Jake Mohlmann on his just-completed tour to Southern Argentina
We had an exciting journey through southern Argentina, seeing 244 species of birds and 16 mammal species, all the while being treated to nearly perfect weather, excellent lodging, and wonderful regional cuisine.
A secretive Curve-billed Reedhaunter found us intriguing.
Our route out to San Clemente through the Pampas was dominated by vast grasslands peppered with extensive marshes filled with thousands of ducks, shorebirds, and terns. Greater Rheas stood tall along the roadsides and White-rumped and Buff-breasted Sandpipers relaxed, their long journey north still several months away.
A fine male Brazilian Teal floats by, just one of the 16 duck species seen.
The wind-swept shrubby steppe and endless dry desert of the Patagonia region is home to a few endemic birds and we succeeded in finding three of them. At Punta Tombo a family of White-headed Steamer Ducks swam in an out of the throngs of Magellanic Penguins returning to feed their squawking young. In the creosote flats near the coast Carbonated Sierra Finches were in full display ascending to the proper height and fluttering back down to their respective perches. We had as well amazing views of a White-throated Cachalote which came in and perched on a debris pile right in front of us.
The White-throated Cachalote resides in the bleak Patagonian desert.
In Tierra del Fuego National Park we tried many spots for the majestic Magellanic Woodpecker and after a wonderful hike along an isolated bay we were thrilled to find a family group foraging on the ground mere meters from our cameras.
A majestic male Magellanic Woodpecker searching for grubs...
...and here a female.
An Austral Parakeet perched in perfect light.
El Calafate sits perfectly in the transition zone between the desert and the rain forests, and harbors one of the most spectacular glaciers on earth. At three miles wide there’s a lot to take in as this massive river of ice stretches for miles towards Chile and the Patagonian ice field. Birding is particularly good in this area and we watched Andean Condors soaring high overhead, Spectacled Ducks defending their tiny breeding ponds, and Thorn-tailed Rayaditos on every (other) tree.
Our happy group at the extraordinary Perito Moreno Glacier.
The sprite Thorn-tailed Rayadito adorns trees in the southern Beach forests.
All in all, and from my perspective, this was a lovely tour.