Argentina: Part 5 - Esteros del Ibera

Ibera, north of Buenos Aries near Mercedes, to put it simply, gave Peninsula Valdes a run for its money as the best wildlife spot we'd been to in Argentina. In the local Guarani language, the name translates simply as "Bright Water" and upon arrival we could understand why. This roughly 20,000 km² wetland is the second largest in the world, and an untouched, undeveloped paradise for wildlife lovers. Lana and I spent 4 nights at Aguape lodge (which I can't recommend enough) and we comprised one third of all the tourists we encountered during our stay.....
Unfortunately we lost a day to some torrential rain which made going out for dinner good fun; a job for wellies and wading through the sandy streets with lightning striking slightly too close for comfort. Even when the evenings were warm and sunny we were still the only people enjoying good food as Nacunda Nighthawks hunted around the street lamps outside the restaurant. The Giant Wood Rail below took full advantage of having the pool to itself during the storm.

A typical scene in this wetland paradise

Giant Wood Rail relaxing by the pool

During our stay we took a couple of boat trips out onto the lagoon and got up close to some incredible wildlife. Capybara (in Latin, Water Pig), Marsh Deer and Black Caiman were commonplace. All three of these species were once heavily poached for their various lovely characteristics, but now luckily there is a team of dedicated rangers that in Ibera at least are working on stamping out the vile practice all together. Habitat destruction is also a major threat, especially to the Marsh Deer. Again Ibera provides some vital protection for this stunning species. Capybara are considered less vulnerable as they have the ability to reproduce fairly rapidly (being rodents and all) and a much larger range. Interestingly, they also only ever mate in water.

Capybara family huddling during the storm

Prehistoric and intricately beautiful, Black Caiman

Marsh Deer being marshy

Alongside the aquatic wildlife was a cast of truly stunning birds. Out on the wetland Striated, White-necked and Rufescent Tiger Heron, Snowy and Great Egret, Wattled Jacana, Brazilian and White-faced Whistling Duck and Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture were common. We were also lucky to see Large-billed and Yellow-billed Tern, Ringed, Amazon and Green Kingfisher, Scarlet-headed Blackbird, White-headed Marsh Tyrant,  and Black-capped Donacobious, with the later still proving a bit of a headache for ornithologists as to where it belongs taxonomically.

Beautiful female Green Kingfisher

Just as Redshanks in the UK are "sentinels of the marsh," Southern Screamers keep watch over the marshes of South America

Black-capped Donacobious

Our excellent guide Horatio spotted this hiding in the floating vegetation....

A Wattled Jacana chick

On land the selection of bird life was also unbelievable. We had come very much hoping to be able to see Yellow Cardinal, and ended up seeing two, which I rather tragically worked out constitutes of roughly 0.1% of the entire world population of this endangered and simply stunning bird. This bird has suffered for its beauty, and its chronic exploitation for the caged bird trade has lead to a catastrophic decline, and habitat loss and fragmentation is ensuring this species faces an even more challenging recovery. We experienced first hand the vulnerability of this species while in Ibera. As it is highly territorial, it is easily lured to investigate the calls of other individuals, While we didn't use a tape at all, it was clear that someone had been, as this bird came and sat on the wing mirror of our truck.

One of those special birding moments. Yellow Cardinal

And still present when the truck was empty.

Common species around our lodge and the surrounding dirt roads included Red-crested and Yellow-billed Cardinal, Masked Gnatcatcher, Black-capped Warbling finch, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, White Monjita, Field Flicker, Great Kiskadee and Guira Cuckoo. There are far too many pictures to upload, so I thought I'd stick with my favourites. Firstly, a couple of spectacular Vermilion Flycatchers were present around the village and were always very showy.

Outrageously red (or vermilion) Vermilion Flycatcher

Another species which is classified as vulnerable and still declining is the Black and White Monjita, and it is an uncommon bird to see in Ibera, so to find this pair by the road was a real treat.

Black and White Monjita

Also around were the much more common but equally as beautiful White Monjita. It was very strange seeing virtually all-white passerines which do occur but are rare in Britain (breeding plumage male Snow Bunting is the only one I could think of that comes close).

As I said above, Masked Gnatcatcher were common, however they were lovely little birds. We thought they were the like the South American equivalent of Long-tailed Tit.

Masked Gnatcatcher

And finally, as we made our way North out of the wetlands towards Iguazu Falls, which was one of the most exciting and terrifying road journeys of my life, we were lucky enough to come across a Roseate Spoonbill feeding in a newly created pool. There had been so much rain that the dirt roads had been turned to sludge and there was plenty of flooding. Some "puddles" were so deep we had to remove our seat belts in case the car rolled and we had to make a quick escape.

Roseate Spoonbill enjoying all the rain

Argentina: Part 4 - Parc Nacional Los Glaciares

I am now writing from home having finished our trip: a computer became difficult to come by as we traveled north which was a wonderful thing. Our final stop on our route south was Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, most famous for Glaciar Perito Moreno, but so much more than that. Don't get me wrong, it was stunning, however El Calafate (the base town for it) was not, and El Chalten in the North of the park was infinitely better. However, the Laguna Nimez reserve on the Northern edge of Calafate was a hidden gem, and we spent 3 hours in this tiny reserve, which had much to offer. It consists of a few small lagoons filled with wildfowl and Flamingos, access to the shore of Lago Argentino (Argentina's largest lake) and plenty of scrub too. We were afforded fantastic views of South American Snipe, Plumbeous Rail, Chilean Flamingo, Grass Wren Red Shoveler, Crested Duck and many more. A group of Oxyura spp. ducks also caused much confusion.

South American Snipe

Plumbeous Rail, incredibly showy

Chilean Flamingo, wonderful to see them in the wild

Grass Wren singing his heart out.

Southern Lapwing

Just a quick note about the Southern Lapwing above. This species really is absolutely everywhere. Nature reserves, parks, roadsides, town centres.... There wasn't a single place we visited where they weren't present. I imagine that this is what it was once like in Britain for our Northern Lapwing, now a distant dream, but not one that is out of reach....

Also, an obligatory photo of the glacier. It was rather spectacular. Stretching for 2.5km in either direction, this photo shows only the central leading face of it. It advances at a lightning quick 2 meters a day, and is over 14km long and 180 meters deep (of which around 55 metres are above the water).

Perito Moreno glacier

Also competing for attention was this young Rufous-collared Sparrow....

FEED ME!

On to El Chalten, which had a much more relaxed and wild vibe to it, nestled in the mountains in the shadow of the simply breathtaking Cerro Fitz Roy. It is truly astonishing to think that some Human Beings have the skills and physical capability to ascend this peak. I spent a lot of time staring at it in admiration of them. Luckily this didn't distract form the birds for too long. Some wonderful hiking was accompanied by two much sought after species. The first came on a what could just about get away with being called a lake, but in truth was more like a large pond, surrounded by Pine trees on a short but steep trail up to a viewpoint over El Chalten. It was with a slightly sarcastic tone that we suggested a look just in case, and not long after "there was much rejoicing". Only a family of BRONZE-WINGED DUCK!!!! What absolute stunners. These scarce Andean breeders were tricky to come by, and to find a family of them in what seemed like the least likely of places was very satisfying indeed. While we watched them we were also joined by a family of 5 Chilean Flickers.

Bronze-winged Duck, showing the iridescent speculum looking bronze here...

And green here.

The next day saw us hiking out into the national park, and we managed to time it so that we were virtually alone along most of the trails. Whenever the tree canopy thinned out we had amazing views of the Cerro Fitz Roy and its neighboring peaks flanking us, and in the forest we managed to find not one but two pairs of Magellanic Woodpeckers, showing down to a couple of feet at times. These are splendid, not just for the elaborate plumage of both sexes, but also the size; they are big birds! If fears are realised and the Ivory-billed and Imperial Woodpecker are indeed extinct, the larger individuals of the species can rank themselves in the top five largest woodpecker species in the world. We were lucky enough to observe them feeding for a good 10 minutes, and a male even decided to have a quick drum while we were there.

Male Magellanic Woodpecker, one smart bird

Female Magellanic Woodpecker, less colour more crest.

Standing at 3405m, the Cerro Fitz Roy

To round this post off, a quick mention for a place we stayed before we arrived in Calafate, Estancia El Condor. 4 hours from Ruta 40, this was a complete haven from everything modern, and here we enjoyed our first and only encounter with Austral Parakeet, the southern most species of Parrot in the Americas. If visiting anywhere within 200 miles of El Condor, it is an absolute must. A taste of what life in the Andes and southern Argentina used to be like it was by far and away the best location we visited in Patagonia. It was also the location for my first (and probably last as I survived completely intact and don't want to push my luck) horse ride, for six hours into the mountains. What an incredible experience it was.

A pair of Austral Parakeet

Proof - that is me on that horse there! 

Argentina: Part 3

Although it may seem strange to think, there are things here worth looking at other than birds..... We visited Los Arrayanes national park, a 12km long peninsula full of beautiful flowers and some very old (300-600 years old) Arrayan Trees. With lonely planet, a bird book and butterfly book, we ran out of space for a flower book, so for now some species remain unidentified by us, but it in no way detracts from how delicately beautiful they are.

Lady´s Slipper spp.

Unsure as yet.... Wow though

Dog Orchid

Arrayan trees

Heading further south we visited the beautiful Los Alerces national park, home to some incredibly beautiful and some very old Alerces trees and where we added our first of many Andean Condor to the trip list. On the drive south on Ruta 40 we had a mad raptor fest, within an hour being treated to more Condors, Black-chested Buzzard Eagle, Aplomado Falcon and Cinerous Harrier (the later escaped the camera, but not for long)!

Soaring Barn Door

On a fresh kill. For size, that is a large Hare that bird is on.

What a little stunner!

As we left the lush forests on the Eastern slopes of the Andes and headed south again, the landscape changed and Patagonian Steppe became the dominant feature. We started easily spotting species like Tawny-throated Dotteral and Gray-headed Sierra Finch. Roaming Guanacos have also become and almost permanent fixture.

Tawny-throated Dotteral, common by the road.

Gray-hooded Sierra Finch

Cute!! Mother and baby Guanaco

That´s another round up completed. It tells a small fraction of the story behind this beautiful country, and a small fraction of the now 152 bird species we´ve seen so far. We are now down in El Calafate, and hiking is taking a front seat. However, it won´t be long until we head north, where an entirely new set of spcies and landscapes await us. 

Argentina: Part 2

A complete change of scenery greeted us in Bariloche; beautiful blue lakes, vast mountain ranges and lots of greenery, making a nice change from the hauntingly beautiful but somewhat desolate Patagonian Steppe. We managed a few new birds in and around Bariloche, and my favourite and a bird that I was very keen to see before we came was a Burrowing Parrot. We found a small and very noisy flock on the edge of a dirt track and they were just as pretty as I´d imagined. We were able to watch these two below as they courted, which ended in success!

Burrowing Parrots wooing

Chimango Caracara nearby. In the running for most common bird of the trip

We slowly started winding our way North through mile upon mile of breathtaking scenery as we explored Nahuel Huapi National Park. The almost empty dirt roads proved an excellent source of birds, and as we drove we spotted some cracking birds including Ashy-headed Goose, Chilean Flicker, and California Quail (introduced I know, but splendid none-the-less).

I do love geese!

Chilean Flicker digging for worms!

Very HandsomeCalifornia Quail

We hit our 100th species just outside our hotel in Villa La Angostura, in the form of a pair of Franklin Gulls. Strange to think that a few weeks previous we were at Blashford Lakes hoping to catch a glimpse of the individual there. I love Blashford, but this location just about piped it.

Franklins Gull - the big 100!

The view from our hotel!

Thats all for now. I have many more stories but the internet cafe is about to shut for lunch and we have a trip to Cueva de los Manos awaiting us!

Argentina: Part 1

A week has flown by, and what an incredible week it has been. We have seen so much wildlife and fallen in love with this country already. My accounts here will have to be brief; a sort of best-of if you like. So we started in Buenos Aries, a hot, bustling but very pleasant city (coming from somebody who normally avoids cities like the plague), and explored Costanera Sur nature reserve on the Eastern edge of the city which turned out to be a real oasis. We struggled to find any water so missed out potential ducks and migrating waders, but there were plenty of other birds around. Many of them were tricky to photograph, but we logged around 40 species in 3 hours, not bad for an urban location full of unkown birds!! The highlights here and around the city itself were the raptors, most notably the Southern Crested Caracara. If anybody thinks that raptors have a negative effect on songbirds, they need to visit Argentina, as there is an abundance of both laying waste to that flimsy argument. I was also extatic to finally catch up with a Hummingbird, and what incredible creatures they are!

Southern Crested Caracara

Glittering-bellied Emerald (Phwaaar)

Green-barred Woodpecker

After BA, we took a long coach jounrey to Peninsula Valdes on the Atlantic coast and rented a car for a few days to explore. I can honestly say this is the greatest place (from a naturalists point of view) that I have ever been. As soon as we arrived we went on a sunset whale tour, and spent 2 hours in the company of Southern Right Whales and their calves. We were then lucky enough to catch up with a pod of Orca just after a kill and watched them for half an hour as they drifted slowly past. These two experiences would have been enough, but we also walked amongst a Magellanic Penguin colony, got to visit both Sea Lion and Elephant Seal Colonies and saw some top quality birds. It was great sadness that we had to say goodbye to this beautiful place, and I must admit that I am already trying to work out how I can get back as soon as possible. The land is barron with low scrub and lots of wind to go with it, but we still encountered some wonderful birds. The endearing Elegant-crested Tinamou were everywhere, as were the splendid Long-tailed Meadowlark and Darwin's Rhea. Also on the list were Lesser Shrike Tyrant, Mourning Sierra-finch, Plain-mantled Tit-spinetail, Olrogs Gull, Snowy Sheathbill, Blue-eyed Cormorant and Giant Southern Petrel.

Enjoying the sunset with a Southern Right Whale 

Orcas cruising past

Splendid male Sea Lion

Long-tailed Meadowlark in all its glory!

Darwin's Rhea; she had no less than 13 young with her

Just like the Farnes!! Rock Shags and chicks

We are now on the other side of Argentina in Bariloche, amongst lakes, mountains and lots of greenery again, and it is stunning! The next leg of our jounrey sees us drive south along the spine of the Andes. It promises to be long but incredibly rewarding, and I can't wait! And hopefully there will be lots more amazing wildlife along the way!