Date: Sunday 11 September 2022

Trajectory:  Mercedes – Mburucuyá

Distance covered: 220 km (with side trips)

Left Mercedes hotel after miserable breakfast and undrinkable coffee – for what I paid I expected better. Hotel curious for staircase (no lift) with steps whose height and spacing seem to have been designed to fail to meet human expectations, so going up and down was a most laborious and disconcerting affair.

First stop of the day was supposed to be the urban reserve Aka Pita, which took forever to find – Mercedes could work on its Tourist information. Or maybe the reason it was unsigned is that it was closed today, for no reason the custodian could give.

I drove on, and found a jewel – completely unmentioned by the Tourist Office. It seems that the Gaucho Gil, a C19th Century Robin Hood like religious folk hero was probably born near here and most definitely died and is buried here. More on my Facebook page. Here a statue:

…his place in the Mercedes City cemetery …

… and the entrance to his sanctuary/shrine, a few miles outside the city.

It was a shortish drive to Mburucuyú, shorter perhaps than the time it took for me to learn to say it. I was stopped by Gendarmes and asked where `I was going. I slobbered out Mumburoocooyoocoo a few times and finally had to spell it out for them. I then had a brief pronunciation lesson from three gendarme teachers and spend the next twenty minutes repeating over and over again

As I approached the town I saw crowds of people at another religious/folk festival, this one involving horsey activities. All of the gauchos, man and women, had put on their best finery: the older men, competing in gaucho skills and dressage …

… the younger men, sporting a mixture of traditional gaucho and modern style gear …

… and fine ladies on fine horses, in their best gaucho chic.

I stopped and watched for a while, impressed by the high level of horseriding skills, and finally entered Mburucuyá, the home of chamamé.

Almost forgot my bird of the day – cattle egrets, doing what they do:

Tomorrow I’ll visit the nearby Mburucuyá  National Park.

Date: Saturday 10 September 2022

Trajectory:  Carlos Pelligrini – Mercedes

Distance covered: 180 km (with side trips)

Left Carlos Pelligrini still feeling under the weather to drive to Mercedes. I had been told to look out for Pampa Deer (a species I hadn’t seen) at a particular place on the way. I did find two deer in the right place but could only get a glimpse and a ghost photo. It could just as well be a female Marsh Deer. I guess the jury’s out on it.

Drove slowly from Pelligrini to Mercedes, looking for birds and other wildlife, and got to Mercedes at lunchtime to find it was the biggest party of the year, the Annual Agricultural Show. That explained why it had been so difficult to find a hotel on the Internet and it took about three hours to find a suitable place. 

I ended up at the Hotel Ivyra Pyta, in a room for five people – the last room available there and possibly in Mercedes. Pricy by local standards, bit in GBP easier to digest.

I then went for a drive to see a local geological phenomenon, a large stone formation called Itá Pucu (Guarani for ‘large stone’). I included a man in the picture to give some idea of the size.

The drive there was long and difficult terrain, and put the SW4 through its paces – it performed admirably.  On the way I passed a dead snake (no idea what kind) …

… and a dead cow (no vultures for once) – a very typical sight I am beginning to realise, and an explanation for so many cattle bones just lying around.

Also my bird of the day, a Greater Rhea (Rhea americana), not to be confused with the Lesser Rhea we see in Patagonia.

It was getting dark by now so I headed back to the hotel to write this entry and get some supper. Tomorrow to the Mburucuyá National Park.

Date: Wednesday 7 September 2022

Trajectory:  Carlos Pelligrini

Distance covered: 5 km on foot and 18 in boat

A morning view of my Ecolodge – very exclusive!

The day started with a boat excursion on the wetlands.

… where we saw yacarés, both black … 

… and broad-snouted 

And little ones too …

It was great navigating the Iberá wetlands ..

And my bird of the day, the Wattled Jacana, was taken there.

At the end of the boat trip the guide, Antonio, spotted what looked at first a rather nasty piece of work …

… but turned out to be a a false water cobra. Just as well that it was false …

Lunch back at the ecolodge and an afternoon trek on a couple of trails

Where I had the good luck to see an armadillo  (nine-banded long-nosed) …

… lots of butterflies …

And lots of capybara everywhere., mostly unconcerned by trail walkers. This one was in for a delousing service …

Back to Ñande Retá for siesta and supper. A good day, and tomorrow promises more of the same.

Date: Monday 5 September 2022

Trajectory:  Formosa – Mercedes

Distance covered: 480 km

My days with my guide Ariel had in fact finished yesterday, but as he was going back to the place where he works as a park ranger and I was going the same way we shared the drive. It was a day of straightforward driving, but we did see a few birds along the way.

My bird of the day was a laughing falcon, only really seen in this part of the world. I only got a distant shot, but was happy as I had dipped on this bird earlier in the week.

I had also been hoping, somewhat optimistically, to see an Aguará Guazu, a maned wolf. Unfortunately although we did see one it was the victim of a hit and run accident. So sad; very recently killed, and its fur in beautiful condition. A previous passerby had snipped off one of its forepaws as a souvenir – I resisted the temptation to do the same. 

We also saw this rhea at a service station, made entirely of welded scrap metal – an animal of another kind! This artwork style seems quite common in Northern Argentina.

From the Province of Formosa we drove straight through the Province of Chaco and entered the Province of Corrientes, where I shall be for the next few days. We drove over the huge bridge over  the river Paraná that separates Chaco and Corrientes …

… where we had a tasty lunch of surubí, a local fish cooked in foil with cream, artichokes, peppers and a bunch of other stuff. Very tasty.

It was finally time to say goodbye to Ariel, pictured here at the seccional where he works as a park ranger. I owe him a lot, and have great respect for his knowledge, professionalism and energy levels – the last of which far outstripped mine.

Back on my own now for a day or so – tomorrow to Carlos Pelligrini, a small town on the edge of the Iberá wetlands. More about this tomorrow.

Date: Saturday 3 September 2022

Trajectory:  Las Lomitas – Ingenio Suarez – Reserva Natural Juarez

Distance covered: 180 km

Today we reached our furthest point west, not far from the border with the province of Salta. 

This is an area where there were once a number of ‘fortines’, reminders today of past military involvements in many international conflicts. Here’s a reconstructed lookout tower in Las Lomitas.

We first travelled to the Laguna Yema, very dry at the moment. Here we were following the line of a old railway track, long abandoned, that once joined Formosa and Salta. The water levels in the lake were very low.

This is what remains of what was once a busy station.

A lot of dirt roads today, on one of which we saw my bird of the day, a black-legged seriema – a bird I had long wanted to see.

Our second stop was the Reserva Natural de Formosa.

Here we walked the trails, and saw many ‘conejo de los palos’, the Chacoan mara. This one kindly posed for us.

I was impressed by the size and variety of the cactus in this part of Formosa. It was certainly very arid, and we saw several dead cows and burros, accompanied by large flocks of black vultures keeping the landscape clean. Pity they can’t also pick up the litter that is accumulating everywhere. 

We were invited for mate and supper by the Park rangers and didn’t leave until late.

Then it was a drive back to our hotel in Ingeniero Juarez, dinner and a good night’s sleep.

Date: Thursday 1 September 2022

Trajectory:  Laguna Blanca – Las Lomitas

Distance covered: 330 km

Early start for a full-on birding day. We spent most of the time on dusty tracks and trails, and although we did see many birds that’s not really the point of this blog.

We did see quite a few caiman …

… and, to get the bird of the day out of the way; it was a hard one as we saw so many but I’ve gone for the crazy looking Jabirú, here on the nest with a couple of juveniles.

I’ve decided just to show you some of the scenery we travelled through. Hot and dry, and very varied.

Curiosity of the day: we went through a small township called San Martín 2. And why not?

We encountered what could have been a problem: there was a regional diesel shortage and I have not yet filled up the jerry cans (a lesson there!) but we finally found some, perhaps not quite the usual standard but enough to keep us on the road.

Some lovely brooks …

… even if some of the bridges were a bit flaky

…and we found good use for the spotting scope …

We finally arrived at the magnificent Bañados de Estrella, a world class birding area, but more about that tomorrow. 

First to a hotel for some good beer and an indifferent supper …… but a decent wine …

Tomorrow we go boating: at the moment that is all I know.