Paraguay Day 8; Enciso National Park & Cerro Leon

   Having seen all the birds that we wanted in Enciso National Park, we decided to leave a day earlier than anticipated and head north to the Defensores del Chaco National Park deep in rural Paraguay, where there are greater chances for mammals and a few more birds to target. The prospect of poor dirt roads combined with forecasted rain made us nervous about taking on this endevour, but we knew that we would be fools to miss out on this park.

  We spent the first hour of the day in the Enciso park, trying without success to see a heard only Giant Antshrike from the previous day. We got no response! And so, at 08:30 we headed off beginning our trip north. First we stopped off at the town of La Patria to pick up fuel, as well as some additional canisters to reduce fuel pressure when we were remote. The journey was long on dirt roads of varying quality although in general not too bad. We saw a few Chaco Mara, a Grey Brocket, a Crane Hawk and a Brushland Tinamou on the way.

  When we finally arrived at Cerro Leon, and the small room we had reserved, we found that some of the diesel had spilled out over the back of the truck. After a short cleanup operation, and a wash and rest, we headed out for the first time to explore the new location.

  The road was quite mixed quality heading towards the main Cerro Leon campsite, but once there we had an enjoyable 90 minutes of birding before dark. I managed to find my only lifer in the area; White-lored Spinetail, but it did not show well and did not respond to playback. What did show well was a pair of very attractive Black-bellied Antwren, which we got nice views of. Amazonian Motmot and Purplish Jay were other new birds that we recorded here first.

  We had snacks for dinner and then drove back to our lodging in the dark to search for mammals. It started well with dozens of Little Nightjars on the road, as well as a metre long snake, but once we turned on to the main road the quantity of sightings dropped off. It started with a Crab-eating Fox, which did not show well, and the only other mammal we encountered was a Pampas Fox which equally did not show well. A Chaco Owl made an obligatory appearance as well. Once back at camp we did a little more exploring and in a much shorted time frame had almost exactly the same result, but these foxes showed much better, and we also had a couple of Tapeite. Not a bad night in the end but certainly not to the standard of recent nights. 

Paraguay Day 7; Enciso National Park

  For our first full day in Enciso National Park we set off back up the road to the Bolivian border, this time aiming to reach further than we had the previous afternoon and with no stops, with the park and only birding beyond the furthest border where the Chaco ended. It was a long drive on often sandy roads but we had an enjoyable time with all our targets seen.

  In the same area where we had found the Black-crested Finch the previous day we found several more individuals, sometimes showing better than they had yesterday. That said they were still elusive and did not perform incredibly well. Continuing along the road we picked up Yellow-browed Tyrant for the trip list and a Paraguaian rarity with a White-tipped Plantcutter, an unexpected bird for our trip. As we reached the community of Nuevo Asuncion, there was a very showy Roseate Spoonbill in a roadside puddle and we were able to get some nice pictures.

  Not far after the community we parked up and began to walk. In this area we wanted to find the Spot-winged Falconet but did not know exactly where to look. A few eBird pins were dotted along the road, with two about six kilometres ahead of us, so that is where we struck for. Sadly we only decided to make this move halfway through the walk, and by then the cool cloud had thinned out and it was getting warm, leaving us out in the sun completely unprepared.

  Once we reached the located we found a desolated farmhouse, but more importantly we immediately found a pair of the Spot-winged Falconets! They gave us an incredible show flying over our heads and singing from the treetops. Relieved our walk had been worthwhile, we marched back to the car to refresh ourselves and relax a bit.

  The drive back to the camp was significantly less eventful, although we had a nice showy Pampas Fox and added Pearl Kite to our trip list. We made a short stop at a location we thought might be good for Giant Antshrike, but sadly the bird responded deep in the Chaco and we did not see it. We arrived back mid afternoon elated but tired, and rested before our night drive.  

  Even the campground was lively, with a Black-legged Seriema hanging around throughout the afternoon and even a few mammal species, with Chaco Mara and a new species; Thirteen-banded Armadillo both paid us a visit. The latter was very impressive being the largest Armadillo we had seen on the trip until this point.

  At night the drive was phenomenal. Although there were no new species, we had six Tapirs at various points! Two were drinking together in a roadside ditch, we saw one cross the road far away in the thermal, one ran away from the road on the edge of the National Park, one ran in front of the car in front of the campground and finally one was in the campground just after! And to top it all off, we had a lot of fun with the Plains Viscachas around the campground, including one that charged right at us when it was flushed by a dog whilst we were photographing it! Throw in a Potoo, a Little Nightjar and a Chaco Owl and it makes for quite the eventful evening!

Paraguay Day 6; Enciso National Park

   Having spent the night in Filadelfia, due to the weather, and with said weather having not improved but still being overcast and drizzly, we decided to skip birding early morning around the town and instead drive the three hours to our next destination; the Enisco National Park. This did mean skipping the traditionally best part of the day but with the weather, that did not really matter. And we found a pair of Black-legged Seriema on the road as we were driving, a species that had somehow eluded us until that point.

  We arrived at the park offices at 10:00, and after checking in and organizing ourselves we decided to set straight off out onto the road to find some birds. Our visit started well, with a Great Rufous Woodcreeper in the garden, my first new species for the day. The first sections of the road we stopped and had some success with good species like Rufous Casiornis and Plain Inezia.

  After a bit of research, we got the impression that our main target, the Black-crested Finch was further along the road, so we drove the 38 kilometer dirt road to the location where we hoped to find it. We had heard this road was sandy and difficult to drive, but we had no such problem, probably helped in large part by the weather and the drive was relatively straightforward, although we do have a big 4x4. The only bird of note we saw during this drive was a presumably stunned Chaco Owl sat by the side of the road, which we picked up and moved to a safe location.

  Once we arrived in the area, we could tell the birdlife was a little different when we immediately found Dull-coloured Grassquit, whilst listening to Small-billed Tinamou calling. It was enjoyable birding and it paid off after half an hour when we found a flock of around eight Black-crested Finch. Sadly they were not especially approachable, but since this was one of my main targets for the whole trip, I was glad to have connected.

  The drive back was also lively with birdlife. On the road we saw two different Crested Gallito, although always distant, and had a surprise bonus bird with a Chaco Earthcreeper. Not a species I had marked for this location. Other birds included an impressive number of Dark-billed Cuckoos in the roadside bushes, as well as commoner species. We arrived back at the campground at 17:00 and settled ourselves in before heading out again. 

  The first few hours of our night drive were uneventful, as we drove 20 kilometres to try find a Striped Owl, which never gave us a response. Still, we were able to find Common Potoo and Little Nightjar in the same area, so it was not a complete loss. However, the night escalated quickly right at the end. We wanted to check an area near the campsite for Plains Viscacha, but just before we arrived there we heard some rustling in the vegetation. The torch revealed a Tapir feeding in the roadside vegetation! It showed well, but moved off before any photos could be taken. The Viscacha were easy to find and showed well, although the nearby farms dog came to join us and understandably caused a few problems.

  Back at the camp, a Rufous Nightjar was calling so we tried to find it. We managed one view of the bird close overhead as it passed, but whilst doing this we had brief views of another Tapir and a Three-banded Armadillo! It was a phenomenal end to the night! 

Paraguay Day 5; Laguna Capitan, Laguna Leon & Chaco Lodge

   So far the weather had not been overly typical for our trip, with cloud and rain replacing the expected heat and humidity. But today this reached a new level, with dense overcast conditions all morning, and drizzle on and off throughout the day. A cool breeze also featured strongly in areas of open habitat, although it was not so noticeable under the trees.

  We spent the first few hours of the morning birding around Laguna Capitan, where we hoped to find the Olive-crowned Crescentchest and the Crested Gallito. The habitat area is small and we covered it all but found no sign of either species. We did have an enjoyable morning however, with excellent views of Tataupa Tinamou crossing the path and even singing from obscured cover.  There continued to be excellent numbers of wetland birds, and we added American Golden Plover and Spotted Sandpiper to our ever growing list of wader species. In total we managed 82 species in two hours of birding! Excellent going!

  Because the area was limited at Laguna Capitan, we decided to start the drive towards our afternoon destination but check out another spot on the way. This spot, Laguna Leon, was similar in that it was a saline lagoon surrounded by fragmented Chaco forest. There were less waterbirds here, but our main focus was on the Chaco, and it was here that we found our first Crested Gallito. It showed reasonably well, but all too quickly for good photos. Still, the most important species for the trip was now in the bag.

  We continued on our way and arrived at Chaco Lodge, the destination for the night at around midday. The plan was to camp here, but the road had deteriorated with the poor conditions and we struggled to make a fire to cook our instant noodles on. Still, after lunch we made the most of it and birded the 5 kilometre stretch of Chaco that leads down to the Laguna Salida which makes the site famous.

  Because of the conditions the birding was slow in the forest, with little activity. That said, we managed to find several Chaco Earthcreepers, our main target here, and plentiful Crested Gallito. The first Gallito would not come out of the woodland, but the second we spotted feeding in the middle of the road, and a pair we found at the end of our walk showed very well. The other highlight of the afternoon was a Three-banded Armadillo that ran out of the forest right next to us, before realizing its mistake and running back in. The Laguna itself held an estimated 400 Chilean Flamingos, but otherwise there was nothing to hold our interest.

  With the drizzle continuing and the wind continuing, and with all our main species seen and no prospects of an improved forecast for the morning, we decided to give up on camping and drive the 90 minutes back to Filadelfia and get a hotel, which would also cut some distance off our drive the following day.

  That said, we decided to wait until dark to start this drive so that we could do some mammal searching on the road on our way back. This was an inspired decision and we had quite the haul of species; a Skunk, a Racoon, two Rabbits, two Three-banded Armadillos, a Brown Brocket and best of all a Giant Anteater. Sadly out Anteater encounter was a little chaotic so no photos were managed and only I saw it, but the views were excellent through the thermal and with the torch before it got to the woodland. Birds were also excellent, with a Chaco Owl, two Barn Owls and the usual Little and Scissor-tailed Nightjars. We finally reached Filadelfia at 21:30 and crashed at our chosen hotel.

Paraguay Day 4; Fortin Toledo & Laguna Capitain

   For our final morning at Fortin Toledo we decided to walk south along the road from our lodging and see what birds we would encounter, with nothing particular on our agenda. It was another overcast day with but activity was good and we recorded a great variety of species once again. The only new species for the trip were Stripe-crowned Spinetail and Chaco Puffbird, but we enjoyed nice views of Aplomado Falcon and the Brushland Tinamou was once again in the garden although it scuttled off before we were able to improve on our previous photos.

  At around 09:00 we set off for Filadelfia, before spending until midday organizing ourselves for our venture into the deeper Chaco. Shopping and lunch were completed around midday, so we set off for the Laguna Capitan campsite, half an hour west of the town. This was supposed to be a half hour drive but various birding stops halted our progress, with highlights including a pond containing eight Masked Duck and three Spotted Nothura at the side of the road. The local race of Spotted Nothura is a potential split, so it was good to get the species seen and nice that it required only minimal effort.

   Before Laguna Capitan we stopped off at another lake that had a good selection of birds. We had several wading birds for the first time here, including a nice flock of Stilt Sandpipers and other commoner species. Ringed Teal was common here, which is always a delightful species to see, and there were three Chilean Flamingos and a pair of Coscoroba Swans.

  We finally reached Laguna Capitan at 15:20, and settled ourselves in. We decided last minute to take a room rather than camp, to help ease our knackered bodies. The Chaco here was pretty quiet, but we had a very responsive Tucuman Pygmy Owl which we had prolonged views of even if it did not sit still.

  But the standout birding here was on the lagoons. The first lagoon was decent, with 27 Roseate Spoonbills seen, but the second lagoon was spectacular. We counted 137 Stilt Sandpipers and 17 Wilsons Phalaropes as the highlights, but a backup cast included an estimated 125 White-rumped Sandpipers, 50 Lesser Yellowlegs and 45 Pectoral Sandpipers. It was an incredible scene, and we ended up covered in mud as we crawled for photos. A nest of Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper was also a nice find here, with the adult bringing in food for a well grown chick.

  At night we returned to the lagoon hoping to catch a Tapir crossing but sadly we did not have any joy. We did see a couple of Pampas Foxes scuttling about, although too fast for photos, and had quite the performance from a pair of Scissor-tailed Nightjars, but otherwise quiet. Since we have a few long nights searching for mammals in the subsequent days.

Paraguay Day 3; Fortin Toledo

   Our first morning and full day at Fortin Toledo and the Chaco started with overcast skies and dull conditions. It also started exactly as the previous evening finish, with two Armadillos running around the road in front of the lodge. While this would normally be the mammal highlight of any normal day in South America, about an hour into our walk we had an immense stroke of luck when a Geoffrey’s Cat ran out of the vegetation and ran across the road. My camera settings were all wrong but I managed a sequence of blurred photos to celebrate seeing this much coveted mammal species for the trip list! Despite not being able to spend time appreciating our find, it was still an exhilarating experience.

  The birding was also excellent, with a wide range of species encountered during the morning. Most of the birds were commoner species from open habitats, as expected, but there continued to be many of the Chaco birds we wanted to see, such as Crested Hornero, Lark-like Bushrunner and Many-coloured Chaco Finch. The only new species for me was the Little Thornbird, which we found to be quite abundant.

  Our main bird target for this site was the Black-bodied Woodpecker, a Chaco endemic which is occasionally seen at this site. We knew it would be difficult but decided to give it a good go anyway. Our hopes were raised and quickly dashed early morning when we encountered two of the similar Cream-backed Woodpecker but we knew this species would be more common and would cause some confusion. And yet at the exact same location on our walk back, not far from our lodgings, we managed to find it! A stunning male Black-bodied Woodpecker! We got prolonged views of the bird, but it never showed particularly well, but we were thrilled to find it.

  After a short break we birded the road back towards the main highway. It was about 10:30 now but the cloudy conditions meant the day was not hot and there continued to be some decent activity. We got our best views of Chaco Mara, and our first Stripe-backed Antbird although it did not show well. Our first Capybara was also in a roadside watering hole. After this we continued into Filadelfia for lunch. On our way back, on this same stretch road, Max spotted a Quebracho Crested Tinamou in the roadside woodland. A quick stop and we had decent views of the bird as it scurried away. I really wanted to see this species, but being a Tinamou I knew it would be tricky! I was thrilled with the encounter.

  In the afternoon we decided to explore the nearby Chaco Peccary Sanctuary, which has some trails leading through some restored Chaco. On the whole the birding was fairly steady, although we still recorded nearly 70 species and I had two lifers with Short-billed Canastero and Tucuman Pygmy Owl. It was cool to see all three species of Peccary in their enclosure, as part of the breeding program as well. We spent about two hours exploring the trails before returning to the chalet to recover before our night drive. 

  At night we once again set off to explore the roads around our lodging. We had another successful night, with a Molinas Hog-nosed Skunk, several Armadillo encounters (including an individual I was able to catch), a Brown Brocket, a couple of Crab-eating Foxes, another Chaco Owl and then to round it off a Tapir. Sadly the Tapir, although clear in the thermal, was difficult to see in the tall vegetation and I did not really see anything on the animal itself. Another brilliant evening activity closed.

Paraguay Day 2; Humedal de Benjamin Aceval, Transchaco Highway & Fortin Toledo

   Thanks to our jetlag, even though Max did not arrive at the hotel until 01:00 in the morning, we found ourselves awake at 05:00 and decided to just go. As such we drove the hour out of Asuncion and to an area of wetland, grazing and woodland on the road towards the Chaco where we would finish the day.

  Our first stop I had marked down as a good location to find Chestnut-bellied Seed Finch, and the local subspecies of Saffron-billed Sparrow (which has a grey back in contrast to the green back I am used to in this species). This site was mostly just a destination so the morning was not wasted, but we had some phenomenal birding here. Mostly common species but both of the target species were found in less than an hour, and good bonus birds included White-winged Becard and Greater Thornbird.

  After a successful start, we continued 20 minutes further and birded another location which I had marked down for Firewood Gatherer. After half an hour searching we located an individual but it did not show especially well. Chotoy Spinetail was another nice bird here, and I had my first lifer of the day when a flock of Nanday Parakeets flew over, although hopefully the swill be seen better further into the trip. In addition there were several commoner species I had not encountered for a few years which I very much enjoyed being reacquainted with.

  By 10:30 it was already hot, so we started our five hour drive to the Chaco and the town of Filadelfia. The road was long and flat but passed through long stretches of habitat and we had a few nice birds along the way. Jabiru and Maguari Stork were seen on a few occasions, and we had a nice pair of Greater Rhea by the side of the road. We also made a short stop at a know stakeout for some bats which are known to roost under the bridge. What species they are I could not say, but it was cool to see regardless. At this site we also found our first Yellow-billed Cardinals, my second new bird of the day.

  As we closed in on our destination we encountered a few wetlands which had several nice species in. Black-bellied and White-faced Whistling Ducks were abundant at one site, and another site had seven Southern Screamers and a Yellowish Pipit. There were our first Chaco birds as well, with Many-coloured Chaco Finch and Ultramarine Grosbeak. Another lifer as we approached the Chaco was Crested Hornero, a long awaited tick that we would see many more of during the afternoon.

  At 16:30 we finally reached the small village of Fortin Toledo, which would be our base for the next two nights. The disturbed chaco here has several bird and mammal targets, and we set out as soon as we had checked in to our AirBnB. Sadly the weather was not on our side, with a heavy thunderstorm looming on the horizon. We birded for about an hour, seeing goodies such as Lark-like Bushrunner and White-fronted Woodpecker, as well as our first Chaco Mara, before returning to our lodging and chilling out before night. As we arrived back to the lodge we had the first of my main Chaco Targets, with a nice Brushland Tinamou running around the garden. Due to the gloom it was tricky to get photos, but always good to see a new Tinamou species. 

   For our first night drive at Fortin Toledo we decided to drive the road south of the lodge to see what we might find. It started quite steady, with a nice snake and a toad, as well as two more Chaco Mara. But about halfway through it escalated quickly, with two Chaco Owls seen sat on the side of the road, a much wanted species for the trip, followed by a very bold, feeding Crab-eating Racoon in a roadside ditch. On the way back this improved activity continued, with a Tropical Screech Owl and an American Barn Owl also seen by the side of the road, and we finished up with three Armadillos scuttling across the path just before our lodging. If all out night drives are as good as this then it is going to be some trip.

Paraguay Day 1; Arrival, Arroyos e Esteros & Asuncion Botanical Gardens

  Paraguay was a country I had long wanted to visit, and was extremely excited to be spending a month birding and mammal watching with my good friend Max Baumgarten from Germany. We had arranged our flights so that we met in Madrid and flew into Asuncion together, but alas that is not how it transpired, as our trip commenced with a level of chaos I had not experienced in my travels to that point.

  Sadly Max outbound flight from Germany to Madrid was cancelled, and although they were able to arrange a suitable replacement that would mean we would loose only one day of our trip, it did leave me in Asuncion at 06:25, and taking care of our massive Toyota Hilux from 08:00, whilst finding an activity to do.

  With such a large car, I did not want to linger around the city, so drove an hour north to an area of grassland just north of the town of Arroyos e Esteros. Although there is a well trodden birding site in this area, I decided to visit that with Max and as such spent the time between 09:30 and 11:00 birding another road. Fortunately, the driving was pleasantly straightforward, meaning it was not as stressful as I had feared.

  The birding was good considering that the morning was already getting hot. I had hoped to find some Seedeaters here, nad they did not disappoint. The most abundant were Tawny-bellied Seedeater, a species I have seen only once before, but there was also a nice male Rusty-collared Seedeater and two new species for me with a distant Rufous-rumped Seedeater, and a rather oddly plumaged immature male Ibera Seedeater, one of the main targets for the trip. In addition, it was good to get reacquainted with several species I had seen before, such as Long-winged Harrier, Pampas Finch and Grassland Finch.

  With time still to kill before I could check in to the hotel, I decided to chance my arm at driving within the city to the Botanical Gardens. This went remarkably well and I arrived at 13:00 in the heat of the day. Despite this, over the next two hours I enjoyed some brilliant birding. All common species, but many I had not seen for some time. Highlights included Pale-crested Woodpecker, Plush-crested Jay and a Crowned-Slaty Flycatcher.

  The main target for the botanical gardens was the Hooded Capuchin which can be found here. It initially looked like I might miss them with no sign for two hours, but on my way back to the car I encountered a troop of 21 individuals, and they were not shy! Shortly after another group of seven individuals, which were a bit more timid but had a very impressive male in tow. The garden pond was home to several turtles and about 10 Caiman, but how natural these are I do not know.

  Once 15:00 rolled around I headed to the hotel, and settled in to recover from an exhausting 24 hours, and wait for Max to arrive so the real fun can begin! 

-Ibera Seedeater

-Tawny-bellied Seedeater

-Long-winged Harrier

-Cliff Swallow

-Hooded Cappuchin

-Pond Slider

-Yacare Caiman

-Cope's Mabuya

-Pale-crested Woodpecker

-Crowned-Slaty Flycatcher

-Blue-crowned Trogon