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.