My last full day of what can only be described as an amazing and successful five week trip. I left Santa Rosa about 8am and found on eBird a good birding site (Navarra Laguna) close to the capital which had the potential of a few more lifers. The long journey was really good with many roadside pools, and despite driving past most, a couple I stopped at were filled with birds. One of the top highlights were a couple of Roseate Spoonbills, obviously not the rarest bird out there but stunning to look at. Roughly two hours before Navarra the heavens opened and it stayed like this all afternoon. Once on site, I had to work my way around the entrance as the main gate was shut, but I very quickly got told to leave. I noticed the site was larger then I had anticipated and thought there could be a likely spot to creep in. I drove to the northern end of the reserve and spotted a gate that looked climbable. It was and I was in, but still the rain was pouring so the camera had to be left behind. It was worth the risk of trespassing as the area had many birds, some new and gave me my top target for the day, the Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant. In fact I saw many of these delightful gems, some showing very well. After walking one side of the reserve, I was going to call it a day but decided to carry on north, and so glad I did as a Spotted Rail was found preening in a ditch. A thunderstorm then arrived and I therefore decided to call an end to the day and the trip, arriving into Buenos Aires an hour later (now warm and sunny) to the airport hotel ready for my flight back to London tomorrow arriving early on Christmas Eve.
In six days, I've somehow driven 3150 kms.
Yesterdays blog post (updated today) can be seen below this one. That's it now for Argentina, next up will be the Antarctic Voyage
Highlights from the 81 species seen today are as follows:
Pied-billed Grebe
Southern Screamer
Fulvous Whistling Duck
Ringed Teal
Stripe-backed Bittern
Wattled Jacana
Bare-faced Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Wood Stork
Snail Kite
Plumbeous Rail
Spotted Rail
Spot-flanked Gallinule
Limpkin
Glittering-bellied Emerald
Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant - 7
Double-collared Seedeater
White-browed Blackbird
Bare-faced Ibis - when it wasn't raining
a very wet Navarra Laguna
