Birding Tours in South America
Tours to Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina
In the Februari 2008 we did a very successful tour in Colombia, in cooperation
with Jürgen Beckers of Trogon Travels.
link to the site
of Trogon Travels. Raoul Beuen wrote the report:
click here for the link.
A bird watching to NW- Argentina is planned from October 3-17, 2008. There is space left for 5 people.
TOUR PRICE: US$ 2700 per person in a group of 8-10 people.
In the price are included: all transport, all meals, all accomodation, entrance fees and bird guide.
Itinerary Argentina 2008
DAY 1 (October 3rd)
Start in Cordoba around midday.
Birding in the afternoon pass the village of Carlos Paz
Overnight in the town of Icho Cruz, a good site for the endemic Cinnamon Warbling-Finch.
DAY 2
In the morning, we'll travel west to a plateau known as the Pampa de Achala, in mountains called (in Spanish) the Sierra de los Comechingones, a rugged range isolated from the Andes to the west. One of the three Argentine endemics that occurs in this region is the Comechingones Cinclodes. And there is Olrog´s Cinclodes, Cordoba Canastero, Buff-breasted Earthcreeper, Rufous-banded Miner and the scarce Black-crowned Monjita.
The Chaco woodland of Capilla del Monte is another distinctive habitat with Spot-winged Falconet, Black-bodied Woodpecker and many more. This evening an optional night tour may produce Scissor-tailed Nightjar and the recently split Chaco Owl. Overnight in Dean Funes.
DAY 3
We will bird the salt flats of San Jose de la Salina, where the endemic Salinas Monjita occurs. The region is barren and hot but home to this rarely seen monjita, as well as numerous other birds in nearby desert habits. Around the salt pan we can also look for Chaco Puffbird, White-fronted Woodpecker, Crested Hornero, Lark-like Brushrunner, Short-billed Canastero,Crested Gallito, Crowned Slaty-Flycatcher, Scrub Flycatcher, Suiriri Flycatcher, White-banded Mockingbird, White-tipped Plantcutter and Many-coloured Chaco-Finch. Hotel in Conception.
DAY 4
Yunga forest along the Rio los Sosas. There we can see Torrent Ducks and the Rufous-throated Dipper, the number one speciality of this area. Other birds include Mitred Parakeet, Brown-capped Redstart, Black Phoebe, Mountain Wren, Common Bush-Tanager and White-winged Cinclodes.
In the afternoon, We continue up to EL INFIERNILLO PASS, close to 3.000 m altitude, where we may find our first Andean Condors. The high mountain grassland habitat supports several specialties such as Moreno´s Ground-Dove and the endemic Tucuman Mountain Finch.
We come back to Tafi del Valle in the afternoon.
DAY 5
We drove up again to Infiernillo pass for another chance to see the specialties in this area. Also White-browed Tapaculo is possible to be found here. As we head north, descending into the drier landscape of the “calchaqui” valleys. We plan to explore a series of semi-desert habitats, including woodlands, brushlands and ravines. We can expect Rock and Straight-billed Earthcreepers, White-fronted Woodpecker, Greater Wagtail-tyrant and the endemic White-throated Cacholote.
Hotel in Cafayate
DAY 6
After leaving Cafayate we make a stop in San Carlos Dam: large groups of Burrowing Parrots, Chaco Earthcreeper and Black-crowned Monjita.
We continue traveling north and planning to arrive into Cabra Corral in the afternoon. The driving is made through a road that runs along the valley of the “Rio de las Conchas”, and is a special place for endemic birds Sandy Gallito, Steinbach´s Canastero and Cinnamon Warbling-Finch.
Overnight in Hotel Cabral Corral in Coronel Moldes
DAY 7
Today we will cross the Lerma Valley to reach the Escoipe Canyon and Cuesta del Obispo (Bishop's Slope).
In Cuesta del Obispo road, we could find Andean Tinamou, Buff-necked Ibis, Andean Condor,Tawny-fronted Dotterels, Grey-hooded Parakeets, Common Diuca-Finches, Rock Earthcreepers, Cordilleran and Puno Canastero's, White-throated Cacholote, Sandy Gallito, Hellmayer's Pipit, and many more goodies.
In the afternoon we will get to to Los Cardones National Park. Los Cardones protects spectacular cacti-clad slopes and towering peaks rising to more than 5,000 metres. At this height we’ll hope for blue skies, although it is very possible to have heavy fog over these Andean grasslands. Guanacos are a possibility, running across the puna grassland, and Andean Condor can be found soaring over the ridges or just below us along deep valleys. The unpaved winding road climbs up the Bishop’s Cordillera to 3,500 metres, where Variable Hawk, Aplomado Falcon and Andean Flicker all reside and in the vegetated gullies many enticing passerines are found. We will spend some time walking along trails through idyllic landscape where we also hope to find the endemic and rare Steinbach’s Canastero. Flowering tobacco bushes here attract striking hummingbirds, such as the Red-tailed Comet and Giant Hummingbird. We could also find, the rare Rufous-bellied Saltator and a recent addition to the national list: Maquis Canastero. The road, perhaps one of the most scenic of the trip, passes through Los Cardones, a national park.
Hotel in Salta.
DAY 8 (October 10th)
A day tour from Salta to the “world famous” Quebrada del Toro.
This beautiful valley begins southwest of Salta at an altitude of about 1500 meters and rises all the way up to 4000 meters at San Antonio de Los Cobres, a dusty and cold mining village.
The Puna is the world's second largest continental plateau, after the Tibetan Plateau. Mean Puna basin elevations exceed 3400 m. This is the only part of Argentina where the indigenous population still constitutes a majority.
Some specialties for today include Maquis Canastero, Scribble-tailed Canastero, Bare-eyed Ground-Dove (Moreno’s Ground-Dove), Zimmer’s Tapaculo, Slaty Elaenia
DAY 9
Leaving Salta heading north to Abra Santa Laura and on to Embalse de Cienaga. offers spectacular birding. The lake approximately 25 km north of Salta is worth stopping at. At km 1635 red-legged seriemas were previously seen. Other interesting species are Ringed teal, Tufted tit-tyrant, Black-and-chestnut Warbling-finch.
The Humahuaca valley stretches up to over 2500m and contains a variety of habitats, including an alder forest, thorn and cactus scrub, rocky ravines and terraced cultivation.
Species include: Rothschild’s Swift, Spot-breasted Thornbird, Rufous-capped Antshrike, Andean Tyrant, Rusty Flowerpiercer and Fulvous-headed Brush-Finch.
For me it´s not clear where to put these species: Fulvous-headed Brush-Finch, and Rusty-browed Warbling-Finch.
Overnight in Abra Pampa
DAY 10
The Humahuaca valley stretches up to over 2500m and contains a variety of habitats, including an alder forest, thorn and cactus scrub, rocky ravines and terraced cultivation.
Laguna de los Pozuelos is one of the most important areas for waterbirds in Argentina. It is approximately 100 square kilometres in area and lies at 3500m above sea level. Both the lake and the surrounding ‘tola heath’ are protected as the Laguna de los Pozuelos National Monument. It supports large numbers of waterbirds and is one of the best places to find the rare Horned Coot and the amazing Giant Coot.
Species include: Lesser Rhea (a rare and local subspecies of Puna Rhea), Puna Tinamou, Chilean, Puna and Andean Flamingos, Silvery Grebe, Andean Goose, Crested Duck, Speckled, Cinnamon and Puna Teals, Andean Coot, Andean Avocet, Puna Plover, Andean Gull, Lesser Yellowlegs, Baird’s Sandpiper and Wilson’s Phalarope. We need a lot of luck to find the scarce Red-backed Sierra-Finch
Overnight in Lozano (near Yala)
DAY 11
If we should have missed then Rufous-throated Dipper we will have a second change along the Yala river. But we hope to go on as soon as posible to the La Lancitas State reserve in the Santa Barbara hills. Here are 280 species of birds reported, with specialties including: Alder Parrot, Green-cheeked parakeet, Golden-collared Macaw, Miltred Parakeet, King Vulture, Dusky-legged Guan and Red-faced Guan.
At the end of the day we will check in a hotel in Libertador Gral San Martin for three nights.
DAY 12+13
Calilegua National Park is our birding site for two days. It covers approximately 70,000 hectares of the highest forested mountain chain in Argentina. The park stretches from the plains through subtropical evergreen ‘yungas’ forest to temperate mossy forest with alder and Podocarpus woodland.
Species include: Red-faced Guan, Yungas Dove, Alder Parrot, White-throated Antpitta, Giant Antshrike, Black-and-chestnut Eagle, Solitary Eagle, Ornate Hawk-Eagle or Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Dusky-legged Guan, Planalto Hermit, Speckled Hummingbird, Slender-tailed Woodstar, Ashy-tailed Swift, Sooty-fronted and Ochre-cheeked Spinetails, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, Black-banded Woodcreeper, Black-capped Antwren, White-throated Quail-Dove, Hoy’s Screech-Owl , Yellow-striped Brush-Finch and Rufous-bellied Saltator.
DAY 14
Today we visit the habitat around Joaquin V Gonzalez, known as ‘dry chaco’;
Species include: Quebracho Crested Tinamou, Tataupa Tinamou, Brushland Tinamou, White-tailed Kite, Roadside, Savanna and Harris’s Hawks, Aplomado Falcon, Chaco Chachalaca, Picazuro and Spot-winged Pigeons, White-tipped Dove, Blue-crowned and Monk Parakeets, Turquoise-fronted Parrot, Ash-coloured Cuckoo, Dark-billed and Striped Cuckoos, Smooth-billed Ani, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Tropical Screech-Owl, Common (or Grey) Potoo, Little and Scissor-tailed Nightjars, Nacunda Nighthawk, Blue-tufted Starthroat, Cream-backed Woodpecker, Green-barred Flicker, Narrow-billed Woodcreeper, Great Rufous and Scimitar-billed Woodcreepers, Red-billed Scythebill, Black-legged Seriema, Crested Hornero, Pale-breasted and Stripe-crowned Spinetails, Common and Little Thornbirds, Lark-like Brushrunner, Brown Cacholote, Great and Variable Antshrikes, Stripe-backed Antbird, Crested Gallito, Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant, Suiriri, Bran-coloured, Fork-tailed and Crowned Slaty Flycatchers, Large and Small-billed Elaenias, Tawny-crowned Pygmy-Tyrant, White Monjita, Cinereous and Cattle Tyrants, Rufous Casiornis, Creamy-bellied Thrush, Red-crested Cardinal, Many-coloured Chaco-Finch, Red Pileated, Black-crested and Saffron Finches, Black-capped Warbling-Finch, Ultramarine Grosbeak, Solitary Cacique, Screaming Cowbird and White-browed Blackbird
DAY 15 (October 17th)
After the morning birding at J.V. Gonzales we drive back to Salta
Here you have the option to take the evening flight to Buenos Aires, where next day some more birding should be possible. For instance “Costanera del Sur” in the center in the city offers great and easy birding with a lot of species that we haven´t seen yet.
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