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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Lesser Grass-Finch - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
Southern Screamers were everywhere!
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| Southern Screamer - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
A pool beside the road was the favoured hangout spot for quite a few Yacare Caimans.
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| Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare) - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Dark-throated Seedeater - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| Unidentified seedater - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
The Campo Flickers had their AC turned on in the summer heat.
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| 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.
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| Gray Monjita - Portal Cambyretá, PN Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Giant Wood-Rail - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Black-and-gold Howlers - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| Brown Brocket Deer - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| Marsh Deer - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| Pampas Fox - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| Capybara - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| Itchy Capybara - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
This must be the local subspecies of the Cattle Tyrant, probably called the Capy Tyrant.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
Our quest was fruitless and I eventually called it quits. Frustrating, but that is birding for you!
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| Yellow Cardinal - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| 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.
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| Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
And it was! We easily found a couple of monjitas, including this one which posed right beside the road.
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| 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.
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| Scarlet-headed Blackbird - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| 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.
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| Yellow-rumped Marshbird - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| Blue-black Grassquit - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| Wood Stork - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare) - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| Cinereous Harrier - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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...
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Tawny-bellied Seedeater - Parque Nacional Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| 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.
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| Plumbeous Ibises - Curuzú Cuatiá, Corrientes, Argentina |
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| 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...
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