Day 24: 10 September 2017 – Iguazú

Up for a leisurely breakfast and out into the heat. In the morning we drove up to the Iguazú Falls on the Argentine side, walking around the Devil’s Throat area.

Part of the old boardwalk, no longer used

We walked out along a long causeway in the sweltering sun, crossing the turbulent water where they had filmed ‘The Mission’ and where some of the remains of the trackways for the camera dolleys were still visible. De Niro had been here!

Old walkways – detail

The Argentine side of the Iguasú Falls is noticeably less chaotic than the Brazilian side; well kept and clean, with organised parking and admission. Curious and unusual to see sign saying ‘no pets allowed – kennelling available’ – an excellent idea!

Another view of the Falls – spectacular from any angle

It was all very busy, very noisy, very impressive – although not so wonderful when we got separated for a while and had to use intuition and guesswork to restablish contact – an interesting experience for Caroline, who was carrying no pesos or even the address where we were staying. The falls were (literally) breathtaking – words of wonder taking temporary leave of absence.

Great Dusky Swift. flying behind the water curtain

There were a lot more giant dusky swifts today than when I visited with Guy a few days ago. Big birds, but they were very hard to photograph as they come up out of nowhere and, like all swifts. have wholly unpredictable flight paths. I managed to get a registry shot, but nothing very wonderful. I think it would need more time and patience than we currently had.

Toucans are not so easy to see, unless you keep your eyes open – bu they are there!

There was other wild life in evidence: toucans above and turtles below, and it really was a rather special place, if a little hot.

A toadhead turtle in midstream, watching the world fly by

We got totally confused with the trains and seemed to keep going in the wrong direction but it wasn’t really a problem: each stop meant a cold beer, a bite to eat and an encounter with the omnipresent coatis.

Coatis were everywhere, usually squabbling over tourist food. This one was alone,up a tree.

But it did seem to mean that we spent most of the day at the Falls. Finally we left, I bought a couple of Tshirts at the shop and we went back to the cabin for a little relaxation. 

A less glamorous view of Puerto Iguazú, somewhat off the tourist track

In the evening we went into town again, this time to La Rueda for a meatier affair.  Then to rest, with mosquito coils.

A nightly companion – they don’t smell too good, but it’s better than the bites.

Day 23: 9 September 2017 – Iguazú

Although technically day 23 of my solo trip, today is also day 1 of my joint trip with my sister Caroline.

Red-legged Seriema at Parque das Aves, Brach;

This (below) is an attempt to reconstruct the second part of the NE Argentina and Paraguay trip for which my sister Caroline joined me. A retrospective joint effort,  put together from notes and photos almost a year later; we were defeated at the time by the lack of Internet connections and to be honest a general heat-induced exhaustion in the evenings. It will be good to have some sort of record, however minimal. And minimal it will be!

Iguazú is close to the triple frontier

So, continuing from day 20 …

Long queues are common when crossing international borders in South America

I had to meet Caroline on the Brazilian side, at Foz airport, so I got up very early as I was unsure of the border queue. And a good job that I did, as it took me about three hours to cross over to Brazil. Got to Foz airport just in time; Caroline’s plane was also on time so it all worked out fine.

The airport on the Brazilian side, at Foz do Iguaçu

As we were in Brazil we went first to the Iguacú falls (there is good access to the falls on both sides of the border), hoping to see the falls from the Brazilian side, but there were so many people everywhere that we decided to leave it for later. Driving back we drove past the Parque das Aves– I had been there many years ago and we decided to give it a go.

Entrance to parque das Aves, Foz do Iguaçu

It had changed a great deal (for the better), and leaving aside the question of birds in captivity it was great to wander through the various canopied areas and see so many birds I am so unlikely to see elsewhere. Or maybe not.

Spoonbill in one of the Park’s large walk through galleries.

The Park has a reptile population too

From Caroline’s notes:“…an extensive collection of native (and a few non-native) species, of note were the Scarlett Ibis – so unbelievably red, the Hyacynth Parakeets, the King Vultures which sat side by side and shook and looked in true Disney style, as though they were waiting to make some aside about the audience and lastly the Cassowary that looked like it had just walked off the set of ‘Dinosaurs’.”

Colourful scarlet ibis – a rather unlikely deep red.

Took a ton of photos there and then we made our way to the bus station to get tickets to Asuncion – we would be travelling from Brazil to Paraguay rather than Argentina. That done, back to Puerto Iguazu (in Argentina) and another 3 hour wait in the immigration queue to get there.

Our home back in Puerto Iguazú

Picked up towels, laundry and beer and went to cabin for a quick shower, and then out again to Color for a fine fish supper. Caroline decided: “… I do not like Catfish – has the taste and texture of sloppy mud”.  

Over a bottle or two of this and that we planned the next few days. 

Day 20: 6 September 2017: SS de la Selva – Cataratas de Iguazú

Great Kiskadee, feathering his nest

Spent a lazy morning at the lodge in San Sebastian de la Selva, birding around the lodge and a couple of short trails.

Pale-breasted thrush

Ruddy Ground Dove

After a leisurely lunch we made our way up to Iguazú, a couple of hours drive. I was impressed to see that the highways authorities had included eco-bridges for the wildlife to cross safely.

Wildlife corridors are important, and it’s good to see them on highways in Misiones

We stopped a few times on the road to take photos, one of which was an Amazon lava lizard (Tropidurus torquatus),  not to be confused with the black and white tegus (Tupinambis merianae) we had seen in SS de la Selva.

Amazon lava lizard (Tropidurus torquatus)

Some of the trees here are seriously thorny.

In Misiones I checked into a motel while Guy stayed with friends. I shall be here for several nights, until my sister Caroline arrives for the Paraguay part of the trip.

My cabin at Raices Pampeanas, a motel about a mile from Iguazú centre.  I shall be staying here for a few nights.

In the evening Guy and I had a meal together and planned tomorrow’s birding.

3 September 2017: San Pedro to the Karadya BioReserve

Got myself on time to Guy’s House for 06.30 and we drove in a rented 4×4 to the Parque Provincial Cruce Caballero, not far from San Pedro, an old araucaria forest that is almost untouched and the last of its kind anywhere. We followed a circular trail and saw and heard many birds, but most of these were hard to see and harder still to photograph as the trail was mostly shaded and the birds tended to keep to the shadows.

Red-rumped cacique (Cacicus haemorrhous) in Parque Provincial Cruce Caballero.

We saw several species of parrots, and a small flock of Green-billed Toucans that flew out into the light – also two capuchin monkeys at distance. At the entrance to the park was a large flock of Red-rumped caciques (Cacicus haemorrhous) that also kept mainly to the shadows but did occasionally venture out into the sunlight. Also a Sulfur-breasted toucan in the tree tops. A very enjoyable walk through traditional selva, and the limited photographic opportunities were fully mitigated by the pleasure and privilege of being in such a wonderful place.

Sulfur-breasted toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus)

Back to Guy’s for a tasty lunch and then on to the Karadya BioReserve, where we checked in to our cabin and then went to a forest balcony and feeding station for a welcome beer as the evening drew on. We’ll go back there in the morning – it promises to be a good place for photos, and to house a fair number of species.

Balcony at Karadya Birding Lodge and Reserve

Then back to the main lodge for a filling supper, and an early night for me as I am exhausted after today’s early start.

27 August 2017 – Mburucuyá – Ituzaingó – Rain, rain, go away …

My only usable photo in a day of torrential rain,but not a bad one: a male long-winged harrier …

Slept extremely well. Torrential rain most of the night, so the Park ranger was right and I’ll not be able to have a second chance at the Mburucuyá national Park, which is a shame but hey, it is what it is. Not even in Silver for a day or so till it dries out a bit.

Breakfasted on a coffee bag and a packet of cream crackers and set off for Ituzaingó, retracing my steps some 50 km to Saladas as given last night’s rain I want to stick to tarmac today. Intention was to drive slowly through the Western side of the Esteros and see what I can see.

First half of the day was dull and overcast – poor light for photos. The sun came out a few times for a minute or so, but it was very windy and all the birds seem to have hunkered down. Stopped for lunch in a small town; huge and wholly unidentifiable cuts of roast meat accompanied by boiled cassava, with bread and wine. Filling, and reasonably tasty, but cordon bleu it wasn’t.

Back on the road and the last 200 km were done in horrendous rain, quite frightening, and very slow – at one stage I actually stopped as I could see nothing. Thunder and lightning all around, and I saw a lightning fork hit a tree not a hundred metres from the car – I could see flames and smoke through the rain – quite alarming, and I get telling myself that carts have rubber wheels.

Finally got to my cabin in Ituzaingó to find no one there, and had to wait an hour in the car in the pouring rain until the site owners returned from mass. It’s all a bit informal up here, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

On account of the weather, no photos today to speak of, and fingers crossed for tomorrow, although as I turn in for the night the weather shown no sign on letting up.

24 August 2017 – Colonia Carlos Pelligrini to Mercedes – second mission achieved

Always plenty to look at on the roadside

Left C. Pelligrini after breakfast, spending ten minutes snapping some of the birds on the Lodge’s feeders. Typically the less common ones I had seen on previous mornings when they put out crumbs didn’t turn up this morning, but you see what you see.

A young howler monkey. The black fur is the adult male, whi was too concealed for me to get a shot.

Stopped off on the way out of C. Pelligrini at the trail where I had seen Mummy howler monkey yesterday, hoping I might see the (black) Daddy monkey today. In fact I did – he was with two younger monkeys – but almost impossible to photograph as he was so deeply embedded in the treetops. I did manage however to pick out a partial shot of one of the young ones with directed flash – not ideal, but recognisably a monkey.

The crazy tail of the very appropriately named strange-tailed tyrant

I drove very slowly for the first thirty km or so, as I was looking for a bird called the strange-tailed tyrant. I had a photo from a couple of days ago, but I wanted one that showed the tail a little better. Anyway, I was lucky enough to find another – or who knows, the same one (?) – and got a better shot. This is a rather special bird and people come here just to see it, also quite hard to see so I was doubly lucky. Very odd flight pattern – I first saw it flying really low across the road with its long, flapping tail making it look more like a weasel or mink than a bird, and then flitting around at ground level until finally settling for a while on a fence post where I was able to take a few shots.

Unusual shot of a chimango …

Further along the road saw lots of caranchos (which I’m not very fond of) and another couple of larger  birds that looked like raptors, and turned out to be.

… and what turned out to be a Savannah Hawk

Drove on to Mercedes, taking a few more shots along the way and arrived back at the same hotel about 15.30 where I managed to get F on Skype (I had been without any phone or internet for four days). Today – or what’s left of it – is a rest day, and hopefully a chance to post a few days’ worth of blog; tomorrow an early start for the Mburucuyá National Park.

24 August 2017 – at Colonia Carlos Pelligrini – all quiet on the wetlands

Peace of the wetlands – marsh deer and young black eagle on a floating island

Slept well, the rooster apparently having decided to wake up others today. Good breakfast and off for a personal birding tour arranged by my hosts. These tours are part of the deal and are very good value as is my whole stay at the Ñande Retá lodge.

Yellow Cardinal, much sought but little seen

The first part of the tour was in search of a particular bird that has long eluded me (and others): the Yellow Cardinal. I’m not exactly a lister, but I do get a satisfaction out of seeing and photographing these ‘difficult’ species. My guide, Darío, knew where one ought to be – on the smallholding of a farmer he knew – and got me permission to enter this private land where not only did we see male and female of the species, but a few other birds to boot. The visit was enhanced by a pair of turkeys that followed us like dogs, copulating every time we stopped to take photos. Strange world the turkeys seem to live in.

Must be a turkey thing

Mission Yellow Cardinal completed, we headed to the other end of the settlement to walk a couple of trails, one through forest and another through reed beds. Not many birds here at all, but we were rewarded by the acrobatics of a [female] howler monkey, the largest monkey species in the Americas. I was told there is a small group of five here in C. Pelligrini – an adult pair and three juveniles –  but we only saw the one.

Female adult howler monkey, in pensive mood

The reed bed was more productive for birds but no new species here this morning, and I stopped in at the Information Centre to watch a short video on the history of the Iberá Reserve – started in the 1980s, with tourism starting only a few years ago.

The smallest of the three kingfishers in the area …

… and the medium size one

Back to the lodge at dusk for another shower and what has become my daily schedule of reviewing the day’s photos and making these short notes as a memory of what I do and see each day. Hopefully it will be acknowledged and appreciated in later years when I look back.

A couple more memories of the day:

Juvenile black eagle

Female Marsh deer

Tomorrow back to Mercedes along Paradise road, where I saw so much wild life on the way in to Iberá, and to some shops (C. Pelligrini is somewhat limited in that respect). And, importantly, to get back online for a while, load up these last three days to the blog and attend to some accumulated correspondence.