Paraguay and Argentina, Dec 2024 (1 Viewer)

Dec 19

Up early again for some morning birding, I started off with the loop trail as usual and then walked down the main entrance road. The loop trail held a cooperative Plain Antvireo and a pair of Rufous Gnateaters. The entrance road had some decent patches of bird activity. A Buff-bellied Puffbird perched conveniently in the open on a wire, and the small stream crossings were buzzing with activity, such as a family of Flavescent Warblers, a couple of White-barred Piculets, Variable Orioles, a pair of Yellow Tyrannulets, and a Gilded Hummingbird. I might've stayed longer, but the weather started to look ominous while I was about a mile from the campsite, so I started heading back. En route a mid-sized woodpecker flew across the road, and after a quick bit of searching I spotted not just one but two Blond-crested Woodpeckers. A stunning bird of southeast Brazil and adjacent areas of Paraguay, with a pale yellow head and long crest contrasting with the black body. I photographed them as long as I dared, before the approaching thunder and rapidly dropping temperature urged me onward. I ended up running the last little bit, and managed to toss all my optics into the truck and get the rain fly on my tent just before the heavens opened up and started a torrential downpour. I crawled into my tent to wait it out.


It rained for several hours, and as it began to lighten up, I decided that would be a good time to get a decent-length run in. So off I went down the main road, a 10-mile out and back route through the mud. Afterwards I showered and then went for an evening walk along the loop trail, this time picking up another much-wanted woodpecker specialty: Robust Woodpecker. A pair quietly foraging not too far off the trail, I managed to follow the sound of what was clearly a large bird hammering on wood to the source of the sound. Great views, though I had left my camera back at camp. My walk was followed by another enjoyable dinner at the lodge and then an early bedtime.

Dec 20

My final morning at Mbaracayu, I walked the road again and added Bat Falcon to the trip list. Feeling rather tired from all the hiking I'd done lately plus yesterday's 10-mile run, I kept the morning short and spent some time just relaxing at camp, setting out wet clothes and gear in the small patches of sunlight to dry them, and watching and photographing birds as they came to me. I caught a Great Kiskadee in the act of scolding his own image in my truck's window, and the antics of a family of Plush-crested Jays. A final walk around the loop trail added Rufous Casiornis and Riverbank Warbler.

My next major destination was Kanguery Biological Station, though I wasn't scheduled to arrive there until Dec 21, and I decided to break up the long drive with an overnight stop in Independencia. This is a Germanic town located at the base of a small mountain range in southern Paraguay, and seemed to offer some nearby birding opportunities. Not that I had much time or energy for it by the time I arrived in the late afternoon, so I checked into Hotel Independencia, relaxed a bit, and then watched some Sick's Swifts outside over a Paulaner beer and dinner of steak and spaetzle.

Dec 21

I left the hotel early and headed toward the town of Villarrica, where there was a series of wetlands that looked like an interesting birding stop. En route, I was pulled over at a police checkpoint - not for the first time, but this time the policeman did more than just check my documents and wave me on. He kept saying a word I didn't understand, "moleta" if I recall correctly, and when I told him I didn't understand that word, he told me I was going to learn. Indeed, it meant "fine" or "ticket", and I had to hand over 430k gs because I had been driving without my headlights on. In broad daylight, mind you, but it's a national law. Oops! I had even known better but just hadn't been paying attention.

I arrived at the wetlands after a bit of searching around for the entrance, and spent about an hour birding the area. It was very birdy, though I couldn't coax any response out from any of the possible rails or crakes here. Most notable species was probably White-bellied Seedeater. I spent a while chasing down the source of repeated long whistles, which Merlin couldn't identify, and I was surprised when it turned out to be a White-bellied Seedeater - just didn't strike me as a very seedeater-y song!


Afterwards I began the drive to Kanguery Biological Station, anticipating about a 3-hour drive. I had looked carefully at the route on Google maps, making sure it seemed to line up with the directions I had been given when I made my reservations, but at some point during the drive the nagivation must have shifted without my notice. I definitely did NOT go the best way! About an hour and a half into the drive, the pavement ran out, and I was routed through a long series of dirt roads running through soybean farms. I wasn't overly concerned at first, but after some two hours of this, I began hitting increasingly narrow and rough roads. My progress had slowed to a painful 20 kph as I wound through a village, and when I hit a steep incline full of loose rocks, I had to stop and put my truck in 4wd. There really didn't seem to be a good option for backtracking or finding another route, so I just continued on as this "road" became little more than a cow path, hoping that I would get through it without hitting an impasse. Fortunately I did get through, emerging from this little track onto a larger dirt road and finally merging with my originally intended route just outside the village of 4 Puentes. From here, I couldn't rely at all on Google maps, as the roads are not visible or recognized on the maps. I saw a sign for Kanguery and breathed a sigh of relief - until, not far down the road, I came to an unsigned intersection. Well crap, which way? I chose to go straight. I hit another intersection and continued straight again (I would later learn that I needed to turn left at this second intersection). The road entered some forest and I figured all was well - until I passed through a village school and then found myself on a dirt track leading through soybean fields. Well this doesn't seem right! I turned around, took another track that seemed to lead toward the forest, but that clearly wasn't right either. In my attempt to turn around a second time, I drove headfirst into a ditch that had been obscured by soybean plans - K-CHUNK! Muttering some explitives, I figured I was well and truly f*cked, but I figured I might as well try to get myself out, and to my surprise I was able to back effortlessly out of the ditch. What a beast this Toyota Hilux was! Popping some body panels back into place, I retraced my steps via the village school and asked for help. They pointed me back the way I had come, and when I reached 4 Puentes again, I stopped a second time to ask for directions. A kind young man offered to show me the way on his motorbike, so he led me through town to the final turnoff for the station. From there, at last it was an uneventul 12 km to the station. Ooof!

I was greeted by the station manager on arrival and shown to my very spacious room. She asked me how my drive was and had I found the station ok - not really feeling like trying to describe my adventures in Spanish, I said everything had been fine . After a bit of time unwinding, I went for a late afternoon walk along the road past the station. A large bird flushed from a wetland, and I got my bins on it just in time to identify it as a Pinnated Bittern before it landed and disappeared back into the marsh. Score! A couple of Streamer-tailed Tyrants were also a delight and a much-wanted lifer. Crested and Yellow-headed Caracaras were common, flying around and screaming at the world. A small wet patch in the grassland held a group of Pearly-breasted Seedeaters. It was a nice way to wind down and to get a feel for the area. Tomorrow I would be hunting for my top targets for this area: Cock-tailed Tyrant and Saffron-cowled Blackbird.

Dec 22

I set off at first light for a long walk down the road past the station, in search of my targets in the grasslands along the road. I walked close to four miles before turning around, and it was a delightful morning. Wedge-tailed Grass-Finches and Grassland Sparrows were singing everywhere. The small wetlands held Yellow-chinned Spinetail, a variety of waterbirds, and a vocal Ash-throated Crake. I came across a large gathering of swallows, with Tawny-headed Swallows among them, perching at the edges of the wetlands and offering good views and photo opportunities. Groups of Fork-tailed Flycatchers and Streamer-tailed Tyrants caught my eye, though the latter remained a bit far off for photos. The road crossed through a small stretch of forest, with Green-winged Saltator and Short-tailed Antthrush. I scanned closely anytime I came across a group of icterids - small groups of Yellow-rumped Marshbirds and a couple of Unicolored Blackbirds. About three miles into my walk, I realized that one of the yellow and black icterids in the distance that I was looking at was not a marshbird - it was a male Saffron-cowled Blackbird! As I watched, I began to pick out a handful of other ones, and eventually a few moved closer to where I stood, allowing for great views, with particularly close photos of the also-beautiful female.


No luck with the Cock-tailed Tyrant though. I spent the afternoon relaxing during the heat of the day, and then went for an evening walk, this time along the road in the other direction. I came across some cooperative Streamer-tailed Tyrants, though little else of note. Still no Cock-tailed Tyrant! With only one more morning at the station, I began to worry that I would miss this very important species at the only location that seemed both reliable and accessible.

Dec 23

I spent my final morning at Kanguery walking the forest trails leading off from the station grounds. This ended up being some of the most productive forest birding of the trip. I flushed several Rufous-breasted Leaftossers along the trail, and listened the long songs of Short-tailed Antthrushes. Up in the canopy I picked up Red-ruffed Fruitcrow and White-winged Becard in addition to more common species. White-browed Warblers sang their beautiful whistled songs and were joined by Golden-crowned Warblers. Chestnut-headed and Black-goggled Tanagers brought some variety. I heard a distinctive whistled song in several places, and when I finally tracked it down it turned out to be Southern Antpipit - a ground-dwelling forest flycatcher, very unlike most of the rest of its family.


I left the station mid-morning, planning to drive the roads past the station before heading out in a last attempt to find Cock-tailed Tyrant. However, I got stuck in a very muddy crossing just before the small stretch of forest in between fields. With enough backing up, going forward, backing up again, etc. I managed to extricate myself. I then decided I'd had well enough of muddy road adventures, turned around, and made my way to my next destination.

The afternoon saw me arriving into the town of Ayolas, where I checked in to Hotel Marimex. I had arranged via Birding Paraguay and Nature company for a guide to meet me this evening at Isla Yacyreta for Sickle-winged Nightjar. I met Sergio at the headquarters at 6:00 pm, and we departed with a driver to enter the restricted area of this island located in the Parana River between Paraguay and Argentina. Dusk wouldn't fall until after 8:00, so we killed a bit of time, stopping at a wetland overlook that held little other than a cooperative Burrowing Owl. We picked up mostly common birds here and there, and as dusk began to fall, we parked at the nightjar spot to await full dark. And with the darkness came the mosquito onslaught, by far the worst I'd encountered this trip. But, sure enough, the Sickle-winged Nightjar began to call, and Sergio spotlighted it on the road. We played a game of hide-and-seek for a bit, hoping to get better looks and a photographic opportunity, though the bird was not very cooperative. However, at one point Sergio managed to spotlight it and follow it in flight, allowing us to see the bizarrely long, curved primaries in action. Well worth the effort! On the drive back, we stopped for a much more cooperative nightjar, this one a female Little Nightjar.


My schedule for the next day was open, and in discussing possibilities with Sergio and how bummed I'd been to miss out on Cock-tailed Tyrant, he gave me the contact information for another guide (Jose) who could take me to location with a good possibility of this species. So I reached out to Jose and made arrangements to meet up the following morning.

Dec 24

This morning I drove an hour and a half to pick up Jose in the town of General Artigas, and he led me a further hour and a half to an estancia that he monitors and regularly encounters Cock-tailed Tyrant. Once we reached the appropriate habitat, he had me slow down so that we could scan, and almost immediately I spotted the very distinctive shape of a male Cock-tailed Tyrant - I slammed on the breaks, backed up, and yep, sure enough, there it was! We got out for better views, and soon also had a female nearby. We watched until the male got further away, and then we slowly drove the rest of the main road through the estancia, picking up a cooperative Firewood-gatherer, Yellow-rumped Marshbird, and Great Pampa-Finch.


Target achieved but with much of the day still left, Jose asked if I wanted to get better/more views of Strange-tailed Tyrant, and I enthusiastically said yes. So we backtracked to an area of wetlands and cattle pastures not far outside of his home village. The wetlands themselves were quiet, but it didn't take long to find a group of Strange-tailed Tyrants, several of which were much more cooperative than the ones I had seen at Arroyos y Esteros. We also picked up Ochre-breasted Pipits in flight displays.


Although it had involved a lot of driving, I was very pleased with my day out with Jose, picking up much-wanted Cock-tailed Tyrant and getting a much better encounter with Strange-tailed Tyrant. Jose was very friendly and informative, so the long drives passed quickly. We had a good laugh when I stopped for diesel in between sites, and the pump attendant handed me something, telling me it was a gift - it was a station-branded wash rag! My mud-splattered truck had seemed unremarkable while up in the Chaco, but in southern Paraguay it was often a source of comments, questions, or just laughs.

Dec 25
Today was a travel day, with the intent to make my way to Puerto Iguazu in Argentina, where I had booked a two-night stay at Hotel Tre Iguazu, followed by two nights at the ecolodge San Sebastian de la Selva. I had hoped to cross into Argentina at Yacyreta, spend a few hours at Parque Nacional Ibera, and then make my way north to Puerto Iguazu. However, as I was going through migrations on the Argentinian side, I was stopped and told I couldn't take my rental truck into Argentina. A bit of back and forth ensued as I tried to understand why, I showed them my document that had all the surrounding countries listed, but they said that wouldn't suffice. To the best of my limited understanding, I would need the original vehicle title (which of course I didn't have), and whatever document I was presenting was only for insurance or some such. Well, so much for that plan!

I contacted my rental company via Whatsapp, and they verified that indeed, I could not take my truck into Argentina, but I could take it into Brazil as far as Foz do Iguassu. So... that's what I did. A bit more confusion ensued when I managed to enter Brazil without being stopped for migrations (it was unclear at the time that I was supposed to stop in the parking area, I just kept following signs for "autos" until... oops, I'm in Brazil now, no passport stamp!). I set about searching for a safe location to ditch my truck for a few days, and when I saw signs for the airport, I figured that was the best bet. I arrived at the airport, parked, gathered my stuff, and asked around for a taxi that could take me into Argentina. Having secured one, off we went. At the border, the taxi parked so that I could get my exit stamp, and I approached the exit kiosk with some trepidation. Sure enough, the border official noticed the lack of an entry stamp, I said something to the effect of "I think a mistake happened", and he waved me on with a look of exasperation. Soon we were through and in Argentina.

Hotel Tre is in a forested area just above the town of Puerto Iguazu, and the taxi driver hadn't heard of it, nor had he apparently heard of any kind of mapping app, but with the help of my own navigation I was finally dropped off at the hotel. With an hour of daylight left, I tossed my luggage in my room and went for a birding walk along the wooded roads surrounding the hotel. My first birds for my Argentina list, activity was pretty good and included trip additions such as Eared Pygmy-Tyrant, Scarlet-rumped Cacique, and Chestnut-bellied Seedfinch, plus a trio of Crested Becards, Variable Antshrikes, and Common Tody-Flycatcher. After dark, I enjoyed a nice dinner and drinks at the hotel next door, winding down from a stressful travel day and looking forward to visiting the famous falls in the morning.

Dec 26

I got up early for a short run around the neighborhood, grabbed some breakfast at the hotel, then gathered my daypack and set off on foot into the center of Puerto Iguazu. I worked my way toward the central bus station, stopping at several ATMs en route in hopes of securing some Argentinian currency, but I couldn't get my card to work in any of them (I really need to re-open an account with a major US bank!). However, I was able to exchange some of my Paraguayan guaranies for Argentinian pesos so that I had at least something on hand. I also stopped at a storefront that advertised transportation services, where I arranged for transportation to San Sebastian de La Selva for the following day. I then found the bus station, and for 10 pesos I got a round-trip ticket to Parque Nacional Iguazu. I didn't have long to wait, as there were departures every 15 minutes if I recall correctly.

I arrived at the park at 10:00 a.m. and set off for the trails. My main purpose here was to experience the falls, though of course I kept my eye out for birds along the way. Many of the trails were fairly quiet, with dragonflies and butterflies capturing most of my attention, though I saw my first Great Dusky Swifts coming in and out from behind the falls on the lower trails, and then more at the top at Devil's Throat. Many areas of the park were crowded, though I found some solitude by walking the path adjacent to the tram track that leads all the way to the top of the falls (most people take the tram rather than hike). Along this stretch I had White-shouldered Fire-eye, Spot-backed Antshrike, White-eyed Parakeet, Blue-naped Chlorophonia, Surucua Trogon, and a heard-only toucan (my only for the trip!), plus a troop of black capuchin monkeys. The falls themselves were, of course, incredible.


I spent the majority of the day at the falls, arriving back to the hotel in the late afternoon and enjoying a nice dinner next door again before an early bedtime.

I thought the trick to get Argentinian currency is (still) to send US dollars through Western Union to yourself... And thus get the (previously much much better, now maybe just somewhat) better blue dollar rate.

Dec 27

I slept in a little and then was picked up by the pre-arranged taxi for the ~2-hour drive to San Sebastian de la Selva. Once there, the manager greeted me and alerted me that we would be doing a guided walk at 4 pm. Ok... I hadn't expected (or wanted) to to be guided around, but I didn't argue. My spacious cabin was set at the edge of a small, wooded lake, teeming with birdlife - mostly common species, but it and the dragonflies kept me entertained through the heat of the day as I sat in the hammock on the large back porch.

At 4 I met the reserve manager, along with a uniformed guide and a local volunteer birder, and we set off for a hike along the upper trails into the forest. Birding was generally quiet, not helped by all the chatting going on among the group, but we saw puma tracks, and picked up a few species of interest - Rufous-breasted Leaftosser, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, Golden-winged Cacique, and Ochre-breasted Foliage-Gleaner. We returned a bit before dark, and before heading to the common area for dinner, I spotted a Rufescent Tiger-Heron just behind my cabin.


After dinner, I had to resolve payment for my stay, having been unable to conduct an online wire transfer to an Argentinian bank prior to departing the United States, and now having been unable to get enough cash, we were initially at an impasse given that they could not accept credit cards. I tried again to make an online transfer under their watch and using the suggestions from some higher-up over the phone - in the end, it turned out the company could accept payment via Venmo, so finally everything was squared away. Off to bed, with plans for an early-morning (guided again) hike the next day.

Dec 28

I met up with the volunteer bird guide at 5:30 for a walk around some of the lower trails. Right off, a Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail crossed the path in front of me, and later in the morning I would see it coming to the fruit feeders by the dining area. We encountered a number of forest species, including Surucua and Atlantic Black-throated Trogons, White-browed Warblers, Southern Antpipit, Short-tailed Antthrush, Variable Antshrikes, and White-spotted Woodpecker. We tried along the entrance road for Spotted Bamboowren, an Atlantic forest specialty and unusual member of the tapaculo family that I really wanted to see, but no luck. The highlight of the morning though was surely the Common Potoo adult and chick - here a demonstration of the benefits of a guided walk, this is a sight I would surefly have missed on my own.


After a late morning breakfast, we were joined by several other of the reserve staff members who also wanted to see the potoo, so we returned to the nest site, where improved lighting and positioning of the birds allowed for better photos than we had gotten several hours earlier. We also stopped by an area where Black Vultures had been nesting - the nest itself was vacated, but two fledglings were hanging around the area and allowed close study. A Blackish-blue Seedeater was a nice find in the understory of the bamboo forest leading to the potoo site. Plush-crested Jays also provided some entertainment near the dining area.


After lunch, there wasn't any talk about scheduling another walk, so I decided to go on a solo hike in the late afternoon, leaving a little bit before 4:00 and hoping not to be stopped. I visited the upper trails, and had a bit more luck on my own tracking down and observing mixed-species flocks. One key find was Bertoni's Antbird, a brightly-colored and localized Atlantic Forest endemic. I also picked up a range of other forest understory species, including Greenish Schiffornis, Drab-breasted Pygmy-Tyrant, Rufous Gnateater, White-shouldered Fire-eye, Gray-bellied Spinetail, and (heard only) Variegated Antpitta.


Over dinner, the reserve manager asked me about planning a hike for the next morning, and I replied that I'd be happy to hike solo. She replied with something I didn't quite catch (all my communications here have been in Spanish), quite possibly a request to stay on the lower trails or near the buildings, but... not sure!

Dec 29

My final morning in Argentina, I set out for the trails at 4:30 in hopes of getting some nightbirds. I didn't find anything particularly unusual, just common and widespread species such as Tropical Screech and Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls. Once it got light though, I had a nice morning with good mixed flock activity, and I picked up a few more regional specialties: Streak-capped Antwren and White-eyed Foliage-Gleaner, as well as more Bertoni's Antbirds.


Afterwards, it was time for breakfast and then the start of the long journey back to Asuncion. I was picked up by my taxi driver, taken across the border into Brazil and back the airport where I had parked. My car was booted, with a sign in Portuguese saying something to the effect of the vehicle looking abandoned but just go ask in the office to get it unlocked. Strange! I know my truck was very dirty but... c'mon! I took a photo of the sign, went inside to pay for parking, and then showed the office worker the sign. She sent someone out promptly to remove the boot, and soon I was on my way. After a long but uneventful afternoon of travel, I stopped in Caaguazu for the night.

Dec 30

I left my hotel early, with one more birding stop planned for the trip. I returned to the ebird site known as Arroyos y Esteros for one more missing target: Crested Doradito. As before, it was enjoyable birding early in the morning, with a good variety of waterbirds, icterids, and seedeaters. I finally connected with Crested Doradito at a marshy area not far from the main the highway, when a pair responded to playback. This was a highly desired target species, my first of this strange, southern South American flycatcher genus, and lifer #100 for the trip. A great way to wrap things up!


I returned to Asuncion, spent much of the afternoon waiting for my truck to get washed, and then retired to Zielo Hotel for the night. Once the truck was clean, I noticed with alarm that there were numerous small scratches along the sides of the truck, undoubtedly from the narrow forest track to Aguara Nu - something that could perhaps be buffed out, but nothing I could address with what I had on hand. However, no comment was made when I returned the truck the next morning, and the remaining journey home went off without a hitch.

And that concludes my epic solo trip around Paraguay! It was a very different experience than I've had in the rest of Latin America, and makes me keen to look towards additional trips to the southern half of the Bird Continent.

Awesome trip, great write up and fantastic photos!!

Thank you so much for sharing — Looking forward to your future trips

Agree with Frank, a great account of a very adventurous sounding trip.