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Birding Mar Chiquita
Tour Code: ARG07A 9-day birding tour visiting Argentina's Mar Chiquita, Chaco and Central Sierras.
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
This one-week tour explores the Mar Chiquita Lagoon and Dulce River wetland, the largest endorheic river basin in South America. Located deep in Chaco environment of central Argentina, it provides wintering grounds for more than 60% of Andean Flamingoes and around 10% of Puna Flamingoes. We will encounter flamingoes in great abundance along with a variety of interesting wildfowl.
Our itinerary will then take us to the area's saltpans, home to a beautiful endemic bird, the Salinas Monjita. We will also search the surrounding Chaco woodland for the poorly-known Spot-winged Falconet and other exciting possibilities including Red-legged and Black-legged Seriemas, the localized Black-bodied Woodpecker and the endemic Cinnamon Warbling-Finch.
Our final two days will take us up into the Central Sierras, where we hope to find endemic furnariids, such as Olrog's and Córdoba Cinclodes, Chaco Earthcreeper, Puna Canastero and Crested Hornero.
- Three species of Flamingo found in large colonies
- High abundance and diversity of wildfowl
- Lots of endemic species, including the Salinas Monjita and many furnarids
- Explore wetland, chaco woodland, saltflat and montane habitats
- Excitingly novel species list
- Winter and summer tours provide different migrant species
- Chance to get off the tourist trail
- Tour helps to support Birdfair, one of our conservation partners
Grading
Day walks only.
Mar Chiquita is 70km long and 24km across, making it the largest salt lake in South America. The lake and surrounding wetlands host huge numbers of resident and migrant birds, including half a million Wilson’s Phalarope, tens of thousands of Lesser Yellowlegs, White-rumped Sandpiper and American Golden Plover. The area also harbours endangered species, including Dot-winged Crake and Crowned Solitary Eagle. Over 60% of the global population of Vulnerable Andean Flamingos and 10% of Near-Threatened Puna Flamingos overwinter here. Recently a huge nesting colony numbering in the thousands of Near-Threatened Chilean Flamingos established themselves here.
For these reasons the area has been designated a RAMSAR site, an Important Bird & Biodiversity Area (IBA) and a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve. Unfortunately, this hasn’t secured the conservation of this important wetland, which continues to be threatened by deforestation, farming pressures, pollution and the construction of dams and irrigation channels. Aves Argentinas have been working at Mar Chiquita for many years, with the ambitious goal of gaining National Park designation. We hope that responsible tourism to the area will help demonstrate its global importance.
Our one-week tour first explores the avifauna of Mar Chiquita Lagoon and the Dulce River wetlands. Afterwards we will make our way to the Salinas Grandes saltpans where the endemic Salinas Monjita resides. We will search the surrounding Chaco woodland for Chaco (Crowned) Eagle and Spot-winged Falconet, keeping our eyes open for other exciting possibilities such as Red and Black-legged Seriema, the localized Black-bodied Woodpecker and the endemic Cinnamon Warbling-Finch. From here we will make our way higher up into the Sierras, in search for a selection of furnariids, including Olrog´s and Córdoba Cinclodes, Chaco Earthcreeper, Puna Canastero, Crested Hornero and many more.
What's Included?
- Flights
- Accommodation:
A mix of comfortable hotels
- Food:
All included
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
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