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.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Glaucous-blue Grosbeak - Paso del Jabonero, Lavalleja, Uruguay |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Yellow-bellied Liophis (Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus) - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Mottled Piculet - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay |
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| Mottled Piculet - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Freckle-breasted Thornbird - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay |
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| Diademed Tanager - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay |
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| Tropical Parula - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay |
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| 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.
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| Roadside birding - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay |
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| Spicauda sp. - Quebrada de los Cuervos, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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