Argentina (July 2002)

I spent a few weeks in Argentina in July, 2002. I did some birding to the west of Cordoba near Carlos Paz on July 1, near Iguazu Falls on July 9, on the drive back to Cordoba on July 10, and along a road to the east of Cordoba on July 11. Two of the highlights of the trip were seeing a Coati and Ocelot tracks near Iguazu Falls. The drive from Cordoba to Iguazu Falls via Resistencia is about 1550 km. I drove a total of about 3400 km. The weather was very pleasantly cool in Cordoba, cold the day I spent in Rosario, and very nice at Iguazu Falls. There were signs of economic problems. Many businesses did not accept credit cards. Many gas station did not have gas. On the way back from Iguazu Falls, I pulled into a station with less than 1/8 of a tank. The lady told me that the next gas was 100 km further up the road. I thought I was going to have a very long walk. The gas warning light came on with about 60 km to go. The gauge showed empty with about 40 km to go as it started to get dark. I drove slowly and left the headlights off to conserve gas. I made it to the station, where it took 45.1 liters to fill the 45 liter tank. I saw the following 106 species:

Greater Rhea, Spotted Tinamou, Least Grebe, Olivaceous Cormorant, White-necked Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Maguari Stork, Jabiru, Southern Screamer, Red Shoveler, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Swallow-tailed Kite, Cinereous Harrier, Long-winged Harrier, Mantled Hawk, Savannah Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Short-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Chimango Caracara, Aplomado Falcon, American Kestrel, Plumbeous Rail, White-winged Coot, Limpkin, Southern Lapwing, South American Stilt, Rock Dove, Spot-winged Pigeon, Pale-vented Pigeon, Picui Ground-Dove, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Eared Dove, White-tipped Dove, White-eyed Parakeet, Monk Parakeet, Scaly-headed Parrot, Squirrel Cuckoo, Smooth-billed Ani, Guira Cuckoo, Great Dusky Swift, Surucua Trogon, Ringed Kingfisher, Toco Toucan, Ochre-collared Piculet, White-spotted Woodpecker, Field Flicker, Lineated Woodpecker, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, White-throated Treecreeper, Scale-throated Earthcreeper, Rufous Hornero, Brown Chacolote, Buff-fronted Foliage-Gleaner, Variable Antshrike, White-shouldered Fire-Eye (heard), Short-tailed Antthrush (heard), Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Yellow Tyrannulet, Eared Pygmy-Tyrant, Ochre-faced Tody-Tyrant, White Monjita, Cattle Tyrant, Sirystes, Great Kiskadee, Social Flycatcher, Green-backed Becard, Chestnut-crowned Becard, Blue Manakin, Plush-crested Jay, White-winged Swallow, House Wren, Glossy-black Thrush, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Pale-breasted Thrush, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, White-banded Mockingbird, Rufous-browed Peppershrike (heard), Tropical Parula, Golden-crowned Warbler, Chestnut-vented Conebill, Fawn-breasted Tanager, Green-headed Tanager, Blue Dacnis, Violaceous Euphonia, Ruby-crowned Tanager, Black-goggled Tanager, Guira Tanager, Green-winged Saltator, Red-crested Cardinal, Red-crested Finch, Double-collared Seedeater, Great Pampa-Finch, Saffron Finch, Black-and-rufous Warbling-Finch, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Screaming Cowbird, Bay-winged Cowbird, Red-rumped Cacique, Yellow-winged Blackbird, Yellow-rumped Marshbird, House Sparrow