Day 22: 8 September 2017 – Iguazú

I spent the morning with Guy, and we birded the Ruta 101 just outside the town of Puerto Iguazú. This was an excellent place for birding, the best of the places I had visited so far. Lots of birds here – one in particular, the squirrel cuckoo, was very hard for me to photograph, mainly because it was too big for parts of it not to be hidden in the foliage. I did manage in the end. 

Squirrel Cuckoo on Route 101

By coincidence we met Oscar Rodriguez along the way, my guide-to-be in Paraguay next week. He  had brought a small group from Paraguay – clearly the Ruta 101 is a well known place for birding. Good to say hello.

Magpie tanager, on Route 101

With Guy I saw lots of birds, and at lunchtime we visited the Hummingbird gardens in Iguazú. Sadly low light made it hard to take photos, but we did see lots of humming birds and some other small birds. This place is also well worth a visit.

Versicolored Emerald hummingbird, on feeder in Humming Bird garden

Violaceous euphoria, also seen in Humming Bird garden

We had lunch in the bus station, and after lunch Guy took a bus back to San Pedro. I went out to an animal rehabilitation centre just outside the town: Güira Oga. This was a wonderful place too, with many interesting birds and animals that I could see close up, but  once again the light was very bad for photos. I made a mental note to go back one day.

Southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla), also called the collared anteater or lesser anteater, one of many rescue animals in Güira Oga

Had my evening meal by myself (supermarket purchases) in the motel, and planned for tomorrow when Caroline will be arriving. Again the wifi was working well.

A snack supper (the beer is out of sight)

My trip alone will finish here, as next day it will be a new trip with my sister Caroline. However, I shall continue with the same day numbering system.

Summary of lifers seen with Guy
• arañero cara negra (Masked Yellowthroat) Geothlypis aequinoctialis
• arasari fajado (Chestnut-eared Aracari) Pteroglossus castanotis
• boyero cacique (Red-rumped Cacique) Cacicus haemorrhous
• brasito de fuego (Red pileated finch) Coryphospingus cucullatus
• carpintero arco iris (Yellow-fronted Woodpecker) Melanerpes flavifrons
• carpintero oliva manchado (white-spotted woodpecker) Veniliornis spilogaster
• chacurú cara negra (White-eared puffbird) Nystalus chacuru
• chimachima (Yellow-headed Caracara) Milvago chimachima
• choca común (Variable Antshrike) Thamnophilus caerulescens
• frutero corona amarilla (Black-goggled tanager) Trichothraupis melanops
• frutero coronado (ruby-crowned tanager) Tachyphonus coronatus
• frutero overo (magpie tanager) Cissopis leverianus
• golondrina ala blanca (White-winged Swallow) Tachycineta albiventer
• golndrina doméstica (Grey-breasted Martin) Progne chalybea
• loro maitaca (Scaly-headed Parrot) Pionus maximiliani 
• mielero (Bananaquit) Coereba flaveola
• mosqueta enana&nbsp (Eared pygmy tyrant) Myiornis auricularis
• mosqueta pico curvo (Rough-legged Tyrannulet) Phyllomyias burmeisteri
• pepitero verdoso (Green-winged Saltator) Saltator similis
• picaflor corona violacea (violet-capped woodnymph) Thalurania glaucopis
• picaflor esmeralda (Versicolored Emerald) Amazilia versicolor
• picaflor negro (Black Jacobin) Florisuga fusca
• saracura (Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail) Aramides saracura
• surucua amarillo (Black-throated Trogon) Trogon rufus
• surucua común (Surucua trogon) Trogon surrucura
• tangará amarillo (Violaceous Euphonia) Euphonia violacea
• tarefero (olivaceous woodcreeper) Sittasomus griseicapillus
• tersina (Swallow Tanager) Tersina viridis
• tijereta (Fork-tailed Flycatcher) Tyrannus savana
• tingazú (Squirrel Cuckoo) Piaya cayana
• torcacita colorada (Ruddy Ground Dove) Columbina talpacoti
• trepador oscuro (Planalto woodcreeper) Dendrocolaptes platyrostris
• tucán Grande(toco Toucan) Ramphastos toco
• tucan pico verde (Sulfur-breasted toucan) Ramphastos sulfuratus
• urraca común (Plush-crested Jay) Cyanocorax chrysops
• vencejo de cascada (Great dusky swift) Cypseloides senex
• viudita enmascarada (Masked Water-Tyrant) Fluvicola nengeta
• yetapa grande (Streamer-tailed tyrant) Gubernetes yetapa
• yetapa negra (Long-tailed tyrant) Colonia colonus
• zorzal sabiá (Pale-breasted Thrush) Turdus leucomelas

Trip blog continues here.

Day 21: 7 September 2017

Iguazú Falls – unbelievable, even when you see them.

Met Guy early in the morning, and we started by going out to the Iguazu falls area, where there are a number of trails that can be walked. Some are better than others for birding.

Black-throated Trogon (Trogon rufus)

We birded the Macuco trail, where we saw many birds, including the Black-throated and Surucua Trogons.

Surucua trogon (Trogon surrucura)

 We then walked along the some of trails around the falls on the Argentine side, specifically the Devil’s Throat and Lower Trail. We didn’t fail to see the obligatory Guinness Toucan in the tree tops.

First sighting of a Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco)

We also saw the great dusky swifts, not so many of them, but like all insect hunters their flightpath made them too hard to photograph today. Maybe later. 

No specialist, me, but I think this is a William’s South American side-necked or toad-necked turtle (Phrynops williamsi)

From the walkways over the falls we saw turtles, and at the refreshment stops lost of coatis.

Coatimundi (Nasua nasua ), member of the racoon family. Scavengers, and a bit of a pest at Iguazú.

A fairly relaxed if hot day, with quite a lot of walking, and I had an early evening meal in town with Guy and went back to my motel.

Restaurante La Rueda 75, Puerto Iguazú

Back in the motel was beer and a wifi connection, all I needed.

5 September 2017: San Sebastian de la Selva lodge

Yellow-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes flavifrons)

Slept really well, and up for an early breakfast before hitting the trails by about 07.15. Did a mix of forest and more open trails and covered a fair distance before coming back to the lodge for a 12.00 lunch.

Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail (Aramides saracura)

Lunch was a leisurely affair (feijoada with rice and cassava root) and I decided today to sit out the early afternoon sun so rested up till about 16.00 and did some leisurely ambling on new trails near the lodge. 

Termite nest in tree

Got back to the lodge around 18.00 to find that miraculously there was a wifi connection (first time for several days) so could speak to F. Spent the rest of the evening chatting, catching up with photos, and generally winding down.

Oven bird in nest-building mode

Just a few more more of today’s birds below.

Masked Water-Tyrant (Fluvicola nengeta)

Swallow Tanager (Tersina viridis)

Yellow-headed Caracara (Milvago chimachima)

4 September 2017: Karadya BioReserve – San Sebastian de la Selva lodge

Spent the morning in and around the balcony and observation tower at Karadya before an early lunch and a move up the road of a kilometre or so to another lodge. Saw lots of lIfers: far too many to detail here.

Violet-capped woodnymph (Thalurania glaucopis)

A humming bird that I saw – the violet- capped wood nymph – was a first for me; a beautiful little bird darting round the base of the Karadya viewing balcony.

White-lined Tanager (Tachyphonus rufus)

And from up on the balcony at Karadya I had a splendid view of some higher canopy birds such as the eared pygmy tyrant, not easily seen from ground level.

Eared pygmy tyrant (Myiornis auricularis), a top canopy bird

One on my wish list was the long-tailed tyrant – the third of the three yetapas I had hoped to see. 

Long-tailed tyrant (Colonia colonus)

We got to the new lodge at San Sebastian de la Selva about midday. Lovely place, with open park and a lawn manicured (or denticured) by the capybara that come in in the evening. Superb organic lawnmowers.

Capybara in the lake by the lodge

Iguana also ramble the grounds freely.

What the locals call ‘iguana’ – actually a black and white tegu (Tupinambis merianae)

There are several trails on the site, some forest, some more open grassland, with the sound of birds everywhere but not easy to see them. In particular, the forest is very dense and although you can sometimes make out a black or brown shape rustling deep in the impenetrable undergrowth it is very hard to see a complete bird, let alone photograph one.

White-spotted woodpecker (Veniliornis spilogaster)

That said, the trails were great to walk down, so far from the civilisation that I usually live in, and I felt very privileged to share this wonderful place with its inhabitants. 

Colourful Scaly-headed Parrots (Pionus maximiliani) were screeching all around the lodge.

Another great (both huge and satisfying) supper, and as the evening drew on it got quite chilly – a welcome change from the hot afternoon sun, which I have been finding somewhat debilitating. I walked back to my cabin, some 200 metres from the dining area, through an ocean of barking and shuffling capybaras – a very unusual yet strangely satisfying experience.

This blog is continued from day 13 – see link here. 

2 September 2017: Posadas to San Pedro

If you are wondering what happened to days 14 and 15, these were spent at an English Teacher’s conference in Posadas, where I gave a workshop, details not germane to this blog. So we resume on Day 16. Up early to sort out problems with double payment taken for car rental (which was potentially very expensive) and a misunderstanding over a UK client’s deadline (both frustrating and time-consuming) and back on the road by lunchtime.

Reducción de Santa Ana, one of the Jesuit missions in Argentina

Uneventful 300 km up to San Pedro, stopping twice: once to visit the Santa Ana Jesuit Mission and once for lunch (chef’s choice of boiled meat and boiled cassava). No birding, just foot to floor.

Boiled meat and manioc – tastier than it looks!

Got to cabin in San Pedro (Cabañas Suizas) by 18.00 for a quick and welcome shower (pretty hot in Misiones, especially inside a moving steel box) and then to Guy Cox’s house for a splendid home-cooked supper. Guy helped with a few IDs and we talked a little about tomorrow: an early start, and my introduction to birding in the selva.

We arranged to set off tomorrow at 06.30, so an early night was in order.