Paraguay

Day 1: The tour begins this evening at our hotel in Asunción (see Note **, below). Participants traveling directly to Asunción should arrive no later than this evening.

Day 2: Following an early morning introductory meeting at our hotel, we’ll begin our journey across the Chaco to Laguna Capitán. We’re likely to notch up a surprisingly long list of spectacular species at the roadside pools along the Trans-Chaco Highway, not least among them Jabiru, Maguari, and Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbill, Plumbeous and Buff-breasted Ibis, Limpkin, Cocoi Heron, and Black-collared Hawk. 

In areas with more grass Whistling Heron, Savannah Hawk, Long-winged Harrier, Yellow-headed Caracara, Chotoy Spinetail, and Screaming and Shiny Cowbirds are all likely, while in the true palm savanna Southern Screamer, Giant Wood Rail, and Blue-crowned and Nanday Parakeets are common. Along the way we’ll stop at reedbeds for Donacobius, Olivaceous Pampa-finch (a potential split), Unicolored and Scarlet-headed Blackbirds, and, with luck, Rufous-sided Crake and some of the smaller bitterns. Night at Laguna Capitán.

Days 3-4: We’ll explore Cuenca Upper Yacaré Sur, a region of dry Chaco and salt lagoons. Birding in the Chaco is not always easy, but the rewards are great. Though our accommodation is basic, the birding is stunning. Our main aim will be to see the 18 Chaco endemics. Many of them, such as Chaco Nothura, Brushland Tinamou, Many-colored Brush-finch, Crested Hornero, and Black-capped Warbling-finch, are easy to find while others, such as Chaco Eagle, need a little luck. The real prizes are the “Chaco Big Five”: Quebracho Crested-Tinamou, Black-legged Seriema, Black-bodied Woodpecker, Chaco Owl, and Crested Gallito. 

On the saltwater lagoons we might see the last of the winter flocks of Coscoroba Swan, Chilean Flamingo, and ducks such as Brazilian and Ringed Teals, White-cheeked Pintail, three whistling-ducks, and maybe Rosybill. The surrounding habitat can hold Cream-backed Woodpecker, Olive-crowned Crescentchest, Scimitar-billed and Great Rufous Woodcreepers, and Chaco Earthcreeper.  

Chaqueño forest is a stunted, xerophytic, and often thorny affair, but it is home to a number of highly specialized species, such as Chaco Chachalaca, Chequered and White-fronted Woodpeckers, Greater Wagtail-tyrant, Solitary Cacique, Orange-backed Troupial, Short-billed Canastero, Stripe-backed Antbird, and Cinereous Tyrant. Only two nightjar species commonly occur in the Chaco—Scissor-tailed and Little—and we hope to see both, as well as Tropical Screech-Owl, Striped Owl and Chaco Pygmy Owl.

Mammals are bolder and more visible in the Chaco than anywhere else in Paraguay, and night drives may produce anything from armadillos, foxes and the rabbit-like Chaco Mara to Crab-eating Raccoon and White-lipped Peccary. There is also the chance of a Lowland Tapir or a Puma, which are more abundant here than in much of South America. Night at Laguna Capitán.

Day 5: We have an early departure to travel east through the Humid Chaco and cross the river to the Cerrados of Concepción. En route we will stop for Rufous-fronted Thornbird and Common Tody Flycatcher and maybe Pale Titi monkeys in the Humid Chaco forests. North of Concepción and we begin to pick up our first Cerrado specialities, White-rumped Monjita, Black-throated Saltator, Peach-fronted Parakeet are all straightforward and with a bit of luck we may stumble across a Pied Lapwing or a Giant Anteater along the way. Tall forests in this area may hold Grey-headed Tanager, Orange-winged Amazon and the soon to be split nominate subspecies of Olivaceous Woodcreeper. Night at Estancia Arrecife.

Day 6:  Estancia Arrecife is famous for its parrots, and we have two very large and colourful reasons for spending time here – Red and Green and Hyacinth Macaws, which breed here. Other parakeets include Monk, Nanday, Blue-crowned and Maroon-bellied. Once we have our megaticks in the bag we will explore the gallery forests on the Apa River where there is a chance of Amazonian Motmot, Blue-crowned Trogon and Bare-faced Currassow, before heading back to Concepción for a fancy dinner. Night in Concepción.

Days 7-8: We’ll continue on to Laguna Blanca, where we’ll be looking for more Cerrado birds, including White-banded Tanager, Sharp-tailed and Cock-tailed Tyrants, and Black-masked Finch. Other birds of interest are Red-winged Tinamou, White-rumped Monjita, White-rumped Tanager (at its only known site in Paraguay), Thrush-like Wren, White-eared Puffbird, Plumbeous and Chestnut Seedeaters, and Cerrado endemics Black-throated Saltator and Curl-crested Jay.

However, the real star here is the endangered White-winged Nightjar, at one of only three locations in the world where it is regularly recorded. Night birding generally is productive, and Grey Potoo and Rufous, Little, and Scissor-tailed Nightjars are all possibilities. Tropical Screech Owl and Ferruginous Pygmy Owl are among the frequently recorded owl species. After our evening of birding we’ll head back to the hotel for a late barbecue dinner. Nights in Santa Rosa de Aguaray.

Day 9: We’ll travel to the Mbaracayú Biosphere Reserve, a model private reserve in Paraguay with 70,000 hectares of pristine Atlantic Forest and Cerrado.  We’ve allowed plenty of time for exploration at this fabulous reserve, named by the World Wildlife Fund as one of the 100 most important sites for conservation on earth. We should arrive just after lunch. Night at Mbaracayú Lodge Hotel.

Days 10-11: Over 400 species of birds have been recorded in the Mbaracayú Reserve, including the vast majority of the Atlantic Forest endemics. The endangered Black-fronted Piping-guan, Bare-throated Bellbird, Black-capped Screech Owl, Saffron and Spot-billed Toucanets, and Helmeted Woodpecker are all possible, and other species of interest that are frequently recorded include Solitary Tinamou, Red-breasted Toucan, Chestnut-eared Aracari, Surucua Trogon, Blond-crested and Yellow-fronted Woodpeckers, various woodcreepers and tanagers, Streak-capped Antwren, Red-rumped Cacique, and Rufous-capped Motmot. The list could easily become very long! In the Cerrado we’ll search for specialties such as Rufous-winged Antshrike and Collared Crescentchest. Other target birds will be several of the big owls, such as Black-banded and Mottled. Nights at Mbaracayú Lodge Hotel.

Day 12: We head east to bird in a tiny but very special enclave of forest on the Paraná River adjacent to the town of Salto de Guairá. It doesn´t look like much, but this tiny blob of trees is home to five species that to date have not been recorded anywhere else in Paraguay – White-wedged Piculet, Large-billed Antwren, Ashy-headed Greenlet, Rusty-backed Spinetail and Buff-breasted Wren Night. In addition to these we’ll be hoping for Saffron-billed Sparrow, Orange-backed Troupial, Rusty-backed Antwren and Masked Tityra, as well as Yellowish Pipit on the river beaches. Night in Salto de Guairá.

Day 13: Transferring from the north of the country to the south, along the way we will stop at Salto del Monday to twitch the Great Dusky Swifts that call the waterfall home and hopefully arrive in time to see the Hooded Capuchins coming to roost close to our accommodation, serenaded by circling Short-tailed Nighthawks. Night at San Rafael National Park.

Days 14-15: In San Rafael National Park we’ll be looking for birds in the Atlantic Forest and Mesopotamian Grasslands. San Rafael is the most biodiverse reserve in the country, but our time here is limited so we’ll want to spend it wisely. We’ll be up at dawn for a forest walk with some very special birds in mind, specifically some of the more sought-after and threatened passerines of the Atlantic Forest. These include Blackish-blue Seedeater, Creamy-bellied Gnatcatcher, and Southern Bristle-tyrant. After an early lunch we’ll travel to the Kanguery grasslands, where more great species await—Russet-winged Spadebill and Saffron-cowled Blackbird are two of these, and, once the sun has gone down, Giant Snipe and (with luck) Sickle-winged Nightjar. Night birding in the forest may well deliver us Rusty-banded and Tawny-browed Owl. Our hosts, the Hostettler family, are renowned for their hospitality and delicious, hearty, home-cooked meals. Nights at San Rafael National Park.

Day 16: We’ll depart early for the rice fields of Isla Alta to look for Bearded Tachuri, Strange-tailed Tyrant, various seedeaters, and, if the rice fields are at the right height, Pinnated Bittern. We’ll then drive for a couple of hours to Ayolas, stopping at roadside marshes along the way to see what birds they hold and arriving in the town in time for a late lunch. After a rest in our hotel we’ll venture into the grasslands to search for the threatened Ochre-breasted Pipit, and as darkness falls we’ll hope to get close-up views of the stunningly bizarre Sickle-winged Nightjar, another weird mega. Night in Ayolas.

Day 17: There will be a pre-dawn excursion to the gallery forests of Yacyretá Island, where we’ll hope to see the shy Bare-faced Curassow and the secretive Pheasant Cuckoo as well as other forest birds, which will be new for the tour such as Orange-headed Tanager, Green-backed Becard and Crimson-crested Woodpecker. After picking up Grey-headed Gulls on the river and undoubtedly coming across Azara’s Agouti and Black-and-gold Howler Monkeys, we’ll return to the hotel for a late breakfast before driving back to Asunción. Night in Asunción.

Day 18: We’ll make a brief visit to Arroyos y Esteros to look for Strange-tailed Tyrant along with the newly described Iberá Seedeater. Other species of interest here include Lesser Grassfinch, Bearded Tachuri, Crested Doradito, Spotted Rail, Azure Gallinule, and Long-tailed Reedfinch. The tour concludes after lunch with flights home.

2022 Narrative

IN DETAIL: With the sun shining and an enthusiastic group ready for some top-class birding, we headed off on day one through the swamps and palm savannas of the Humid Chaco towards our destination in the Dry Chaco, Laguna Capitán. Before the day was over we had racked up close to 100 species with our roadside birding, including beauties such as Scarlet-headed Blackbird and Nanday Parakeet, icons like the Greater Rhea and Giant Wood-Rail and Chaco endemics like the Crested Hornero and Brushland Tinamou. Indeed, this year?s trip would prove to be a tinamou fest with a total of 6 species seen and 2 heard before it was over.

We had four full days in the Dry Chaco and The Chaco Big 5 were high on most people?s wish list, and the whole group was able to get great views of all of them. Black-legged Seriemas performed duets at a distance of 30 feet, the Chaco Owl posed for pictures on roadside fence posts, Crested Gallitos strutted around in the undergrowth and the Black-bodied Woodpecker finally put in a belated appearance at Enciso National Park. The fifth and final member of the exclusive club, the Quebracho Crested-Tinamou, gave us some nervous moments when half the group were able to briefly see the bird, before a gigantic passing truck scared it away. An hour or so of patient searching eventually bore fruit with a second individual and everybody was able to enjoy this remarkable bird.

A long and persistent drought in the Chaco meant that many of the salt lagoons were dry, having a negative effect on waterbird diversity (there were very few Chilean Flamingos around and not many migrant sandpipers or ducks), but there were more than enough land birds to keep us occupied. The bird life is plentiful in the Dry Chaco, and even common birds such as Blue-crowned Parakeet, Red-crested Cardinal, Great Antshrike, Stripe-backed Antbird, Lark-like Brushrunner, Brown Cacholote and Chaco Chachalaca are always worth a second look. Other Chaco endemics we became quickly familiar with included the gorgeous Many-coloured Chacofinch, the dramatic Cream-backed Woodpecker, the ear-splitting Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper, the acrobatic Cinereous Tyrant, the imposing Great Rufous Woodcreeper and the hornero-like Chaco Earthcreeper. A second crack at a frustratingly elusive pair of Olive-crowned Crescentchests finally resulted in good views for all as the bird emerged into the open within a few feet of us. The Chaco form is a likely split.

Paraguay is split almost down the middle by the Paraguay River, with the Chaco region to the west and the Oriental region to the east. The habitats in these two regions are completely different, and as we completed the Chaco leg with some additional goodies in the form of Rufous-sided Crake, Warbling Doradito, Toco Toucan, Rusty-collared Seedeater and the evocatively-named Firewood-Gatherer, there was much excitement about the whole new avifauna that awaited us in the east. Leaving behind the thorn forests and palm swamps of the Chaco, we were ready to enjoy the threatened delights of the Cerrado savannas and lush Atlantic Forests.

Our first destination was Laguna Blanca, and the rain clouds that were gathering as we set out into the Cerrado grasslands gave us a moment of trepidation. We were aware of the fact that the evening?s number one target, the endangered White-winged Nightjar, does not fly during inclement weather, so it was with fingers crossed that we birded hoping that the rain would hold off. In the end it did, apart from a light shower for a few minutes in the afternoon, and we quickly wrapped up our Cerrado endemic targets getting White-rumped and White-banded (Shrike-like) Tanager, White-rumped Monjita, Black-throated Saltator, Curl-crested Jay, Plumbeous Seedeater, numerous Cock-tailed Tyrants and Bearded Tachuri with no problem at all. Bonus birds included Lesser Elaenia, Tawny-headed Swallow, White-eared Puffbird, Pale-breasted Spinetail (ssp. albescens), dancing Streamer-tailed Tyrants and Red-winged Tinamou. By the time night fell the clear conditions were thankfully looking great for the nightjar. We had a couple of brief encounters with birds flying close to the vehicle, but a perched male out in a dense grassy field gave us a memorable point blank experience after a challenging bushwhack to get to him.

Our first forays into the mega-diverse Atlantic Forest were at the Mbaracayú Reserve. Here we were treated to mega-ticks such as “South America?s Ivorybill” the Helmeted Woodpecker, Paraguay?s national bird the Bare-throated Bellbird and the “banana aracari” Saffron Toucanet. But these weren?t the only special birds we saw, with gorgeous Atlantic Forest endemics such as Buff-bellied Puffbird, Rusty-breasted Nunlet, Surucua Trogon, Blond-crested Woodpecker and Chestnut-bellied Euphonia added to the list, and views of elusive species like Brown Tinamou, Spot-backed Antshrike, Band-tailed Manakin, Riverside Warbler and Scaled Pigeon making this a rewarding stop. Unfortunately, the low temperatures and dense cloud cover meant that night birding was not very productive. Fresh footprints of a Jaguar a few hundred metres from our accommodation block suggested that we had had a visitor during the night!

Next up was the town of Salto del Guairá, where a tiny forest on the costanera barely 100m x 100m in dimensions has been creating waves in the Paraguayan birding community. No fewer than three new birds for the country list (Ashy-headed Greenlet, Large-billed Antwren and Buff-breasted Wren) were discovered in this tiny enclave during 2022, and we made sure to add all of them to our seen list. Indeed, the birds of this tiny forest were some of the most cooperative the group had ever seen, with all of our targets quickly being ticked off and other species such as Rusty-backed Spinetail, Rusty-backed Antwren, Saffron-billed (Grey-backed) Sparrow, Large Elaenia, Orange-backed Troupial, Black-capped Donacobius, White Woodpecker, Common Tody-Flycatcher and Silver-beaked Tanager putting on a fantastic show for us at close quarters.

From here we headed south to the most biodiverse reserve in Paraguay, San Rafael National Park. Our four nights here provided a smorgasbord of new Atlantic Forest endemics: Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail, Rusty-barred Owl, Spot-billed Toucanet, Ochre-collared Piculet, Robust Woodpecker, Lesser Woodcreeper, Rufous-capped and Olive Spinetails, Ochre-breasted Foliage-gleaner, Dusky-tailed Antbird, Streak-capped Antwren, White-shouldered Fire-eye, Rufous Gnateater, Southern Bristle-Tyrant, Eared and Drab-breasted Pygmy-Tyrants, Greenish Schiffornis, Swallow-tailed Manakin, Rufous-crowned Greenlet, Ruby-crowned and Chestnut-headed Tanagers and Blackish-blue Seedeater all ticked off. However, some of the more memorable forest encounters involved a very cooperative Red-ruffed Fruitcrow and a charming pair of Blue-naped Chlorophonias collecting nest material, unconcerned by our presence. We were also able to experience the Pavonine Cuckoo.

A trip to the grasslands at Kanguery added some more top birds, the threatened Sharp-tailed Tyrant, an angry Lesser Grassfinch, odd male Pearly-bellied Seedeaters, a secretive pair of Ash-throated Crakes, Yellow-rumped Marshbirds and the cherry on the cake, large flocks of Saffron-cowled Blackbirds coming to roost in the marshes. After dark we were unsuccessful in our attempt to see Giant Snipe, the marsh where the birds usually roost having been recently burned. We had to make do with only hearing the birds roding at a distance, and seeing numerous Common Pauraques, Short-tailed Nighthawks and Burrowing Owls and Common Potoos sat on fence posts.

Our penultimate destination was Isla Yacyretá, a mix of gallery forests, swamps and grasslands with its own unique avifauna. After a quick stop at Atinguy to see the habituated Dusky-legged Guans that live there, the appearance of large flocks of Grey-headed Gull in a marsh were a surprise (this is a rare bird in Paraguay). Then we headed into the grasslands in search of the mega Ochre-breasted Pipit, seeing a breeding-plumaged bird easily and well, along with Grey Monjita, Spotted Nothura, White-tailed Hawk and Wedge-tailed Grassfinch. However, with shades of White-winged Nightjar deja-vu, gathering rain clouds hovering on the horizon looked like they might put our shot at the real star of the show, the Sickle-winged Nightjar at risk. But before we could even begin to worry about the weather, the forest guards nonchalantly announced that they had made an error with our permit and the area where the nightjar is found, was not included on the permit that they gave us! Panic ensued, but a frantic half hour of phone calls to the halls of power, and we were eventually allowed in. With poetic timing, the rain clouds parted both literally and figuratively, and the intrepid group were treated to the company of a friendly male who allowed an approach to a couple of metres, before flying off and beautifully displaying his bizarre sickle-shaped wings. A fish dinner was the perfect end to a nearly not so perfect day.

The following morning in the gallery forests on the island we added Little and Crimson-crested Woodpeckers (taking us up to a remarkable 17 species of Picids seen during the trip!), the dainty Orange-headed and Hooded Tanagers, and the not so dainty White-lined and Burnished Buff Tanagers, our final Cacique (Golden-winged), Green-backed Becard, Striped Cuckoo and the extraordinary Red-billed Scythebill. Then it was time to pack our bags and head back to Asunción for some craft beers and good company. 

Our final morning held enough potential promise to finish off a successful trip with a bang and it did not disappoint. The Arroyo y Esteros wetlands are just east of the capital city and are packed with specialities. The wonderful Strange-tailed Tyrant took a little effort with several females showing before we could find a male, the newly-described Iberá Seedeater was seen feeding young and another recent split Austral Spinetail eventually gave great views too. Other new birds such as White-headed Marsh-Tyrant, Yellow-browed Tyrant, Long-tailed Reedfinch and Bran-coloured Flycatcher also gave us a great send off. Unfortunately, a Spotted Rail that initially seemed very keen to show failed to follow through on the promise.

The trip was a resounding success, with target birds well seen, predicted numbers of lifers comfortably exceeded and over 370 species recorded despite the exceptional drought conditions. But Paraguay is not only a great destination for birders, it is also a well-known must-visit destination for mammal watchers. Though the focus was on the birds for this trip we also managed to chalk up a healthy total of 20 mammal species along the way including Puma, White-lipped Peccary, Southern Tamandua, Chaco Mara, several species of armadillo and monkey, and Tayra.

                                                                                                                                                                                         - Paul Smith

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