Argentina part 2, The Andes

After a terribly early flight (04.30!) we arrived safely to Jujuy airport. Francisco Cornell, our new guide for 9 days picked us up and we started the journey east. First days were not planned to visit the high Andes, but the famous forested Calilegua National Park and also further east in to the drier Chaco. Temperature was much higher than normally for this time of the year. We experienced temperatures between -10 (at night in the high Andes) and +34 in the drier Chaco. Planning clothing for the trip was more unusual for a standard birding trip.
As we visited during the southern hemisphere winter, many migrants (especially flycatchers) were absent. We knew this when we booked but reason for choosing this time was both because of lack of possibilities for me and Per to have longer breaks from work but also because some shorebirds actually could be easier at this time.

Francisco told us it would be much quieter than during summer, which it was, but we still saw some nice birds. Among the most stunning ones was this curious Plush-crested Jay. Very active and restless made it hard to photograph.

As we walked at first level in this mountainous park we encountered some rather common birds like the Common Chlorospingus and Moss-backed Sparrow. 

In patches of more closed forest we had great views of this Amazonian Motmot. Not a new lifer but still an amazing bird to spot close up. This skulking Ochre-cheeked Spinetail was not easy to see and photograph in the dark forest floor and also a rather hard and challenging Mottle-cheeked Tyrannulet moving fast in the tree tops.

As we climbed higher we started to see new species like this fabulous female Giant Antshrike. At the top I took this picture of my two friends together with our excellent guide Francisco Cornell. He is a very skillful birder and also very humble and polite, always ready to assist. The sign shows an endemic frog (which we never saw).

Going back down again we stopped at the lowest part where there is a camping. Here we had, in the evening sun, some more nice species. Also a nice group to collect is the New World Warblers of which 3 new would be possible during the trip. Here the Two-banded Warbler and the handsome Brown-capped Whitestart. The third one, the Pale-legged Warbler was never seen unfortunately.

We now drew further east to a small village where I had my first empanadas (oven baked  pirogues whit different ingredients). These became a favorite during our trip. Next day we drove out to much flatter and dry country, the Chaco. Early in the morning we saw our only Black-legged Seriema (no photo). A little bit further away we stopped at a small dam. Again, you realize that water makes all the difference. This place was full of birds and we encountered many new species. Among these were these Ringed Teals and a Narrow-billed Woodcreeper.

We kept on driving east and during the day it became rather hot, 33 degrees in July is very high. At one point we made a short stop which did not give much as the heat was coming up. My biggest mistake during the trip was that I put my very precious leather hat from Australia on the roof of the car and forgot it there when we jumped in. After about 5 km I realized what had happened and we turned back. Unfortunately someone had stoped and taken it as it wasn't on the road. The road was so wide and the ditches very open so there is no chance it would have been hidden somewhere. Francisco told me that a hat like that would be like finding a small treasure. Not more than 10 cars had passed us but one of them must have been "happy". We went as far as Estrella to look for Crested Gallito but had no luck. We saw a few birds, among them this Many-colored Chaco Finch. Normally when you visit South America, hummers are plenty. There are a few in Argentina but we only saw 6 species, among these, one of the few I got a photo of was this Blue-tufted Starthroat. Close to where I lost my hat we saw this massive Great Black Hawk.

When drove back towards Jujuy, where we would spend our night, before heading up to the Andes, we stopped at a small private farm which Frincisco knew about. We paid them a small fee and entered a nice habitat. Again, you see what water will do to increase bird life. Down here you see the Red-billed Scythebill which surely is a remarkable sighting. This place would be a heaven if the owners would organize it whit a hide or two and maybe serve coffee and simple food.

We stayed in central Jujuy in a strange apartment. It was clean and safe but in a dark and closed galleria. I little bit spooky but also a new experience. We had one of our best dinners for the trip at a local restaurant. Early next morning we set of for the famous Yala NP, home to many bird including Torrent Duck and the endemic Rufous-throated Dipper. At one of the first stops on the way up to higher altitudes, we saw both of the earlier mentioned birds. Great luck as the Dipper can be hard and are missed by some groups. Here you see these fabulous  birds and the happy guys celebrating. First med and Francisco by the sign to the Dipper and the then Per and Nick with Francisco.

As we continued further up we saw this Variable Hawk, a bird we saw plenty of during the trip. There are two morphs, red and light. Here the more common light.Actually, I was surprised we saw so few species of raptors during the trip. As we stopped at a grassy field, some kind of cattle area, I also saw a new shorebird, the fabulous Andean Lapwing. One standing and one flying.

We now had a long drive towards Abra Pampa up in the high Andes at 3500 meters. We passed trough some fantastic landscapes and dramatic cliffs. Not many long stops as we wanted to reach it before dark but a few ones gave us Ornate Tinamou, Patagonian Mockingbird and the fabulous and striking Mountain Caracara.

At one other place we had a good short top where I saw this curious Tufted Tit-Tyrant but also interesting because here was a part of the old rail road that was used backed in time for mining and transport. Always sad to see the decline of these things.

Just before Abra Pampa is a small lake full of birds and here we saw many Giant Coots and a few Andean Gulls. Dark was coming down so I had to manipulate the photos.

As we were standing here I stared to feel some smaller symptoms of higher altitude. As we cheeked in at our simple hotel, I felt a little bit more. Still, we had to have dinner and walked to a smallish restaurant at the central square. Outside a local group of boys were playing some local music which gave an extra touch to it.

Next morningI wasn't completely well and Francisco took me to the local small hospital. A little bit high blood pressure and also my body didn't get enough oxygen so I had to get oxygen gas for 20 minutes. Then they let me off. A rather common situation for tourists they were used to. People who suffer initially usually gets better after a half day. Todays destination was Lake Puzuelo, a big shallow salt lake on the plateau. Our first stop was at this lake though. A very funny and strange look met us here. As the temperature had been several degrees below zero, the lake was frozen. I the middle a large group of Andean and James's Flamingos were stuck, waiting for the sun to loosing up the ice. Talk about natural adaption!!
Here we also saw our first Andean Geese.

As we drove the 50 km towards the lake we made short stops when birds appeared. In a tree we saw this awesome Variable Hawk (red morph) and the Streak-fronted Thornbird which makes their nests like grass-balls hanging. Quite like the weavers in Africa.

During this stretch we saw many different species of finches, both the "group" of yellow ones as the gray ones. Getting close enough for a photo was harder though. Later in the blog I have a few but being one of the most common bird groups during the trip they still behaved rather nervously. 
When we arrived we had to register at the office. As we drove the narrow trail-road we encountered one of my dream bird immediately. Two Andean Avocets were standing on the bank of a small river. A little bit too far away for a good photo we (maybe just I?) climbed out from the car to approach. There was a small slope down to the bank so 1/3 of the birds was hidden because of this. As trying to get closer, they tool off and the only picture I got was this unsharp one of a flying bird. Still a big thing for me and top 2 or three of the birds I saw during the trip. We saw 6 more at the lake but they were all at "scope-distance".

As with many salt lakes and high altitude ones, water level is decreasing because of global changes (most likely). Down by the shore, as close we could get there were quite a lot of birds but not as many as during summer. Flamingos, ducks, coots were there but in small numbers. A few shorebirds of course and among them, an important one the Puna Plover. An endemic plover which remains more or less with migration. 5 or 6 of them and one half way to breeding plumage but that was not the one I got decently close to.

On the sandy and bushy shore we also saw this funny Cordilleran Canastero and driving back a juvenile Andean Flamingo. We also were lucky to spot a mammal quite hard to see, the Culpeo or Andean Fox, which is very robust to be a fox.

At this road, as at many others we saw Lamas. Lama is the domestic version of the wild Guanaco, which is much more common in the southern part of Argentina. The owner seems to decorate them, not sur why, if for just marking instead of numbers or of other traditions.

We now drove to the city of Quiaca next to the border to Bolivia. Actually, the city on the Bolivian side, Villazón is second half of this big trading hub. Francisco had some trouble with the rooms but refused to let the owners change our booking from the original one. Good on you Francisco! After having our dinner at a "famous" birding restaurant, can't understand why as the food was not much to write home about and the owner was also a little bit inflexible with the ingredients in our omelettes.
Anyway, next day, BIG DAY!! Per wasn't feeling so good and felt nervous about climbing up to 4600 meters which was our plan. After a while he felt ok and his oxygen level just slightly low. Of we went east and in to the part called Eastern Cordilleran. Target was the no 1 dream bird of them all, the Diademed Sandpiper Plover. An iconic bird in many ways but especially for me as my Australian (recently past away) Graham had been to Chile twice and Argentina once to see it without succeeding!!
As we started to climb on the rather rough road the landscaped changed. The other famous animal for (at least people outside SA) is the Vicuna. This is the wild version of the Alpacka. It's a little bit smaller and also cuter and less"rugged". Quite common up here but still not completely calm because of hunting (which I think is illegal).

At 4600 meters there is a pass from where you go down again further east. Here you can see us at the pass.

Ok, magic hour. Would we find DSSP or would it remain elusive also for me. 20 minutes drive from the top we stopped at one small ravine with smallish bogs and low vegetation, the habit for the bird. We walked slowly towards it and every move from birds made me nervous. Standing about 50 meters from the bog I realized I was looking at one. What a moment!! I actually got emotional. The sun was coming from straight forward so I decided to try to make a loop for better light. I never got as far as I wanted before they took off a couple of hundred meters. Still had seen it (a pair actually) and also brought a decent photo as a memory.

I rank this bird as no 1 in my lifetime (before seeing my first Wandering Albatross swooping by just by the boat I was in and a few drops from my eyed dropped). The reason is also because of the connection to Graham who actually was the person who made me a shorebird maniac. Under a stone I put a photo of me and him last time we saw each other on a trip to the Northern Territory and outback birding. Here you can see me and Francisco celebrating. Thank you so much Francisco!! Before we left I also saw a few of the specialized Red-backed Sierra Finch which is only found at these altitudes.

We now turned back as we had a long drive to go south and down. Still we had one bird to look more for, the Gray-breasted Seedsnipe. An other bird on my shorebird list and also if seen my first Seedsnipe ever. We had tried on the way up but would make  longer and more efficient stops where Francisco knew it was usually seen. Not a breeding time they are much more secretive but most importantly, quiet. At the third stop Per became the hero by seeing a group down the slope. Just moving slowly in the low bushes they are easily overlooked. Nick and I climbed down as close as we could get to the group of 4. Very secretive indead.

When looking at these we saw a few Andean Condors flying over us and they seemed to concentrate on something a kilometer away. We drove down and found them. 14 of them flying or sitting by some kind of dead body, probably a Vicuna. Some of them came so close over us that we heard the swooping of the wings in the wind. An astonishing experience, for sure. Here one adult male close up and one more "classic" view of one soaring with the Andes in the horizon. Hardly one of the cutest birds on earth but surely one of the most impressive.

Mostly bad luck but in some way good luck!! Just when we arrived the paved part of the road close to La Quiaca, we got a flat tire!! I'm glad it didn't happen high up on the steep and unpaved road. Not sure what could have happen if so. Anyway, we had to put the "donut" on and try to find a solution in La Quiaca. When we finally found a garage it showed up to be an already repaired tire and also in a very silly way. The guy at the garage was exremely polite and helpful and made a good repair as they didn't have the correct size in the garage itself. We gave him a big tip which we hope he appreciated. In some way nervous during the rest of the trip the repairment of the tire was sufficient.

A little bit later than projected we reached Tilcara which is a popular holiday destination for Argentinian people, mostly the ones from B.A. We stayed at a very nice place and went out to celebrate a fantastic day rich in different typed of content. Up in the high Andes we had to move very slow not to pressure our bodies too much, down her we felt more released. A heavy traditional (too heavy to be honest) meal of different meat ended the day. Next day was an other long travel day as we needed to pass both Jujuy and Salta to reach our hotel in a village further south. We made a few stops of course of which one was better than the others. At a local pond we got quite close to some ducks for photos. These are Cinnamon Teal, Inca Teal and Yellow-billed Pintail. 

A highlight, (not for me though but Nick, who has a strange habit of picking "standard" birds as favorite ones) was this Great Pampa Finch.

This area where we stayed the following two nights is a "gate" to our next day and the last formal one for our trip. Parque National de Cardones is in the more southern range of the Andes and more greenish. The views here are just outstanding and trying in some way to give justice in a picture is more or less hopeless. These pictures are from one of the highest points here about 3200 meter above sea level.

This was a point where we had our only chance to see a new shorebird on my list, the Puna Snipe. It breeds down in some grassy wet areas here but were not present at the moment. What can you do? We saw some good and hard local birds but not close enough for a photo, though this Plumbeous Sierra Finch came close enough. Here we also were very lucky to spot one of the national monuments of Argentina, the rare and endangered Southern Guemal, at the top of a cliff. In this park we also saw a few "wild Lamas", the Guanacos which I wrote about earlier. This photo is a of a Rufous-bellied Mountain Tanager hiding in the bush. This is a hard and much sought after and not seen by every group.

Most likely, this also became my 3000 lifer. I wasn't aware of it when it happened but realized it when I came home. Not easy to know as some birds are not considered to be full species or vice versa depending on what taxon you prefer/ use. I also use iGoterra except for Ebird and on the first one I know I have all my species seen

Our goal now was to go down and further east to a very special place, which I still think is a part of the park itself. This part is the largest cactus forest (funny name?) in the world. Almost as far as you can see the nature looks like this, with one cactus after an other with about 10-15 meters in between. A marvelous but also a strange place. At the second picture you can see the peak of Cachi/ El Libertador which is 6380 meters high.

Close to the town of Payogasta we made an important stop. This is a great and easy spot to see the special Burrowing Parrot. A rather handsome one and very prolific where it hangs around. Almost an Australian feeling about the look and behavior. Also a hard bird and pretty high up on the wanting list was the Sandy Gallito as we had missed the other one at the start of this part of the trip. The parrot was very easy as it was the first bird we saw and all together about 300 of them. The Gallito was harder but eventually we saw it because of the skill of Francisco. I like this upright type of birds, they resembles the Pittas in a way.

We drove back to our hotel and could once more enjoy the dramatic and fantastic views of the Andes. We stopped for one bird that made Francisco a little bit puzzled, this Buzzing Miner had some differences from the one expected. It showed up to be a southern sub-species wintering here.

Next day was last day as our flight was leaving in the afternoon and we had some distance to make. We made a stop at a lake which was nice and gave decently closed look at this Buff-necked Ibis. Not sure exactly where we saw this Gray-necked Wood Rail but it was somewhere close. Francisco took us safely to the airport and we said goodbye. The nine days we spent here has been (in many ways) a great experiences which will never be forgotten. Francisco is a great guide but also a great guy and I will recommend him strongly to anyone who wants to experience this part of the world.

I'll end this part of the trip with a symbol from this part of the world, the Red-legged Seriema which we saw a group of the last day

Hasta la vista!