Trip
Information
Dates:
November 17 – 21, 2010
December 5 – 9, 2010
Price: US$1350, Single supplement US$135
Highlights
• A superb introduction to Argentinean birds of the Pampas, wetlands,
riverine forests and coastal sand dunes and beaches. Lots of interesting
and quite spectacular species
• Excellent birding areas; the Costanera Sur Nature Reserve is marvelous,
as are the Pampas, the wetlands south of Buenos Aires, the bird-rich
Entre Rios province, and the important Punta Rasa peninsula
• A delightful birding pre-tour before embarking on the Antarctic Voyage
Featured Birds
• Southern Screamer
• Greater Rhea
• Black-necked Swan
• Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant
•
Hudson’s Canastero
• Maguari Stork
• Whistling Heron
• Spectacled Tyrant
• Scarlet-headed Blackbird
Trip Summary
• Diverse birding habitats
• Easy to moderate walking
• Temperate climate
• Modern accommodation
• Bus or van with driver
• Meals included from lunch on day 1 to lunch on day 5
• Flight to Ushuaia is not included
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An
introduction to the immense bird riches of Argentina! We visit three
distinct areas –the famed pampas and productive wetlands south
of Buenos Aires, the sand dunes and open beaches of Punta Rasa along
the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, and the flood plain and riverine forests
of Entre Rios province. The Pampas are flat and fertile plains covering
over one-fifth of Argentina, famous for not only gauchos but unique
species such as Greater Rhea - South America’s version of the
Ostrich, Southern Screamer - the flying Jumbo Jet, and a whole host
of interesting and captivating birds including some rare and very local
species. Wetlands close to Buenos Aires support remarkable concentrations
of swans, herons and egrets, rails and ducks, including the peculiar
Black-headed Duck, the only duck in the world that breeds solely by
laying its eggs in nests of other birds. The peninsula at Punta Rasa
juts out into the mouth of the Rio de la Plata and is an important
gathering area for thousands of waterbirds, including impressive concentrations
of Chilean Flamingos. The plains and forests of Entre Rios support
very rich and diverse wildlife, from storks to spinetails, parakeets
to plantcutters. We then fly to Ushuaia to join the Antarctic cruise.
Join us for an introduction to a very diverse and exciting avifauna.
See detailed itinerary
below.
Previous Antarctica
pre-tour bird checklists:
November 2008
Antarctica pretour (Argentina) (156 kb pdf)
November
2005 Antarctica pretour (pdf)
February
2005 Antarctica pretour (pdf)
Click here to
see our Antarctic Voyage Tour.
Click
here to download a registration form |
Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival
and Orientation
Upon arrival at the Ezeiza International Airport on the outskirts of
Buenos Aires, transfer to our hotel in the city. Likely first birds
will be Chalk-browed Mockingbirds, Rufous Horneros and Southern Lapwings
on the grassy verges of the airport entrance road. The tour begins
with an excursion in the afternoon to the Costanera Sur reserve in
Buenos Aires. Costanera Sur is wonderful, and a mistake! Originally
this landfill site was created to accommodate a housing development
and new soccer stadium, the funds ran dry half way through the project
and the site was allowed to go wild. Argentine naturalists rallied
together and were able to pressure the city to protect the area as
a nature sanctuary, truly a success story in Argentine conservation.
You will be glad that the stadium did not go up as you watch flocks
of Black-necked and Coscoroba Swans, White-faced Tree Duck, Silver
and Speckled Teals, and three species of coots. Smaller numbers of
Lake Duck, Red Shoveler, and the stunning Rosy-billed Pochard occur
here along with waterbirds that are harder to see, such as the Black-headed
Duck - the only duck in the world that breeds solely by parasitising
other birds, or Rufescent Tiger-heron. Land birds are plentiful,
and include several seedeaters, thrushes, warbling-finches, Masked
Gnatcatcher, the splendid Many-colored Rush-Tyrant and much more.
The tour begins in the evening in Buenos Aires. Night in Buenos Aires.
Day 2 –The Pampas
Today we start early, driving out of the huge city of Buenos Aires.
As we exit, the scenery quickly turns rural and is more reminiscent
of the Pampas that W.H. Hudson wrote about in the early 1900s. Time
permitting, we stop in at Magdalena and Atalaya where we bird wetlands
and thickets near the shores of the Rio de la Plata. We will have no
trouble seeing White-rumped Swallow, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Great
Kiskadee and waterbirds such as Bare-faced Ibis, Plumbeous Rail, Whistling
Heron and many others. The key birds we want to spot here are the local
Curve-billed Reedhaunter, and the not so rare but difficult to see
Sulphur-bearded Spinetail; both are odd marsh inhabiting members of
the Furnariidae, the ovenbird family. Driving the highway to San Clemente
del Tuyu we’ll encounter large concentrations of waterbirds as
well as having a good chance at seeing Greater Rheas, South America’s
version of the Ostrich. Night in San Clemente del Tuyu.
Day 3 –Punta Rasa
Punta Rasa is a bird rich peninsula north of San Clemente del Tuyu.
Here we could see some rather rare birds like Dot-winged Crake, Hudson’s
Canastero, Bay-capped Wren-Spinetail and Olrog’s Gull. The crake
is so little known that its vocalizations and nest are still unknown
to science! We should see a wide variety of wintering shorebirds, such
as both yellowlegs, White-rumped Sandpiper, Hudsonian Godwit, and flocks
of American Golden Plover possibly with Buff-breasted Sandpiper among
them. A major wintering roost of Common Terns at the tip of Punta Rasa
can turn up many other species; an astonishing 11 species of terns
have occurred here including Snowy-crowned Tern! There usually are
large flocks of Black Skimmers on the beaches and groups of Chilean
Flamingos and Roseate Spoonbills in the shallows. Land birding in the
woods near Punta Rasa can be fruitful. We search for the often overlooked
Screaming Cowbird along with its more common relative the Shiny Cowbird
and its host the Baywing Cowbird. We look for singing White-throated
Hummingbirds among the Gilded Sapphires, and we should obtain great
looks at some spectacular flycatchers like the Fork-tailed, Vermilion
and the singular Spectacled Tyrant. Much of the day will be spent inland
in the large estancias, or ranches. Here there are great numbers of
waterbirds, including some beautiful ducks like Chiloe Wigeon, the
Argentine race of the Cinnamon Teal and perhaps a White-cheeked Pintail.
Three birds that you are unlikely to forget are the abundant, noisy,
but endearing Southern Lapwing; the flying Jumbo Jet, the Southern
Screamer; and the gorgeous Scarlet-headed Blackbird, a slim black bird
with the most vivid red head and thighs. We also search the area for
a local prize, Hudson’s Canastero, which occurs in open pasturelands
with Correndera Pipits and Austral Negritos. Night in San Clemente
del Tuyu.
Day 4 - Otamendi Natural Reserve and Entre Rios
Buenos Aires lies at the boundary of two life zones, and many birds
reach their southern range limits near the city. Today we drive northward
to see some of these birds. Our first stop is at a little train station
known as Ingeniero Otamendi where we walk along a track beside marsh
and thickets. Here we hope to find several interesting birds including
the rare and local Straight-billed Reedhaunter. Other birds we should
see are Masked Yellowthroat, Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, Warbling Doradito,
and perhaps Diademed Tanager, Dark-billed Cuckoo, and Green-barred
and Checkered Woodpeckers. In 2005, we found a Marsh Seedeater, a very
rare species. Leaving Otamendi Natural Reserve, we continue across
the rivers that make up the delta of the Rio de la Plata to Ceibas
in Argentina’s Mesopotamia. Ceibas is a site not known to most
birders, but is incredibly diverse. We spend the afternoon here looking
for birds such as Suiriri Flycatcher, the enigmatic White-naped Xenopsaris,
White-fronted Woodpecker, Brazilian and Ringed Teal, White-tipped Plantcutter,
White Monjita, Rufous-capped Antshrike, and several species of ovenbirds
more typical of the Chaco, the Chotoy Spinetail, Brown Cachalote, Short-billed
Canastero, Little Thornbird and the Stripe-crowned Spinetail. We should
see Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper, a bizarre woodcreeper that forages
on the ground! It is not unusual to see over 100 species of birds in
a day in this varied region. Night in the charming lodge at Las Fraules.
Day 5 – Return to Buenos Aires and flight to Ushuaia
We spend the morning visiting areas not yet covered, and then return
to Buenos Aires to catch an afternoon flight to Ushuaia, the world’s
southernmost city. After settling into your hotel, you may have time
to walk along the shores of the legendary Beagle Channel on the Ushuaia
waterfront. Both Kelp and Dolphin Gulls and South American Terns will
be in the harbour, possibly being harassed by Chilean Skuas. Kelp Geese
may be foraging along the shoreline, and Crested Ducks and Flightless
Steamer-Ducks in the shallows. The superb Imperial Shag and Rock Shag
are quite common in the harbour, and Dark-bellied Cinclodes dart around
the rocks and boats along the waterfront. We connect with the Antarctic
tour this evening for a welcome dinner.
What
to Expect
Most days begin with breakfast at 6:30 - 7:00 a.m., followed at mid-day
by a picnic lunch. Generally, the tour proceeds at a relaxed pace;
walking will be for short durations over fairly level ground and will
be easy to moderate. We may rest for a mid-day siesta on a couple of
days. Drives will be moderate in length.
Weather on the pampas in April is usually pleasant, with warm days
and cool nights. It could be hot by early afternoon, and rain is a
possibility. It is a good idea to bring footwear that is waterproof.
We should not encounter significant numbers of mosquitos; however, you may wish
to bring mosquito repellent especially for the day we visit the province of Entre
Rios. Each evening, the list of birds and other wildlife will be reviewed during
dinner, and plans for the next day will be discussed.
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