THE PAMPAS, PATAGONIA & TIERRA DEL FUEGO Superb, springtime birding through southern South America amid stark and spectacular landscapes.
$6975. 18 days See our triplist for 2006 or 2004 or 2003 On the coast of Patagonia, a crisp ocean breeze meets you at your perch atop a low, white cliff. A pebbly beach curves away to the horizon, speckled with the glistening-wet shapes of hundreds of Magellanic Penguins. The braying, flipper-waving display of the males produces a semaphoric symphony in black and white, and the breakers sound like applause. This is Punta Tombo, where Magellanic Penguins form one of the largest gatherings of their kind at their age-old colonial breeding grounds.
Punta Tombo is one of many thrilling stops on our travels through Southern Argentina. We will sample the riches of the coast again on the famed Valdez Peninsula, breeding grounds for herds of Southern Sea Lions and gigantic Southern Elephant Seals and home to a very specialized avifauna. The pinniped colonies attract other visitors as well, in the form of scavenging Snowy Sheathbills, and the seas immediately surrounding the peninsula shelter a breeding population of the now extremely rare Southern Right Whale. We'll start our tour in the warm embrace of the Argentine Pampas in Buenos Aires province. The lush grasslands and marshes that make up the Pampas, land of the gaucho, support a diverse concentration of birds including Greater Rhea, Black-necked Swan, American Painted-snipe, Hudson's Canastero, Bay-capped Wren-Spinetail, Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, Bearded Tachuri, and Scarlet-headed Blackbird, among many others. The short, arid monte scrub around San Antonio Oeste, an important area added to our itinerary, is home to a fascinating mix of birds. A visit gives us the chance of uncovering a few very special birds: the little-known Hudson’s Black-Tyrant, the endemic Cinnamon Warbling-Finch, and the gorgeous and endangered Yellow Cardinal. These alone are worth a visit, but this is also home to several birds that have proven to be difficult on other Argentinean offerings. Nearly three days on Isla Grande in the far south at Ushuaia will provide us ample time to find a number of the Tierra del Fuego specialties, including the stunning Magellanic Woodpecker. Two great rarities of the far southern Andes, White-bellied Seedsnipe and Yellow-bridled Finch, are, with a little work, possible as well. We will also take an exciting boat trip on the famous Beagle Channel where we’ll see numerous seabirds, including a variety of tubenoses, cormorants, gulls, and waterfowl. For our finale, we'll be based in the little town of El Calafate near Los Glaciares National Park. But before we settle in El Calafate, we’ll drive to the north to the Lago Cardiel area for one night with the opportunity to see one of southern South America’s most intriguing species: the beautiful Hooded Grebe. While here, we also stand a chance at two more rarities of the far South, the local Patagonian Tinamou and the recently re-discovered Austral Rail. Back in the El Calafate area, Los Glaciares National Park offers some rewarding birding as well as some of the most spectacular scenery in all of South America. Whether you're after rheas and penguins or wren-spinetails and pipits—and especially if you want them all—join us for an unforgettable springtime in Southern Argentina!
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