I am a fortunate woman. I married a military man. I married him because I love him but it didn't hurt that I knew we would have travel in our future. You see, I grew up military too and I get itchy feet if we live in one place for too long.
Our latest assignment is in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We could never have afforded to bring ourselves and our two boys all the way to South America to travel and see any part of this beautiful continent. Now that we are here, we are doing are best to see as much as we can.
We spent our winter break, a few weeks ago, in the province of Missiones, Argentina. It's in the far corner where Argentina meets both Brazil and Paraguay and more than a 17 hour drive from the capitol city by bus. There are no trains and we don't own a car, so we decided to fly and make the most of every day. Our goal - to see wildlife. My youngest son wants to be a wildlife biologist and we do everything we can to encourage him in that endeavor. Little did we know how great this trip would actually be!
The province of Missiones is most famous for the Cataratas del Iguazú, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many Americans know these famous waterfalls from the movie, The Mission, with Robert DeNiro, Jeremy Irons, and a very young Liam Neeson. It was while watching that movie that my own family learned about the huge influence of the Catholic Church, the war between the Spaniards and the Portuguese in this part of the continent, and the indigenous Guaraní people. It was a great film to prepare us for our visit.
People told us that two days is plenty to see the Falls. Well, if you are a birdwatcher, I would recommend staying longer because you will want to set up shop near the Devil's Throat and have binoculars at the ready as you sit on the bridges that cross the multiple islands out to the falls. The entire landscape is ripe with birds, but many of them are shy and the crowds of people aren't looking for them as they push along the boardwalks to get to the monstrous set of falls. But, with patience, and in between tour groups, it is possible to see lots of birds.
The most common bird in the park is the Urruca Común or Plush Crested Jay. Like National Parks everywhere, this one asked that visitors not feed the wildlife. But the jays, like the small mammalian coatis, have learned that tourists mean food. They beg, they steal, and they are about as bold and brazen as you could possibly imagine. And the people eat it up. What worried me the most where the people who seemed not to realize how wild these animals really are. We saw young children petting wild coatis like they were house cats, all the while smiling for the cameras as parents snapped picture after picture. These same animals were attacking each other for food, raccoon like-claws scratching and needle-like teeth bared. Not an animal I would attempt to touch, though one we got great close-ups of because of their fearlessness of humans.
The river provides great habitat for birds that we are very familiar with. We saw Anhingas perched in a dead tree in the middle of the river. I have identified them from a different picture which shows the stereotypical, bright orange beak with its straight, sharp point. My youngest son thought he saw movement in the branches at the base and we wondered if it might be a nest. We watched a gorgeous White-Winged Swallow hunting insects. He would settle on a rock in the middle of the river, launch into flight, swoop low over the rippling water, and circle back to his rock. He did it again and again and again. His name in Spanish: Golondrina Ala Blanca. High in the sky overhead, we saw Great Egrets, or Garzas Blancas, flying to some unknown destination. |
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We were also very excited by the grand toucans flying overhead. We caught pictures of a Tucán Grande sitting in a tree at dusk. We got close views even if they were somewhat obscured by the poor light. But seeing them fly in the sky is a different thing all together. They are easy to spot by their bright color and their strange profiles. Their beaks look too heavy for their bodies and it seems impossible that they can fly with such grace. It's like watching bumblebees - you know that they shouldn't be able to fly, but they do.
In the trees and bushes we saw other birds. My favorite was probably a Saí Azul or Blue Dacnis, a small, brilliant, turquoise-blue bird. Unfortunately, he was so fast that he is a small blur in my only photo of him. We watched him for a long time, playing hide and seek among the leafy growth by the river, flitting in between branches and teasing us with his bright color.
I managed a picture in the same bushes of a Three Striped Flycatcher, or Benteveo Chico. I caught a picture of the same type of bird from the front as well, so that you can see his bright yellow chest and proud stance.
I snapped a photo of this scrappy looking bird but haven't been able to identify him. The shot was taken late in the day with bad light. I've over exposed the shot to better highlight his color but he goes down in our book as an unidentified flying object. I included him because I love his ruffled feathers.
A common bird in Argentina and one ignored by every tourist but us was the Southern Lapwing. We have seen the Tero Común in open, grassy fields throughout our trips in Argentina. This guy liked the mown lawn near the tourist restaurants and paved walkways at the National Park.
One bird that did catch the attention of lots of tourists was this cousin to our American Turkey, a Yacutinga. In English, we call him a Black-fronted Piping-Guan which I think is a horrible name. He was 20 feet up in the canopy of a tree, flapping and half flying from branch to branch. I love his red wattle and his striking blue beak. And our next stop on our trip is named for this funny little guy, so I didn't dare leave him out of the diary!
After two days of hiking near and around the Falls, we were looking forward to our escape to Yacutinga Lodge. Vacation time in Argentina is not unlike the US. Everyone has time off in the same short period and all tourist destinations are packed. Yacutinga Lodge, however, is a quiet oasis. At it's largest, our group there was 11 people. And there were no other groups hiking in the sub-tropical rainforest with us. That means we had ample opportunity to spot wildlife. For an overview of our stay at the Lodge, check out my diary, Yacutinga Lodge, An Argentine Travel Diary (warning: picture heavy!).
The terrain at the Yacutinga Reserve is diverse, making it a great place to view a wide variety of birds. We also had the benefit of two guides with a vast amount of birding experience.
Enrique has worked with a well-known ornithologist and recognized many birds from their calls alone. I could describe a bird I had just seen and he would pull out the book and show me exactly what it was. That's how I learned I had seen the smallest songbird in sub-tropical Argentina, the Pygmy Tyrant or Mosqueta Enana. This tiny creature sang to me from a small branch just alongside the trail and I watched for too long and missed his picture. I will have to be content with the memory of him alone. Enrique also taught me the difference between the two Spanish words for bird, pajaro y ave. Aves are birds and pajaros are songbirds, an important distinction. He was tall and thin, but his long legs kept a gait that was easy to keep up with. His machete often seemed like an extension of his arm and he used it to clear fallen branches, to split open heart of palm and offer us all a taste, and to show us the deep dusky-pink color of a fallen rosewood tree. He was as excited by bird sightings as we were and a joy to hike with. He wore gaiters, more to keep his pants clean in winter but we were told they are necessary in summer for the snakes, and carried a big backpack full of surprises. He would pull out the aforementioned book, or a microscope, or a thermos for maté. We were never quite sure what would come next!
Our second knowledgeable guide knews the jungle like a second skin - he was Kuarahí, the Guaraní chief who lives in the neighboring Guaraní reserve. I watched him enter the jungle to flush a bird towards us. Three steps in and I could no longer tell where the man was. He literally disappeared and, even though he was still moving, we could not hear or see him. He was short and wiry and wore lightweight running shoes of a duff-colored blue and loose fitting clothes in greens and tans. His steps were so silent that I was almost afraid to walk next to him with my bulky hiking boots and the fall of my American foot. Once while hiking together, we heard a bird call in the distance. He told me it was a Pico Verde - I knew that was a type of toucan. A couple of minutes later, Enrique, hiking behind us a little ways heard the bird and announced that he heard a toucan. I turned back and said, "Yes, a pico verde," in as dry a tone as I could muster, pretending that I had known all along what type of bird it was from the call alone. Kuarahí laughed and laughed and I blushed a deep shade of red. It was then that I realized what a great sense of humor he had and I only wished I had been brave enough to talk to him more. But I also wanted to listen to the sounds of the jungle as much as I wanted to learn more about him and his people.
We spent the most time on trails in the sub-tropical jungle. The undergrowth in the jungle is beautiful to look at - the shapes of vines and trees are mesmerizing. The twists and turns are all counter-clockwise, opposite to vines that grown in the Northern Hemisphere. But the birds don't seem to mind the difference.
Our second day, we hiked with fewer people and saw the most birds. It was also one of the warmer mornings, so I think the birds wanted to be up with the sun and were very active for a winter day. This Magpie Tanager did not want to pose for a picture and if not for my other blurry shots and Enrique's identification, I might never have placed a name to him. He is known as a Frutero Overo in Spanish. I just love how he is puffed up and warming in the sun.
One of my favorite names for a bird is the Red-rumped Cacique. The word Cacique means Chief in Spanish and this bird might think he rules over the jungle. He is loud and raucous and lets all the other animals know that he is around. When I couldn't remember the name of Kuarahí and asked Enrique for a reminder, he thought I meant the name of the bird because I asked in Spanish, "What is the name of the chief?" He told me Boyero Cacique. I spent an entire day thinking Kuarahí's name was Boyero. Of course, it would have been completely wrong. The Guaraní Cacique was as quiet as the Boyero Cacique was loud.
This picture below shows the bird proud and strong. It is one of my favorites of the trip. His beak is so pointed and sharp and he looks down on the rest of the jungle as if we are beneath his contempt.
Some of the prettiest birds in the Yacutinga Reserve are the Trogons - here is a beautiful pair of Surucuá or Black-throated Trogons, both male and female. They were very polite birds and sat patiently while I took many photos.
Later the same day, we found a cousin, the
Surucuá Común. This female sat a little higher in the tree than her cousins and was harder to photograph. But I'll share two shots, one that shows the fine markings on her wings and a second that displays her beautiful red chest and underbelly and the stark white of her tail.
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I find it ironic that we never saw a Yacutinga at Yacutinga Lodge. We saw a close relative, instead, a Yacupoí. We struggled to get a clear shot of this guy. If my oldest son was a hunter, he would have had him but as a photographer he only got a fair shot. I'm not sure if the Rusty-margined Guan would make a good meal, anyway!
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On of our most exciting encounters was with a Blond-crested Woodpecker. We heard the hammering first and then spotted her. She was actively attacking insects around the entire trunk of the tree. Many of our photos show her head as a blur. Her name in Spanish uses the word for carpenter, Carpintero Copete Amarillo. I love the differences of the languages and how one name can be more expressive in one language than in another. |
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I have one more bird to add to this part of the jungle, the Red-ruffed Fruit Crow. Now that is a fun name. But it can't beat Yacutoro, it's local name. I had a hard time identifying this guy until I noticed that little bit of red. If we had seen him from the front, we would have marveled at the red throat and chest collar that almost surrounds his neck. |
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And I would be remiss to not point out that in this same part of the jungle, we were blessed by Capuchin monkeys as well! Not once, but twice! This part of the rainforest was just full of food which explains why we saw so much wildlife here. If we were to return in Summer, we are told that we could all snakes and lizards, wild pigs, and even more birds to our list. |
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During our trip, we also spent lots of time close to water, either by kayak on the Iguazú River or its tributaries, by hiking to the river itself or across small streams, or by hiking the edges of the almost dry swamp with it's muddy puddles.
The trail we took to the river had terrain that was surprisingly dry the closer we got to the river. The area seemed less lush than the subtropical jungle closer to the Lodge and more like a forest, with lots of deciduous trees and fallen leaves. It could be that the land drops very quickly and that water does not soak into the ground as readily but runs off into the river. We found a Squirrel Cuckoo in these parts, jumping around among the branches of the trees. Although his name is Tinguazu, which means big tail in Guaraní, he is also known as the Alma del Gato or the Soul of the Cat, for the nine dots on his very long and dramatic tail, one dot for each of the cat's nine lives. This guy was protecting his nine lives well and refused to pose so I had to settle for a shot of his underparts.
Right next to the river, we found a Kingfisher nest but no Kingfisher hanging around. The river seemed even wider standing on one shore that when out in the middle in a kayak. The far shore is Brazil and looked us wild as the Argentine side. Unfortunately, looks are deceiving and we know that the sub-tropical rainforest on both sides of the river is under threat.
Taking pictures of birds from the kayak was next to impossible even though I had a front row seat both times! I managed two shots of Boat-billed Flycatcher, both perched on a branch and just as he launched himself in flight. It was late afternoon and the sun made for better silhouettes than actual photos.
And it seems like we can't go birdwatching, here in South America or in the US, without seeing the ubiquitous Turkey Vulture. We saw this Jote Cabeza Colorada from the river as well - the river actually provided great views of the jungle. If we could have sat still, I think we might have seen many more birds but the current demanded that we constantly move forward. We did see other birds, we just didn't get pictures. |
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Back on land, we always approached the swamp late in the day on our way back to the Lodge. One evening, we could make out the silhouette of a toucan on the far side. There is a bird blind set up at this location and in the summertimes, the guests wake up very early in the morning, 4:30am, hike out to the blind and set themselves up before the sun rises. They enjoy the birds for a couple of hours and then head back to the Lodge for breakfast. Yet another reason for us to go back in the summertime! |
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Another bird we found near the swamp was a Rufous Motmot. He is known as Yeruvá locally. We could hear him singing and Enrique was bound and determined to find him in the dim light. And he did. With the help of a flash, a strong headlamp, and great editing software, I am able to show you his brilliant colors. He really is this bright in real life. I have a picture of him from the wildlife reserve in Puerto Iguazú. Those pictures will make another diary one day.
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A lot of our bird sightings were high up in trees like the aforementioned vulture. These are usually birds that aren't limited to specific ecosystems and travel widely in the area. The most colorful and gregarious are the parrots. We have them in Buenos Aires, too. They chatter as they fly and you can hear them long before you can see them, normally high overhead in packs of a few birds. This guy is a Scaly-headed Parrot or Loro Maitaca. He was perched in the tree with a friend. The two of them looked very comfortable enjoying the view from up high. I love this picture of my son's because you can see the parrot's brightly colored tail feathers and the multiple green hues in his plummage. |
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We also saw a proud Crested Caracara or Carancho. I always thought that Caracaras were a type of vulture but this beautiful bird does not have a vulture shape nor the bare head. He looks more like a small eagle.
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We also saw a small Bat Falcon or Halcón Negro Chico. It was late in the day and he was perched high overhead overlooking the trail and nearby forest. He wasn't far from the farm, which doesn't surprise me as the open land would provide plenty of hunting ground. Though, as his name implies, he was probably waiting for the bats to arrive in early evening. |
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And there were toucans. The toucans were horrible to photograph for the most part. They were always far away or hiding among branches. They would tease us with their calls. There are so many different kinds of toucans that I am going to share my bad pictures just to give you an idea. But don't despair. Later in this diary I will share much better shots! The toucan sitting on the very top of the tree is the famous Tucàn Pico Verde that you heard about earlier in the diary. Pico verde literally means green beak just like a common salsa at any Mexican Restaurant is called Pico de Gallo, the beak of the rooster. In English, we call him a Red-breasted Toucan for his very obviously Christmas red breast. Makes him very easy to identify. |
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The next toucan is a Arasarí Chico. His size actually makes him a toucanet, specifically a Spot-billed Toucanet. It is hard to make out in this picture, but his white bill is heavily marked with black stripes and tipped with yellow. I love the deep green around his eyes. This guy is a male. The female would not be black on the chest and upper head, but a rufous brown. Both of their backs are actually a deep olive green but the bright sun in this photo makes it hard to tell.
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When we first learned of our schedule at the Lodge, I was surprised to find out that we would have such a large gap of time free in the early afternoons. I hadn't realized how much hiking we would do at night. The break was good but I could never actually rest, though I did take advantage of a hammock for a good 15 minutes or so one afternoon. My youngest son discovered that the best place to watch birds was by the pool. We would sit on one side in a deck chair. Across the pool was a huge laurel tree covered in berries. The birds loved it. We saw our lovely Three-striped Flycatcher* again and a lovely bird that I have yet to identify. I really want to say it is a Hornero, the national bird of Argentina. They build nests that look like small, brick ovens up in the crooks of tree branches. But Hornero's don't have fine speckles at their throats. So I am just not sure.
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And occasionally we would hear that buzzing that tells you a hummingbird is in the neighborhood. The flowers were not plentiful this time of year but there were enough to attract the occasional
picaflor. The word, in Argentine Spanish, is also slang for a man who can't concentrate on a single woman, much like a hummingbird flits from flower to flower.
This bright green fellow is unidentified mainly because the combination of a solid chest color with the white throat patch throw me off. I want to say he is a White-throated Hummingbird or Picaflor Garganta Blanca but he isn't an exact match. He looks similar to a hummingbird we saw one evening in very dim light, but without the white throat patch. Enrique actually heard that hummingbird buzzing its wings before finding him grasping to this branch immediately on the side of the trail. He identified it as a Violet-Capped Woodnymph, the most expressive name for a hummingbird I have ever heard. The name in English actually outshines the Spanish, Picaflor Corona, but not by much. If we think of a crown, instead of the beer, the Spanish name is not half bad either! |
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We also saw a very distinctive hummingbird near the pool, a Scale-throated Hermit or Ermitaño Escamado. He is a dull colored brown with black face marking. His tail is what makes him exciting. It is almost as long has his body and forked, with striking black and white stripes. His bill is also long and slightly curved. He looks like no other hummingbird I have ever seen. |
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Our absolute best photos of the whole trip came from this area just by the pool. Our last morning, just after breakfast, the Toucans arrived to eat theirs. I had seen one in the tree the day before at lunch and that had been fun. But this was completely different. Talk about excitement! For a good 15 to 20 minutes we watched about a dozen Chestnut-eared Aracaris hop around the laurel tree snapping at berries and then taking off to the neighboring umbai tree to rest, look around, snack on its fruit, and enjoy the beautiful morning. The Arasarí Farado is an impressively marked toucan and I have shared pictures from all angles so that you can enjoy his amazing colors and his serrated and showy beak.
I will also leave you here - I hope the photos and the prose express some of the wonder we found in this marvelous corner of South America. Thanks for stopping by!
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