacular Monk Parakeet nests around the site. As night was falling a Striped Owl appeared briefly on the edge of the campsite, but it departed too quickly for photos.

Species List:
Nechochea: Red-winged Tinamou, Spotted Nothura, White-faced Whistling Duck, Yellow-billed Pintail, Great Grebe, Rock Dove, Picazuro Pigeon, Picui Ground Dove, Eared Dove, White-backed Stilt, Southern Lapwing, Lesser Yellowlegs, Brown-hooded Gull, Grey-headed Gull, Neotropic Cormorant, Bare-faced Ibis, Burrowing Owl, Green-barred Woodpecker, Campo Flicker, Crested Caracara, Chimango Caracara, Monk Parakeet, Rufous Hornero, Hudson's Canastero, Bay-capped Wren-Spinetail, Scarlet Flycatcher, Cattle Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, White-rumped Swallow, Barn Swallow, House Wren, Grass Wren, Common Starling, Crested Myna, House Sparrow, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Long-tailed Meadowlark, Shiny Cowbird, Brown-and-yellow Marshbird, Grassland Yellow Finch, Pampa Finch, Double-collared Seedeater,
Tornquist department: Spotted Nothura, Feral Pigeon, Picazuro Pigeon, Spot-winged Pigeon, Picui Ground Dove, Eared Dove, Southern Lapwing, Neotropic Cormorant, Snowy Egret, Green-barred Woodpecker, Chimango Caracara, Monk Parakeet, Burrowing Parrot, Rufous Hornero, Stripe-crowned Spinetail, Tropical Kingbird, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Southern Martin, Barn Swallow, House Wren, Common Starling, Austral Thrush, House Sparrow, Hooded Siskin, Screaming Cowbird, Saffron Finch, Double-collared Seedeater, 

Brazil; Peruibe

Now that Lia has finished the writing phase of her thesis we have a bit more time, although there is still lots to do before she defends. This weekend we headed to the small coastal town of Peruibe for a family trip, with her cousin and his boyfriend over from Germany. There was not much time spent birding and the weather was pretty rough going, but it was the beach and we did enjoy excellent views of Kelp Gull and Royal Tern, as well as seeing Frigatebirds every day.

-Beach at Peruibe

-Kelp Gull

Species List:

Peruibe: Feral Pigeon, Black Jacobin, Kelp Gull, Royal Tern, Magnificent Frigatebird, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Rufous Hornero, Grey-breasted Martin, Saffron Finch, House Sparrow, Sayaca Tanager, Bananaquit,