Argentina; Parque Nacional Los Alerces - Day 6

  The morning started quite gloomy but the rain had mercifully stopped. We did a little birding around our campsite, but that was only first-thing. The previous day we had heard many Chucao Tapaculos singing at various points during the day, including around the campsite, but we had been unable to find any of them in the conditions. Now there was a bird calling behind our tent once again, so we headed into the bushes to try and find it. What happens next will probably be the highlight of 2022, on just the second day of the year. Chucao is one of my bucket-list birds, so I was desperate to see this individual that was singing so close to us. The bird then came hopping out of the bushes right in front of us, before spending the next 15 minutes jumping around us, so close that you could touch it. At one point it even started posturing to its own reflection in my camera lens, that’s how close it came. It was absolutely amazing, the only downside being that the light was too gloomy for good photos. It was truly amazing to see the bird like this!

  Our plan for the day was to drive slowly north along the shore of the stunning Lago Futalaufquen at the north end of Parque Nacional Los Alerces, birding the beautiful forests as we went. Helpfully the clouds cleared and we were treated to some brilliant weather, still a little chilly but a marked improvement on the previous day's deluge. The birding was nice and relaxed, with not a huge variety of species but many range-restricted to this southern area of South America. We found regional specialties such as Black-chinned Siskin, Austral Blackbird, Green-backed Firecrown and Austral Pygmy Owl.

  We also had our second new Tapaculo of the day when we managed to find a Black-throated Huet-Huet in the undergrowth. At first the bird was mobile and difficult to track as it scuttled through the undergrowth, but with some patience we were able to finally see the bird sit still for a few seconds which allowed us to grab some photos. During this short period of observation we were able to watch the bird singing as well when it puffed out its throat and cocked its tail downwards. While we waited another Chucao Tapaculo came in close to inspect us before it too scurried off into the bushes.

  We also saw another Black-throated Huet-Huet at the end of the afternoon when we made another short stop in the forests along the shore of another smaller lake just to the north, called Lago Verde. Here we managed to find our first White-throated Treerunner, as well as getting our best views of Patagonian Serra Finch. From here we drove north until we camped near the shores of the stunningly beautiful Lago Puelo.

Species List:
Parque Nacional Los Alerces: Ashy-headed Goose, Yellow-billed Teal, Eared Dove, Green-backed Firecrown, Southern Lapwing, Kelp Gull, Black-crowned Night Heron, Black-faced Ibis, Black Vulture, Austral Pygmy Owl, Chimango Caracara, Black-throated Huet-huet, Chucao Tapaculo, White-throated Treerunner, Dark-bellied Cinclodes, Thorn-tailed Rayadito, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, Chilean Elaenia, Fire-eyed Diucon, Chilean Swallow, House Wren, Austral Thrush, Black-chinned Siskin, Long-tailed Meadowlark, Austral Blackbird, Patagonian Sierra Finch, Diuca Finch,