Monday 27 March 2023

Heading East Into The Atlantic Forest

The Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica in Portuguese) stretches across the southeastern coastal region of Brazil, reaching inland as far as southeastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. In broad terms, the Atlantic Forest is formed and continues to be maintained by moisture-laden trade winds reaching the low mountains along the coast of this part of South America. Rainfall in this region leads to proliferation of vegetation, and with that comes high biodiversity. A number of different forest types compose this region including restinga on stable coastal dunes, tropical moist forest, montane forest, and montane savanna at the highest elevations. 

Much of the original vegetation cover in the Atlantic Forest has been removed. Estimates of forest cover lost usually range from 88-95 percent, and it is ongoing today. In some areas, only the steepest slopes are spared from the effects of the relentless human machine. 

Laura and I have plans to explore as much of the Atlantic Forest region as we can over several months and that began with just over a week in Argentina. Though Argentina only holds a small fraction of the total area of the Atlantic forest, it has some high quality areas full of unique species. 


February 3, 2023

We left the town of Ituzaingó at dawn and watched the landscape change as we headed east. By the time that we had crossed over into Misiones Province - the gateway to the Atlantic forest, as far as we were concerned - the marshes, grasslands and pastures had started to give way to small patches of woodland and occasional well-vegetated river valleys. We were still a good distance from "proper" Atlantic forest, but the species composition was undoubtedly changing already. 

Reserva Urutaú, Misiones, Argentina

Our first stop was in search of the Streamer-tailed Tyrant at a site called Reserva Urutaú. While the flycatcher was our main quarry, we would undoubtedly see many other species here in the scrubby, riverine vegetation and shrubby grassland. Lucky for us, a thick layer of cloud cover prolonged the bird activity, and we enjoyed a productive few hours. 

Unidentified seedeater (Sporophila sp.) - Reserva Urutaú, Misiones, Argentina

Long-winged Harrier - Reserva Urutaú, Misiones, Argentina

Road works needed...

The Streamer-tailed Tyrants eluded us but we enjoyed over 70 other species of birds. Two of these were lifers: the crisp Pearly-bellied Seedeater, and the skulky Spix's Spinetail. 

Pearly-bellied Seedeater - Reserva Urutaú, Misiones, Argentina

Spix's Spinetail - Reserva Urutaú, Misiones, Argentina

The wetland edges, as expected, held a nice variety of species including a Black-collared Hawk, the first Anhinga and Purple Gallinule for our Argentina lists, and Laura's lifer Tawny-headed Swallow. 

Anhinga - Reserva Urutaú, Misiones, Argentina

Tawny-headed Swallow - Reserva Urutaú, Misiones, Argentina

Quite a few Yellow-chinned Spinetails were rattling away from the rank grasses at the edges of the marsh.

Yellow-chinned Spinetail - Reserva Urutaú, Misiones, Argentina

Even with the overcast conditions, the warm temperatures and rapidly thinning cloud layer promoted the appearances of insects. Here are a few that I photographed at various points during the walk. 

Eighty Butterfly (Callicore sorana) - Reserva Urutaú, Misiones, Argentina

Flame-tailed Pondhawk (Erythemis peruviana) - Reserva Urutaú, Misiones, Argentina

Blurry-striped Longtail (Chioides catillus) - Reserva Urutaú, Misiones, Argentina

Royal Firetip (Mysoria barcastus) - Reserva Urutaú, Misiones, Argentina

Traumatomutilla vidua - Reserva Urutaú, Misiones, Argentina

Still Streamer-tailed Tyrant-less, Laura and I left Urutaú and ventured over to the next site called Parque Federal Campo San Juan. In birding circles, it is famous as being the location where the first Ocellated Crakes for Argentina were discovered, while it also holds a population of rare Sickle-winged Nightjars. Laura and I weren't there for the nightjars - after all, we had just seen them two nights earlier - but a high percentage of eBird checklists from here contained the Streamer-tailed Tyrant. Even though our visit was around midday, we were hoping for the best. 

Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

We signed in with the friendly staff manning the entrance gate (no fee required!) and worked our way down the road. The conditions were still overcast but the temperatures were warming and a breeze was stirring. We had to work quickly to find birds before the suitable conditions got away on us. 

Luckily, we found the tyrants without much trouble; they were in the field behind the carpark at the end of the entrance road. And they were spectacular! I was not prepared for how large they were either - much larger than, say, a Fork-tailed Flycatcher. 

Streamer-tailed Tyrants - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

Streamer-tailed Tyrants - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

With our target acquired, Laura and I went for a walk a little bit further down the road, past the orange traffic cone placed in the middle of the road. We could see forest beyond and despite the time of day, we were sure that we could find a handful of new species. This was our first patch of Atlantic Forest, after all. A distant singing Spot-backed Antshrike, our first, provided all the incentive that we needed as we set off on foot. 

Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

The birding was slow but we were on high alert. Surely a large percentage of the birds inhabiting these woods would be new for us. But most of what we found were ones we were familiar with, such as this Yellow Tyrannulet. Still, it was a bird worth admiring as it had been several months since our last. 

Yellow Tyrannulet - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

As someone who is interested in all things found in nature, not just those with feathers, there is rarely a dull moment when in a forest. I marveled at the abundant insect life during the slow birding periods, taking hundreds of photos of the kaleidoscope of colours laid out in front of me. 

Polydamas Swallowtail (Battus polydamas) - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

Staleochlora viridicata - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

Triorla sp. - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

Variegated Skipper (Gorgythion begga) - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

Diastatops intensa - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

Four-spotted Sailor (Dynamine postverta) - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

The road terminated at the Paraná River, giving us another look at Paraguay. My brief vigil added another ten species to my Paraguay list including a smart-looking Snail Kite on the far bank. 

Scanning into Paraguay from Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

These lizards were basking on one of the decrepit buildings nearby. This is the widespread species called Tropidurus catalanensis, the Western Collared Spiny Lizard. 

Western Collared Spiny Lizard (Tropidurus catalanensis) - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

The return walk up the road was surprisingly birdless at first, giving me another crack at photographing insects. 

Flame-tailed Pondhawk (Erythemis peruviana) - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

Soldier Grasshopper (Chromacris speciosa) - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

Manuel's Skipper (Polygonus savigny) - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

Thoas Swallowtail (Heraclides thoas) - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

Heliopetes libra - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

But then we struck gold, in the form of a small mixed flock. In hindsight, none of these species were particularly unusual, and we would see many more in the upcoming weeks, but you never forget your first. 

Rufous-margined Antbird - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

Southern Antpipit - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

In addition to the above two species, we also saw our first Eared Pygmy-Tyrant and Ruby-crowned Tanagers. Two mammals also appeared on the road - an Azara's Agouti and a South American Coati. 

Azara's Agouti (Dasyprocta azarae) - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

South American Coati (Nasua nasua) - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

Before leaving the area behind, Laura and I made a quick check of the grasslands to search of the Ocellated Crakes. The winds had picked up and the sun had broken through, giving me little hope of actually finding them. And while we did not see any, an individual easily responded to my playback. During this time, I also photographed a small group of Cliff Swallows which constitued the first report of this species for the eBird hotspot. 

Cliff Swallow - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

On our way out we pulled over to admire these Pearly-breasted Seedeaters, a great improvement over the morning's experience. And with that, we called it a day and headed back to the town of Posadas to spend the night. Our first day in Misiones province had been a success. 

Pearly-bellied Seedeater - Parque Federal Campo San Juan, Misiones, Argentina

Friday 10 March 2023

The Iberá Wetlands

The national and provincial parks of Iberá form the largest protected area in Argentina. These parks protect a portion of the Iberá Wetlands, which is the second largest wetland complex in South America after Brazil's Pantanal. The Iberá Wetlands is a vitally important area for birds, mammals and other wildlife. Several range-restricted seedeaters have the core of their range in Iberá, while other rare birds that survive here include the Yellow Cardinal, Strange-tailed Tyrant and Saffron-cowled Blackbird. The Iberá Wetlands are located in northeastern Argentina and due to their geographic position, we had plans to explore them both before and after we traveled to Iguazú Falls in Misiones province. 


February 2, 2023

Laura has been lucky to spend her birthday at some pretty iconic places over the years including the primary rainforests of Guyana in 2018, the Santa Marta Mountains of Colombia in 2020, and the Cerros de Mavecure near Inírida, Colombia in 2022. This year, she spent her birthday exploring the Iberá Wetlands. 

The north end of Parque Nacional Iberá receives considerably fewer birders than the south end, but it made sense for us, give our route. We spent the day driving south along the Portal Cambyretá. 

The first stretch consists of a washboarded, gravel road that passes by cattle-grazed pastures and pine plantations. We didn't see much in this stretch other than our first Gray Monjitas and Chopi Blackbirds. 

Chopi Blackbirds - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Eventually, one passes through a cattle gate (the first of seven, if I recall correctly) and the road transitions to sand. During periods of rain this road would likely be impassable, but lucky for us there was not a threatening cloud in sight. 

Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

The clear weather was a double-edged sword. While it ensured that the road conditions were suitable, it also meant that the temperatures would skyrocket up to the mid-30s by late morning, with a warm wind whipping across the landscape. Once again, we had to work quickly to make the most of the birding before the conditions deteriorated. 

Spotted Nothura - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Spotted Nothuras darted off the sandy track, while flocks of Grassland Yellow-Finches whirled up from the dry grasses. One of these flocks contained a single seedeater - our first Iberá Seedeater. This species has yet to be formally described, but it is known mainly from the Iberá Wetlands. 

Long-tailed Reed Finch - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

The dry conditions ensured that very little standing water was present, and ducks and wading birds were hard to come by. But with some effort we turned up a number of interesting species including Long-tailed Reed Finch, Lesser Grass-Finch and Crested Doradito. 

Lesser Grass-Finch - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Southern Screamers were everywhere! 

Southern Screamer - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

A pool beside the road was the favoured hangout spot for quite a few Yacare Caimans. 

Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare) - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare) - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

We had no luck with some of our other main bird targets - Strange-tailed Tyrant and Ochre-breasted Pipit - but we would have more chances for these species later in our trip. 

Brazilian Teal - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

We made it all the way to the national park buildings, roughly 30 km from the main highway. It was now midday and the heat and wind had really ramped up. From here, we turned around and retraced our route back to the highway. 

Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Yellow-chinned Spinetail - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

As expected, the widlife watching had really slowed but we had a few sightings of interest including this Southern Seven-banded Armadillo. 

Southern Seven-banded Armadillo (Dasypus septemcinctus) - Portal Cambyretá, Corrientes, Argentina

We also found a small flock of seedeaters that contained our first Dark-throated and a strange one that I think might be an Iberá Seedeater, but some things seem off for it, too. 

Dark-throated Seedeater - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Unidentified seedater - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

The Campo Flickers had their AC turned on in the summer heat. 

Campo Flicker - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

We stopped to appreciate this Gray Monjita. I especially liked the photographic opportunity with the background colours. 

Gray Monjita - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Gray Monjita - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

One of the last birds for the day was this Greater Rhea that was right beside the road. 

Greater Rhea - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Considering the conditions, Laura and I were pleased with everything that we were able to turn up. A birthday well spent. 


February 13, 2023

Laura and I had continued eastwards, spending the next week and a half in Misiones province in northeastern Argentina. This region provided endless species found only in the Atlantic rainforest, plus, of course, the spectacular views of Iguazú Falls. My next couple of blog posts will document those days. But by February 13, we were driving westwards towards the Iberá Wetlands. 

This time, we would be visiting the south end of Parque Nacional Iberá. The town of Colonia Carlos Pellegrini is the main hub here. Marketed as Argentina's Pantanal, the national park accessible from here is a popular vacation destination for local Argentinians. 

Capybara - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Driving to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini is a bit of an adventure since there are no paved roads that access the town. And the roads that do exist are gravelled in sections, but otherwise consist of sandy/clay tracks that can be impassable during periods of rain. We were playing the odds a little, but luckily we only received a small amount of rain one day and had no issues either coming to or leaving the town. 

Brown Brocket Deer - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

The popularity of this area means that it is impossible to find reasonably priced accommodations, especially during the summer months of January and February. It took us quite a while of searching, and we had to switch accommodations after the first night, but we were able to find a room at two overpriced hotels.  

Our visit coincided with a heat wave which made birding unbearable outside of the early morning and late afternoon hours. That first day, we left the hotel just before 5 PM for an evening drive. 

Giant Wood-Rail - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Giant Wood-Rail - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Luck was on our side and our route intersected with a troupe of Black-and-gold Howler Monkeys near the main park buildings.

Black-and-gold Howler - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Following a skirmish, most of the group went to one side of the road where they climbed the trees and howled in unison at the aggressors. 

Black-and-gold Howlers - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Black-and-gold Howlers - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Our goal for the evening was to drive around and see what grassland species we could turn up, with the Strange-tailed Tyrant being our main priority. This proved to be successful as Laura spotted our first!

Strange-tailed Tyrant - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

If our visit had been a couple of months earlier, we would have seen males with spectacular tails. Unfortunately, the males we came across had rather frayed, not-very-strange tails.

Mammal watching can be quite good in this area with numerous species of deer and foxes easily found along the dusty roads. For those with more luck than Laura and I, several species of cats inhabit the area and can be found at night. Our evening drive produced Pampas and Crab-eating Fox, as well as Brown Brocket and Marsh Deer. And, of course, obscene numbers of Capybara. 

Brown Brocket Deer - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Marsh Deer - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Pampas Fox - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Capybara - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Itchy Capybara - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

This must be the local subspecies of the Cattle Tyrant, probably called the Capy Tyrant. 

Capy Tyrant on a Capybara - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

We turned around after ten kilometres or so, eager to get back to our hotel and rest after a long day on the road. 

Immature Great Pampa-Finch - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina


February 14, 2023

We were up early in an attempt to beat the heat. Dawn saw us standing on the side of the road, somewhere east of town, where a friend had given me intel on a spot for Yellow Cardinals. This endangered species is heavily persecuted by humans, as they are captured for the cagebird trade. Because of that, reliable sites for this species are not easily divulged, while eBird has obscured the data as well. 

Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Our quest was fruitless and I eventually called it quits. Frustrating, but that is birding for you! 

Greater Thornbird - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

But luck was on our side, after all. Not fifteen minutes later a bird with an interesting tail pattern flushed off the roadside. I stopped the car and my suspicions were confirmed: a female Yellow Cardinal!

Yellow Cardinal - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

She eventually flew down to the roadside and began picking at some seeds. We searched for her boyfriend but he was not around. Still, she was quite a pretty lady in her own right. 

Yellow Cardinal - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Yellow Cardinal - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Laura and I birded a different area for the rest of the morning called Cambá Trapo as we had heard that it was productive for another one of our targets, the Black-and-white Monjita. 

Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

And it was! We easily found a couple of monjitas, including this one which posed right beside the road. 

Black-and-white Monjita - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Another big highlight was this species, the Scarlet-headed Blackbird. The retina-searing colour needs to be seen to be believed. Sunglasses recommended. 

Scarlet-headed Blackbird - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Scarlet-headed Blackbird - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

This whole area was rather birdy and we quickly racked up 90 species before we headed back to the hotel for a late breakfast. Below are a few other photo highlights from the morning. 

Yellow-rumped Marshbird - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Blue-black Grassquit - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Wood Stork - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare) - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Cinereous Harrier - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Rufous Hornero - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Our afternoon drive took us west of town again, but this time we left a bit earlier to cover more ground. We were still missing four species of seedeaters that would be potential lifers for us. 

Bare-faced Ibis - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

A few more Strange-tailed Tyrants appeared. This male was as close as we would get to a "fully" strange tail.

Strange-tailed Tyrant - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Our seedeater quest was a success and we found two out of the four species: Marsh and Rufous-rumped. The remaining two, the Chestnut and Tawny-bellied, would be a priority on our final morning. 

Marsh Seedeater - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina


February 15, 2023
 
Laura and I had previously arranged with the hotel for a boat tour of the national park and by 7 AM, our guide Roque picked us up. Unfortunately, nobody bothered to tell us that entry is denied into the national park unless one has paid an entrance fee at the headquarters the previous day, and given a yellow bracelet to wear. Since all of our birding had been by roadside, we hadn't actually entered the national park trails and therefore had not paid an entry fee in exchange for a bracelet. 

This was not noticed until the three of us, along with another couple who had signed up, had traveled by boat for ten minutes to the national park checkpoint. Upon instruction from the rangers, the other couple happily exposed their yellow wristbands. Laura and I were quite confused, but the other couple spoke a little bit of English and explained the situation to us. The guards wouldn't let us past without a bracelet, and they were unable/unwilling to sell us one on the spot. We would have to return to the docks, drive over the causeway to the headquarters to purchase the bracelets, and then return to the boat before we could enter.

Obviously, this was not viable since the whole process would take at least at least a half hour and we didn't want to waste the other couple's time, especially since the cool morning conditions would be short-lived. In the end we just aborted the boat trip, getting Roque to drop us off at the docks. At least we had seen a few waterbirds during the first ten minutes of the trip.

Pantanal Snipe - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

We were rather annoyed to say the least, figuring that either the staff at the hotel, or Roque himself would have relayed this instruction to us. I guess that they have never had anyone visit who didn't have the bracelet, since every other visitor here seems to visit the national park's headquarters. 

Though our boat trip had been a failure, this at least allowed us a chance to bird the road west of town before the day warmed too much. We hastily packed up, ate breakfast at the hotel and began our drive. 

Southern Scrub-Flycatcher - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

While crossing the causeway, keen-eyed Laura noticed that a gaggle of Wattled Jacanas, ducks and herons had gathered in one spot. This seemed rather odd. I pulled the car over and we investigated the scene. Slowly, it dawned on us what was happening. A massive black and yellow coil was visible in the water, and it was moving...

Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

That's right - the jacanas had found a Yellow Anaconda! We quickly set up the scope and watched the scene unfold. The anaconda held something in its coils which appeared to be a very lifeless Brazilian Teal! Though I was unable to photograph the prey item, we both had good looks through the scope. 

Yellow Anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

This was more than a worthy consolation prize after missing the boat tour. A self-found (or rather, jacana-found) Yellow Anaconda! About to consume a Brazilian Teal! Giddy with excitement, we watched the scene play out. Unfortunately, the anaconda slunk away into a mat of vegetation with its breakfast, under the watchful eyes of all the birds. 

Yellow-billed Cardinal - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

That had to go down as one of our top nature moments in recent months and all bitterness over the boat ride was quickly forgotten. We continued on down the road after the excitement had died down and the birds had begun to disperse. 

Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Our luck continued with the seedeaters. This time, we found all four of our desired species, including Chestnut and Tawny-bellied. I had been a little worried with these species since the breeding season is wrapping up and they will soon be dispersing to points further north. 

Tawny-bellied Seedeater - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

Chestnut Seedeater - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina

And with that, our time at Parque Nacional Iberá had come to a close. Laura and I completed the drive westwards to the town of Mercedes where we found a restaurant and gas station. From there we headed southwards to begin the long drive to Buenos Aires. We only made one birding stop, when we noticed our first Plumbeous Ibises on the side of the road. 

Plumbeous Ibises - Curuzú Cuatiá, Corrientes, Argentina

Plumbeous Ibis - Curuzú Cuatiá, Corrientes, Argentina

Even with the boat mishap, our visits to the Iberá Wetlands had been a complete success. A pretty incredible place...