Oscar Rodriguez and John Sterling tour leaders

Subtropical Argentina Birding Tour: Ibera marshes, Atlantic forest (with Iguazu falls) and the North West. 20 days/19 nights.

23 August to 12 September 2020

INTRODUCTION

This is a tour that comprises some of the best birding destinations of northeast and northwest Argentina. For practical reasons the tour is divided in 3 stages, which are connected together as follows:

Strange-tailed Tyrant – © Jorge La Grotteria

Stage 1: Ibera marshes

Ibera marshes constitute an enormous wetland located in north-east Argentina, in the center of Corrientes province, and one of the wildest areas in southern South America. The marshland habitat hosts a remarkable variety of birds, many of them mainly found in this part of the world, including a newly described species: Ibera Seadeater. But Ibera is not just about marshes: other important ecoregions are found in the surroundings. The subtropical grasslands are the marshes main counterpart in the region, giving refuge to some of the most endangered bird species of the area, such as Strange-tailed Tyrant, Saffron-cowled Blackbird and Marsh Seedeater, treated mainly by habitat loss. The Espinal forest is found south of the marshes, adding a high diversity of furnarids (oven birds) and one of the most sought-after species: the endangered Yellow Cardinal. Finally, the Humid Chaco forest to the west and the Atlantic forest to the north-east of the Ibera marshes add their strong influence to the area’s biodiversity in the scattered patches of forest naturally found in the region. The combination of all these ecoregions and their bird species makes Ibera marshes an

outstanding birding destination.Description

The tour begins in the airport of Posadas (Misiones province). From there we will take a birding transfer in a 4x4 vehicle to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini, located right by Ibera marshes. During this transfer we will make birding stops where we will have our first chances of finding some of the main targets of the tour, such as the Strange-tailed Tyrant, Streamer-tailed Tyrant, Black-and-white Monjita, Jabiru, Marsh Seedeater (only in the summer) and Crested Doradito, among many others.

Once in Colonia Carlos Pellegrini we will stay in a perfectly located lodge surrounded by nature, where commonly seen species include Southern Screamer, Rufescent Tiger-heron, Giant Woodrail, Black-capped Donacobius, Scarlet-headed Blackbird and more. Near the town there is a strong influence of Espinal forest which constitutes the main habitat for Yellow Cardinal, one of the most attractive target birds of the tour. Other typical species of this forest are Brown Cacholote, Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper, Little Thornbird, Tufted Tit-spinetail, and the great Cream-backed Woodpecker.

The humid subtropical grasslands around Ibera marshes are the main habitat for a variety of seedeaters and other species such as Wedge-tailed and Lesser Grassfinch, Great Pampa Finch, Long-tailed Reedfinch, Greater Rhea, Red-winged Tinamou and Bearded Tachuri.

A boat trip in Laguna Iberá will increase our chances of seeing White-headed Marsh-tyrant, Great Black Hawk and three species of kingfishers, as well as enjoying the beautiful landscape and other wildlife of Ibera, including Marsh Deer, Yacare Caimans, Capybaras and good chances of finding Neotropic River Otters and Yellow Anacondas. Maned Wolf and Giant Anteater are also present in the area, although much harder to see.

After birding in Ibera marshes and surroundings we will visit a cattle ranch member of the Alianza del Pastizal (Grassland's Alliance), an international initiative that encourages sustainable grazing practices on natural grasslands. Here we will be especially looking for the rare and endangered Saffron-cowled Blackbird, Ochre-breasted Pipit and the very local Sickle-winged Nightjar.

Sickle-winged Nightjar – © Marcelo Gavensky

Black-fronted Piping-Guan - © Jorge La Grotteria

Stage 2: Iguazu falls and Atlantic forest

The Atlantic forest (subtropical forest of Amazon domain) is one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems in South America, with about 60 percent of its vertebrate fauna being endemic. Several different forest assemblages are found within it, each one of them having its different bird repertoire, which makes it one of the world’s top birding destinations. Once covering most of south-east Brazil, east Paraguay and the north-east tip of Argentina, nowadays less than 10 % of the original territory still remains as a forest. The Argentine province of Misiones has the world’s largest continuous area of Atlantic Forest, and most of it is formally protected as national and provincial parks (such as Iguazu National Park and Urugua-í and Cruce Caballero Provincial Parks). Most of its original fauna is still well preserved, with over 500 species of birds (including toucans, puffbirds, antbirds, manakins, tanagers and more) and many of South America’s iconic neotropic mammals, such as jaguars, tapirs, peccaries, anteaters, monkeys, agoutis and many others.

This stage comprises some of the best birding areas and most beautiful landscapes within the Argentine Atlantic forest and it’s ecotone with the Campos grassland, in an ideal amount of time that includes a visit to the spectacular Iguazu Falls.

Description

Coming from Ibera marshes, we will travel northwards and make an early birding stop in Candelaria, where we will focus in Campos grassland species such as several species of seedeaters and the rare Sharp-tailed Tyrant. After that stop we will continue northwards to the town of San Pedro.

San Pedro is conveniently located near two provincial parks that protect a very endangered type of forest within the Atlantic forest: the monkey-puzzle (Araucaria) forest. This ecosystem gives refuge to endangered and very local bird species such as the Vinaceous-breasted Parrot, Canebrake Groundcreeper and Araucaria Tit-spinetail.

The first park that we will visit is La Araucaria provincial park, and is located right next to San Pedro, being one of the best places to see the three species mentioned above. An afternoon visit to this park will give us good chances to find those and more species. We will spend the night in cabins near San Pedro, where there is a breeding territory of Stygian Owls, which we will try to find in the evening.

The following morning we will have an early start to visit Cruce Caballero provincial park, which protects one of the most spectacular patches of primary forest still left in South America, with huge elder monkey-puzzle trees and a dense tree-fern forest under them.

Bird specialties in this park include the rare White-bearded Antshrike, Helmeted Woodpecker, Black-billed Scythebill and Planalto Tyrannulet. Good chances of seeing the spectacular Long-trained Nightjar before sunrise are the main reasons for the early start.

After spending the morning in Cruce Caballero, we will continue our way northwards to get to one of the main destinations of the tour: Karadya Birding Lodge. This outstanding private reserve with accommodations is located in a hilly area with a type of forest that is different to the one found in Iguazu National Park, therefore having a different bird assemblage. At Karadya we will be looking for Atlantic Forest specialties such as the Red-breasted Toucan, Swallow-tailed (or “Blue”) Manakin, Black-throated Grosbeak, Bay-ringed Tyrannulet and the more skulky Planalto Tapaculo and Spotted Bamboowren, among many others. Antbirds are especially diverse here (although yet hard to spot) with remarkable species such as the White-shouldered Fire-Eye, Bertoni’s Antbird, Dusky-tailed Antbird, Streak-capped Antwren, Tufted Antshrike and even Giant Antshrike, although this last one is not found all the time in the area. The reserve is located in a green corridor, which connects Urugua-í Provincial Park with Foerster Provincial Park, being a real hotspot for birding. It is also a good place to look for soaring raptors such as King Vulture, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle (often seen in the area) and the much scarcer Ornate Hawk-Eagle. At night this reserve offers great chances of finding some Atlantic Forest endemics such as the Tawny-browed Owl and Rusty-barred Owl.

Our next destination will be also one of the most exciting birding spots in our tour: Surucuá Reserva & Ecolodge. Staying in this comfortable birding lodge, we will be experiencing a different type of Atlantic Forest at its best, more similar to the forest found around the falls, but without the crowds of people that usually visit that park every day. The place is surrounded by rainforest, bordering Iguazú national park in the Argentine side (west of the reserve) and Do Iguaçu national park to the north (right across Iguazú River) in the Brazilian shore. On the way between Karadya and Surucua reserves we will make a short but important birding stop at Urugua-í Provincial Park to look for the endangered Black-fronted Piping-Guan.

Surucuá lodge has a good network of trails, including part of the Iguazú River with an amazing view of the forest landscape. Here we will be looking for species such as White-bearded Manakin, Band-tailed Manakin, Surucua Trogon, Black-throated Trogon, Blond-crested Woodpecker, Robust Woodpecker, Ochre-collared Piculet, Green Ibis, Spot-backed Antshrike, Buff-bellied Puffbird and Spot-billed Toucanet, among many others. Rufous-capped Motmots start their activity before dusk calling loudly from their hidden spots in the forest, and in the evening Common Potoos, Pauraques, Semicollared Nighthawks, Black-capped Screech Owls and Mottled Owls are commonly heard (depending on the season) just around the lodge’s rooms.

From Surucua lodge we will travel across Iguazu National Park to get to the world famous Iguazu Falls, one of the most outstanding tourist destinations on the planet, surrounded by lush Atlantic forest. Before leaving this region we will make a last birding stop at “Jardín de los Picaflores” (Hummingbird’s Garden), a place where many species of hummingbirds visit feeders—species are very difficult to find in the forest. Planalto Hermit, Black Jacobin, Black-throated Mango,

Violet-capped Woodnymph, Versicolored Emerald and the astonishing Swallow-tailed Hummingbird are some of the hummingbirds that visit the garden along with euphonias, chlorophonias, Green-headed Tanagers and other fruit and nectar feeding birds.

Rufous-throated Dipper - © Jorge La Grotteria

Stage 3: the Northwest

Northwest Argentina is famous for its diversity of landscapes, wildlife and cultures. In a relatively small area it is possible to travel from the subtropical warm plains of the eastern lowlands to the high altitude cold Andean peaks, with a plethora of habitats and landscapes in between. This produces a very high bird diversity that goes from toucans and trogons to flamingoes and condors, just to mention a few iconic species. This trip comprises all major habitats of north-west Argentina, in a fairly new birding route that has been designed by us to take the best advantage of a relatively short period of time.

Description

A short flight connection from Iguazu to Salta city airport will take us to this exciting and extremely diverse region of Argentina.

From there we will travel northwards to the province of Jujuy, to our first birding destination: Eco-portal de Piedra. This nice accommodation with its own private reserve is located next to the Sierra de Santa Bárbara, a small mountain where two types of forest can be found at their best: Montane Chaco forest (dry subtropical forest) and Yungas forest (a type of montane rainforest which is one of the most bio-diverse habitats in Argentina).

The bird fauna of this place, out of the beaten path, is very diverse and the first chances of seeing Andean Condors are right here, as well as another remarkable “new world” vulture: the King Vulture. This is one of the best places for watching both species, which can be seen together at times, soaring over the subtropical forest. An interesting mix of chaco species (such as Red-legged and Black-legged Seriemas, Chaco Puffbird and Chaco Chachalaca) with yungas species (such

as Tucuman Parrot, Large-tailed Dove, Golden-olive Woodpecker and Black-backed Grosbeak), as well as the beautiful landscape, are some of the main attractions of the area. At least two Argentine endemic birds are found in this private reserve: Yellow-striped Brush-Finch and the skulking White-browed Tapaculo, “santabarbaerae” subspecies (which is only found in this mountain). Many species of very scarce raptors are often seen here, such as the White-rumped Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Rufous-thighed Kite, Collared Forest-Falcon, although the rare Black-and-chestnut Eagle and Orange-breasted Falcon are the reserve’s highlights, with breeding pairs living within it. Other attractive species in the area include Red-tailed Comet, Toco Toucan, Cream-backed Woodpecker and Golden-collared Macaw. At night, we will try to spot some of the many interesting species of owls that live in the reserve, such as Black-banded Owl, Spectacled Owl, Buff-fronted Owl and Hoy’s Screech-Owl.

From the Eco-portal we will make short trips to visit the dry Chaco forest near the border with the province of Salta, in order to have more chances of seeing some of the specialties of that habitat, and El Fuerte area (in the heart of the Sierra de Santa Bárbara) to look for Huayco Tinamou and more.

After Ecoportal de Piedra we will visit Calilegua National Park, which preserves a great natural area with different layers of Yungas Forest. There we will look for more yungas specialties, such as the White-throated Antpitta and Spotted Nightingale-Thrush (both species far more often heard than seen), Fulvous-headed Brush-Finch, Spot-breasted Thornbird and a species recently found in Argentina: Yungas Manakin. Other attractive species to look for include Solitary Eagle, Amazonian Motmot, Blue-crowned Trogon and the “cinerea” subspecies of Giant Antshrike.

On the way to the west part of Jujuy province (a much drier and higher area) we will make a birding stop at Potrero de Yala Provincial Park. This strategic birding area will give us the best chances for finding some of the most attractive birds of the region: the Torrent Duck, Red-faced Guan, Rufous-throated Dipper and the spectacular Lyre-tailed Nightjar. We will have very good chances of seeing all of these yungas specialties and more. After this we will enter to the famous Quebrada de Humahuaca, and start birding in totally different landscapes.

The first stop at Quebrada de Humahuaca will be in the town of Tilcara, a traditional place with an old history, which still preserves ruins of a pre-columbine culture that was conquered by the Inca Empire (it is possible to visit these ruins, called “El Pucará”). The bird fauna is very different to the one seen in the other places visited along the tour, and we will look for Prepuna desert specialties such as the Gray-hooded Parakeet, Creamy-breasted Canastero, Brown-backed Mockingbird, Greenish Yellow-Finch and Black-hooded Sierra-Finch, among many others.

After Tilcara we will continue travelling north to the town of Abra Pampa. This place, located more than 3000 meters above sea level, is called the “capital” of the Puna in Argentina. The Puna desert has many bird specialties, and its dry plains have scattered lagoons and marshes where plenty of aquatic birds are found, including three species of flamingoes: Chilean, Andean and James’s. This is a land with lots of “puna” and “andean” birds, such as the Puna Rhea, Puna Tinamou, Andean Tinamou, Puna Ibis, Puna Teal, Andean Goose, Andean Coot, Andean Avocet, Andean Lapwing, Puna Plover, Andean Gull, Andean Hillstar, Andean Flicker, Puna Miner, Puna Canastero, Andean Negrito and more, that will be our target species while we enjoy incredible landscapes.

Among the most remarkable birds in this area are the Giant and Horned Coots, two species of large and scarce coots only found in this part of South America. Other interesting animals such as the Vicuñas, Culpeo Foxes and Mountain Viscachas, are likely to be seen during the tour. Visiting the Natural Monument “Laguna de los Pozuelos” we will improve our chances of finding all these

species, and seeing some unforgettable landscapes.

Further north, we will get to the small village of Yavi, right next to the border with Bolivia. Here we will look for some local specialties that are almost only found here, in this remote point of Argentina. These include the Wedge-tailed Hillstar, Citron-headed Yellow-Finch and Bare-faced Ground-Dove. It is also a great place to look for the Giant Hummingbird, the largest species in its kind.

Finally, we will visit the heights of Abra del Lizoite (located at 4600 metres above sea level) to look for some very rewarding specialties such as the Red-backed Sierra-Finch and the rare Diademed Sandpiper-plover, as well as many other species such as Slender-billed Miner, Puna Tinamou and more.

FULL ITINERARY*

23 August 2020 DAY 1: arrival in Posadas airport, and transfer to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini (with birding stops in search of Strange-tailed Tyrant, Yellow Cardinal and others). Check-in at the lodge, lunch and afternoon birding the trails around the Interpretation Centre of Ibera Provincial Park. Dinner and night at the lodge (Ecoposada).

24 August 2020 DAY 2: early breakfast and boat tour in Laguna Ibera in search for wetland specialties. Lunch at the hotel and PM birding in southern access to Ibera marshes, in search of grassland specialties. Dinner and night at the lodge (Ecoposada).

25 August 2020 DAY 3: early breakfast and birding tour to Camba Trapo, in search of Yellow Cardinal, Jabiru and Black-and-white Monjita. Transfer to Estancia Virocay. PM birding and night at Estancia Virocay.

26 August 2020 DAY 4: full day birding in Estancia Virocay. Night at Estancia Virocay.

27 August 2020 DAY 5: early breakfast and transfer to San Pedro (Misiones). Birding in La Araucaria provincial park. Night in San Pedro (Der Wald).

28 August 2020 DAY 6: early morning transfer to Cruce Caballero provincial park (birding there until the afternoon). Transfer to Karadya birding lodge. Night at the lodge.

29 August 2020 DAY 7: full day birding in Karadya birding lodge. Night at the lodge.

30 August 2020 DAY 8: morning tour to Urugua-i Provincial Park. Afternoon transfer to Surucua lodge. PM birding in Surucua lodge. Night at the lodge (Surucua).

31 August 2020 DAY 9: full day birding in Surucua lodge. Night at the lodge.

1 September 2020 DAY 10: AM transfer to Puerto Iguazú birding along route 101, across Iguazu National Park. PM visit to Iguazu falls. Night in Puerto Iguazu.

2 September 2020 DAY 11: AM visit to the Hummingbird's Garden (in Puerto Iguazu). PM flight connection to Salta airport. Transfer to Ecoportal de Piedra reserve & lodge with birding stop in dry Chaco forest area. Night at Ecoportal.

3 September 2020 DAY 12: Full day birding in Ecoportal de Piedra and surroundings. Night at Ecoportal.

4 September 2020 DAY 13: Full day birding in Ecoportal de Piedra and surroundings. Night at Ecoportal.

5 September 2020 DAY 14: Birding transfer to Calilegua. Full day birding in higher part of Calilegua National Park and surroundings. Night in Calilegua (Hostería Benitez).

6 September 2020 DAY 15: Half day birding in lower part of Calilegua National Park. Transfer to Yala. Nocturnal birding, and night in Villa Jardín de Reyes (Hostería Pura Vida).

7 September 2020 DAY 16: Half day birding in Potrero de Yala Provincial Park. Afternoon transfer to Tilcara. Night in Tilcara (El Reposo del Diablo).

8 September 2020 DAY 17: Full day birding in Tilcara and surroundings. Optional visit to “El Pucará” (pre-columbine ruins). Transfer to Abra Pampa. Night in Abra Pampa (Hotel Rincón Suizo).

9 September 2020 DAY 18: Full day birding in Abra Pampa and Laguna de los Pozuelos. Transfer to Yavi. Night in Yavi (Hostería Pachama).

10 September 2020 DAY 19: Full day birding tour from Yavi to Abra del Lizoite. Night in Yavi (Hostería Pachama).

11 September 2020 DAY 20: Transfer to Villa Jardín de Reyes, with birding stops along the way. Night at Villa Jardín de Reyes (Hostería Pura Vida). End of the tour (flight connection to Buenos Aires recommended on 12 September DAY 21 from Jujuy airport).

*The itinerary may change due to force majeure.

PRICE

The 20 day /19 night tour has the price of US$ 7,000 per person based on 6 people double occupancy. Single supplement (not available in all destinations) is US$660.

Includes all accommodations, three meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner), all land transfers in private vehicle, entrance tickets to Hummingbirds Garden and Iguazu National Park, guide at Iguazu National Park, local guide/driver and tour leader with spotting scope, snacks and drinks (bottled water) during the birding outings, and transfer to Jujuy airport on DAY 21.

Does not include internal flight tickets (~$400-500 estimate), tips nor anything not mentioned on previous paragraph.

Only for additional information, estimated cost of flight connections (estimated for August 2019, although very likely to change, quoted on November 12 th, 2018): US$404 (total price per person for the three connections, Buenos Aires – Posadas; Puerto Iguazu – Salta; Jujuy – Buenos Aires; if booked together).

NOTE: Only quoted, nothing booked, availability is confirmed at the time of making the reservation in firm, which is confirmed with 50% advance. Prices may change due to the instability of the Argentine currency in relation to the Dollar. Final rate is confirmed 2 or 3 months before

approximately. The itinerary may vary due to weather, the state of the roads and in order to guard the safety of the group.

Accommodations websites:

Ecoposada (Colonia Carlos Pellegrini, Corrientes): http://ecoposadadelestero.com.ar/Estancia Virocay (Virasoro, Corrientes): https://www.tripadvisor.com.ar/Hotel_Review-g3326676-d7349106-Reviews-Estancia_Virocay-Gobernador_Virasoro_Province_of_Corrientes_Litoral.htmlCabañas Der Wald (San Pedro, Misiones): https://www.argentinaturismo.com.ar/derwald/Karadya Birding Lodge (Andresito, Misiones): http://www.karadya.com/Surucua Reserva & Ecolodge (Andresito, Misiones): http://www.surucua.com/index.php/es/Hotel Saint George (Puerto Iguazú, Misiones): https://www.hotelsaintgeorge.com/Ecoportal de Piedra (Palma Sola, Jujuy): http://ecoportaldepiedra.com/es/Hostería Benitez (Calilegua, Jujuy): https://www.tripadvisor.com.ar/Hotel_Review-g4507116-d4496753-Reviews-Benitez_Hosteria-Calilegua_Province_of_Jujuy_Northern_Argentina.htmlHostería Pura Vida (Villa Jardín de Reyes, Jujuy): http://www.puravidahosteria.com.ar/El Reposo del Diablo (Tilcara, Jujuy): http://www.reposodeldiablo.com/Hotel Rincón Suizo (Abra Pampa, Jujuy): no websiteHostería Pachama (Yavi, Jujuy): https://www.tripadvisor.com.ar/Hotel_Review-g801305-d2558795-Reviews-Hosteria_Pachama-Yavi_Province_of_Jujuy_Northern_Argentina.html

Marsh Seedeater – © Jorge La Grotteria

Sharp-tailed Tyrant – © Jorge La Grotteria

Yellow-striped Brush-Finch, Argentine endemic - © Jorge La Grotteria