NORTHWEST
ARGENTINA
with Eduardo Patrial!
December 2 - 17, 2021

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Famed for its attractive unspoiled scenery, the northwest of Argentina offers the birder a wealth of rare and spectacular birds. From the beautiful Yungas Cloud forests to tumbling mountain streams, Monte Desert, Cacti Scrubland, Altiplano and high Andean Grasslands, you will not only be entranced by the outstanding beauty of this country, but also have access to many endemic and much sought after species.

 

Starting off in Tucumán and Tafí del Valle we will search for the rare Tucumán Mountain Finch. Here many exciting species await us including the superb Rufous-throated Dipper. In a unique area of ‘monte desert’ we will look for the endemic White-throated Cacholote and the elusive and poorly known Sandy Gallito, a large cryptic desert tapaculo. We will look for Burrowing Parrot and Moreno’s Ground-Dove and then explore Los Cardones National Park before heading to Salta. Cream-backed Woodpecker, Red-tailed Comet and Rufous-bellied Mountain Tanager are on tap before we head to Chaco habitat and a whole new range of species. Black-legged Seriema, Quebracho Crested Tinamou, Many-colored Chaco Finch and Black-bodied Woodpecker all live in the Chaco and we will endeavor to find all of these.

 

Continuing on through the Humahuaca Valley and on to Calilegua National Park, we will survey a variety of lakes, mossy forests and Andean peaks where we can add numerous other species like Puna Plover, three species of Flamingo, White-throated Antpitta, and with luck even a Yungas Screech-Owl. If water conditions are good, the very rare Horned Coot is also possible! Finally, we ascend the Yavi Valley in search of the range restricted Citron-headed Yellow Finch, Rufous-backed Sierra Finch, and the fabulous Diademed Sandpiper Plover!

Join Eduardo Patrial and Sunrise Birding to experience the best birding in northwest Argentina!

Photos: Rufous-throated Dipper & Sandy Gallito (Photos by Steve Bird)

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ITINERARY
Day 1 • Travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina
Plan to arrive today in Buenos Aires, Argentina (Airport code: BAI). We will then spend the night in an airport hotel prior to a domestic flight early the next morning. Because of the varying flight schedules today is just an arrival day. Night Buenos Aires (No meals included today as we do not know everyone’s arrival times).

 

Day 2 • Domestic flight to Tucumán - Tafí del Valle
This morning we will take a domestic flight to the city of Tucumán and from there we drive through Rio Los Sosa Valley to Tafí del Valle, birding along the way. In the lowlands, we will keep a look out for the charming Rufous-throated Dipper, Rusty-browed Warbling Finch and Torrent Duck, before continuing our climb past the Yungas Cloud forest to arrive at Tafí del Valle. The spectacular and unique Yungas Cloud forest supports one of the greatest biological diversities in the Neotropics. It harbors a wide variety of forests and woodlands, each hosting its own and unique community of flora and fauna, and all varying according with their altitudinal ranges. Wildlife is abundant in this humid environment. Ferns, bromeliads and other epiphytic plants are particularly stunning here, and they cover every single corner of the forest. This biological treasure is well protected within the boundaries of several national parks and nature reserves, and we plan to explore it thoroughly. It is here where we will have good chances to see one of the most colorful Argentine endemic birds, the Yellow-striped Brush-Finch. Night Tafí del Valle (B, L, D) 

 

Day 3 • Tafí del Valle
Today should prove to be an exciting birding-packed day as we bird various altitudes. We start the day by ascending the El Infiernillo pass until we are high above the tree line, often seeing Burrowing Owl and the sweet looking Black Siskin sitting on fence posts as we slowly climb. We will stop for short walks at a couple of high-altitude sites in search of a mouth-watering list of target species. These include two Argentinean endemics, the Moreno’s Ground Dove and Tucumán Mountain Finch. Other birds include Andean Flicker which is pretty common and likes to sit atop boulders. This is also usually where we should see our first Andean Condor and with luck we might also encounter Cinereous Harrier.

 

Among the Andean grasslands up around 10,000 feet we will look for species including Ornate Tinamou, Andean Lapwing, Gray-hooded Parakeet, Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant, Slender-billed Miner, Scale-throated and the near-endemic Buff-breasted Earthcreepers, White-winged Cinclodes, Hellmayr's Pipit, Wedge-tailed Hillstar, the endemic White-browed Tapaculo, Cordilleran and Puna Canastero, Short-tailed Finch, and have more chances for the delightful Yellow-striped Brush-Finch.

After what will likely have been an amazing morning, we head after lunch to a small lake where we hope to see Andean Goose, Andean Coot, Andean Gull, and others. We will then continue back to the Cloud forest to clean up on species we may have missed. Night Tafí del Valle (B, L, D) 

 

Day 4 • Tafí del Valle - Cafayate
This morning we will set off around the western side of the Sierra de Aconquija and continue north through Argentine wine country to the small town of Cafayate in the Province of Salta. We will cross through the dry, high Andean pass of “El Infiernillo” on our way there, and a diversity of dry Andean habitats, making frequent stops along the road to search for a great variety of birds. The Monte Desert, with its large cacti, hold Sandy Gallito and White-throated Cacholote and these are our major targets.  We’ll also look for Elegant Crested-Tinamou, Burrowing Parrot, White-tipped Plantcutter, Greenish Yellow Finch, Steinbach´s Canastero, Cinnamon Warbling-Finch, Ringed Warbling Finch, White-browed Brushfinch, Band-tailed Sierra Finch and White-banded Mockingbird plus the noisy, active Greater Wagtail-Tyrant. Night: Cafayate (B, L, D)

 

Day 5 • Cafayate – Cabra Corral
We continue our exciting journey that traverses the spectacular scenery of wine country, looking for more Burrowing Parrots, two species of tit-spinetail, several different canastero’s including the endemic Steinbach’s Canastero, Golden-billed Saltator, and as always, many others such as Chaco Earthcreeper, Spot-winged Pigeon, Blue-and-yellow Tanager, White-banded Mockingbird, Black-crested Finch, White-crested Tyrannulet, White-fronted Woodpecker and Black-legged Seriema.

In the afternoon, we will drive through the vineyards of Cafayate, enjoying the stunning views of Quebrada de las Conchas, towards Cabra Corral. As we bird the transitional forest in a canyon formed by the Juramento River, we’ll be looking for sought-after denizens of this arid region, including Sandy Gallito, Crested Gallito, Spot-winged Falconet, Red-legged Seriema, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, and many others. Night: Cabra Corral, Coronel Moldes (B, L, D)

 

Day 6 •
Los Cardones National Park - Salta
As we head for Los Cardones National Park, the scenery arguably gets even better (if that is possible)! We might see our first Red-tailed Comet and White-sided Hillstar, plus Rufous-bellied Mountain Tanager which is one of our main targets. We should add further parrots to our list and these might include Scaly-headed Parrot and Grey-hooded Parakeet. A high-altitude bird that we really hope will cooperate is Zimmer’s Tapaculo, alongside Rock Earthcreeper and Rufous-banded Miner. We then drive to our next hotel, which happens to have some good Yungas birds in and around the garden. We can enjoy late-afternoon drinks on the balcony, and the next morning we’ll try and find the majestic Cream-backed Woodpecker, Smoke-colored Pewee, Rough-legged Tyrannulet, White-bellied Hummingbird, the beautiful Plush-crested Jay, Golden-winged Cacique, and Gray-necked Wood Rail. Night: Hotel Selva Montana, Salta. (B, L, D)

 

Day 7 • Salta - Chaco
Today we bird a completely new habitat, where a diverse array of new birds awaits us. There is a long list of immensely sought-after species, such as Black-legged Seriema, Red-legged Seriema, tinamous including the spectacular-looking Quebracho Crested Tinamou, Chaco Chachalaca (in the late afternoons we may see them along the road), Ultramarine Grosbeak, Many-colored Chaco Finch, Black-bodied Woodpecker, spectacular woodcreepers such as Red-billed Scythebill, Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper, Great Rufous Woodcreeper and their smaller relative, Narrow-billed Woodcreeper. Chaco Puffbird will hopefully be added to our list at some point. We will need luck on our side to find Spot-winged Falconet, but much easier are Lark-like Brushrunner, Crested Hornero, the sometimes skulky Crested Gallito, Chaco Earthcreeper, and some new parrots that add splashes of color. As always, there are far more birds than we can mention here, but pretty much these two days of the trip are very productive in terms of adding a great many high-quality species to our growing bird list. We will try for Chaco Owl one night. Night: Chaco (B, L, D)

 

Day 8 • Chaco - Calilegua
This is another day looking for specialties of the thorny habitats of the Chaco woodlands. Among the many species we might encounter are Greater Rhea, Tataupa Tinamou, Bicolored Hawk, Blue-crowned Parakeet, Striped Cuckoo, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Blue-tufted Starthroat, Spot-banded Puffbird, Chaco Earthcreeper, and many others. From here we drive to Calilegua National Park, looking for birds we may have previously missed. Calilegua National Park is a stunning destination for birding. It protects an important Yungas Cloud forest habitat. Our hotel is located very close to the park’s entrance and will give us the chance to spot some interesting birds before dark. Night: Calilegua (B, L, D)

Day 9 • Calilegua National Park
Today, we spend an entire day in Calilegua National Park and we have a long list of tantalizing birds to find. The steep, forested slopes are home to birds like Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Black-and-chestnut Eagle, Solitary Eagle, Bat Falcon, Dusky-legged Guan, Golden-collared Macaw, Speckled Hummingbird, Blue-capped Puffleg, Slender-tailed Woodstar, White-bellied Hummingbird, Blue-crowned Trogon, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Great Rufous Woodcreeper, Black-banded Woodcreeper, Giant Antshrike, Sclater’s Tyrannulet, White-throated Antpitta, Mountain Wren, Brown-capped Redstart, Spotted Nightingale-Thrush, Glossy-black Thrush, Rusty-browed Warbling Finch, Fulvous-headed and White-browed Brushfinches, Crested Oropendola, Golden-winged Cacique and Yungas Pygmy Owl. Night: Calilegua (B, L, D)

 

Day 10 • Calilegua National Park - Yala
Today will be our second day birding in the lush region of Calilegua National Park. Over the last few years a pair of Harpy Eagles has been seen many times from the upper roads of the park, but we would have to be more than lucky to encounter this awesome raptor. Other species here should include Blue-crowned Trogon, Plush-crested Jay, Toco Toucan, Dot-fronted Woodpecker, Streaked Xenops, and the rare White-browed Tapaculo. In the afternoon we will drive from Calilegua to Potrero de Yala Provincial Park, another wonderful transitional Yungas habitat. Night: Yala (B, L, D)

Day 11 • Yala
Today we can spend time scouring the rivers for the gorgeous Rufous-throated Dipper and possibly Torrent Duck. Nearby forest edges are a good place for Red-faced Guan which is one of our major targets which can be tricky, but with persistence we hope to find it. Also in this area are Streak-throated Bush Tyrant, Yungas Dove, Chilean Elaenia, Giant Wood Rail and Spot-breasted Thornbird. In the evening we will check a site for the spectacular Lyre-tailed Nightjar and also Yungas Screech Owl which are sometimes not too difficult to find on the outskirts of town. Night: Yala (B, L, D)

Day 12 • Yala - Tilcara
Today we drive higher along the Humahuaca Valley, birding the puna salt lakes and highland-lake habitats as we approach the town of La Quiaca on the Bolivian border at 12,000 feet (3658 meters). We’ll bird the dry valley along the way, looking for Lesser Rhea, Andean Condor, Mountain Caracara, Mountain Parakeet, Andean Swallow, Rufous-banded and Puna Miners, Puna Yellow Finch, Andean Negrito, Brown-backed Mockingbird, Black-hooded Sierra Finch, and Black Siskin.

Passing the Laguna de los Pozuelos National Park, a huge Altiplano lake, where we have our first chance to see Andean Coot, Puna Teal, Puna Ibis, Andean Avocet, Puna Plover, and three species of Flamingos that include Chilean, Andean, and James’s. If water conditions are favorable we may be in luck and find the very rare Hooded Coot. Overnight: La Quiaca (B, L, D)

 

Day 13 • La Quiaca - Yavi
From La Quiaca we drive to Tilcara and then continue driving northward (and higher), passing some lakes, where we have further chances to see Andean Coot, Puna Teal, Puna Ibis, Andean Avocet, Puna Plover, all three species of Flamingos - Chilean, Andean, and James’s, Andean Goose, Cordilleran Canastero, and even Burrowing Owl. Overnight: Yavi (B, L, D)

 

Day 14 • Yavi
Yavi is a small hamlet that is home to the very range-restricted Citron-headed Yellow Finch and early morning is the best time to look for this rare bird. We’ll also bird the highland valleys above, looking for Red-backed Sierra Finch. Here we’ll also have a chance for Mourning Sierra Finch, Puna and Bright-rumped Yellow Finches, Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant, Cream-winged Cinclodes, Spot-winged Pigeon, Tawny-throated Dotterel and others. The star bird we’ll be looking for here is the Diademed Sandpiper-Plover. Overnight: Yavi (B, L, D)

Day 15 •
Yavi - Jujuy
From Yavi we ascend to over 12,000 feet (3657 meters) above sea level, searching for further specials such as Lesser Rhea, Puna Tinamou, Puna Yellow-Finch, and others. Overnight: Jujuy (B, L, D)

Day 16 • Jujuy – End of Tour
Flight from Jujuy to connect with international departure in Buenos Aires (B)

 

Tour Leader: Eduardo Patrial plus local guides.

Photo below: Many-colored Chaco Finch by Steve Bird.