Argentina 2025 Tour - The Pampas and Patagonia - Field Report

FlyAway Birding took a group of intrepid birders on a bucket-list expedition of Argentina’s Patagonia and Pampas from November 7th - 19th. From the lush grasslands of the Pampas around Buenos Aires to the stunning forests and mountains of Tierra del Fuego, we marveled at the wildlife that call Argentina home. Here is a day-by-day of our unforgettable trip!

Day 1

We wasted no time upon arriving in Buenos Aires  and headed straight towards the coastal town of San Clemente del Tuyú. On the way we made a stop at Laguna de Chascomús where we had wonderful views of Black-and-rufous Warbling Finch and Freckle-breasted Thornbird. We also admired a Great Grebe that was carrying its chicks on its back and a strikingly patterned Ringed Teal. The abundance of wildlife on the roadsides necessitated a couple more stops where we admired Guira Cuckoos, Plumbeous Rail, Brown-and-yellow Marshbirds, and Brazilian Guinea Pigs (or Cavy as they’re known locally). For dinner we enjoyed Argentina’s famous steaks at a local parilla.

Chimango Caracara | Sam Darmstadt

Day 2

For our first full day we started off by visiting the port in San Clemente where the tidal mudflats hosted hundreds of wintering Hudsonian Godwits and several dozen Chilean Flamingos. Yellow-winged Blackbirds flew around the marsh and our group admired a Whistling Heron perched on a streetlight.

Chilean Flamingos | Sam Darmstadt

After some roadside stops to watch Scarlet-headed Blackbirds and Greater Rheas, we walked along a canal where we got looks at Many-colored Rush Tyrant, Sulphur-bearded Reedhaunter, and Warbling Doradito.

Sulphur-bearded Reedhaunter | Sam Darmstadt

The canal also hosted several Wren-like Rushbirds, some Snowy-crowned Terns, and a couple of Striated Herons. We then drove onto a ranch property where Burrowing Owls and Correndera Pipits lined the road. The highlights were a flock of wintering Buff-breasted Sandpipers, a massive kettle of Southern Screamers, and a remarkably cooperative Stripe-backed Bittern.

Stripe-backed Bittern | Sam Darmstadt

Before going to lunch we found a Firwood-Gatherer nest with a singing bird and a nearby Long-winged Harrier. Our lunch stop featured our first hummingbird - Glittering-bellied Emerald as well as good looks at Hooded Siskins and a Vermillion Flycatcher. After lunch we walked the road at Punta Rasa where hundreds of Black Skimmers were resting around a couple of shallow lagoons. We found a cooperative Grass Wren, several Long-tailed Reed-Finches, and managed to spot a Bay-capped Wren-Spinetail.

Long-tailed Reed-Finch | Sam Darmstadt

Day 3

We started our day with a surprise spotting of a Gray-cowled Wood-Rail on our drive to a park in San Clemente. At our destination we found a White-throated Hummingbird, a couple of Small-billed Elaenias, and a Tropical Parula! After breakfast we started heading back towards Buenos Aires. We stopped for a walk along a scenic ranch road with horses prancing through lush pastures, tons of Grassland Yellow-Finches singing, and White-browed Meadowlarks flying in the distance. We found a couple of special birds including a shy Spotted Northura, some adorable Bearded Tachuris, and the range-restricted Hudson’s Canastero.

Bearded Tachuri | Sam Darmstadt

We had lunch at a family-run restaurant where a boy was attempting a Barn Swallow nestling rescue program and walking around the property yielded nice looks at a Tufted Tit-Spinetail. Our last stop before we returned to Buenos Aires was a bridge where we got great looks at a Giant Wood-Rail and a couple of Yellow-browed Tyrants. Red-crested Cardinals and some fledgling Sooty Tyrannulets also stole the show.

Hudson’s Canastero | Sam Darmstadt

Day 4

We took an early-morning flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia where we were treated to stunning views of the snow-capped southern Andes as we approached the city. Once we landed, we headed to a store for some supplies where the adjacent coastline turned out to be pleasantly birdy and rewarded us with close looks at a singing Dark-bellied Cinclodes. However, our first official birding stop was at Ushuaia’s famous dump. There we saw several juvenile Black-chested Buzzard-Eagles and stunning White-throated Caracaras. We even found a Thorn-tailed Rayadito in the nearby trees. Lunch was at a coastal lagoon which housed Upland Goose, Chiloe Wigeon, and a calling Magellanic Snipe. After checking into our hotel, we took a stroll down to the coast of the Beagle Channel where we saw Magellanic Oystercatchers, Ashy-headed and Kelp Geese, both Flightless and Flying Steamer-Ducks as well as some flyover Black-faced Ibises. Dinner was at the aptly named restaurant “Food”.

Dolphin Gull | Sam Darmstadt

Day 5

We started our first full day in Ushuaia with a walk down the road from the hotel which was pleasantly birdy, featuring Austral Blackbirds, Long-tailed Meadowlarks, and more. We then headed to our destination for the day - Tierra del Fuego National Park. Our first walk into the unique southern beech forest featured an unbelievably close-encounter with a female Magellanic Woodpecker as well as a soaring Andean Condor and great views of Fire-eyed Diucon and White-throated Treerunner.

Magellanic Woodpecker | Sam Darmstadt

More stops around the scenic park turned up singing Austral Thrushes, Patagonian Sierra-Finches, the tiny and fierce Tufted Tit-Tyrant, and a plethora of Black-chinned Siskins. After eating lunch at the visitor center and browsing the gift shop, we walked along a river bank where we witnessed a Great Grebe pair courting and copulating and then fighting with another pair to defend their nest site!

Our Group Birding In Tierra Del Fuego NP | Sam Darmstadt

Shortly after we had a nice encounter with some Austral Parakeets - the southernmost parrot! We enjoyed a very tasty dinner at our hotel to celebrate a marvelous day.

Fire-eyed Diucon | Sam Darmstadt

Day 6

The first part of our day was an adventurous hike up to the Martial Glacier. For those of us willing, we trekked up what is a ski trail in wintertime to reach the treeline. Once we emerged from the southern beech forest, gorgeous scree slopes and snow fields arose from the alpine tundra underfoot. We hiked along a river fueled by snowmelt and found both Dark-faced and Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrants as well as the mountain-loving Buff-winged Cinclodes. After hiking back down, we took lunch in Ushuaia before our afternoon marine expedition. Unfortunately the weather cut our boat trip short, but we still had time on board to admire Black-browed Albatrosses and Chilean Skuas.

Black-browed Albatross | Sam Darmstadt

We spotted Blackish Oystercatchers and Dolphin Gulls along the shorelines. We managed to make it out to Faro Les Eclaireurs, a rock island with a lighthouse, and enjoyed Snowy Sheatbills, nesting Magellanic and Imperial Cormorants, and the hyper range-restricted Blackish Cinclodes.

Magellanic Cormorants | Sam Darmstadt

Day 7

In the morning we took a brief flight up to El Calafate for the next leg of our Patagonian adventure. We had a birding and lunch stop at Laguna Nimez where we saw our first Blue-and-white Swallows, our only Peregrine Falcon of the trip, and a Coscoroba Swan on a nest! After eating our fill of empanadas, we walked along the shores of Lago Argentino from Hopy Beach. The wind was relentless, but we saw dozens of Black-necked Swans with young and found some Two-banded Plovers amongst flocks of Baird’s Sandpipers. While going over the day’s checklist before dinner, someone spotted an active Black-faced Ibis nest right outside our hotel with two young. Some folks walked over to a wetland across the street after dinner where we managed to get nice views of Magellanic Snipe and admired the abundant waterfowl.

Upland Goose | Sam Darmstadt

Day 8

The start of our day brought steady rain which somewhat limited our bird-finding abilities, although at one place we got to observe a baby Plumbeous Rail. And, despite the rain, a walk on the catwalks at Los Glacieres National Park provided mind-numbing views of the Perito Moreno Glacier.

Perito Moreno Glacier | Sam Darmstadt

After lunch the rain started to let up and suddenly the great birds did not stop coming. A lucky viewing experience of a Magellanic Tapaculo was followed by a rare Spectacled Duck. We found the Rufous-tailed Plantcutters that we had missed in the morning and even got to see an Austral Pygmy-Owl being mobbed by Austral Blackbirds and Chilean Swallows. Our drive back to the hotel brought views of Darwin’s (Lesser) Rhea, Red-gartered Coot, Lake Duck, and a Molina's hog-nosed skunk!

Chilean Flicker | Sam Darmstadt

Day 9

Our streak of sub-par weather in El Calafate continued with a day of extreme winds. However, the wildlife sightings kept coming! Our morning consisted of Guanacos, rheas, and Scale-throated Earthcreepers. Driving the roads cross-cutting the Patagonian steppe led to us finding Diuca Finches, Common Miners, and both Mourning and Gray-hooded Sierra-Finches. Our mammal highlight of the morning was a Pichi (a species of armadillo). We took a walk in the lee of some hills that had a white-wash-marked condor nesting site (The Condorminiums). Walking through the dry steppe we found Least Seedsnipes, a rare Patagonian Yellow-Finch, and a Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail. Lunch was at a roadhouse that once served Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid! It also had a gift shop selling calafate jam. After lunch our birding was highlighted by two exciting encounters. One was with a Band-tailed Earthcreeper and the other was a group of stunning and charismatic Tawny-throated Dotterels.

Our Group Watching Tawny-throated Dotterels | Miguel Gil

Day 10

We made the most of the time we had left in El Calafate and headed up a mountain road towards Hoya del Chingue. The drive was very fruitful with close looks at a Magellanic Tuco-Tuco, an Andean Condor perched nicely on a boulder, and a stunning, nearly completely leucistic Scale-throated Earthcreeper that was bringing food to a nest site.

Magellanic Tuco-Tuco | Sam Darmstadt

We also added Cordilleran Canastero to our trip list, heard a couple of Austral Canasteros singing, and had great looks of a Cinnamon-bellied Ground-Tyrant.

Leucistic Scale-throated Earthcreeper | Sam Darmstadt

After grabbing some lunch, we boarded a plane to Trelew. With a windy forecast for the next day, we made a beeline for Puerto Pirámides on the Valdes Peninsula to board a whale watching boat. It was a phenomenal success with looks as multiple mother and calf pairs of Southern Right Whales and the exceptionally lucky experience of watching a pod of orcas!

Orca | Sam Darmstadt

Day 11

Some intrepid birders started our full day on the Valdes Peninsula with a walk in town from the hotel. We found Chiguanco Thrush, Southern Martins, and the rare Patagonian Canastero. After breakfast, our whole group headed out for a tour of the peninsula. Roadside birding turned up Variable Hawks, Patagonian Mockingbirds, and Gray-bellied Shrike-Tyrants. Mammals were also a highlight with more Guanacos and several Patagonian Mara, including a baby. A lucky few were able to get a glimpse of a Rusty-backed Monjita. We had lunch at a ranch that also had trails down to a coastal lookout. There, Southern Elephant Seals loafed on the beach and we spotted some American Oystercatchers with chicks. Herps were also alongside the trail including a venomous Patagonia Lancehead and a couple of mating Black-faced Smooth-throated Lizards. We also made a nearby stop at a small Magellanic Penguin colony for our first good looks at penguins as well as a Dusky Black-crowned Night Heron. It was a windy day that only got windier after lunch. With dust blowing around it was hard to find many birds, but we spotted several Elegant Crested-Tinamous and a large family of Darwin’s Rheas with dad leading the kids.

Elegant Crested-Tinamou | Sam Darmstadt

Day 12

We departed the Valdes Peninsula and headed south towards Punto Tumbo. With a couple of birding stops we found a pair of Burrowing Owls, a Sharp-billed Canastero, and a Tufted Tit-Tyrant. After searching many areas since arriving in Chubut, we finally managed to find a pair of White-throated Cachalotes after tracking them down by call. After we had brief, but superb looks at the endemic birds, a pair of Burrowing Parakeets flew overhead! After a lunch break and some driving, we made it to Punto Tumbo. We were greeted by a plethora of penguins. While walking the boardwalks, we observed them calling, incubating eggs, mating, returning from foraging trips, and even brooding freshly-hatched chicks. Among the shrubs more Guanacos roamed, a Shiny Cowbird fledgling begged for food from a Patagonian Mockingbird, and we had our best views yet at Elegant Crested-Tinamou. The shoreline hosted some great birds as well. We watched a pair White-headed Steamer-Ducks, a Chubut endemic, swimming and preening. While we were observing the Dolphin Gulls and Southern Giant-Petrels, a Brown Skua swooped in and flew over the colony! On the way back to the bus we watched a variety of songbirds, including Diuca Finches, coming to drink from a water seep. Southern Martins even joined in and we delighted in the novelty of watching a martin walk along the ground.

Magellanic Penguin | Sam Darmstadt

Day 13

After spending our final night in Trelew, we embarked on a remarkably productive half day of birding. Walking along the banks of Laguna Chiquichano, we saw Picui Ground-Doves, Grayish Baywings, Yellow-winged Blackbirds, and Red-crested Cardinals. The lagoon hosted a variety of Ducks including Lake Duck and Red Shoveler. We also had amazing views of White-winged Coot and Silvery Grebe. In a nearby plaza we found a West Peruvian Dove, a bird that recently self-introduced in the area. Our next stop was Laguna del Ornitólogo where lots of Black-headed Gulls swarmed around a wastewater outflow and more Red-Shovelers lined the shores. The lagoon also hosted around 350 Chilean Flamingos, our largest congregation yet. A singing Straneck’s Tyrannnulet was another fun surprise and we managed to get a few brief glimpses as it skulked in some dense foliage. Shortly after leaving, we spotted a stunning White Monjita along the roadside. We took one last birding stop before lunch at a small farm where a singing White-tipped Plantcutter, a flyover Black Vulture, and several California Quail were all tremendous surprises! Another West Peruvian Dove was also singing there and we had much better views of Straneck’s Tyrannulet. After lunch we headed to the airport in Trelew and said farewell to our final Argentine Burrowing Owls before flying back to Buenos Aires and then home.

White-tipped Plantcutter | Sam Darmstadt

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