When I was planning my time in the two days around Ushuaia, there was only one potential Tick for me: Patagonian Tyrant. I checked with one of the local Bird guides, but I was told it was unlikely that I would see any in the Ushuaia area when I was there, as they are best seen in March. Therefore, I didn't expect to see any new Birds. I had decided to hire a car for my first day in Ushuaia and to head off to the National Park for some general Birding.
National Park sign: Signs like this on nature reserves in the UK would be good with no drones, picking vegetation for fires, fishing, dogs or kayaking
My first stop was Lago Roca where there is a forest trail along the edge of the large lake.
Lago Roca: There was still a strong Force 5-6 wind blowing at dawn as I looked out of the flat window. So, it was surprising that by ten in the morning that the wind had almost totally dropped.
Lago Roca: By lunchtime, the wind had dropped completely in the National Park
My first stop was Lago Roca where there is a forest trail along the edge of the large lake. Some familiar faces popped up very quickly as I started walking: Thorn-tailed Rayadito, White-crested Elaenia, Patagonian Sierra-finch and Rufous-collared Sparrow. I knew I had some good photos from my 2023 visit of these species, so I didn't spend long photographing them, despite them being some of the commonest species along the trail.
Thorn-tailed Rayadito: This is the spinicauda subspecies which occurs in central & Southern Chile and Southern Argentina. The remaining subspecies occur on isolated islands of Chile
White-crested Elaenia: This is the chilensis subspecies which breeds from Bolivia to Tierra del Fuego. It is sometimes considered a species, but the latest AviList details it as the Southern-most subspecies of White-crested Elaenia
Patagonian Sierra-finch: This monotypic species occurs commonly from central Chile & Southern Argentina to Tierra del Fuego
Rufous-collared Sparrow: This is one of the most widespread Passerines in Latin America and consequently, I suspect many visiting Birders think they are boring. While they are common, they are also a good-looking New World Sparrow, that would be considered differently if they were a scarce species. They are also one of the first species whose song it is important to learn, otherwise, you will be chasing a lot of songsters only to eventually find they are another Rufous-collared Sparrow
Rufous-collared Sparrow: This is the subspecies which breeds from Southern Chile & Southern Argentina to Cape Horn and winters as far North as Bolivia
This Southern House Wren popped up to see what was going on.
Southern House Wren: This Southern House Wren started singing
Southern House Wren: But it quickly went back to looking for food
Southern House Wren: AviList splits the House Wren complex into Northern House Wren, Southern House Wren and five Caribbean island splits. This is the chilensis subspecies of which occurs from Southern Chile & Southern Argentina to Tierra del Fuego
It was good when this Andean Condor flew over Lago Roca.
Andean Condor: This monotypic species occurs throughout the South American Andes, as far North as Colombia
Further along the trail, there was a very approachable family party of Austral Thrushes.
Austral Thrush: Juv. This is the magellanicus subspecies which occurs South of central Chile & central Argentina. There is a second subspecies on the Falkland Islands
Austral Thrush: Juv. The spotting in the wings indicates it is a juvenile
As I continued along the trail, I heard some very loud cackling from further along the trail: I hurried on. Despite not being familiar with Argentinian Bird calls, I knew this could only be one species. I've only seen Magellanic Woodpeckers once in Los Glaciares National Park on my first trip to Argentina in 1998. I rounded a corner in the path and there was a pair checking out the trees.
Magellanic Woodpecker: Pair. This monotypic species occurs in the Nothofagus forests of South Chile & South West Argentina
Magellanic Woodpecker: Male. They are one of my favourite Woodpeckers
Magellanic Woodpecker: Male
Magellanic Woodpecker: Female
Magellanic Woodpecker: Female
As I walked back to the car, there was a lone Speckled Teal on the lake and a couple of Black-chinned Siskins feeding on the trail.
Speckled Teal: This is the nominate flavirostris subspecies which occurs from North Argentina to Tierra del Fuego, South Georgia & the Falkland Islands
Black-chinned Siskin: This monotypic subspecies occurs from Central Chile & Southern Argentina to Tierra del Fuego & the Falkland Islands
These White Dog Orchids were common Flowers on the forest floor.
Many of the trees had this good-looking Cyttaria darwinii Fungi on them. There were also quite a few trees which google has identified as False Mistletoe in them.
Cyttaria darwinii: This was a common Fungi on the trees along the trail
It was now getting close to lunchtime and I had a good morning of Ushuaian Birding. I wanted to explore a bit more of the National Park, which I will cover in the next Blog Post.
