Southern Argentina: Spring Magic in Patagonia

Magellanic Plover pair © Andrew Whittaker

A brand-new tour to Southern Argentina explores three key regions: the pampas, Valdez Peninsula, and incomparable Patagonia. A panoply of highlights includes a range of special birds and mammals and stunning visual scenery.

Argentina is an immense country, and its exciting southern tier offers some of the finest wildlife experiences on the South American continent. The recent publication of the superb Birds of Argentina field guide has enhanced the appeal of a visit to this magical country! Our exciting new tour is timed for the best of spring birding and spring weather. Our tour begins in the famed pampas, immediately south of Buenos Aires, an expansive grassland checkered with haciendas and scattered trees. We will concentrate on the coastal section of the pampas, where rainfall is higher, a region dotted with marshes that teem with waterfowl and wetland birds. Over three days here, we will visit native coastal Celtis (hackberry) woodlands, marshes, coastal mudflats, and a range of wet and dry grasslands, with broad horizons that evoke W.H. Hudson’s early descriptions of this fascinating region. With an avifauna that ranges from three-inch hummingbirds to human-size Greater Rheas, from pipits and tiny flycatchers to swans and a rich assortment of waterfowl and waders, and to ponderous Southern Screamers, the pampas offer a trove of wildlife spectacles. We then migrate south to the northern reaches of Patagonia, where we’ll visit its fascinating scrub-desert, in appearance not unlike the Chihuahuan Desert of the American Southwest. At the famous Valdes Peninsula, we will experience many highlights, topped by an exciting boat trip to enjoy close observation of the endangered Southern Right Whale and the endemic Chubut Steamer-Duck. A walk among a colony of half a million Magellanic Penguins will prove unforgettable, as will our searches for Burrowing Parrots and unusual mammals such as camel-like Guanacos and Patagonian Maras, the latter something like a large, long-legged rabbit. Other interesting desert birds that occur here include Lesser (Darwin’s) Rhea, Elegant-crested Tinamou, and Rust-backed Monjita, while in saline lagoons we should see flamingos and large concentrations of waterfowl. The icing on the cake of this fabulous tour hardly needs an introduction: breathtaking and wild Patagonia! Amidst vast, rolling steppe grasslands, snow-capped Andean mountains, and vivid turquoise lakes, we will immerse ourselves in some of the grandest scenery on earth. Highlights of our time here include a visit to Los Glaciares National Park and its immense Perito Moreno Glacier, considered by many among the modern-day seven wonders of the world. Our exploration of Patagonia begins on the border with Chile. Delightful Bariloche, with its high plains, rich Valdivian forests, and cool air, offers a perfect base to enjoy an array of montane birds nearly exclusive to the region in Argentina. Avian highlights include Torrent Duck, Andean Condor, Rufous-tailed Hawk, Rufous-legged Owl, Black-throated Huet-huet, and Rufous-tailed Plantcutter. In contrast, El Calafate, with its Patagonian steppe and Nothofagus (Southern Beech) forests, holds a cast of other delights such as Ashy-headed Goose, Spectacled Duck, Least Seedsnipe, Tawny-throated Dotterel, Magellanic Horned Owl, and the lovely Chocolate-vented Tyrant. Of course, locating two of the region’s banner species—the unique Magellanic Plover and gorgeous Magellanic Woodpecker—will be a priority. Many of these Patagonian species are found nowhere else but in the southern forests and plains of this beautiful and stark region. Beyond outstanding birding opportunities, the spring also presents appeal to botanists. We should see a number of fascinating plants, and, with a bit of luck, some of the especially colorful orchids that grace this region. Patagonia is certainly a remarkable place, with each of the locations on our itinerary rich in birds, history, and incredible panoramic scenery. Once seen, they are not forgotten! A short, optional extension will visit a remoter area of Patagonia in search of the beautiful and critically endangered Hooded Grebe and rare Austral Rail—itself only rediscovered to science in 1998—among other regional specialty birds.

Good to excellent accommodations; wonderful cuisine and wine; tour moderately paced with easy birding throughout; most birding along roadsides or on forest trails; short boat trip off Valdes Peninsula; physical demands light to moderate with easy walking on varied terrain; spring weather conditions mostly sunny and pleasant; however, weather can be cool to cold and windy in certain conditions and locations.

Magellanic Woodpecker © Andrew Whittaker