Birdwatching in Argentina

Birding contacts and birdwatching information



Local Birdingpal Contacts

Local Birdwatchers Using the Birdingpal resources you must agree to the following: If you contact a local Birdingpal and make arrangement to go birding, you should note it is common courtesy to make sure you show up for the appointment. If for any reason you are unable to do this, the least you must do is contacting the local Pal right away. Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club. _____________________________________________________________ We want to hear about your experiences with Birdingpals. Please contact us with any comments or suggestions you have. CONTACT US _____________________________________________________________
Shortcuts to regions: Buenos Aires Chubut Cordoba Corrientes Jujuy/Salta Mendoza Rio Negro Santa Cruz San Juan Santa Fe Tierra del Fuego Professional guides
		Initial	Last Name	Area	Available	Language
		J	Pereyra	Ciudad de Buenos Aires	Anytime	English
		My name is Javier, I have been a birdwatcher for several years. I started this activity as a hobby and it grew to become my greatest passion. I would like to share with tourists and visitors the natural beauty that Buenos Aires and its surroundings have to offer and meet people from other places who share the same passion.		Area: Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve; Vicente Lopez Natural Reserve; Ribera Norte Natural Reserve; Lago Lugano Natural Reserve; Lago de Regatas Park, and others. Area Birds:	Interests: Nature: birdwatching, twitching, photography Visit: tourist site, museum, restaurant, monument, a architecture appreciation, shop, antique, fashion
		L	Dodyk	Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires	Anytime	Spanish, English, Portugues
		I'm a naturalist. As a member of Aves Argentinas, I like sharing the areas in Buenos Aires where we are able to see a significant variety of bird species: R.E.C.S. Palermo and open areas in Buenos Aires
Professional Guides If you contact a professional Birdingpal guide you must be prepared to pay a fee for guiding services.
		First Name	Last Name	Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina	Available	Language
		Horacio Matarasso	Buenos Dias Birding	Buenos Aires, CABA, Argentina	Anytime	English, Spanish
		I'm a biologist and a passionate birder. I started birding at the high school in the '80, so I decided to study biology at Buenos Aires University to dedicate myself to ornithology and birding. I used to work at BA University and at Western Washington University in ornithology of Argentina, and later to national universities about bird and management of the environment. For 18 years I lived in Patagonia, where I was professor on Biology and Director of the Ornithology Center at Comahue National University, making census in different biogeographic habitats. Now I'm living in Buenos Aires, working as birding guide in Buenos Dias Birding, giving birding courses, and working about birds. I also colaborate in Wetlands international as memeber of the international board, in the organization of the South American Birdfair, as president of the International Comittee, and as member of Aves Argentinas / Birdlife International. I like birding and share this activity with other people I'll be glad to guide people from all the world in the places that I know and love.		Area: Buenos Aires is a great hotspot with several natural reserves and surrounded by natural areas close to downtown. You can visit here undeveloped areas,open, with diverse habitats, some patches of typical cattle raising and a very rich birdlife, huge wetlands, forests and savannas and humid grassland of the Pampas for birding outing from 1 to 4 days. Miles of dirt roads allow easy birding, alternating walking and driving, and also spotting birds from the car. The region is markedly “birdy” with abundant individuals and good levels of activity even at every season. From Buenos Aires you have completly different lanscapes to visit, like Iguazu Falls on the North, surrounded by tropical rainforests, the Andes montains at the west, Patagonia at south, and others... to think in your next trip!. Area Birds: Saffron-cowled Blackbird, Blue-and-yellow Tanager, Southern Screamer, Greater Rhea, Strange-tailed Tyrant, Red-and-green Macaw, King Penguin, Andean Flamingo, Whistling Heron, Ruddy-headed Goose, Savanna Hawk, Band-tailed Manakin, Magellanic Woodpecker, Crested Gallito, Scimitar Billed Woodcreeper, Brown Cacholote, White Monjita, Jabiru, Toco Toucan, Glittering-bellied Emerald, Roseate Spoonbill, Golden Billed Saltator, Red Crested Cardinal, Guira Cockoo, Fork Tailed and Vermilion Flycatcher, Scarlet-headed Blackbird, Ibera Seedeater and several Seedsnipes, Tapaculos, Ducks, Tinamous, Flycatcher, Tanagers and Parrots.	Interests: Nature: birdwatching, twitching, photography, butterflies, mammals and wildlife Travel: car, walk, boats, horse Visit: outdoors, nature spot, lake, ocean, reserves & national parks, museum, restaurant, vineyard, Attend: Birdfairs Participate: wine, beer
		Diego Gallegos			Anytime	English
		In 1973, when I was 12, W. H. Hudson´s delightful “Far Away and Long Ago” fell into my hands. The birds, the nature and the people in those pristine pampas of 1850 were depicted so vividly that I was forever hooked. Time passed, and in 1984, I got my university degree (equivalent to a BSc) in Biology in the University of Buenos Aires. I worked many years as the manager of the birding conservation group Asociación Ornitológica del Plata (at present known as Aves Argentinas) and at the same time, I was called to guide my first group of birdwatchers. Since then, I led many other groups from the USA, UK or Europe, and more recently also individual travellers. At present I keep guiding for local and international travel agents, but most of my clients are individuals or couples that find me in the internet and contact me directly. Meet some of them - and have a look at their bird pictures - in the Birds & People section! Married to a biology teacher, we live with our four kids in a northern suburb of Buenos Aires. We spend much of our spare time in the countryside and we take every opportunity to travel around Argentina. The birding as I see it. The experience gave me a good understanding of what makes a successful birdwatching tour, and how this can change from one person to the other. Furthermore, I understand every outing as an excellent opportunity to meet people with a shared interest in birds an nature. A common interest that usually leads to conversations in many other subjects. Despite the long time I have been guiding, I keep having the same fun I had when I guided my first group. And I love to share that joy. Kudos I had a couple of days to spare prior to a business meeting in Buenos Aires and wanted to do some birding. Not knowing where to go, how to get there or, in some cases, what I was seeing, I looked for a guide. I found Diego through an internet search and was glad I did. Over the course of a couple of days, he showed me many birds, took me to some interesting locations, found comfortable lodgings along the way and, most of all, was great company. I have birded in many countries around the world and Diego was as good an ambassador for his country and his country's avifauna as any other I have had. -Rob W., New Jersey I contacted Diego after reading about him on the Birdingpal website. We began to email each other in preparation for a trip from my home state of Florida to Buenos Aires, Argentina. When I couldn't find the book, Aves de Buenos Aires, here in Florida, Diego was able to get it for me. He picked us up (myself and my daughter) and took us to several different areas twice during the week that we birded with him. He made sure we had good looks at the birds and patiently helped us to identify them. Diego even managed to find a Golden-crowned Warbler for me, a species I had never been able to see in the U.S.A. During both trips, Diego made sure that we had food and drinks. Because I like to take photos of new birds (and I had many lifers while birding with Diego!), Diego made sure that we lingered long enough at each place for taking photos. Another reason why we enjoyed his services is that Diego is quite knowledgable about other wildlife and plants in the region, not just the bird species. If I travel to the Buenos Aires area in the future, Diego will be the first person I will call. I would highly recommend him to anyone who plans to bird there. Sincerely, I. Hernandez, Redington Shores, FL		Area: Iguazu, Missiones Within the Iguazu National Park, a jungle environment predominates, whereby the falls an immense delta with a large number of islands are in reality like a magnificent wetland area. What better combination to find birds as are water and jungle! And there is more. Some bird species can only be found near the waterfalls. The magnificent Black-fronted Piping guan, without doubt the most handsome of guans of the Neotropics, frequents the falls area. Large trees, or rocks amidst the waters, are good spots to find this bird. Neither must we forget the incredible numbers of Great Dusky Swifts, with their spectacular diving flights, their nests hidden behind the walls of falling waters, and who have rightfully become the symbol of the Iguazu National Park and can be found on the Park's badge. On checking these flocks closely and carefully, the White-collared Swift can sometimes be found among them, but it is present in small numbers only. Various swallow species can be observed near the falls, the Black-collared Swallow being the most searched after by birdwatchers. Among the aquatic vegetation you might discover the beautiful Yellow-billed Cardinal, the elusive Yellow-chinned Spinetail, and the modest Sooty Tyrannulet. Toucans, such as the Toco Toucan, or Chestnut-eared Araçarí, are quite common near the falls. With luck, even the elusive Saffron Toucanet can be seen here. Herons, among them Striated Heron and Rufescent Tiger-heron, hunt and fish among the rocks, as well as cormorants and anhingas, diving for their food. Somewhat rarer though is the Great Muscovy Duck, unmistakable in flight with its obvious white wing spots. In summer, high among the tree crowns, Swallow Tanagers amaze us with their intense blue and their notorious black mask, although the female in its green feather dress is no less attractive. The Greater Ani in its dark blue luminous dress is another summer visitor. In the early mornings we find parrots and parakeets perching and well visible in all their detailed dress, seemingly enjoying the spray produced by the falling waters. A few small raptors are also abundantly present, such as Snail Kite, which we see watching the waters intently, looking for their habitual prey, or the Yellow-headed Caracara. Less common is the Bat Falcon which can be seen catching large dragonflies but around dusk goes hunting for its preferred prey, the smaller bats. From time to time, an Osprey will also show itself.
		Francisco Cornell		Jujuy, Argentina	Anytime	English, Spanish
		Francisco Cornell was born in Buenos Aires (1972), but has lived in the Province of Jujuy, since he was 6 years old. He was always fascinated with nature, motivated by the beautiful landscapes, wildlife and incredible night skies of the Andes. He became a birdwatcher at the age of 23, and has since spent many years traveling throughout the region birding and know very well the birds of the region. Taking part in several nature conservation projects, he developed a special interest for the Andean and its threatened bird species. In 2000 he began working as a birdwatching guide, then became an official guide of the Calilegua NP and developed “Birding Jujuy” to lead people around the region. At present, he is one of the authors of the Bird Checklist of Jujuy Province (with 577 species), got a degree in tourism and is married with a beautiful daughter. Kudos Francisco guided me during my second trip to Argentina and I can recommend him as a knowable and very pleasant guide, who knows where to find the local rarities around Jujuy. Less than half an hour into our tour he spotted Torrent Ducks and Rufous-throated Dippers both lifers for me plus many more birds. Knud Rasmussen. Toronto, Canada.		Area: Buenos Aires is a great hotspot with several natural reserves and surrounded by natural areas close to downtown. You can visit here undeveloped areas,open, with diverse habitats, some patches of typical cattle raising and a very rich birdlife, huge wetlands, forests and savannas and humid grassland of the Pampas for birding outing from 1 to 4 days. Miles of dirt roads allow easy birding, alternating walking and driving, and also spotting birds from the car. The region is markedly “birdy” with abundant individuals and good levels of activity even at every season. From Buenos Aires you have completly different lanscapes to visit, like Iguazu Falls on the North, surrounded by tropical rainforests, the Andes montains at the west, Patagonia at south, and others... to think in your next trip!. Area Birds: Jujuy and Salta. Argentina's Northwest (near the Bolivian and Chilean borders) is an excellent area for birding with more than 550 bird species recorded. With very different life zones such as the high Andes (Lakes Vilama and Polulos), the pre Puna and Puna steppes (the Humahuaca area, Yavi, Lake Pozuelos included), the Yungas cloud forest (the Calilegua National Park and Yala Reserve), all within less than a 400 Km radius. Many different cultural, geological, and wildlife attractions, too. Cuesta del Obispo & Cardones National Park (Monte and cloud forest of Yungas). Santa Laura Mountain Pass - Yala Provincial Park Quebrada de Humahuaca (Prepuna and Puna). Lake Pozuelos Natural Monument (Puna). Yavi area Calilegua National Park	Interests: Nature: birdwatching
Local Information
		Name		Description		Type
		Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia				Argentina
		Local weather				Yahoo
		Aves Argentinas				Birdlife partner
		Rosario, Aves Argentinas				Club
		Reserva Costanera, Buenos Aires				Nature reserve
		Reserva Natural Puerto de la ciudad de Mar del Plata				Nature reserve
		Birding Hotspots around the world				Sites