Happy New Year

I wish you a Bird-filled New Year in 2011 and beyond!

Helmeted Woodpecker

OK, I know it is not the best shot in the world, but here it is, a snap of THE bird that I wanted to see in Argentina... Helmeted Woodpecker. It's a record shot and it is clear which species it is. Truth is, we were too busy getting good views and trying to record the bird to get good photos. Indeed, we got good views and heard it calling and drumming. In fact, that is how we found it. It is a superb bird, a rare one, a real specialty of the rain forests of SE Brazil, Paraguay and NE Argentina. We found this female in Misiones Province in November.

Argentina - Magellanic Woodpecker

And here is yet another bird from Argentina, yes, again, another woodpecker! This is a male Magellanic Woodpecker, a superb bird, a real specialty of the forests of Patagonia, which was one of our main targets. Photo taken near Bariloche, Argentina, December 2010.

Argentina - Campo Flicker

Here is another shot from Argentina, another woodpecker, of course. This is a Campo Flicker, the campestroides race which is sometimes called Field Flicker. Note the white throat whereas the nominate race has a dark throat. Taken by Simon Cook, near San Pedro, Misiones, Argentina, November 2010.

Birds in Argentina

We certainly saw some great birds in Argentina and as they often say, there were "too many to mention". That was indeed the case. But I should mention Greater Rhea, Black-throated Piping Guan, Red-legged Seriema, Toco Toucan, Red-tailed Comet and Andean Condor... On the woodpecker front we found 23 of the 29 species that occur in the country. Importantly, we saw the ones we really wanted to see: Chilean and Andean Flickers, Striped, Robust, Cream-backed, Magellanic, Black-bodied and my number one target Helmeted Woodpecker. This female Magellanic Woodpecker was snapped by Yoav near Bariloche.  

Barren Landscape - Argentina

Argentina: We flew south from Salta in the NW to Patagonia. Some of the sights below us were impressive. I snapped this barren, desert landscape near Mendoza.

Back From Argentina

Well, I am back from Argentina. What a great birding destination it is! As you will probably know, my main targets there were the woodpeckers and in the end my friends and I observed 23 species. Particularly fine were Andean Flicker, Helmeted Woodpecker, Black-bodied Woodpecker and Magellanic Woodpecker... I will be posting more on these, the wonderful habitats we visited (there I am in Patagonia kitted out for the wind and the sun) and on the trip in general in the coming days.