Spring Has Sprung – Kittitas County is Calling

Posted on April 15, 2024 by blairbirding

Sometime in March every year, it is like an alarm goes off in my birding brain that says time to go East, the shrub/steppe/sage birds are returning to Kittitas County. In a pattern that has played out almost every year since I returned to serious birding in 2012, I begin mentally planning a trip to Kittitas County which starts just east over Snoqualmie Pass and continues east to the Columbia River, easily accessed in about an hour over Interstate 90. If it is early March, it is still dark at 7:30 a.m. and Daylight Savings Time has not yet clocked in, so instead of leaving at 6:00 a.m. or even 5:00 a.m. which I might do for this trip in May, I can leave as late as 7:00 a.m. planning to arrive at my first usual stop at Bullfrog Pond at 8:30 a.m. when it is just about light enough for the birds to be out. In early March there won’t be many there but a couple of months later that will change dramatically. Farther east, though, certainly by mid-March the special birds of the shrub/steppe/sage habitat that essentially starts in Ellensburg will be making their first appearances in bright new breeding plumage, pairing up and singing. It’s a good time to be birding and it will keep getting better over those next two months although some of the earlier arrivers will be quieting down.

**Kittitas County** – **Outlined in Broken Red Dots**

For a variety of reasons, my instate birding activity in 2024 has been less active than usual. I did not even visit Eastern Washington for the first time until March 24th and I just returned from my second visit two days ago on April 12th. Birding was good both days with noticeable differences from one to the other with new arrivals. I will most likely return in another two or three weeks when migration will have been in full swing bringing in many returning species.

Some numbers: my life list for Kittitas County is 213 species. The most recent addition to that list was a Baird’s Sandpiper in September 2022 preceded by my Washington State Lifer Black and White Warbler in June that year. At least per my Ebird records, the first species I recorded in the County was a Sage Thrasher in May 1974 – along with several other sage habitat species. So yes I have been birding in the county for almost 50 years, albeit with a 36 year gap between 1975 and 2011. Probably not unlike many other Washington counties, the large majority of my species for Kittitas County have been seen in the Spring (March through May) – fully 177 of the 213 (almost 85%) with a large portion of the others, especially waterfowl added in the Winter. Each year over the past 5 years, I have made at least one trip to Kittitas County during March and April and have noted between 62 and 82 species in those months in those years. Altogether, over those 5 years I have seen 114 species during those two months and seen an addition 63 species during the month of May during that time. So far this year I have seen 65 species in the County and could reasonably expect another 40 or so with some good birding if I visit in May when many passerines have returned.

**Black and White Warbler – Getty’s Cove – June 2022**

I have presented those numbers for context, but it is the make-up of those numbers, especially the species just east of the Cascades and the adjoining shrub/steppe/sage desert-like habitats farther east that is the real focus of this blog post and the major reason I return to the same birding spots each Spring. These species initially include Mountain and Western Bluebirds, Say’s Phoebe, Rock and Canyon Wren’s, Brewer’s, Sagebrush and Vesper Sparrows, Prairie Falcon, Western Meadowlark, Loggerhead Shrike, Chukar, Sage Thrasher, Pygmy and White Breasted Nuthatch, White Headed Woodpecker, Red-Naped and Williamson’s Sapsuckers, Mountain Chickadee, and House Wren. Later in May I can find Nashville, Yellow, Wilson’s, and MacGillivray’s warblers, Eastern and Western Kingbirds, several Empidonax flycatchers, Veery and Swainson’s Thrush, Bullock’s Orioles, Lazuli Bunting, Yellow Breasted Chat, Black Headed Grosbeak, Rufous and Calliope Hummingbirds and many others. All of these species can be found elsewhere in Washington – further east or further south, but the 83 miles from Snoqualmie Pass to Vantage on the Columbia River along Interstate 90 is easily birded in a single day and with additional time, I can venture south or north from the Interstate to get to more forested, agricultural or riparian habitats that add to the species variation. It is great Spring time birding.

I generally make a first stop at Snoqualmie Pass for coffee, a restroom and in May to look for Rufous Hummingbirds at a house with many feeders at Hyak and MacGillivray’s Warblers in brush along the roads. Then it is back to I-90 and east with a stop at Bullfrog Pond and/or Wood Duck Road a couple of miles west of Cle Elum. The latter is often good for Western Bluebird, Chipping Sparrow, Pygmy Nuthatch and Cassin’s Finch among other species. Bullfrog Pond is usually quiet until late April but afterwards can be super birdy. I have seen 99 species at this location including 7 species of woodpecker, 8 flycatchers, 7 thrushes, and 8 warblers.

After Bullfrog my route varies but usually includes a long visit to the Northern Pacific Railroad Ponds and perhaps the adjoining fish hatchery in South Cle Elum, a few miles further east. This hotspot has been very productive as I have 112 species there including 13 duck species, 6 swallows, 4 wrens, 6 warblers, 6 sparrows and a good mix of most every other group. I have been there on two separate days where there was a fallout of sorts of Yellow Rumped Warblers – over 100 seen each day. It is my “go to” spot for Pygmy Nuthatches as they have nested there every year I can remember. One day I had all three area chickadees – Mountain, Black Capped and Chestnut Backed – in a single tree and later had the three nuthatches – Pygmy, Red Breasted and White Breasted in another single tree. Cle Elum is also good to gather food for the rest of the trip either at the Safeway west of town or at the Cle Elum Bakery along the main street downtown.

It is about 25 miles from Cle Elum to Ellensburg where I have to make a big decision about which route to take. Although I often combine at least parts of the two options, depending on whether I am going to carry on either further east to Grant and/or Adams counties or further south to Yakima County, which in either case usually precludes going the other direction. The first option is to take Exit 109 into Ellensburg and then follow Umptanum Road which first goes north and then turns southeast becoming North Wenas Road in maybe 10 miles or so. The second option is to keep going east on I-90 and exit in the City of Kittitas to eventually make it to Old Vantage Highway which continues east to the Columbia River. With either there are multiple possible stops or side trips before hitting the main target areas with good sagebrush. [Note: recent fires the past two years have severely damaged a lot of sage in both areas.]

If I take the Umptanum Road route, a first stop might be at Irene Rhinehart Riverside Park which generally has many of the same species seen at the Cle Elum stops. Usually I carry on to Durr Road which is a turn off not long after the road becomes dirt (recently well maintained). This road and the miles along Umptanum Road heading further south are maybe the best in Washington for both Western and Mountain Bluebirds as well as other sage and shrub steppe species including especially Brewer’s and Vesper Sparrows, Loggerhead Shrike and occasionally Sage Thrasher. The 7 photos below were all taken in the last month.

If I am going to carry on to Yakima County I continue south with a stop near “Kindle Lane” – a private road onto gated private property. In the pines there I regularly find White Headed Woodpeckers. Two days ago I found two there – one of the highlights on a day where I was also able to backtrack and then bird on into Vantage with many more highlights for the day. In May the entire area is good for a variety of passerines.

**White Headed Woodpecker – near Kindle Lane – just into Yakima County**

If I have taken this southern route but am not going on further south, I backtrack into Ellensburg and generally head east on I-90 exiting at the Kittitas exit and then head a bit north on Road No. 81 before again heading east to Old Vantage Highway. Road No. 81 is usually good for a Swainson’s Hawk. On Friday I did not see one on way way in but later that evening one was perched there on my way out. There are often exceptions to this route to look for species in and around Ellensburg including in recent years a Costa’s Hummingbird that was coming to a feeder in Ellensburg. Note that Calliope Hummingbirds as well as Anna’s and Rufous can also be found in the area and once I had a Black Chinned.

**Swainson’s Hawk – First of Year – April 12, 2024 on Np. 81 Road**

**Costa’s Hummingbird** (State Lifer) – **Private Feeder – Ellensburg – June 202**2

Ellensburg is also a reliable place for Ospreys that arrive in March usually earlier than their appearances west of the Cascades. There are usually several active platform nests easily viewed from main roads with many photo ops. Most years my first Ospreys are from either the aforementioned Railroad Ponds or Ellensburg.

Although there are great birding opportunities all along Old Vantage Highway on into Vantage itself, most of my interest is in the sagebrush areas about halfway between Kittitas and Vantage. As I mentioned before much of the sage in the area was destroyed in recent fires – very sad to see and devastating to birds and birders. Fortunately it is a large area and there is lots of good habitat remaining. Similar to Durr Road the area is really good for Brewer’s and Vesper Sparrows, Sage Thrasher and Say’s Phoebe. The area around the “corrals” used to be really good for Sagebrush Sparrow but the sage is now gone and so too are the sparrows. Now the go to place for them is hiking in a short way uphill from the “Pumphouse Road” parking area on the north side of Old Vantage Highway. On Friday I had at least 4 there – all active even though they first arrived there almost two months ago. A favorite spot a couple of miles west of there is what I call “Deb’s Awesome Sage”, named in honor of Deb Essman, a good friend and super birder who lives in the town of Kittitas and who first showed me the spot many years ago. It is always good for Sage Thrasher and usually for Brewer’s and Vesper Sparrow’s as well.

**Sagebrush Sparrow – Pumphouse Road April 12, 2024**

You can never count on one, but I have seen Prairie Falcons along this stretch of Old Vantage Highway several times including this past Friday – a lucky photo of a quick flyover. Not as plentiful as along Durr or Umptanum Roads, but there are usually Mountain and sometimes Western Bluebirds around as well. Another species that might be seen anywhere in the areas I describe is a Loggerhead Shrike. I had only a VERY distant one last week but other times, they have been seen posted on a wire or post waiting for some large insect or small bird for prey.

**Prairie Falcon – Old Vantage Highway – April 12, 2024**

**Loggerhead Shrike** – **Old Vantage Highway – April 2021**

Continuing east, a few miles before reaching the Columbia River, I turn off left/north onto Recreation Road which continues on to the Columbia as well – at Rocky Coulee where there is a small camping area and a boat launch. This is a great area for both Rock and Canyon Wrens, and Say’s Phoebes are seen every Spring. It can also be a good area for Chukars up on the rocky slopes as well as swifts, swallows and waterfowl in the Columbia. For several years about 10 years ago, Black Throated Sparrows were found on this road and it is still often good for Lark Sparrows.

I have seen and/or heard Chukars at Rocky Coulee several times but they are by no means regular. This past Friday I found two Chukars at the Wind Farm on Old Vantage Highway – a good sage area a bit before “Deb’s Awesome Sage”. I believe this is the furthest west I have ever had this species. There are a number of other gallinaceous birds possible and that I have seen in Kittitas County – Ring Necked Pheasant (Common), Wild Turkey (common), California Quail (common), Ruffed Grouse (regular but hard to find), Sooty Grouse (up in the hills – regular at Liberty), and Gray Partridge (regular but hard to find in the agricultural fields). There may also be Spruce Grouse – high up in the backcountry – never seen by me.

If I have reached Vantage early enough, I may head south along the Columbia River on Hunzinger Road watching for waterfowl on the river, stopping at Getty’s Cove, where the Black and White Warbler was found, or a bit further south on rock cliffs for Canyon Wren or Wanapum State Park, where among other species I have seen Long Eared Owl. And speaking of owls, but not in the Spring and only later into the summer, in a whole different part of Kittitas County, the Teanaway Valley, I often go to the Liberty Area which is on Highway 97 connecting the Cle Elum/Ellensburg area with Leavenworth to the north. It is my go to area for Flammulated Owls (always heard but still never seen) and where I have also had Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl, Long Eared Owl and even Spotted Owl. It is a great birding area for woodpeckers including Williamson’s Sapsucker, plus Common Poorwill, Northern Goshawk and lots of passerines. My local list there is 60 species.

Kittitas County has rivers, mountains, agricultural fields, sagebrush, forest and semi-arid near desert. The first month or two of the new year I am generally concentrating on the wintering waterfowl and raptors found in my home Snohomish County or just north in Skagit County – both west of the Cascades. As the ducks, swans and geese start to leave, my birding mind turns to other places and I want to either hit the coast or head east to Kittitas County and beyond. This year, as the Spring is coming alarm went off in my brain, the decision was to head east, partially lured by its usually much drier and sunnier climate but mostly by those sagebrush birds and my familiarity with so many great birding spots there learned over years of visits. And then I return home and feel so fortunate to also have Puget Sound and its great birds at my doorstep. Not many states where you can see Sagebrush Sparrows, Mountain Bluebirds and White Headed Woodpeckers one afternoon and then Pigeon Guillemots, Surf Scoters and Pelagic Cormorants the next morning. Washington is a great place to bird!

Birds and Wine in Chile and Argentina – Closing Out the Trip Back in Chile

Posted on March 10, 2024March 11, 2024 by blairbirding

February 15 – Day 13:

On the evening of February 14th, after our flight from Mendoza back to Santiago, we loaded back onto the van with Ugo and drove to Vina Del Mar on the Pacific Coast. Along the way we added one bird for the trip – a drive by view of a White-tailed Kite. I knew we were ending our trip on the coast and was looking forward to adding new birds and relaxing by the ocean. Not at all doing my homework, I envisioned a quaint little beach town like the one I had enjoyed with Greg Homel in Jalisco, Mexico back in December. Not the case – not by a long shot. As we got close, all I could see were lights- thousands of lights. To the South were the thousands of lights of Valparaiso and to the North where we were headed were the thousands of lights of Vina del Mar. Valparaiso is the port and harbor city and Vina del Mar is the beach city and also the effective administrative capital of Chile, with Santiago being the actual capital.

Each of the two cities have populations over 325,000 and the population of the combined Metropolitan area is almost 1 million. Additionally it was a holiday weekend and there was a music festival in Vina del Mar. As we drove steeply down to the center of Vina del Mar, there were people everywhere – on the streets, on the sidewalks, in long lines in front of every restaurant, cafe and bar. I don’t like crowds – especially in unfamiliar places and especially when unexpected – a kind of claustrophobia. Even in the van, I felt uneasy like I was being swallowed up, a mini-panic attack. There was absolutely no danger as it was just crowds of people having a good time and not a mob of any kind, but I felt very uncomfortable. So much for a quaint relaxing oceanside visit. The discomfort did not disappear when we dismissed any plan to eat at a restaurant in town and stopped at a convenience store to get “dinner” in the form of once again a chicken sandwich being essentially two pieces of white bread with mayonnaise and a few slices of chicken. (Actually no complaint about that – I had one before and it was actually tasty and a lot less calories than our typical dinner extravaganzas.) Even the convenience store was mobbed and I just wanted to get out of there and hoped that what had been described as a quiet hotel north of town would be just that.

We would be staying at the Hotel Oceanic which while only a few miles north of the bustling city, was actually mostly quiet – except for the crashing waves as we were in fact right on the ocean. Marcelo was right on when he said that someday a developer would grab the hotel and turn it into a resort. In the meantime, it was comfortable if somewhat dated and the views were nice indeed. It was dark and late. I ate my sandwich and went to bed in a comfortable room, the anxiety from the shock of hitting what seemed like the chaos of Vina del Mar was gone.

Early on the tour I asked Marcelo if we would have a good chance for views and photos of an Inca Tern, a truly cool bird. His response was that we would be able to see them from our rooms at our hotel in Vina del Mar. He was right as looking out onto the ocean from the room, some terns flew by – generally in the company of many Kelp Gulls. Early on the morning of the 15th, before breakfast, I grabbed my camera and went looking for a place in the hotel where I might get a good photo. Down two flights there was a porch that could not have been better – both for views out to the ocean and also to a support wall of the hotels where many Inca Terns were perched – less than 25 feet away. I also grabbed quick shots of a Kelp Gull and an American Oystercatcher.

All of these species were new for Chile and for the trip but I had seen and photographed all before, but the single Inca Tern photo I had from Peru was awful. I was very pleased with this pre-breakfast photo session and knew there was more to come. We had a good leisurely breakfast and I made sure the others knew of the photo porch downstairs – visited by all after the meal. I joined them and while they focused on the Inca Terns, I grabbed a quick life photo of a Peruvian Booby.

We would be heading off to bird at the beautiful and very birdy Humedal Park at the mouth of the Maipo River south of Valparaiso. The map below shows the spot and looks like it is almost closer to Santiago than to Vina del Mar – proof in any event that it would be possible to include it in a day trip from the capital city.

Birding at Humedal was terrific and the park really was spectacular – with the best boardwalk I have ever seen, restrooms and info center and beautiful signage. And the birds were terrific.

In the early morning at the hotel I had a glimpse at a lifer Blackish Oystercatcher flying by – actually 4 of them, but had not gotten a photo. There was another, along with American Oystercatchers at Humedal but again no photo. The first lifer with a photo was a Snowy-crowned Tern, hidden amongst a large flock of Black Skimmers, and that was followed by a distant photo of a South American Tern. And we also had a couple of Elegant Terns, with their super long orange bills and “elegant” head crowns – also new for the trip.

A photo I was very happy to get was of a Coscoroba Swan. I had seen this species in the Junin area on my first visit to Argentina in 1989 – no photo. Then we had seen two in the great distance in Argentina a few days earlier – again no photo. They are not spectacular as swans go, but the photo even though distant brought a lifer photo smile. And being on a shore, not surprisingly there were lots of shorebirds -11 species: Blackish and American Oystercatchers, Black-Necked Stilts, Baird’s Sandpipers, Sanderlings Hudsonian Godwits, Whimbrels, Greater Yellowlegs, a Semipalmated Plover, a Southern Lapwing, and a larger plover that was either a Black-bellied Plover or Golden Plover – too distant to tell for sure. In addition to the Kelp Gulls seen earlier, we now added a few Brown-hooded Gulls, misidentified as Franklin’s Gulls at the time and indeed many hundred Franklin’s Gulls (better pictures of them tomorrow).

Exactly 24 years and 11 months before this day I had seen a Thorn-tailed Rayadito in Junin, Argentina – no photo. It took a lot of work and if I had more skill the result would have been better, but I managed to get a photo of one this morning. Taking even longer but with much better results, I also managed nice photos of a lifer DeMurs’s Wiretail in very similar dense foliage. Marcelo recognized the call and got it going in a back and forth conversation with his recording, but it took many moments for it to show itself. When it did, it was quite a show. I wish the Plain-mantled Tit-tyrant and Ticking Doradito had been as cooperative. They sounded off but remained hidden – at least for me. Both would have been life photos.

**A Welcomed but Pretty Poor Lifer Photo of a Neat Little Bird**

There were two more lifers at Humedal this morning: Chilean Pigeon – distant, and Guanay Cormorant – a very distant flyby called out by Marcelo and seen for perhaps a half second by me. I would get another look – equally distant the next day with a barely ID quality photo.

Sometimes even though the bird has been seen and photographed many times, the setting on a photo makes it special. I have commented before how much everyone liked the Spectacled Tyrants. We saw several at Humedal, but the one on the park sign was the star of the show without doubt. A couple of seconds later a Correndera Pipit flew in for a nice photo, too.

Time for lunch – but we would return for a bit afterwards. It had been a great morning with 6 lifers – closing in on 100 for the trip. We were also closing in on 100 species for Chile and were now over 200 species for the trip. Lunch would be at our last winery for the tour – the Matetic Winery. The grounds at the winery were beautiful and although there were no new lifers, I got some nice photos including a life photo of a Dark-bellied Cinclodes, which I had seen almost 35 years earlier in Argentina. And although it had been several times before, i finally got a good and life photo of a Chilean Swallow.

Again not new, but a good photo series was of one of the Long-tailed Meadowlarks feeding on the grass – back, front and side views.

The lunch was wine filled and wonderful. Chile is better known for its white wines than for its reds with a definite exception being for the Carmenere grape and Carmenere wine. This grape was rediscovered in Chile after it had completely died out in Europe from a root disease. But at Matetic they were most proud of their Syrah and their Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. We had all three at lunch and they were superb. I had a shrimp risotto that was perfect.

Our last stop for the day was at a small pond/estuary which Ebird noted as Estero el Totoral and which I believe Marcelo called Quebrada de Cordova. There were a number of people at the small pond and many others walking along the path that we birded, maybe somewhat affecting our birding. Mike Warner immediately noted a “different looking coot” at the “pond”. Good spotting as it was a lifer Spot-flanked Gallinule. Although we would “have” two more lifers at this non-descript place, they were definitely not as cooperative. A small green hummingbird that darted by was a Green-backed Firecrown. The look lasted all of one second and that was it. At least I saw it. Marcelo’s main quest was a White-throated Tapaculo. Looking for all the world like a small brown wren with a heavy supercilium and a striped chest, it played with us for 30 minutes – actually they played with us as there were at least two and probably three. It called to the left of us, to the right of us, across the stream, back behind us and then from all those places again. The best I ever saw was movement of a little brown object in foliage on the ground across the river. Sometimes, it seemed just feet away. It never came out fully into the open. The song was a clear ID, but it sure would have been nice to get a great view and better yet a photo. The photo of the Gallinule below is mine, the Tapaculo was taken by someone else.

***White-throated Tapaculo*** – Ebird Photo by Jaime Mancilla

As we left, I got a photo of a Blue and White Swallow – first time my photo of this swallow on the trip was recognizable as such. It had been a really good birding day with the 9 lifers bringing my trip total to 97 with some nice photos in addition to those misses. The Chile list was up to 99 and the trip list to 207. We would have a half day of birding on the 16th and then would head back to Santiago where everyone except Cindy, me and Marcelo would be dropped at the airport for flights home. The three of us would be leaving the next day. We went back to our hotel for a brief refresh and then we had “The Last Supper”, our final big meal of the trip at the Tierra del Fuego Restaurant on the waterfront in Vina del Mar.

February 16, Day 14:

I do not recall what the original plan had been, but Marcelo said there would be a change to enable us to see penguins. These iconic birds are found only in the Southern oceans most notably on or near Antarctica. The only penguins I had seen were African Penguins in South Africa in 2014, so I was happy with this decision although was not sure if there was a trade-off for other possibilities going north to the penguin colony.

Our first birding stop was at Renaca Playa Cochoa, a beach at the north end of Vina del Mar with a large rock offshore. I picked up two lifers – a Seaside Cinclodes and a Red-legged Cormorant, the latter posing very close and the latter very distant almost at the top of the offshore rock. There were other good birds and photo ops as well including my lifer photos of Blackish Oystercatcher which had been seen but not photographed the previous day.

The photos of the Blackish Oystercatchers show well the difference between them and our Black Oystercatcher of the Northwest. The heads and bills are essentially the same but the body feathers of the Blackish Oystercatcher are notably browner – and the feet are paler. At this spot we also had other birds familiar from the U.S. – Surfbirds and Ruddy Turnstones – both new for the trip and the Surfbirds, my first is South America.

Our last stop for the day and for the tour would be at a breeding colony for the Humboldt Penguin – a lifer for everyone except Marcelo. On the way we passed by a wetland/estuary where a small group of Coscoroba Swans were resting. The photo was far superior than the one from the previous day.

We accessed the penguin colony through the high-end private Cachagua Gated Community, and walked to an overlook. The light was not great with a light mist and we could not get real close, but penguins are unmistakable and we had great scope views and a chance for some relatively poor photos, that we were pleased to get at all. It was my world lifer #100 for the trip – a fitting end. The photos of the Humboldt Penguins were not great, but the life photo of a distant Guanay Cormorant in flight was even worse. I will probably never seen one again – so glad to get anything. Far better were photos of the abundant cormorant of the area – a Neotropic Cormorant with wings extended, a far better photo of a Peruvian Pelican than I had gotten in Peru in 2013 and of two Seaside Cinclodes displaying below us. Lastly a photo of some Franklin’s Gulls in flight caught three adult birds nearing full breeding plumage with nearly full black heads, white eye arcs and pink bellies.

***Highly Magnified Photo of Two Humboldt Penguins – Lifers***

We had a last lunch on the way back to Santiago with an excellent Carmenere Wine – a fitting close to the wine part of the tour to go with the Humboldt Penguins as a fitting close to the birding part. After dropping the others at the airport, Marcelo, Cindy and I returned to the Hyatt Place Hotel in Santiago. Marcelo left early the next morning. We had a late night flight and the Hotel allowed us a late check out. The hotel really treated us well and we are very thankful. As had been the case throughout the trip, Marcelo attended to every detail and arranged for an Uber to pick us up at the hotel and take us to the airport. He was there right on time and we returned to the airport, where we luxuriated in the gorgeous LATAM Airline Lounge until our flight departed around 11. The flight to Miami was long but pleasant. Unfortunately we had a very long layover at the Miami Airport and since we were flying back to Seattle on Alaska Airlines which has only two flights out of Miami – both late, we were not able to check bags and get through security for many hours. So we camped out and killed time and were happy to finally get onboard for the long flight home.

In Summation – Post Mortem

It is hard to believe that it has now been almost three weeks since our return. Especially since I have spent many hours since that return working on photos and these blog pots, much is fresh or refreshed in my mind. That said, partly due to my aging brain also to what I would call the “density” of the trip, details are fading. There were so many great meals with both great food and great wines, like some of our best wines they are blending into fine memories but with the component parts indistinct. On a scorecard reviewing the trip I would give exceptional high marks to Field Guides, Marcelo Padua, most of our accommodations, to wine and food in both Argentina and Chile, and to almost everyone we met along the way, certainly our tour companions, but also drivers (well one exception), everyone at wineries, restaurants, hotels and shops. LATAM Airlines was great. Alaska Airlines was fine, but no comparison to LATAM. The Santiago Airport was fine. We hated the Miami airport – even without the “lost” wallet incident.

While not a fan of Vina del Mar, we really enjoyed the little we saw of Santiago, Chile and loved the countryside, especially in the Andes, in both countries. This was a “bird” and “wine” trip. The birds were generally as expected both in quantity and quality. Not the spectacular birds of the tropics and more brown and gray birds than would be ideal, but Marcelo was terrific in finding and identifying them and the 100 World Lifers and even more life photos were in the range I expected. We had not had much experience with wines from this region and are no means wine experts (and definitely not wine snobs) but we left with a great appreciation of these wines, this wine region and of wines and wine-making in general.

Just as choosing a best bird would be difficult, so, too would it be difficult to choose a best wine. In the running for best birds would be the Diademed Sandpiper-plover, the Elegant-crested Tinamou, the Inca Terns and the Humboldt Penguins. As to the wines, the Chardonnays at the beginning of the trip in Chile stood out to me. Malbecs, Cabernet Sauvignons and especially the mix of the two were favorites in Argentina. Back in Chile again, we loved the Carmeneres, and Cindy was especially fond of the Sauvignon Blancs – which surprised her. The wonderful dinners and lunches are impossible to recall accurately but we both agree that a luscious chocolate mousse may be the most memorable dessert and for something truly different, the Duck Confit Marcelo made on an open fire was awesome. We lost track of the number of empanadas we had on the trip. We were first exposed to them in Ecuador. Afterwards, Cindy perfected her own version. The ones on this trip were always a welcome sight.

Would we take this trip again? No. But only because we have so many other places to visit and time is running out. But we would recommend it to anyone except to someone whose sole goal was list building – just not enough lifers probably. We will consider another wine and birds trip to another location and would definitely be happy to see Marcelo Padua again.

ONE CAVEAT – there is simply no way to take this tour without significant weight gain – just too much food and wine. I have now starved myself to lose the ten pounds I put on. I want to lose more, but am starting to drink wine again – Chilean and Argentinian are fortunately readily available nearby.

Final Counts:

Chile – 105 species seen – 78 with photos – 37 species lifers

Argentina – 153 species seen – 119 with photos – 63 species lifers

Tour total – 212 species – 181 with photos – 100 species lifers/116 photo lifers

Birds and Wines of Chile and Argentina – Argentina Part IV – Last Days in Argentina with Water Birds, Creepers, Woodpeckers and Hummers

Posted on March 8, 2024March 9, 2024 by blairbirding

Argentina had been great – beautiful places, great birds, amazing food and awesome wine. We had one more full day and then a part day before flying from Mendoza back to Santiago for our last two days in Chile to end our tour. Still some target birds to find.

February 13, Day 10:

We departed very early and got a little delayed when the only convenience store where we could get something that would pass as breakfast did not open until 7:00 a.m. It did open and we improvised breakfast before spending the rest of the morning in fairly familiar in mostly scrub habitat and found lots of new birds in three hours of birding along Ruta 142 still in the Mendoza area. Although we missed a hoped for photo of a Campo Flicker, we had a very brief look as we drove by. I had seen it before but no photo. Two other woodpeckers were more cooperative – lifer White-fronted and Checkered Woodpeckers.

It apparently was a good morning for species with “wood” in their names and they came in pairs as after the woodpeckers, I had a pair of lifer “woodcreepers” – Narrow and Scimitar-billed Woodcreepers. As is often the case with woodcreepers, we waited for them to come mostly into the open on the trunks or snags of the trees. Great theory but they just did not perform their assigned roles and the photos were less than desired.

***Narrow-billed Woodcreeper*** – awful photo

**Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper –** Better photo

Even less cooperative was the lifer Tufted Tit-spinetail. I had glimpses as it flitted about buried in the foliage, but never a great look and definitely no photo. Why couldn’t it behave like the Straneck’s Tyrannulet, Black-crowned Monjita and Swainson’s Flycatcher all of which came into the open enough for recognizable photos.

There would be one more lifer for the morning – a Many-colored Chaco Finch and some other good photos of birds seen before – Crowned Slaty-flycatcher and Short-billed Canastero. All in all a truly exceptional morning with the NINE lifers!! And oh yeah we had a quick view of a Southern Gray Fox!

I have not been able to locate notes for what we did at lunch after the great morning, but I know well that we spent a long and very successful afternoon birding the Piletones de El Paramillo, extensive sewage treatment ponds outside Mendoza that were full of waterbirds. Although some of the birds had been seen earlier on the trip, this was the first time I could get photos – lots of photo ops.

Life birds were Black-headed Duck, White-tufted Grebe, South American Painted Snipe and Brown-hooded Gull. Additional life photos included White-cheeked Pintail, Lake Duck, Red Shoveler, Great Grebe, White-winged Coot and Cattle Tyrant. There were lots of other photos too!

Those were the lifers – species and/or photos, but as I said there were lots of birds and lots of photo ops. Some species would be distant at first but then we would drive by another pond and have them closer, or maybe in poor light at one place and then better light as we continued to drive around the multiple ponds. And on the way out we had another Burrowing Owl and our first Diuca Finch in Argentina.

Especially this late in the trip, the 13 new lifers was awesome – now at 89 for he trip so maybe 100 would be possible. And I also added 30 new species for Argentina. It was a very good day indeed.

February 14, Day 11:

Happy Valentine’s Day – well at least for us Americans. And that is a good segue for a comment about wife Cindy. When we first met – now almost 5 years ago, a deal had to be struck pretty early on: I would learn about dogs and especially her, now our, Black Labrador – Chica. And she would have to learn about birds and birding. Neither of us probably had a real grasp on what each of those undertakings would entail, but I think we have done pretty well. I have become Chica’s “Alpha” in our pack and Cindy, while I can’t say has become a birder, she has come a long way and has enjoyed most of our birding trips with the distinct caveat that there are too many “little brown birds” and that was definitely true on this trip. No specific Valentine’s Day celebration but we did make that toast over yet another great meal with great wine on this day of transition from Argentina back to Chile.

The agenda today was to have breakfast, pack and load everything onto our van, bird in the morning at the impressive General San Martin park in Mendoza, sneak in a little shopping, have lunch at Espacio Trapiche a 4 star Michelin restaurant in Mendoza at the famous Trapiche winery, head to the airport, fly to Santiago passing next to Mt. Aconcagua, load up in Santiago and drive to Vina del Mar on the Pacific Coast where we would be for the next two nights.

There would be no new life birds on this day, but there were lots of pictures, birds, food, wine and mountains. Two of the bird photos were especially appreciated as I was able to get life photos of two hummingbird species seen earlier but not photographed: Glittering-bellied Emerald and Red-tailed Comet. I also added three species to my Argentina life list: Harris’s Hawk, Rufous-bellied Thrush and Red-crested Cardinal.

**Rufous-bellied Thrush** (Seen and photographed in 2005 in Brazil)

Red-crested Cardinal (Seen in Brazil in 2005 and photographed in Hawaii where it is introduced)

Since this was the last day in Argentina I am including some other photos from the park, quite the birdy place.

Before lunch we visited a shopping area in Mendoza City where we hoped to find something to bring home as a memory. The shop was somewhere between a trinket filed tourist shop and a high end boutique. We found some fabric goods, a new hat for me.

In writing these blogs and looking at the web pages for the various wineries, its seems like there is an endless source of awards and ratings where each one is rated the “Best” something at sometime or another. Our last winery and lunch visit in Argentina was at the Trapiche Winery which was declared the “Best Winery in the New World for its 2019 Edition” by the Wine Star Rewards. I don’t know what Wine Star Rewards is or what it is says about them that there is a “New World” category, but our visit was fun with yet again excellent food and wines. The pictures tell the story.

It was then off to the airport for our trip back to Santiago. With his normal attention to detail, Marcelo had arranged for us to have seats on the right side of the plane (looking up to the cockpit at the front). This was so we would have the best views of the mountains and especially Aconcagua – fitting as our first birding in Argentina had been in the shadows of the mountain. The plane passed quite close to the mountain and we indeed had great views – a last memory of Argentina.

**Mt. Aconcagua – tallest peak in the Western Hemisphere – over 22,000 feet**

We had spent the better part of 7.5 days in Argentina. I did not keep track of the number of wines tried or wineries visited, but with the help of Ebird, I have a precise count of our birding. I had submitted 40 Ebird reports covering 153 species and bringing my Argentina life list to 173 species. Of the birds seen, 62 were new lifers and I had photos of 119 of the species seen (and there were others, like House Sparrow, Great and Western Cattle Egrets, and Rock Pigeon among others where I did not even bother). All of these photos were new for Argentina and more than half were new world photos. We would have a long drive to the Chilean coast after landing in Santiago, but that is a story for another blog post – my last for this trip.

Birds and Wines of Chile and Argentina – Argentina Part III

Posted on March 6, 2024March 7, 2024 by blairbirding

February 11, Day 8:

We were back on the road again in the area around Mendoza in the Uco Valley, Argentina – another beautiful day. A word about weather. All in all the weather was great. The only rain was night. Days were generally clear and dry, sometimes a little cloudiness, little wind and temperatures mostly in the low 80’s but sometimes getting into the 90’s. Even in the higher elevations, it was never very cold and we could have left our colder weather gear at home – if we had known for sure. Even though there was generally sun, photo ops were not always perfect as too often birds were backlit or seen against light sky backgrounds. This was Cindy’s first trip with her new camera – the Sony RX10 – a fabulous bridge camera with zoom that went up to 600 mm. It was an experimental learning experience and she did great.

After breakfast we were packed and birding before 9:00 a.m. – very civilized – although some of the “delay” was because the restaurant at the hotel (again not our favorite) was very slow to get going – with everything out at least 15 minutes later than scheduled. At our first stop on Ruta Provincial #186, a Sandy Gallito was added to our trip list and to my World list and world photo list. We also got great photos of Southern Martins, indistinguishable to me from Purple Martins which fly overhead of us back in Edmonds in the Summer.

A short while later at a “rest stop”, we had one of the best birds of the trip, an Elegant Crested-Tinamou. While attending to other needs, I almost missed it. Although it had moved from the “even better view” earlier, it fortunately stayed in the area and I was able to get some photos. It would have been very disappointing had I missed this very cool bird.

There are more than 45 species of Tinamou – found only in Central and South America. Although they can fly, they are essentially terrestrial birds, often skulky, most often in forested habitats although some like this one are found in the open plains, and usually well camouflaged and hard to see. They range in size from the Dwarf Tinamou (6 inches or so) to the Great Tinamou (about 20 inches) – somewhat larger than the Elegant Crested-Tinamou we were fortunate to see. Earlier, we had heard but not seen the Darwin’s Nothura – another species in the Tinamou group. I have seen or heard 10 species of tinamou but have few photos. Again very happy to get these!!

We left the dry grasslands and found some water and water birds at Laguna Llancanelo Provincial Park. Lots of new birds for the trip with more to come at another wetland after lunch – and I am combining those two stops here. All told 14 new species for my Argentina list and 7 new lifers with lots of photo ops. The lifers were: Lake Duck, Chilean Flamingo, Red-fronted Coot, Yellow-billed Tit-tyrant, Yellow-winged Blackbird, Red Shoveler and Correndera Pipit. Three new Argentina birds that I had seen elsewhere but were nice here were the Many-colored Rush Tyrant, Wren-like Rushbird and Grassland Yellow-finch. Much better photos of some of these species will be in later entries. I am also including more photos of Spectacled Tyrant – a group favorite on the trip.

***Yellow-winged Blackbird*** (It was surprisingly hard to get photo showing the yellow in the wing – hardly visible except in flight)

**Spectacled Tyrant (showing whit in wing)**

Lunch today was a significant departure from our usual approach – although of course there was lots of wine. Today would be a picnic – well sort of. We learned that in addition to his knowledge of birds and wines, guide and tour leader Marcelo Padua was also quite the cook. He and driver Ariel teamed to prepare an extraordinary duck confit lunch prepared over an open fire – sort of in the middle of nowhere. Not really, just felt that way. We were at Campo Carcilauquen Horse Camp sharing the habitat with quite a few equestrians. I will let the photos speak for themselves.

**Marcelo and Ariel at Work over the Open Fire**

**The finished product …Duck Breast, salad and native grown potato chips – Scrumptious!!**

As I said, some of the birds and photos were out of order – coming after the duck lunch. I will close the birding photos with two more from later in the day – ones that I really luck. As we were tooling along, I saw a large bird on a post and asked to go back. Somehow it stayed as we pulled alongside and we were all able to get really nice photos of an Aplomado Falcon. The other photo is of one of the many American Kestrels we saw on the trip, caught as it was coming in for a landing.

Definitely my best ever photo of an **Aplomado Falcon**

Unfortunately we had a second night at the Hotel Malargue and then an early breakfast (for this trip) and on the road with a really fun day ahead.

February 12, Day 9:

We headed out on Ruta 40 – which seemed to be viewed there something like Route 66 in the U.S. – lots of T-Shirts and souvenirs at gas stops calling that out. This was not going to be a day with lots of birds, but one of them was really important. I got a distant view of a West Peruvian Dove – new for the trip and for Argentina, but seen (and fortunately photographed) 11 years earlier appropriately in Peru – go figure! Motoring further along on Ruta 40, Marcelo called out “Pare, pare”. Ariel stop[ped as requested and we wondered what had been seen. It was a species we had been looking for for several days – a Lesser Rhea – along with the Greater Rhea, South America’s answer to the Ostrich of Africa and the Emu’s of Australia. Also known as Darwin’s Rhea, the flightless Lesser Rhea stands around 3 feet tall and weighs around 40 pounds. A bonus for us was that this was a male and he had young in tow. Males incubate the eggs and then cares for the young for six months or longer. I had seen Greater Rheas in Brazil, and have seen Ostrich and Emu, so I was especially happy to complete the set.

A little further along several small birds flew next to us along the road. My impression was that they were pipits. One landed on a fence post and I was able to get a life photo of the Correndera Pipit through the window. I had seen the species in flight a day earlier, so much better to have the photo.

As I said slow birding this day, but our lunch stop and wine tour was sensational as we visited the La Vigilia vineyard and had lunch at the beyond beautiful Rope Restaurant associated with the winery. It was such a great place I am including lots of photos so people can appreciate that. The food, service and wines were all superb and the setting incredible.

After a very long lunch break, we birded a bit and I added two more lifers, a Glittering-bellied Emerald and a Rufous-tailed Plantcutter. No photo of the hummingbird until later in the trip. My photo that day of the Plantcutter is ID quality at best, so I am including one again from later. Interesting note, that there are three species of Plantcutters – all found only in South America – and currently classified as Cotingas. I included the White-tipped Plantcutter in an earlier post. I saw the third Plantcutter species, the Peruvian Plantcutter in Peru in 2013.

We carried on to Mendoza City with a stop at the Market Manzano Historico. Lots of people having a good time outdoors with some food and trinket booths – a sharp contrast with the luxury of the Rope Restaurant. That night was at the Hotel Huentala in Mendoza. Counting on more but now at 76 lifers for the trip and 143 species for the trip. Hope to get to benchmarks 100 and 200.

Birds and Wines of Chile and Argentina – Argentina Part II

Posted on March 5, 2024 by blairbirding

February 9, Day 6:

We had settled in to the beautiful Salentein Lodge and Winery. We had for us an early morning start birding around the winery at 7:00 a.m. picking up 7 lifers in around 2 hours. The Crested Gallito and Brown Cachalote were seen briefly or heard only but I would get good looks and photos of them later. Then there were the two “Creamy Birds”, Creamy-breasted Canastero and Creamy-bellied Thrush– I thought I had a photo of each but cannot find them possibly confused with other “brown bird” photos. The other lifers were White-banded Mockingbird, Screaming Cowbird, and Ringed Warbling Finch. Here are their photos.

No surprise the breakfast at Salentein was wonderful and then we continued bird on the extensive Salentein holdings adding one more lifer before lunch – a White-tipped Plantcutter, in addition to new birds for the trip like Blue and Yellow Tanager, Banded Seedeater and Mourning Sierra-finch.

It was great that we had such good birding in the morning because the next many hours would be all about wine. The Salentein Winery was founded in 1997 by a Dutch businessman, Myndert Pon, with the vision of creating a world class winery. One of its vineyards, San Pablo, however, dates back to the 17th Century. Everything we saw and experienced at Salentein was impressive with beautiful buildings, vineyards, facilities and of course food and wines. In 2019 at Mundus Vini, a top European Wine Competition, Salentein was named the best “overseas winery”. Where to start…

The Salentein property is over 5,000 acres with 1200 acres currently planted in vineyards. The winery produces red, white, rose and sparkling wines and is probably best known for its Malbec’s. Every architectural detail is beautiful and impressive. We had wonderful food and of course wine including several bottles with the meals in addition to the many wines at a tasting in their exquisite tasing room. I could add dozens of photos taken during our visit but include here just a sampling.

**View into one Oak Barrel Storage Area**

**Marcelo and our host in front of Tasting Room**

**Blair and Cindy with the Big Barrels/Vats**

**Probably My Favorite Wine at Salentein**

**The architecture was understated but splendid in the details**

After the wine at lunch and the tastings but before the wine at dinner, we actually continued birding – all on or near the Salentein property. I added another 3 world lifers: Darwin’s Nothura (unfortunately heard only), White Throated Cachalote and Hudson’s Black Tyrant (a female)- finally photographed after much work. This last photo, despite the poor quality, is noteworthy only because it is a very skulking bird and photos are hard to come by. I also finally got a photo of a Brown Cachalote – a lifer heard only and seen without photo before.

You never know when a bird will appear and just beg to have its photo taken. Such was the case with a Burrowing Owl and a Guira’s Cuckoo near the winery. They were new for the trip but seen by me previously. Both were spied as we drove the access roads to the winery and were seen and photographed from the van. I don’t think I have ever seen any cuckoo so much in the open before.

I also got my best of the trip so far photos of Long-tailed Mockingbird and Chiguanco Thrush and a lovely photo of a Fork-tailed Flycatcher and a posing Chimango Caracara. Lastly I also got a decent shot of a Double Collared Seedeater.

It had been a great day for wine, food, birds and photos probably as representative of why we chose this tour as any. We had seen 42 species that day with 11 being new lifers and 19 new for my Argentina list. There would be more to come the next day. Dinner this night was another extravaganza at the Gaia Restaurant at the Domaine Bousquet Winery.

February 10, Day 7:

Our first birding on the morning of February 10 added another lifer and a photo of a lifer missed earlier. The new species was a Chaco Earthcreeper and the new photo was of a Crested Gallito, both were again LBJ’s – “little brown jobs” but the crest on the Gallito made that ID a lot easier. Another life photo, but of a bird seen many years ago on that Argentina fishing trip in 1989, was the Red-gartered Coot.

We were headed to Malargue for the night with lunch along the way at Villa Bonita de Mayo. As was usually the case when we entered the restaurant, Marcelo was embraced by the proprietor – old friends. I wish I had taken notes on all of the meals. Nothing specific on this one except remembering it was very good and the atmosphere was really fun.

After again too much food and wine, it was back to the birds around San Rafael. In fairly short order birding in the scrub habitat, I added 5 more lifers: Short-billed Canastero, Sooty-fronted and Stripe-crowned Spinetails, Greater Wagtail-tyrant and Southern Scrub-flycatcher.

There were not many mammals on this tour but on the road we did see a wild Guanaco.

New for the trip but a nice photo of a species I had seen and photographed in Peru in 2012 was a Golden-billed Saltator.

The early afternoon had been great for lifers and photos. Late afternoon added 4 more lifers but I only got a photo of one and not a great photo at that. The photo was of a White-winged Black-tyrant. Lifers added without photos were Carbonated Sierra-finch, Patagonian Canastero, and Band-tailed Earthcreeper. The Sierra-finch was a quick drive-by view and the Canastero never unburied itself. I thought I had a photo of the Earthcreeper but it has not been found if it ever existed.

***White-winged Black Tyrant*** – the View Was Much Better than this Photo

Fortunately we were staying at the Hotel Malargue only one night – pretty low quality and I have already repressed details and took no photos. I do not even have notes or photos of dinner that night. Maybe just as well.

We were now half way into our trip (although not quite half way through the tour). Only 32 species were seen that day but,10 more species had been added to my growing life list (64 added so far). Our group trip list was at 120 species. We would not add that many new ones in the second half of the trip, but there were a lot more to come.

Birds and Wines of Chile and Argentina – Moving on To Argentina Part I

Posted on March 2, 2024 by blairbirding

February 7, Day 4:

If you read my previous blog about Chile (and please do if you did not – https://blairbirding.com/2024/02/29/birds-and-wines-in-chile-and-argentina-let-the-birding-begin-chile-part-i/ ), you know that our lovely first van had mechanical troubles and we had to be rescued from a roadside inn where we had wine and dessert while we waited and had a new van for day 3 in Chile. The original plan had been for the original van to be with us the entire trip transporting us and our gear around both countries. For whatever reasons pertaining to licensing, the first van was licensed to transport people in both countries but the replacement van was only licensed for Chile. This meant that we would need a new van in Argentina.

Simple right? Just drive to the border and leave Van 1, move people and goods to Van 2 and carry on. Hold on there – not that easy. Turns out that the physical geographical border between the two countries is some miles before the Passport Control and Customs location where you actually “enter” the other country. Thus it was necessary somehow to get the van licensed only in Chile to intersect with van licensed in Argentina but where. The “arrangement” had been for Chilean Van to go to the actual administrative border, where the transfer would be made to the Argentinian van. The problem was that Ugo, our Chilean van driver dug in his heels. He felt that every inch he drove on Argentinian dirt threatened his license. Heated discussion between him and Marcelo ensued. Never mind that we were already “in” Argentina, despite whatever had been arranged before, Ugo was a no go. If you can’t get the horse to water, bring water to the horse. Now discussions were between Marcelo and the Argentinian van. Although I am sure it raised some complications with them going through the checkpoint to get from the administrative Argentinian side to the Chilean administrative side – although always in geographical Argentina, they agreed to come to us and make the transfer on the Chilean administrative side – although again I point out (as Marcelo did repeatedly to Ugo) that we were already in Argentina!

This kerfuffle added some time to our already long journey but the Argentinian van got to us and we off-loaded and reloaded and headed to the customs/passport control entry point. The line seemed incredibly long – it is the ONLY way to get by road from Chile to Argentina and vice versa – and I figured we were in for hours of lost time. Maybe 20 minutes into the wait, I noticed that some vehicles were splitting off to the far right and seemed to be moving much faster than the line we were in. I had learned early on not to suggest deviations from whatever plan Marcelo was working with (and that his was a good plan), so I said nothing. A few minutes later – for whatever reason, we split off and joined that line and seemingly sped through and got to the control point booth with the Chilean immigration officer. Marcelo had gathered our passports and had a long and what looked like a pleasant conversation with the officer. It took only moments and now we were through, passports stamped and all.

This is a good point to remember and remind others that there is much more to leading a tour than “just” birding. When things go without a hitch, it may seem easy but even then, the reason things go without a hitch is because of the groundwork done by the guide and the tour company that set the stage and carried out a good plan. And when there are hitches like broken down vans, recalcitrant drivers, road closures, health problems and many other possible mishaps and changes in circumstances, the ability to think on one’s feet, re-imagine and create new plans and to negotiate with all sort of folks is an invaluable skill set. Marcelo had this quality in spades. He made it look easy when I know it probably was far from that. Sure, we pay a bit extra to travel with known companies, but for us it is because of times like these when we are glad we are not on our own that makes it all worth it.

So much for the complications. The way to get from Santiago to Mendoza (our target area in Argentina) means goin East on Route 60 across the Andes and negotiating the windy road up to Los Liberdatores Pass (Elevation 10,499′). It is about 100 miles from Santiago but because of the twists and turns and LOTS of truck traffic, it generally takes 3 hours or more. There is no other way to go by land – so just go with the flow – such as it is.

It may be a slow go, but the scenery is fantastic being in the Andes for many miles, and our vans were very comfortable. We were mentally prepared for cold weather but such was not the case as the outside temperature was maybe in the 50’s. Very comfortable. We made no real birding stops along the way, but as was our usual procedure there was an early stop at a convenience store for snacks and whatever drinks were desired. A lot of Coke Zero was consumed on our trip.

Our first real stop in Argentina was the Portillo Hotel and the Portillo Ski Resort. I am not a skier but remember hearing about skiing in Portillo when I was in college. Let’s just say that some kids at my college were “privileged” and that included skiing in Portillo during our Northern Hemisphere summer. Hard to imagine in the absolutely brown and dry conditions when we visited but the ski lifts were apparent and the hotel included pictures of famous Olympians and ski champions. It also included a gift shop, a nice restaurant and spectacular views. Although we ate it with wine, of course, our lunch was a very tasty and very large burger.

After lunch it was finally time for some high elevation birding and we went to Aconcagua Provincial Park including Laguna La Horcones certainly one of the most beautiful areas I have birded including views of Mt. Aconcagua, which at 22,838 feet is the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere and the tallest mountain outside of the Himalayas in the world. It was always partially covered by clouds (it produces its own weather) but still impressive. Like most such habitats, it was not full of birds, but our EBird checklist had 14 species and 40 individuals including 4 lifers for me: Andean Goose, Crested Duck, Scale-throated Earthcreeper and Black-fronted Ground-tyrant. I also had nice photos of Rufous-crowned Sparrow and Gray-hooded Sierra Finch and again saw Gray-breasted Seedsnipe. Unfortunately no photo of the Earthcreeper.

We hiked around in the beautiful spot for a couple of hours. As we were leaving a large pack train of mules, burros and horses came down from a climber/trekker base camp – not an everyday sight.

The scenery was relentlessly beautiful as we continued east moving through and down from the Andes.

We would be staying that night in Uspallata about 45 miles from the Provincial Park, and would be having another fine dinner at the El Rancho Restaurant in Uspallata. From our balcony window at the hotel, I added another lifer – Grayish Baywing, a species that would be seen often over the next few days.

The restaurant was what we think of as a classic Argentinian restaurant – lots of meat – a Parrillada – a restaurant with a variety of grilled and barbecued meats. Portions are endless. It was here that I had what at least at time was my favorite wine of the trip – a Cabernet – Malbec blend. We had so much good red wine later including more blends and pure Cabs and Malbecs, that maybe my impression would have been different later, but that night, it seemed the best.

I was back in Argentina – 45 years after my only other visit. No fishing ahead but there would be lots of food, wine and birds. With so much time taken up by travel, there had not been a lot of birds (19 species for the day), but it had been a momentous day because the Andean Goose was my 27th lifer for the trip and World Lifer #3300. Not so many compared to many people I know or know of. I hoped for more on this trip of course. With luck maybe I will get to 4,000 someday. With the others seen this day, I was now at 3303 – and counting.

February 8, Day 5:

We were only at the Uspallata Hotel one night, just as well as it was our least favorite on the trip. No big problems, just ok. We birded around the grounds a bit and then had breakfast and packed up birding and for our transfer to our next abode, the Salentein Winery Lodge. There were fields and a river near the hotel that produced five new lifers and a blown chance at an additional lifer photo. The lifers were: Spot-winged Pigeon, Ticking Doradito, White Crested Tyrannulet, Southern Yellowthroat and Great Pampa-finch. The missed photo was of a Plumbeous Rail. It was out in the open for several seconds but I was in the wrong position for a shot. Thinking I already had a photo of this species, I didn’t rush to get a picture and it disappeared. I was wrong. I had seen one before but with no photo. Oh well. I only got a fleeting mostly obscured view of the Doradito so again no photo.

***Southern Yellowthroat – best I could do***

I picked up three more lifers at our next stop, a wet area along Route 7. They were Southern Martin, Patagonian Mockingbird and one of my favorites for the trip, Spectacled Tyrant. I also go life photos of a cooperative Yellow-billed Pintail.

We next birded around the Pueblo del Rio Lodge where we had yet another great lunch with wine pairings. Two new birds that were especially appreciated were a Brown-capped Tit-spinetail and a Steinbach’s Canastero, fortunately getting photos of each of these lifers. A third lifer would also be on that especially appreciated list if I had been able to get even a good view let alone a photo, was a very cool hummingbird called a Red-tailed Comet, which has, yes you guessed it, a striking red tail. I had only fleeting and distant views, good enough to count it, but I wanted much more (and would get it later).

We would be spending the next two nights at the Salentein Winery and Lodge, which turned out to be our favorite place on the tour. As we made our way there we birded along Ruta 40 and Calle el Alamo enroute. I picked up two new life birds, Monk Parakeet and Green-barred Woodpecker. The latter would be seen several times again and the former needs some explanation. I had seen Monk Parakeets before – at a now almost extirpated colony in Yacolt, Washington and also in the area around Miami, Florida where they are plentiful. They are introduced non-native species in both places and thus are not countable on official World lists. Being native in Chile and Argentina, they are countable as such there. I had actually seen and mostly heard several on our fist day in Chile, without photo and had not included them on any list. Now with photos, I added them to one of my Argentina lists. Dozens would be seen and heard on this trip.

New life photos from the afternoon included Fork-tailed Flycatcher and Burrowing Parakeet and I was also happy to get an ok shot of a White-collared Swift showing the collar.

My original thought was to include both days 4, 5 and 6 on this Blog post, but I can see that Day 6 is going to be a long post with lots of wine so I am going to end this here. At the end of the day 5, my lifer total stood at 40 for the trip and we had now seen 91 species with lots of photos including life photos.

We checked into the lovely Salentein lodge with a beautiful room and did our bird list outdoors watching Fork-tailed Flycatchers and White-collared Swifts hawking insects with Monk Parakeets flying through frequently. Dinner was at Salentein and although excellent, somehow I only have a photo of a dessert and of course a bottle of Malbec. More later.

Birds and Wines in Chile and Argentina: Let the Birding Begin – Chile Part I

Posted on February 29, 2024 by blairbirding

February 4, Day 1:

After our group first met in the 12th floor lobby of the Hyatt Place Hotel in Santiago, we boarded our van and went of to visit the Central Market (Mercado) in downtown Santiago where we wove our way through the produce, wine and seafood booths arriving at “Richard’s ‘King of Seafood’ Restaurant, a whole in the wall owned by Richard who like most everyone we would meet on the tour, was a long time friend of Marcelo’s. The market was alive with vendors, hawkers, buyers, restaurants and customers.

**Lots of Seafood – Here Weighing Giant Squid Tentacle**

Razor Clams and Cheese One of Many Dishes at First Lunch – with Much Wine As Well

After lunch we drove to the Farrelones Ski Resort area for our first birding at the Nevado Ski Resort. It is summer below the equator – so dry with no snow and at elevation pleasantly cool. Our first birds included Diuca Finch, Chilean Mockingbird, Rufous Collared Sparrow, White Crested Elaenia, Tufted Tit-tyrant and Plain-mantled Tit-spinetail. [NOTE: Throughout these blogs I will identify new lifers in bold italics.] I got pictures of all but the latter – a fate which would recur every time I “saw” that skulky bird during the trip.

Shortly thereafter a Black-chested Buzzard Eagle flew overhead shortly followed by our first Andean Condor. I had seen the impressive large Condors in Peru and in Ecuador and would see more later on this trip. Too far away for any meaningful photo. As we continued along our climb into the Andes, Marcelo noted some trees off to our left and said we should keep our eyes open as sometimes Lesser Horned Owls roosted in them. Literally two minutes later, Marcelo called out “Pare, pare”, the signal to our driver to stop. He did and we backed up maybe 50 feet and Marcelo pointed out a Lesser Horned Owl buried in the branches. Magic like this would recur often during the trip.

Continuing our climb, we turned onto Camino a La Parva and got out of the van for some “serious” birding just as more Andean Condors flew overhead – a little closer for a first photo – still distant and not very satisfying – but any Condor is a treat.

This was a good stop with many new birds – all new for Chile as this was my first visit to this country and new lifers including White-sided Hillstar (our first hummingbird), Gray-breasted Seedsnipe (heard only), Rufous-banded Miner, White-browed Ground Tyrant, Gray-hooded Sierra Finch, and Greater Yellow Finch. I also got lifer photos of Austral Thrush, Buff-winged and Gray-flanked Cinclodes, and Black-chinned Siskin.

Neither lifers or life photos but new photos for the trip were two doves that would be seen often on our trip Eared Dove (abundant and everywhere) and Black-winged Ground Dove seen mostly at higher elevations and which I had seen and photographed initially in Ecuador in 2022.

I was disappointed that we never got even a glimpse at the calling Gray-breasted Seedsnipe as especially after great looks and photos of the Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe in Ecuador, it was high on my target list. Not to kill the suspense, those looks and photos would come later. We continued on to the Nevado Ski Resort where I picked up three more lifers: Mourning Sierra-finch, Moustached Turca and both Cordilleran and Sharp-billed Canasteros. No picture of the latter until Argentina. We would see another Turca later, but they are not seen on every tour – great bird.

There would be one more lifer and accompanying life picture on this wonderful first day. At a last stop as we retraced our steps back to Santiago, we found a Fire-eyed Diucon, the fire eye quite obvious.

Especially with only a half day of birding, Day 1 was a great success. We had seen 34 species and I had photos of 24 of them. Fully 15 species were world lifers (bringing me to 3289 species) and lots of new world life photos as well. Back to Santiago. We were back to Santiago for dinner ready for Day 2.

February 5, Tour Day 2:

Today was anther day up into the mountains out of Santiago with our prime target being the species I most wanted to see on the trip – the Diademed Sandpiper-plover. We traveled on the Camino Embalse El Yeso in the area of San Jose de Maipo. After a fairly long drive Marcelo had the driver pull over saying that it seemed like a good spot to him for a Crag Chilia. Magic again as we heard its distant song from a rock embankment quite a ways off. Marcelo located it on a rock on got the scope on it. I had a decent ID view and a very distant photo, Appearance and habitat-wise it reminded me of our Canyon Wren. Responding to playback it came in closer, not real close but good enough for a decent highly magnified photo – another lifer.

Continuing on we came to a wet area that might be good for the Sandpiper-plover. We covered it extensively without finding it but there were other birds there including lifers Yellow-billed Teal a fast flying Magellanic Snipe, Creamy-rumped Miner and Yellow-rumped Siskin.

More importantly to me, however, was that we had great photo opportunities for the Gray-breasted Seedsnipe – a lifer photo that had been missed the previous day and I was also able to get a good photo of a Black-billed Shrike-tyrant. I had seen one 11 years earlier in Peru but no photo.

Cindy and I had seen Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe at high altitude in Ecuador, a much sought after species that is often missed, so this was a vey pleasing moment for us. And just as had been the case in Ecuador, we also saw Andean Gulls. Although I thought I had gotten a photo of another bird seen in Peru, I could not find a photo of the Rufous-naped Ground-tyrant seen with the Shrike-tyrant. It would have been a lifer photo. Bummer. I should mention that the area was spectacular , made better of course by the birds!!

So we had good birds but not the prize. When we went over the materials provided by Field Guides, they suggested warm hats and jackets and gloves for the high altitudes and also waterproof boots extending over the ankle for pursuit of the Diademed Sandpiper-plover which prefers watery areas. We had brought all on the trip but never used any of the cold weather clothing. When we got to our next area though, we did use some zip-up waterproof covers that went over our regular books. It was a good idea as there was a fair amount of ankle deep water in the area that Marcelo took us to for the Sandpiper-plover. This was an area that had hot springs and several non-birders were there as well, a concern for a hard to find and possibly skittish bird.

It took some time but finally Marcelo’s keen ears heard its calls and after quite a bit of searching he located one. The good news was that everyone could get good views through the scope. The not so good news was that the really striking bird was backlit and not real close. I took a lot of photos as best I could. This was probably the most frustrating experience on the trip for me. If when first spotted, we had positioned ourselves another 50 yards further along, there would have been good light on the bird enabling a much better picture. Although I understood the decision to stop at the spot where it was first viewed, the group had scattered and it took a while for everyone to get to the scope and get their view. Group protocol rightly requires no movement until everyone has had that first good view. It was very frustrating. When that first view for all was finally accomplished, we began moving to the better lit spot that would have enabled good photos. The bird had been essentially still or foraging in the same area for several minutes. Its patience ran out and it flew off way into the distance never to be seen gain. I include my best photo below but also for the only time I will do so in these blogs, I include a photo from the internet that shows just how cool this bird is.

***Diademed Sandpiper-plover – My Photo***

**Diademed Sandpiper-plover – Photo by Fernando Diaz**

**Marcelo on the Lookout for the Diademed Sandpiper-Plover**

**Blair and Cindy at Termas Plomo (hot springs) after Seeing the Diademed Sandpiper-plover**

On the return back to Santiago, there was a near disaster. Our van was making odd noises. First we slowed and then carried on a bit but the noises continued. We stopped and a not very happy Marcelo Padua went into to action. Probably best that we did not speak Spanish as there was a very heated conversation between Marcelo and someone – either the transportation company or the ground agent that Field Guides coordinated with in Chile. It could have been a full-on disaster, but this is where Marcelo’s talents in addition to birding paid off. We made our way to a small boutique hotel on the highway and waited as another van was sent to rescue us. Maybe it took an hour, maybe two. We had some desserts and drinks as we waited. It probably cut into some birding options, but the bottom line was that another van came and got us by late afternoon. Serviceable, but it was not nearly nearly as birding friendly as our original carriage – darker windows, with a more constraining seat configuration. It would have to do.

With our new driver we were off to our hotel back in Santiago and then to dinner at the Bodeguita Miguel Torres Restaurant with local wines of course – except being quite full from several nights of dining and for the first time feeling a bit jet lagged, I chose to sit this dinner out. Marcelo said to order whatever I wanted from room service and just put it on the bill. I passed and had a little snack protein bar and that was it. Cindy enjoyed the restaurant dinner. This thoughtful detail for room service speaks highly of Marcelo and the approach by Field Guides on this trip – always felt like we had first class service. OK we paid for it, but you don’t always get what you pay for.

End of Day 2 – 6 more lifers (now at 3295) and many new life photos. Running trip count now at 49 as we had added a Long Tailed Meadowlark on our way back to Santiago.

February 6, Day 3:

In our new van, in the morning we headed off to Rio Clarillo National Park. On the way I picked up a new lifer, a Picui Ground Dove. The hope was that whatever trouble our first van had could be fixed to enable it to take us to Argentina as there were licensing complications if not. Time would tell. In addition to the Picui Ground Dove, I got a life photo of a Black Faced Ibis, a bird I had first seen in Junín, Argentina in 1989 on my fishing trip.

On the way to Rio Clarillo NP, we picked up a couple of birds along the road in Pirque County including a surprising California Quail, introduced as a game bird for hunters in Chile. I also got pretty nice photos of a Tufted Tit-tyrant, a species I had first seen in the Amazon region in Ecuador.

We birded several hours at Rio Clarillo but did not add that many species although three of them Dusky Tapaculo, Dusky-tailed Canastero and Austral Blackbird were lifers. Another new species for the trip was a Giant Hummingbird (seen previously in Ecuador).

***Dusky Tapaculo – a Very Hard Bird to Photograph***

From Rio Clarillo, we headed to the Santa Rita Winery for another multi-course lunch, a tour of the winery and a wine tasting. There was also a small museum with pottery and weavings. It was an enjoyable and long visit taking most of the afternoon before we headed back to Santiago. We drank a lot of wine with an excellent Carmenere and an equally good (to me) Chardonnay. In the U.S. the Pewen Carmenere sells for over $50/bottle and the Alta Floresta Chardonnay for $20.00. These photos give a taste of what our afternoon was like. Santa Rita is r than 140 years old and is the largest wine producer in Chile.

It was then the drive back to the hotel, a short rest and then dinner at the Peumayen Ancestral Food Restaurant featuring – yes ancestral foods – not the highlight of our gustatory trip, but good and interesting and different. This would conclude the first part of our visit in Chile as we would head off the next morning for the long ride over the Andes to Argentina. We would later return to Chile to visit the coast before concluding with a return for flights home from Santiago.

At the end of day 3, I had listed 56 species for Chile and the trip, added 25 lifers to get to 3298 and again many new life photos.

Birds and Wines in Chile and Argentina – Background and Introduction

Posted on February 27, 2024 by blairbirding

Before the Covid Pandemic hit in 2020, Cindy Bailey and I had signed up for a tour offered by Field Guides Birding Tours that combined two of our interests – birds and wine. It seemed like a good way to introduce Cindy to birding tours, essentially bribing her with good wines to put up with chasing birds. We chose this tour over a similar one offered by Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, even though that tour included a pelagic trip that would assuredly add some new life species for me. The main reason for our choice was that friends Jon and Kathleen Houghton had rave reviews of their guide on a wine and birds trip to Brazil, Marcelo Padua.

But then Covid happened and the tour was cancelled. No birding trips for either of us. Late in 2021, we we did have a chance for a test run birding tour and Cindy and I went on a group tour to Oaxaca with Wild Latitudes . Despite mixed reviews for that tour, Cindy remained game for another trip and we went on a very fun private tour to Ecuador with Neblina Forest – a trip which I wrote up in a number of blogs afterwards. What next? Birds and Wines of Chile and Argentina was being offered again, but even though Covid was a much reduced threat, Chile had an isolation policy that put us off. Their requirement was that if any member of a group came down with Covid, everyone in the group had to isolate for 10 days – a risk we were not willing to take. Instead we visited Tanzania with Victor Emanuel – a fabulous tripe that I covered in many blog posts last year. Then in 2023 Field Guides was again offering the trip and Chile’s policy had changed.

We got on the list for the tour – then a complication. The go/no go sign up requirement was for a minimum of six participants. We were the fourth and fifth to commit. Months went by and nobody joined the tour. Finally we were all given the option to pony up some additional dollars or it would be cancelled and deposits would be refunded. All agreed to do so and we were a go. We used a third party called Sky Lux to arrange discounted Business Class Airfare (a concession to Cindy that worked very well) and they arranged reasonable flights going through Miami and on to Santiago, Chile. Time to bone up on Chilean and Argentinian birds.

I had been to Argentina in 1989 on a very fun flyfishing trip in the Junín area and had very fond memories. The fishing was great, the food and wine memorable and incidentally I had somehow put together a small bird list of 41 species (of which ten turned out to be species we did not see on our just ended trip). The possible bird list for the Field Guides trip was 254 species. Given overlaps from that previous trip to Argentina and later trips elsewhere in South America plus the shorebird and wader species seen many places, I thought there was a possibility of maybe 128 new lifers. My normal analysis is that something around 80% of species on such lists are “likely” so I figured a good goal was maybe 100 new species. There was a bonus in that I had no photos from that earlier Argentina trip and there should be opportunities to add to my world life photos list as well. The tour would start in Chile, then cross the Andes into Argentina, concentrating in the area near Mendoza, then flying back to Chile to conclude on the Pacific Coast near Vina del Mar and Valparaiso.

I have consumed maybe 20 times as much wine in the 5 years knowing Cindy as I had in the 70 preceding years and while I enjoy some more than others, I really know very little about wine and this would be an opportunity to learn more and to enjoy some fine wines. Cindy knows a lot more and probably enjoys it much more than I do. Little did I really appreciate just how much wine we would consume and how much great food would accompany it. Skipping ahead – when I got on the scale after 18 days away, I had put on 9 pounds, especially distressing since my starting point was already higher than it should be. But as I said the wine was exceptional as was the food. A problem however was that in both countries it is customary to eat much later than my norm. Often dinners would start at 8:00 p.m. or later and we would not hit our beds until 10:00 or 11:00. Not the best approach for good digestion – and sleep.

Our first flight was about 6 hours in First Class from Seattle to Miami on Alaska Airlines. We had a 5 hour layover (spent largely in the Lounge for LATAM Airlines) and then an 8 hour overnight flight Business Class on LATAM to Santiago. Both flights were very comfortable and on schedule and although neither of us slept a lot on the fully reclining seats to Santiago, we were able to relax and begin our over-consumption of wine and food. For the first time in I don’t know how long, we checked a bag in addition to our two carry-ons. It arrived in tact and Passport Control and Customs were not too bad in Santiago. On all of these trips, there is a moment of anxiety when leaving the airport security you hope to see someone waiting for you with your name on a sign, provided by the tour outfitter to get you from the airport to your hotel. Whew!! There he was with the Bailey/Bernson sign. It was around 7:00 a.m. and we were off to our Hyatt Place Hotel. The hotel was new and a little bland (in a modern way) and the staff was great. They allowed us to check in VERY early which was greatly appreciated since we had arrived before the formal start of the tour. It was a very nice hotel with very nice rooms. We got some sleep/rest and later headed off for a mall to look for a warm coat for Cindy…and that is the segue to a BIG PROBLEM!

I have traveled on more than 50 international flights dealing wit security, baggage, customs etc. without a mishap – except in Miami. I generally split cash between my wallet and a pouch that I wear around my neck where I keep my passport and credit cards. The wallet stays in my pants pocket until security when I put it into my small back pack or my carry on suitcase. The Miami airport was large and chaotic in general and the security lines were as well with mixing between TSA pre-approved and other lines. Mistake 1: I had not taken credit cards and cash out of the wallet. Mistake 2: well not sure exactly what happened but somehow my wallet did not make it into my pack although I thought it had. In any event I thought all was well and since we were going straight to the LATAM Lounge, we did not buy anything in the airport. So it was not until we got to the hotel in Santiago when looking for my wallet, I could not find it. I searched the carry-on and the back – NADA. In the room, I completely emptied everything and it was nowhere to be found. My best guess is that somehow in the process of putting belts, phones, computers, wallet, pouch etc., in those little baskets, and being a bit sleep deprived from the redeye flight (certainly not my first) the wallet got lost in the shuffle and taken by somebody. Bottom line, I was in Chile without credit cards, ATM Cards, health card, cash, checks, driver’s license and who knows what else. Fortunately I did have my passport and Cindy had her credit and ATM cards. So the first hour plus was spent contacting my bank and VISA cancelling credit and ATM cards and putting a hold on all bank account activity. Just a bit distressing, stressful and scary. AND oh yeah, somewhere either in the Miami or Santiago Airports, Cindy’s heavy coat – theoretically needed for our high altitude time in the Andes – had also disappeared. Thus the aforementioned need to visit the mall, where in fact we could not find an appropriate coat – possibly due to the fact that it was summer in Chile and 90 degrees in Santiago.

We had dinner at the hotel that first night and a very full array of breakfast options in the morning there as well. Since the trip was so long and there was a six hour difference between Seattle and Santiago, we had arranged to be there two full nights before the official start of the tour and we wanted to find something more “charming” the next day. Our hotel was not in the center or historic part of town, rather in a pleasant area with a mix of nice residential and commercial buildings. Although there were no restaurants in the immediate area, we found an area about a half mile away in the direction opposite of where we had walked for the Mall the day before that had several trendy restaurants. There were several seemingly good options. We chose one that had the most people sitting there at our early dinner time of 7 pm. It was a pizza and pasta place with outdoor seating called Rita Trattoria. The pizza was ok and the Pisco sours (national drink of Chile) were great and the shared dessert was even greater. Cindy got a large Pisco and maybe due to the lack of sleep was kind of tipsy, in a very pleasant way. A television screen in the restaurant showed ads the whole time including a pretty funny take-off with the Mona Lisa enjoying a Red Bull.

Finally it was time to meet our group – a small one. Mike and Karen Warner from a suburb of Chicago, Joe Trapani from New York State and of course Marcelo Padua from Cuiaba, Brazil. Karen, formerly a nurse, was probably the most ardent birder, Mike, a former School Superintendent was more interested in photography and Joe, a former math teacher enjoyed both the birds and photography but was fairly laid back about both although he had been on many bird tours before. For that matter they all had traveled extensively and were all good company. Marcelo was an extremely good bird guide in addition to of course being both a wine expert and very keen on making sure that all details of the trip were carried out at a very high level – more on that in later blogs.

After meeting the group, we loaded onto our luxurious van and headed to Santiago’s Central market for our first of many fine meals with excellent wines. More on that in the next blog which will cover the first days of the tour itself, but first more on the van. There would be some changes over the trip due to some mechanical and licensing problems, but we started with a Mercedes Sprinter configured with five rows each with two seats on the drivers side and a single seat on the passenger side and an aisle in between. There was also room behind all the seats for luggage on the days that we would be moving from one hotel to another. Since there were only five of us (guide Marcelo was in the front next to the driver), there was plenty of room to spread out and move from side to side if something was spotted from the van. We followed the rotational sequence where one who was in the back the previous day would move to the front with everyone else moving a row back. There were NO seating issues during the entire trip.

I will end this introduction with some brief words about the wines. While not as well known or generally as pricey in the U.S. as Italian, French and American wines, the wines of both Argentina and Chile are highly regarded, with whites being more well known from Chile and reds from Argentina although both are produced in both places. Probably the best known and most highly regarded special wines from the area are the red Malbecs and Carmeneres, the former more so in Argentina and the latter in Chile. We had many samples of both but also had many Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blancs, Cabernets, Merlots, Cabernet Francs, and Syrahs as well as blends. They ranged from good to excellent and were always available in a seemingly endless flow. I lost track of how many wines we tried – lunches, dinners and several tastings at beautiful wineries – but know it was more than 40. There was lots of wine!

So much for background – time to bird and visit wineries. The following blogs will be mostly about the birding but will definitely include visits to some of the wineries – generally beautiful places with restaurants, tasting rooms, production and storage areas, lovely grounds, great architecture and often fun birds to go with the delicious wines and food.

My Last Day in Mexico – Feeder Foto Ops

Posted on January 1, 2024January 2, 2024 by blairbirding

After a good night’s sleep at El Cielito, it was time to start our last day. When I made the first flight reservations for the trip I had great non-stops both ways and the departure was pretty late on that last day giving us enough time for lots of birding. Unfortunately when I had to reschedule, the nonstop departing flight was not available. Instead I would have to leave several hours earlier and fly to LAX in Los Angeles and then stay overnight with an early flight back to Seattle early the next morning — the joys of international travel. But that was for later, first we headed to El Tuito and the Rancho Primavera.

The Rancho Primavera was in some ways the highlight of the trip. I have copied a description of this beautiful place from its website http://ranchoprimaveramexico.com/ with a couple of modifications to update it:

“Rancho Primavera is a quiet retreat just 1 hour south of Puerto Vallarta, but feels world’s away from the city life. Here, you’ll be treated like family by the owner Bonnie – a full time resident of the ranch who enjoys entertaining and cooking for guests. She is a bilingual American who has lived in Mexico for decades. Her family purchased this former mango and cattle ranch and proceeded to heal its overgrazed lands by planting over 5000 native trees on the 200 acres and were quickly rewarded by a return of the native birds and wildlife. Nowadays, it’s a top destination for bird-watching groups and nature lovers…Rancho Primavera is a bird-watcher’s paradise, with its restored woodlands, meadows, creeks and riparian areas supporting over 265 species of birds, including parrots, trogons, cuckoos and 16 types of hummingbirds! Birding tour groups regularly visit and cherish Rancho Primavera for its birdlife and solitude…Over 300 species of birds can be found in this region of Mexico including over 19 regional endemics such as the Citreoline Trogon, Orange-breasted Bunting, Lilac-crowned Parrot and the Mexican Woodnymph.”

We did not stay at the Rancho, but there are three homes available to rent. Were I to return to the area, I would seriously consider renting one for a week and using it as a base of operations to explore and enjoy the area. Greg had called ahead to let Bonnie know we were coming and she graciously delayed stocking the feeders until we were scheduled to arrive. We made ourselves comfortable and watched the show. And what a great show it was. We spent most of the time at the feeders by the main house with a short visit to the large pond on the property. During our two hours there, we had 44 species. Had this been the first place we visited on our trip, 40 of them would have been new year birds, and 12 would have been lifers. I don’t know how many would have been world life photos, but many would have been and beyond that the quality was extremely high. However, since we had already had 5 days of super birding, there were fewer new species, but the quality remained unmatched. There were just 3 new species for both the trip list and my year list and only 2 lifers.

Without question the most spectacular visitors to the feeders were the Magpie-jays. I had had only a brief view of a distant Black-throated Magpie-jay. This was very different with these magnificent birds very close by. So close, that with their magnificent long tails, it was at times difficult to get the whole bird in the viewfinder/photo. In Oaxaca in 2021 I had seen White-throated Magpie-jays. Adding this species was a top priority. An unexpected bonus was that there was a hybrid Black-throated/White Throated Magpie-jay among the visitors to the feeders.

**Black-throated/White-throated Magpie-jay Hybrid**

Two species that had been seen before but without photos appearing in earlier blog posts were the Streak-backed Oriole and Broad-billed Hummingbird. I had seen both in Arizona, the former quite rare and the latter quite common. Another species mentioned in earlier posts without a photo was the Cinnamon-bellied Saltator. We had wonderful views of this somewhat plain but attractive bird frequently on and around the feeders.

Similarly we had great views and photo ops for other species seen previously with some photos in earlier blogs: Cinnamon Hummingbird, Yellow Grosbeak, White-throated Thrush, Rufous-backed Robin and Golden-cheeked Woodpecker.

The birds and photo ops just kept on coming. Not new for the trip or any lists, but such treats to see and photograph were the Groove-billed Ani, White-winged and White-tipped Doves, and Masked Tityra, the latter a species I associate with tropical birding as I have seen them previously in Mexico, in Brazil, Peru, Belize, Costa Rica and Ecuador. I had missed a photo of one earlier, just nice to have one of an “old friend” again.

If we had not had such great intersections with the Military Macaws at the Sanctuary, this would have been at the top of the list. More than a half dozen visited us and gave us again spectacular views. The photo of the back shows the color mix so well. Truly awesome birds. We also had Orange Fronted Parakeets and Lilac-crowned Parrots fly over.

And then there were the lifers – rewarding and frustrating. First the frustration. In November 2020, I made a quick trip to Arizona chasing several world and/or ABA lifers or life photos. The most important was an Eared Quetzal that was being seen at Cave Creek Canyon. Other targets were a life photo of a Northern Jacana, an ABA Lifer Ruddy Ground Dove, an ABA Lifer White-eared Hummingbird and a barely possible Plain-capped Starthroat. The Jacana was easy but thrilling because I had seen only one in the ABA area before – in 1978 at Maner Lake in Texas where they were regular at the time. After that, however, they essentially disappeared from the ABA area, so this was exciting. Much harder to find was the Ruddy Ground Dove. I failed at several places where they had been seen in this incursion year and then finally got one at Fort Lowell Park in Tucson. [Interestingly we had a Ruddy Ground Dove just before getting to Rancho Primavera and the picture although REALLY poor was the only one I had of it this trip.] The Eared Quetzal was also pretty easy as I found other birders looking at it along he main road into Cave Creek. Ah, then there were the hummingbirds. A White-eared Hummingbird had been seen regularly the previous couple of weeks coming to a feeder in Ramsey Canyon. Unfortunately the regularity had declined by the time I got to Arizona. A Plain-capped Starthroat was seen there as well, but not in the last few days before I arrived.

**Ruddy Ground Dove – just before Rancho Primavera**

With another birder, I staked out feeders at the Ramsey Canyon Inn hoping for the Starthroat and White-eared Hummers.. There were lots of birds. While being essentially stationary, I had 27 species and interestingly that list included 14 species that would have been 2023 Year birds had I not gone to Mexico and 10 of the others would be additional year birds even after this trip. Back to the hummers. There were several Rivoli’s Hummingbirds, a Rufous Hummingbird and at least a half dozen Anna’s Hummingbirds, and they were the problem. Every time a hummer came to the feeder, one of the Anna’s would aggressively chase it off. This continued for the 4 hours that we were there. Lasting no more than 2 seconds, a White-eared Hummingbird came in to one of the feeders and was immediately chased off. Not a chance to get a photo. It happened once more with an even quicker assault by the Anna’s contingent. Did the Plain-capped Starthroat visit? I didn’t see it if it did. The other birder there thought maybe he had, but I think it was mind over matter and wishful thinking. In any event, that species was now on my – “I really want to see one” target list.

After maybe an hour at the Rancho Primavera feeders, Greg called out “Plain-capped Starthroat” – unfortunately, I looked for it at the closest hummingbird feeder and it had been seen – very briefly at the back feeder. Still no lifer Starthroat but now I knew where to look. There were two problems: the first was that the hummer was at best a very infrequent visitor and the second was that there were so many other birds coming in that it was impossible to watch only that feeder. Almost at the end of our stay, I exclaimed that I had the Starthroat as it perched briefly on that rear feeder at a time when I was watching it. Had I been birding through my camera which I often do, I could have gotten a photo. But I wasn’t, so I had to be happy with a really good if quick view that even showed the “star” throat – but no photo. The one below is from someone else who was either luckier or more skilled than me. But that is not the end of the story.

**Plain-capped Starthroat – Photo by Luis Vargas**

Being so close but not getting a photo of the Starthroat would have felt like a bad ending to what otherwise was an incredible visit to Rancho Primavera and that feeling would have been compounded by missing the one bird we were most looking for at this location. A Blue Mockingbird had been coming in to these feeders regularly. It would be a world lifer for me. When Bonnie met us as we arrived, she said it had been seen. There was no sign of it while we waited for almost 2 hours, and we were preparing to leave after missing the Starthroat photo, when – drumroll please – it finally made an appearance. The joy of seeing and photographing it quickly overcame any disappointment about the Starthroat which is now just a good story. I had looked forward to seeing this species the whole trip, knowing it was only likely at this spot. It was a great moment and the bird stayed and posed for quite a while.

**Blue Mockingbird’s First Appearance at the tray Feeder**

**Blue Mockingbird in a more natural setting**

There was one last stop at Rancho Primavera before we moved on. At the beautiful pond on the property we finally saw a Least Grebe, which we had surprisingly had missed at several perfect habitat locations previously. It was not a lifer as I have seen it in Texas many times and in Oaxaca in 2021 and it would be the next to last new bird for the year.

There would be two more stops before getting back to Puerto Vallarta for my return flight. The first was forested area along the Camino Sierra Paraiso and the second was back near the Military Macaw sanctuary. We tried hard but unsuccessfully to bring in a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl for a visual and tried very hard and again unsuccessfully to find a Collared Becard. Ironically, the Becard was being seen in Texas, I think an ABA first, and further ironically two species that were supposedly “guaranteed” on this trip but missed were also being seen as mega-rarities there. The two were Bare Throated Tiger Heron and Roadside Hawk. It wasn’t new for the trip but I finally got a decent photo of a Sinaloa Wren. I had seen and got the world’s worst picture of one in Arizona in February 2018. This one was much better and greatly appreciated. We also added a Common Raven to our trip list.

**Sinaloa Wren – Finally a Decent Photo**

Our final official stop in the area near the Sanctuary produced the final two birds for the trip, and another year bird and world lifer and some good photos including one of a species that was on our trip list but looking back I was not sure I had actually heard.

The new trip birds were a lifer Black Headed Siskin and a Chipping Sparrow. I was really disappointed that I missed what would of course have been a life photo of the Siskin. A small flock flew in directly overhead and I got my camera on one of the birds in the flock. Unfortunately it was a Black-throated Gray Warbler and not a Siskin. The Siskins flew off as quickly as they came in and that was that. The photo I got that made sure that the bird was really on my list was of a Russet-crowned Motmot. The best thing about this photo was that I actually saw the bird at all. In Indonesia earlier in the year I was really frustrated not being able to see many birds seen by others – especially in foliage. I simply could not focus with or without binoculars. It turned out that a film had developed on the lens implanted in cataract surgery a number of years ago. I visited an ophthalmologist who found the problem and removed it with laser surgery. The difference was immediate and positive both actually in what I could see and also emotionally as I had lost confidence in my abilities. I picked the Motmot out of pretty heavy foliage across a ravine and at least 70 yards away and was able to get the very satisfying life photo. Yes it was a colorful bird, but before the corrective surgery, there is zero chance I would have seen it.

I will close out the last birding part of the trip and the stop with three final bird photos and one short story. The three photos are of a Boat Billed Flycatcher with a large insect in that large bill, a Gray Crowned Woodpecker and another Rose Breasted Becard.

The story is about the Rose-throated Becard. As I have said repeatedly throughout my blog posts, Greg Homel was a fantastic guide and birding companion. He knew everything the about the area, the birds, habitats, calls, notes, songs, behaviors etc. He was great company with fun stories and informed views on subjects ornithological and otherwise. He was also phenomenal at locating birds and helping me to get on them. And then there was the photography. He is an exceptional photographer and not only took care to line up shots when we could but also in teaching me much about photography and my equipment. I hope and expect to engage his services again and look forward to his company and to birding with him. There was this one slip-up however, a tiny one, but magnified only because it would have been really great if it had not happened. The picture above of the Rose-throated Becard is the best one I have. The other two are a horrible distant shot from Arizona and the one from the previous day in the evening of a female or young bird in poor light. When I shot that photo, the bird was fairly distant and somewhat hidden and behind some foliage. Just as the bird came completely into the open and in great light and I was about to get what “obviously” would have been a phenomenal photo of it, Greg barely brushed my arm and by the time I recovered – not even a second, the bird was gone. If you can spend six intense days with someone and that is the sole complaint/transgression, NO BIG DEAL!!

**This is the best photo of a Rose-throated Becard I have seen.** **It is by Owen Deutsch an excellent photographer.** **At least is my mind this is what my photo would look like.** **Nice, huh!**

We made it back to Puerto Vallarta in plenty of time for my flight. My last photo was of a pretty large Crocodile at a spot near the airport where they hang out. It doesn’t make it on to my list. Here are my final numbers for the marvelous trip. Species for the trip 216; new species for the year 150 to get to 1082; new lifers 29 to get to 3273; and lots of new photos to get to get 1990ish (“ish” because my list and Ebird don’t exactly match and it is just way too much work to figure it out given how Ebird shows photo totals.).

Postscript: I got back home on December 11th. If I had no commitments for the rest of the year, I would have looked at my numbers and said – “Wow, with another 18 species I could get to 1100 for the year – not as “special” as 1000, but doubting I would ever be close to that number again, 1100 is another nice round number so why not?” And seeing a photo total of 1990 or so, I would have said – “Wow, only 10 more photos to get to a really nice number, 2000”. Well, first of all I did have lots of commitments (including relieving Cindy of dog and other responsibilities that she had shouldered alone while I was gone” and 18 more species was maybe a lot but not impossible with well planned trips, time and luck. Ten new life photos was out of the question without another foreign trip and that was out of the question. But what about 1100? Well there were commitments and I should just call it a year and tend to other matters. And that’s what I did for 10 days – happy to have gotten my thousand plus.

But on the 11th day – December 21st – I took a look at my actual list for Washington for the year and realized that there were a fair number of birds that I had just assumed I had seen, because they are so easy, but I had not. And there were some rarities still around – the itch to list and count – wanted to be scratched. I made a target list that was a little stretch and would need good luck – but was possible over on the Olympic Peninsula. The target list was Lesser Black-backed Gull (returning to the farm in Sequim where it has been seen the past 2 winters), Harlequin and Long Tailed Ducks (the first a given and the second maybe 50/50); Common Murre, and both Marbled and Ancient Murrelets (all for sure at the right place), Red Throated and Yellow-billed Loons (the first probable and the second a long shot), Herring Gull (probable with the Lesser Black-backed), White Winged Scoter (how could I have missed one this year), and American Dipper (strong possibility in Sequim, but it has been a nemesis this year, missed in several likely spots). I figured if I could get at least 10 of these 11 targets, then with one long (overnight) and one all day trip to Eastern Washington and/or maybe also a long trip to Neah Bay, I could have a chance at another 10 species – so count on 8 and Voila – 1100. (Of course my indebtedness to Cindy would grow – deal with that later.)

Not to draw out the story, I only found 7 of the targets, missing both loons, the Long Tailed Duck and yet again the damn Dipper. I swallowed my pride, recognized that it was better to be very happy with more than 1000 rather than be disappointed missing a less charismatic 1100 and quit. Four days passed and a Yellow-billed Loon was discovered about 2 miles from my home. It was very rare for the County and would be a great last bird for the year – better than a White-winged Scoter. If it was seen again the next day, I would give it a go. It was so I went the next morning and got it – a new county bird for me and everyone else who saw it )lots of people) and species 1090 for the wonderful year of 2023. I am writing this on New Year’s Day morning – so the chapter for Year 2023 is done. Time to start a new list. If the Yellow Billed Loon remains, I will go to see it. But travel this year while birdy, will be far less birdy. If it even comes close to as much fun, it will be a wonderful year.

**Yellow-billed Loon – #1090 for 2023 and #271 for Snohomish County**

Happy New year!!

Day 5 in Western Mexico – Around El Cielito

Posted on December 31, 2023January 7, 2024 by blairbirding

The little cabins at El Cielito were comfortable – well except for the croaking geckos and the chirping crickets. I know it comes with the territory but I needed sleep. Actually the geckos were pretty well behaved – going off in chorus only once, but the crickets started early and persisted. Stop complaining Blair, the setting was beautiful, hot weather was ahead but there was no rain or wind, beautiful birds awaited AND most importantly when we returned that night and I switched cabins – no wildlife – no noise!! Staff was great and it was the kind of place that Cindy would also love with views of the beach, the ocean nearby and lovely grounds. I am sure there were birds right there, but we were off again – Day 5 awaiting us.

Birding mostly in the nearby scrublands, we fairly quickly added three of the species I most wanted to see: Black Throated Magpie Jay, Golden Vireo and Orange Breasted Bunting – all lifers and I also finally got a photo of a Happy Wren. We had heard the latter before but I had never gotten a look. The view of the jays was not great and Greg promised great views later at another spot – so no picture of that one, but on my, the others. The Orange Breasted Bunting is simply spectacular – even gives Painted Bunting some competition. And the Golden Vireo is really special as well. Nifty little bird and quite the contrast from Warbling Vireo which we also saw.

**Orange Breasted Bunting Male – Lifer**

**Another Orange Breasted Bunting Male**

**Warbling Vireo – Most Common Vireo in Washington**

The Happy Wren gets its name from its truly happy sounding song, but I was not very happy when I failed to get a good look at in Oaxaca in 2021 or on the two occasions when we had heard it earlier on the trip. But I was very HAPPY when this fellow cooperated coming into the open long enough to be both admired and photographed. I continued to miss seeing Sinaloa Wren which we also heard in the area and which we had heard before as well. Greg suggested patience.

We had lots of birds – 49 species in about 2 hours with other new birds for the trip being Laughing Gull – flyby and I had seen it earlier in the year at Tokeland in Washington – a rarity there, Blue Bunting – which somehow I missed getting a photo, Lucy’s Warbler, and Black Headed Grosbeak, a species common in Washington. We had many Blue Gray Gnatcatchers adding to those seen on other days and of course many other species seen earlier in the trip.

**Lucy’s Warbler – About as Plain as It Gets**

As an aside, I note that both the Blue Gray Gnatcatcher and Lucy’s Warbler, like the Laughing Gull are rare in Washington, although the number of Gnatcatchers seems to be growing and they are seen regularly now at Neah Bay, which is also where I was present when another birder found the first state record for Lucy’s Warbler – in a terrible downpour. Painted Buntings have been seen in Washington. Lazuli Buntings breed there and Indigo Buntings are seen occasionally. So far no Varied or Blue Buntings and an Orange Breasted Bunting would draw every birder immediately.

**Varied Bunting – Somehow I Missed the Blue Bunting that was right next to it**

With apologies, I acknowledge that this is not the best approach, but I see that I omitted to mention Summer Tanagers and include photos in earlier blog posts. We did NOT see one on this leg of our journey, but hey they were almost certainly in the area. Anyhow, here is a photo of one from yesterday – maybe I will go back and edit the blog post, but since it has already been shared, maybe not. I love all tanagers in part because of their wild mix of colors. Not so with the Summer Tanager – red on red only.

We moved higher up and into more forested areas and had 63 species in the next couple of hours. Seven were new for the trip, getting us to over 200!! And six were new for the year – getting me to 1076!! The Golden Vireo and Orange Breasted Buntings had been lifers and I would add 2 more here to get to 3270!! As best I could tell there would not likely be many more ahead – unless we went high into the mountains. That would have been possible with one more day but tomorrow would be my last day and there was a great spot ahead and not enough time to get to the higher habitats and still catch my flight. The seven new species for the trip were White Bellied Wren, Ovenbird, Broad-winged Hawk, Gadwall, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Citreoline Trogon and Red Breasted Chat. The Gadwall of course was the one not new for the year and the last two were the lifers. Although we heard many Ferruginous Pygmy Owls and used its hoots to attract birds, we could never get one to come in close for a photo. Fortunately I have a photo of one in Texas at the King Ranch hotspot.

I was very pleased to get photos of the White Bellied Wren. I had seen it in Belize but no photo then. The Broad-winged Hawk disappeared as quickly as it first came in – no photo. And the Ovenbird skulked and hid as usual – no photo of it either. But there is a nice life photo of the Citreoline Trogon and a photo of the Red Breasted Chat – but you have to use your imagination. It is a gorgeous bird but stays hidden. We heard more than one during our adventure and tried really hard to get one in the open, but the best I could do was of one buried deeply in foliage – lucky even for that.

**What A Good Picture of a Red Breasted Chat Looks Like – Sadly not Mine**

We were able to have lunch and then get back to our cabins at El Cielito for a little siesta. Greg had not originally planned for a two night stay so we had to move to different cabins. Worked for me as it was gecko and cricket free. After a nice rest we were back to the birds continuing roads in the area as before. We had 36 species with nothing new but I added a couple of photos – Squirrel Cuckoo and Tropical Parula.

We then moved on to a birdy area where the river ran into the sea – so lots of waders and shorebirds. New for the trip were a Long Billed Curlew, a Reddish Egret and a Wilson’s Snipe. An unexpected new species was a Rose Throated Becard. It was hanging out with a flock of passerines that included mostly Orchard Orioles but also had Hooded Orioles, and a Golden Cheeked Woodpecker.

It was then back to El Cielito for my last night in Mexico. No crickets and no partying by neighbors. It was a good night’s sleep.

**My little home away from home at El Cielito**

At the end of day 5, the trip list was at 210 species, my world list was at 3270 and I had 1078 species for the year. It had been an incredible trip. I was sorry there was only one day left.

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blairbirding

Sharing pictures, stories, reflections of my birding adventures – past and present: great places, great people and great birds…

Author: blairbirding