The Quest For The Rufous-throated Dipper

The east slope of the Andes is one of my favourite places in the world to explore. As I've mentioned before on this blog, this is due to several factors, but prime among them is that this slope receives a high level of rainfall. Turn on the taps, and you turn on the biodiversity. Different plant species grow within particular elevational bands, and these distinctive ecosystems allow other species to flourish. In short, diversity is high and one can access many unique habitats as one travels up or down the eastern slope. 

Laura and I have been, up to this point, in the dry regions east of the Andes, but a few days ago we had our first chance to ascend up the eastern slope of the Andes. The landscape changed dramatically as we drove, starting with dry Chaco scrub for miles, which slowly "greened up" as we headed westwards with the Andes looming beyond. We overnighted near the foot of the mountains in the town of Monteros where we found an excellent little hotel for a very good price. 

January 16, 2023

We followed the tarmac of Highway 307 high into the mountains, with our destination for the evening being the town of Tafí del Valle. Of course, I had a shopping list of most wanted birds for this scenic stretch of road cutting through beautiful forests, with the range-restricted Yellow-striped Brushfinch, White-browed Tapaculo, and Rufous-throated Dipper being the top three.

Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

Our first stop was along a nice stretch of continuous yungas forest where right away we found a pair of Plush-crested Jays. While we should bump into this species a fair bit over the upcoming weeks, we were thrilled to find our first. I'm a sucker for a lifer jay, after all. 

Plush-crested Jay - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

We birded up the road for half a kilometre or so before returning to the car. It did not take us long to find our first Yellow-striped Brushfinch; this species ended up being quite common during the day. 

Yellow-striped Brushfinch - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

The Yellow-striped Brushfinch is endemic to northwestern Argentina, where it resides in semi-humid montane forest on the east slope of the Andes. 

Yellow-striped Brushfinch - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

This also was the site of our first (and so far, only) Rufous-browed Warbling Finch. 

Rufous-browed Warbling Finch - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

Birding along Highway 307 was productive, but it wasn't without its challenges. Prime among them was the heavy volume of traffic. At times, transport trucks would blast us with exhaust fumes, their engine noise blocking out all sounds of nature, while a caravan of twenty or more vehicles followed behind. Not the most tranquil birding experience, that is for sure! Laura and I resorted to walking along the elevated stone barriers to minimize the chances of being hit by a vehicle. We just had to be a little careful watching our footwork, so as to not fall off the steep cliffs beside the road!

Birding at Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

We stopped periodically at various elevations, getting out to walk stretches of the road. Though the traffic was frustrating, the birding was excellent and we added species such as Yungas Guan, Golden-winged Cacique, Torrent Duck, Slender-billed Woodstar, Tucumán Parrot and more! 

Torrent Duck (male) - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

I contented myself with photographing some of the plants and butterflies alongside the road as well. 

Ludwigia sp. - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

Canna indica - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

Telenassa berenice - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

Whitemouth Dayflower (Commelina erecta) - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

We found a small track leading off of the main highway and enjoyed some temporary relief from the steady stream of traffic. This was a productive stop as we heard our first White-browed Tapaculo alongside the creek. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, the closest we came to observing it was seeing some branches move. We would still have many more chances at this species the following day, however. We also heard a surprise Red-legged Seriema calling from a partially-cleared area upslope. Definitely not a species we thought we would encounter on a mountain road!

Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

The final one of our main targets was the Rufous-throated Dipper. There are only five species in this family of charismatic, river-dwelling birds and Laura and I had seen three up to this point. The American Dipper found in North and Central America, the White-capped Dipper which is widespread in the Andes, and the White-throated Dipper of Eurasia. The only two left were the Brown Dipper of eastern Asia, and the Rufous-throated Dipper, the rarest of the five. It ranges in northwestern Argentina and southern Bolivia and was one of my most-wanted birds for the entire trip. 

Río La Angostura - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

Unfortunately, our dipper quest did not go to plan. We spent the entire afternoon walking alongside visible stretches of the river to no avail. Torrent Ducks were readily available, and we experienced very brief moments of hopefulness when a Black Phoebe perched on a semi-submerged rock. But the dipper remained unaccounted for. 

Scanning for dippers - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

Torrent Duck (female) - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

Torrent Ducks never cease to amaze me with how they thrive in raging mountain rivers. They will dive into rapids quite nonchalantly, popping up effortlessly on the other side. 

Torrent Duck (male) - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

Eventually, we admitted defeat and headed up over the pass towards Tafí del Valle to find a room for the night. Our last new species of the day was a Crested Becard that we watched out of the car window while filling up on gas. That evening, we resolved to return to the upper stretches of the road in the morning, for another crack at the dipper.

January 17, 2023

We retraced our route to the best-looking stretches of river, our focus renewed after a restful sleep. Would this second attempt at the Rufous-throated Dipper be fruitful?

Rufous-bellied Thrush - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

An hour and a half into our search, this did not appear to be the case. I left Laura to keep walking alongside the river, while I fetched the car where we had parked beside a bridge. I made sure to diligently check the river as I walked, in case we had somehow missed a dipper on the first pass. Not surprisingly, I was unsuccessful.

Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

Upon returning with the car, I found Laura at a closer point than where I had left her, which seemed strange as the plan had been for her to continue to walk upriver. When she noticed that it was me, however, she frantically pointed down at the river. She had found the dipper!

Rufous-throated Dipper - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

A wave of relief washed over me as I viewed the Rufous-throated Dipper for the first time. It was a dapper little bird, charcoal-gray with a smart rufous throat patch and a crisply contrasting white wing patch. 

Rufous-throated Dipper - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

Laura filled me in on the story. Not five minutes after I departed, she found a dipper and then a second one. She was torn between staying on the birds or running down the highway to fetch me (we had no cell signal here). She opted for the former, which was a good call as she managed to follow one of the dippers downstream until I arrived. What a lucky turn of events! 

Rufous-throated Dipper - Quebrada Los Sosa, Tucumán, Argentina

Even luckier, we had found the dipper with enough time to spare for us to return to the hotel to partake in the included breakfast shortly before that window closed at 9:30. Coffee and a croissant never tasted so good.

Chaco Birding, And A Rare Monjita

The Gran Chaco (or simply, "Chaco"), is a sparsely populated plain in central South America, known for its hot, semi-arid environment. It doesn't refer to one particular ecosystem, but rather, it includes a number of different types of forest, scrub, savannah and grassland. Most of the Gran Chaco occurs in north-central Argentina and western Paraguay, with bits extending into southeastern Bolivia and southwestern Brazil. Neither Laura or I had ever visited the Gran Chaco before, but this region will feature prominently over the next few weeks. 

January 14, 2023

An area of excellent quality scrubby Chaco forest is found in the area around Capilla del Monte and so Laura and I planned for a morning birding excursion. It is imperative that these sites are visited early since the temperatures ramp up quickly, shutting down bird activity. 

House Wren - Cerro Uritorco, Capilla del Monte,  Córdoba, Argentina

Our destination was the trail leading to Cerro Uritorco.  The elusive Black-bodied Woodpecker had been reported from here. This Chaco specialist has been declining over most of its range, and it is currently listed as Near-Threatened. 

Cerro Uritorco, Capilla del Monte,  Córdoba, Argentina

Bird activity was excellent during the early morning hours and we quickly found a pair of White-tipped Plantcutters, a species of cotinga (Cotingidae). 

White-tipped Plantcutter (female) - Cerro Uritorco, Capilla del Monte,  Córdoba, Argentina

White-tipped Plantcutter (male) - Cerro Uritorco, Capilla del Monte,  Córdoba, Argentina

Several new species for us made appearances in short succession, including a dapper pair of Brown-capped Redstarts. This species is associated more with lower montane forest in northwestern Argentina and southern Bolivia, but it can be found in this Chaco scrub forest, too. 

Brown-capped Redstart - Cerro Uritorco, Capilla del Monte,  Córdoba, Argentina

Our first Many-colored Chaco Finch was a welcome addition, and a representative bird of this region. This species can be downright abundant in suitable habitat, but you never forget your first. It wasn't until the next day that I was able to obtain a good photograph, though. 

Many-colored Chaco Finch - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

We heard our first Crested Gallito and Short-billed Canasteros as well. The gallito remained hidden but the pair of canasteros flew in to check us out. 

Short-billed Canastero - Cerro Uritorco, Capilla del Monte,  Córdoba, Argentina

Short-billed Canastero - Cerro Uritorco, Capilla del Monte,  Córdoba, Argentina

White-barred Piculet was our last lifer of the morning. The views kept getting better and better with each successive individual. 

White-barred Piculet - Cerro Uritorco, Capilla del Monte,  Córdoba, Argentina

We walked for around two kilometers before turning around and heading back to the car. Due to the topography of the area, we were in shade for the entire walk out, while the sun was at our backs for the return journey. That worked out well!

Chiguanco Thrush - Cerro Uritorco, Capilla del Monte,  Córdoba, Argentina

Unfortunately, the Black-bodied Woodpecker was a no-show. That being said, we had a thoroughly enjoyable excursion and returned to our hotel at 10 AM for a late breakfast. 

Ultramarine Grosbeak (female) - Cerro Uritorco, Capilla del Monte,  Córdoba, Argentina

Swainson's Flycatcher - Cerro Uritorco, Capilla del Monte,  Córdoba, Argentina

The sun was high in the sky once we left the hotel. We decided to investigate a nearby human-made lake called Lago El Cajón. The dam area was home to a pair of Cliff Flycatchers, giving us our best views ever of that species. 

Cliff Flycatcher - Lago El Cajón, Capilla del Monte, Córdoba, Argentina

We poked around for another hour or so, seeing what waterbirds we could scope on the lake. Nothing exceptional could be found, though I enjoyed panning through the half-dozen species of ducks, all three coots, three species of grebes and a few shorebirds. By midday, we were on our way north again. 

Green Kingfisher - Lago El Cajón, Capilla del Monte, Córdoba, Argentina

Laura and I had some difficulty acquiring a hotel room in the town of Deán Funes, evidently because a festival of some sort was going on in the next town south of us. But we finally succeeded with a small, basic motel that fit our budget (and included air conditioning, wifi and hot water). Feeling a little restless, I headed out on my own to an area 45 minutes north of here. After all, the 14 hour days ensure that there is always a chance for evening birding. 

Our rental car at Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

A massive salt lake, the appropriately-named Lago Salinas Grande, is one of only a few lakes in central Argentina where the Salinas Monjita can be found. It was once considered to be a subspecies of Rusty-backed Monjita until, presumably, someone took a closer look at them and realized that they had distinctive plumage and were restricted to a very specific habitat, unlike the migratory Rusty-backed Monjitas further south. The Salinas Monjita can only be found in low scrub, especially Salicornia bushes, at the fringes of several saline lakes, including Lago Salinas Grande. 

Laura and I had plans to bird this lake the next morning but, fearing that I might miss the monjita, I wanted to give myself two cracks at it. This was a good decision as I enjoyed a very productive evening of birding, despite the very hot temperatures. 

Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

My first priority was to search for the monjita and so I drove through the high-quality Chaco scrub, forcing myself to keep going, lest I get distracted by the other potential lifers found here. There would be time for them later. 

My search for the monjita was short-lived as I found an individual not five minutes after I began my walk! 

Salinas Monjita - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

The bird was not at all shy and didn't seem to mind my presence. This gave me a chance for some mouth-watering photos - I was in heaven! 

Salinas Monjita - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

Salinas Monjita - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

With the main target out of the way, I returned to the scrub beside the entrance road and along some side-trails. I enjoyed teasing the various species out of the woodwork, making note to keep track of where each species was to ensure that I could re-find them with Laura in the morning. 

Patagonian Mockingbird - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

Brushland Tinamous were vocalizing from all around, and one even ran across the road in front of me. Other highlights were my first encounters with Crested Hornero, Suiriri Flycatcher, Tufted Tit-Spinetail, and Black-crested Finch.

Suiriri Flycatcher - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

Crested Hornero - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

Tufted Tit-Spinetail - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

I was particularly enthused with the Black-crested Finch, as it is a beautiful species that we wouldn't have very many more chances at. Luckily, they appeared to be fairly common here and I tallied at least five individuals. 

Black-crested Finch - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

Black-crested Finch - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

A surprise was in store during the drive back to Deán Funes at dusk: a Scissor-tailed Nightjar, in flight beside the road! 

January 15, 2023

Laura and I returned to Lago Salinas Grande for a morning of birding. We headed straight out to the edge of the salt lake, hoping for comparable success with the monjita.

Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

The monjita really made us work for it this time but we eventually succeeded with excellent, close encounters with three different individuals. 

Salinas Monjita - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

Salinas Monjita - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

This lizard was scampering between the scattered bushes on the salt flats. It is one of the notoriously difficult to identify Liolaemus species. I think that this is Liolaemus chacoensis, sometimes called the Chaco Smooth-throated Lizard. 

Liolaemus chacoensis - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

Due to the extended monjita search, the day was already quite warm by the time that we left the sweltering open salt flats and returned to the relative comfort of the scrub where the occasional shrubby tree was of sufficient height to provide shade. We quickly went from one spot to the next, extracting the birds out of the shrubs. Most of my "stake-outs" from the previous evening cooperated. 

Suiriri Flycatcher - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

We found quite a few birds that I had not seen the previous evening, including White-winged Black-Tyrant, Red-crested Finch, Peregrine Falcon, Southern Scrub-Flycatcher, Spot-backed Puffbird and Fulvous-crowned Scrub-Tyrant. 

White-winged Black-Tyrant - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

Spot-backed Puffbird - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

We noticed this adorable little cavy alongside the road, which I believe is the Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy (Galea leucoblephara). Cavies are a type of rodent, most closely related to capybaras, and then a little more distantly to agoutis. The domestic guinea pig is a type of cavy. 

Lowland Yellow-toothed Cavy - 

Time was running out and we needed to get moving to our next destination. But, we were still without one of our most-wanted birds for the site, the Spot-winged Falconet. I checked one final site and luck was on our side. What a way to finish an excellent few visits to this unique area. 

Spot-winged Falconet - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina

Spot-winged Falconet - Lago Salinas Grande, Córdoba, Argentina