Explorations of an Ecologist: August 2023

Thursday 31 August 2023

Uruguay Part 1: Relaxed Birding In The Countryside

Uruguay is one of the smallest countries in South America and the only one that is entirely situated south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Uruguay was first settled by hunter-gatherers around 13,000 years ago, while the predominate tribe when Europeans arrived was the Charrúa people. The Charrúa were semi-nomadic, often moving around in response to drought, rainfall or other environmental factors (though, it should be noted that most of what is known today about the Charrúa was learned during the period with Spanish contact). The Charrúa were victims of a genocide that was orchestrated by Uruguayan president Fructuoso Rivera in 1831. Today, there are several hundred people who identify as Charrúa, mainly living in Entre Ríos, Argentina.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

Uruguay gained its independence amid a four way struggle between Portugal, Spain, Brazil and Argentina in the early 1800s. The country has undergone many political phases since then, but currently Uruguay is considered a socially progressive country with a high standard of living and low crime levels.

Uruguay is one of those countries that I wasn't sure if I would ever visit since my interest tends to lie in the natural world, and Uruguay doesn't stand out when compared to its (much larger) neighbours, Argentina and Brazil. This is mainly due to its diminutive size, since there are few eco-regions or species found in Uruguay that aren't shared with these other countries. However, we were in Buenos Aires - only a short ferry ride across from Uruguay - and it was a convenient stop on our way to Brazil. If we were ever going to explore Uruguay, now would be the time!

Diademed Tanager - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

There were some potential lifers for us in Uruguay, with one in particular that I was really keen on: the Saffron-cowled Blackbird. This rapidly declining species still has a relative stronghold in Uruguay, though for how long, nobody knows. More on that species later....

Uruguay also has a reputation for being quite expensive for foreigners. After coming from Argentina with its "blue-dollar rate" and massive inflation, this was quite the contrast. Luckily, we only had a week planned in Uruguay since I don't think we could have afforded it for much longer! Gas prices were 2.5 times higher than in Argentina, food prices were equally exorbitant, and hotel prices were comparable to Canada. On a per-day basis, Uruguay was the second-most expensive country we have visited in the last few years, slightly trailing behind Singapore.

Conognatha klugii - Paso del Jabonero, Lavalleja, Uruguay

February 23 was a travel day, as we took the ferry from Buenos Aires across the strait to the town of Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay, and from there we bused to the capital of Montevideo. We took the afternoon and evening to see the sights and grab some dinner, then listened to a street concert that was happening just outside of our hostel.

February 24, 2023

Laura and I grabbed an Uber to the car rental agency, and by mid-morning we were off. Driving here is fairly straightforward; Uruguay has a reputation for its relaxed way of life and this is manifested in the habits of its drivers as well. Before long, we were cruising past the countryside under a bright sun. Cattle and Greater Rheas dotted the grasslands and pastures which stretched for miles, interrupted only by the occasional shrub-lined stream.

Greater Rhea - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

We broke up our drive with a quick detour down a side road which led to one of the aforementioned creeks. Within minutes we had found our first two lifers - an ungainly Dusky-legged Guan, and a vocal Olivaceous Elaenia, neither of which I managed to photograph. The creek was an oasis in a dry environment and we quickly found a couple dozen bird species.

Glaucous-blue Grosbeak - Paso del Jabonero, Lavalleja, Uruguay

Glittering-bellied Emerald - Paso del Jabonero, Lavalleja, Uruguay

Pressing on, we reached our destination by the late afternoon. As a treat from family members, we would be staying in a hacienda on a ranch for several nights. I have to say, waking up in the morning and listening to the birds in the Uruguayan countryside was a nice change from our usual lodgings, which is generally a cheap motel or hostel in a dirty part of town.

Our hacienda - Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

February 25, 2023

Laura had organized a private horseback tour for the day with a local guide, and so after a delicious breakfast at the hacienda, we headed out by 8:00 AM or so. Laura is quite adept with horses, having grown up with them all her life, but I decidedly am not. I wisely sat this one out, opting to go birding for the day before picking her up in the late afternoon.

We were a few minutes late to the appointment since we had been held up along the way. This gorgeous Yellow-bellied Liophis (Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus) was crossing the dirt road and required a certain amount of admiration before we could continue on.

Yellow-bellied Liophis (Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus) - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

I dropped Laura off and continued down the road towards a nature reserve called Quebrada de los Cuervos. I didn't really have any intentions of paying the entrance fee to enter the reserve. Rather, I hoped to bird along the scrub, creeks, and grasslands that lined the quiet roadway.

Firewood-gatherer - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

Heavy gray clouds swirled around and I worried that I might have a protracted morning of birding. Luckily, I was spared from heavy downpours and the clouds ensured that bird activity remained high.

Chalk-browed Mockingbird - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

It was one of those magical days in which I found everything that I was hoping for (and then some!), while photographic opportunities abounded and I didn't have to deal with any other people. Bliss.

Blue-billed Black-Tyrant (male) - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

Blue-billed Black-Tyrant was one of three lifers on the day. I found a female as well as two males in different areas, each one regularly performing a display flight.

Blue-billed Black-Tyrant (female) - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

My main goal was to cross paths with the range-restricted Mottled Piculet. Who doesn't love a petite woodpecker that is smaller than a chickadee, especially if it is only found in one tiny corner of the world?

I played the piculet song while picking through a small mixed flock at one point, and an angry bullet came flying at me.

Mottled Piculet - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

That was almost too easy! The piculet hung around for a few minutes, giving me every opportunity to roast it with photos.

Mottled Piculet - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

I lucked out with another great bird early in the afternoon. Walking along the edge of a field was a distinctive tinamou shape - a Red-winged Tinamou! Though I had heard this species on a few previous occasions in Argentina, this was my first sighting.

Red-winged Tinamou - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

The diffused sunlight through a thin layer of clouds provided excellent lighting for photos, and the birds were cooperating.

Freckle-breasted Thornbird - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

Diademed Tanager - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

Tropical Parula - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

Stripe-crowned Spinetail - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

The clouds dispersed enough for the sun to break through. Though it stifled bird activity, it also meant that the butterflies came out of the woodwork.

Roadside birding - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

Spicauda sp. - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

Junonia genoveva - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

As I was driving to a different area along the road, this family of Dusky-legged Guans appeared in front of me.

Dusky-legged Guan - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

I was down to my final hour before it was time to pick up Laura, and I still hadn't found my other target. Reaching a small stand of trees, a distinctive high chip note caught my ears. And there it was, my first Chestnut-backed Tanager, a female. The males of this species are absolutely spectacular, but the female is quite pretty as well. This was a great end to a satisfying day of birding.

Chestnut-backed Tanager - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

One of the last new species for my eBird checklist was this high-flying Sharp-shinned Hawk. This population has been split by some authorities as Rufous-thighed Hawk.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Rufous-thighed) - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

Laura had had a blast with her guide as well, though they hadn't been so fortunate with the rain and had endured a good soaking. Otherwise, it had been an excellent day and Laura had thoroughly enjoyed exploring the countryside on horseback.

While returning to the hacienda that evening, Laura spotted a Great Horned Owl in the plantation along the entrance road.

Great Horned Owl - Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

Some North American birders may be surprised to hear that Great Horned Owls range this far south! Great Horned Owls can be found in more habitats than any other American owl species: the subarctic treeline, dense conifer woods in the boreal forest, sprawling deserts in the American southwest, the páramo high up in the Andes, and the grasslands of southeastern South America, to name just a few. The populations in the central/southern Andes and Tierra del Fuego have been "split" off as a new species, the Lesser Horned Owl.

Great Horned Owl - Treinta y Tres, Uruguay

As dusk fell, I watched a Scissor-tailed Nightjar fly over the clearing of the hacienda, while a Tropical Screech-Owl sang on regular intervals. A great day.

Sunday 27 August 2023

Final Argentina Post - Hudson's Canasteros, Shorebirds and Jaegers at Punta Rasa

February 20, 2023

As we traveled south from Buenos Aires, the landscape opened up. The small towns and communities became less frequent, giving way to vast expanses of pasture and agriculture with nary a tree in sight, other than the occasional hedgerow. Several hours later, and we were in the realm of the Hudson's Canastero - the open pampas of southeastern Argentina.

With the sun high in the sky, Laura and I made our first birding stop at a well-known side-road leaving the main Ruta 11, about 45 minutes before reaching our final destination of San Clemente del Tuyú. The Hudson's Canastero can be found anywhere in this general region, as long as suitable wet grasslands are found, but birders tend to flock to the same hotspots in search of their target species. Most of the time, that is due to a lack of time. Why spend several hours visiting a new area where you might not find your target, when you can spend 20 minutes at a "guaranteed" spot?

Admittedly, this is not my favourite style of birding. It is akin to twitching a rare bird, as opposed to using your own knowledge of habitats and bird behaviour to discover your target. I much prefer the satisfaction that comes with visiting a little-known area and discovering the avian curiosities that occur here. But Laura and I were a little short on time and so we stopped at the well-known Hudson's Canastero spot.

Hudson's Canastero spot - General Lavalle area, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Of course, it should come as no surprise that we struck out with our main target. The canastero wouldn't give itself up that easily. We enjoyed an hour of birding along the quiet roadside, though. The bright sun and brisk breeze limited bird activity, but with some effort we drummed up several Freckle-breasted Thornbirds and Sulphur-bearded Reedhaunters, a Bearded Tachuri, and a distant Greater Rhea, shimmering in the distant heat haze.

Sulphur-bearded Reedhaunter - General Lavalle area, Buenos Aires, Argentina

We reached San Clemete del Tuyú and checked into the hotel. Finding an available room in this town was a more difficult proposition than we had envisioned, but we should have known. It was a weekend, and this stretch of coastline with beautiful, white-sand beaches is a popular vacation spot for residents of Buenos Aires and surrounding areas. Laura called around to various hotels, motels and guest-houses until we found one that had one room left. Lucky!

Once the worst of the afternoon heat had subsided, we headed back out to visit nearby Punta Rasa. This long stretch of sandy beach and native grassland is a popular birding spot. Not only are many of the specialty grassland birds present, but the extensive beach is a popular spot for gulls, terns, and shorebirds. Seawatching can also be quite productive in the right conditions since Punta Rasa is a long peninsula that migrating birds may veer past as they head north (or south) along the coast.

Due to recent rains, the entrance road to the beach was a little sketchy at times, with several muddy pools filled to the brim that one has to drive through. In town, it was easy to spot which vehicles had recently completed that drive: see below for evidence of our own car!

Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Our visit produced 10 species of shorebirds, highlighted by a Hudsonian Godwit moulting into breeding plumage, a Ruddy Turnstone, several White-rumped Sandpipers and a trio of Two-banded Plovers.

Hudsonian Godwit - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Terns were another target of mine and we quickly found a few Snowy-crowned Terns roosting on the beach. I had seen this species once before, quite distantly in southern Argentina on my 2016 trip, but this was a much better viewing experience. It was a new species for Laura.

Snowy-crowned Terns - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The most unusual sighting of the day was a young Parasitic Jaeger that was resting on the sand. I have only ever seen this species out at sea before, as they are rarely seen on land away from their breeding sites in the Arctic. The young bird seemed to be in good health and it took a few spins chasing after gulls, as jaegers are known to do.

Parasitic Jaeger - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The gull diversity was a little light and we were unable to turn up any Olrog's Gulls, which would have been a lifer for Laura. Only the expected Brown-hooded and Kelp Gulls made appearances. Perhaps the large number of vehicles and people along the beach limited the gull roosts.

Brown-hooded Gulls - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

A mud-lined lagoon on the lee side of the peninsula was chock-full of these crabs, which I have identified as Granulated Crabs (Neohelice granulata). This species is well-studied, as one would expect given its abundance. It feeds mainly on sediment, plant detritus and Spartina sp.

Granulated Crabs (Neohelice granulata) - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

We left the peninsula with several hours of daylight to spare. It was time to search again for the Hudson's Canastero and the Bay-capped Wren-Spinetail. This time, I chose a dirt road just outside of town that passed through decent quality grasslands. My hope was that the slightly cooler temperatures and diminished wind of the evening would make searching more productive.

This time, we were in luck! It only took a few minutes until we were face-to-face with our first Hudson's Canastero. I couldn't believe my luck when it perched, completely unobscured, only a few meters away. Canasteros prefer skulking deep in the grasses, so having an open view of one is a moment worth savouring.

Hudson's Canastero - San Clemente del Tuyú, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Our good fortune continued when we discovered a pair of skulking Bay-capped Wren-Spinetails as well. They were a little bit more secretive, but with some patience we enjoyed incredible views of these as well.

Bay-capped Wren-Spinetail - San Clemente del Tuyú, Buenos Aires, Argentina

We would have additional chances at Bay-capped Wren-Spinetails in the upcoming days in Uruguay, but it was nice to get this one out of the way, so to speak!

Bay-capped Wren-Spinetail - San Clemente del Tuyú, Buenos Aires, Argentina

February 21, 2023

With both of our main targets acquired, the pressure was off for our second day in the San Clemente del Tuyú. I was eager to visit Punta Rasa first thing in the morning, when the lighting would be better for birding and there would be far fewer people on the beach.

Before reaching the beach, we stopped at a couple of sites to try to find a Dot-winged Crake. Though we heard one calling from the sedges and grasses at the edge of a lagoon, we were unable to actually see it (and we didn't feel like playing tapes for a long time at a heavily birded site like this).

Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Our early visit to the beaches of Punta Rasa was productive. Shorebirds, gulls and terns were in greater abundance compared to the previous afternoon. We added a few new species to our Argentina lists, including Red Knot and Spotted Sandpiper. Photo opportunities of Snowy-crowned Terns abounded, and we even had an encore performance from the Parasitic Jaeger which was still patrolling the beach.

Snowy-crowned Tern - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Brown-hooded Gull - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Parasitic Jaeger - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

A group of nine Chilean Flamingos glowed like beacons, lit up by the morning rays.

Chilean Flamingos - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Shorebird numbers were increased, with White-rumped Sandpipers making up the bulk of them. Several flocks of Red Knots were a nice sight, while the American Oystercatchers were looking as crisp as ever. We counted at least 25 Two-banded Plovers blending in with the sand.

Red Knots - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Two-banded Plover - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The Parasitic Jaeger put a show, chasing around Kelp Gulls and Chimango Caracaras.

Parasitic Jaeger and Chimango Caracara - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Parasitic Jaeger and Kelp Gull - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

I sea-watched for about an hour but not much was moving other than distant flocks of Snowy-crowned, Royal and Common Terns. A single flock of Fulvous Whistling-Ducks powered by over the sand, turning north along the coast.

Fulvous Whistling-Ducks - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

We found a single Austral Negrito on the beach as well. This species breeds further south during the summer, so it must be a newly arrived fall migrant.

Austral Negrito - Reserva Natural Municipal Punta Rasa, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Satisfied with our morning, Laura and I headed into town for a walk at a nearby city park. We had just one target here, a species that we would no doubt see in Uruguay and Brazil in the upcoming weeks. It only took a few minutes until we spotted our first White-throated Hummingbird. Success!

Our Argentina trip was coming to a close. All what was left was the long drive back to Buenos Aires. We detoured to an area of canals and grassland with a high bird list, conveniently located only a minute off the highway.

Among the 50 species, we noted quite a few ducks and waterbirds, highlighted by Black-headed Duck, Lake Duck, Hudsonian Godwit and most of the expected wading birds. I only photographed one bird species here, a Wren-like Rushbird.

Wren-like Rushbird - Canal 2, General Lavalle, Buenos Aires, Argentina

And with that, we spent the rest of the afternoon driving back towards Buenos Aires. We spent the night in the same hotel as two nights earlier in the town of La Plata.

February 22, 2023

Laura and I spent our final day in Argentina by sleeping in, taking care of some errands, and visiting Costanera Sur in Buenos Aires for one last visit (and one final choripán from a food truck!). We didn't really have any big targets remaining here, though Laura still hadn't seen a Chiloe Wigeon and there had been some recent reports here.

Spot-flanked Gallinule - Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Black-necked Swan - Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Luck was on our side and we quickly found the Chiloe Wigeon pair with some other puddle ducks.

Chiloe Wigeon - Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur, Buenos Aires, Argentina

For our final dinner in Buenos Aires, we took advantage of the availability of a diverse cuisine and found a Thai restaurant with good reviews. Perhaps not the most Argentine of all meals, but we were ready for something with some different flavours, and it hit the spot.

The next morning, we took a ferry from Buenos Aires across the Río de la Plata into Uruguay. So long Argentina, it's been a trip!