In late December 2010 Cathy spent about 10 days in Ushuaia, Argentina as a participant in a scientific collecting trip to the Beagle Channel and eastern Tierra del Fuego. We took advantage of this opportunity to explore “el fin del mundo”, and tacked on a 10-day birding trip, spending time in the Argentine half of Tierra del Fuego and southern Santa Cruz Province. For the 6-day trip across Santa Cruz from Rio Gallegos to El Calafate, we hired local guide Martina McNamara to help us find some of the very localized and rare southern Argentine specialties such as Hooded Grebe and Austral Rail. Martina and her husband, Santiago Imberti, both belong to Seriema Nature Tours, a consortium of Argentine birding guides who offer a variety of customizable itineraries throughout the country (www.seriematours.com). The initial inquiries we directed to Seriema’s booking office (info@seriematours.com) went unanswered, so we ended up contacting Martina directly (mcnamara@seriematours.com) and making all of our arrangements for the 6-day tour through her. Martina was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable about the natural history of Santa Cruz, and skilled at finding the sought-after specialty birds of the region.
We flew from LAX to Buenos Aires (via Atlanta) on Delta, and then had to transfer to the domestic airport, an hour’s drive from the international airport, to connect to an Aerolineas Argentinas flight to Ushuaia. If you are not spending the night in Buenos Aires (an option), be sure to leave plenty of time for this transfer – the check-in process for our return flight to Atlanta took a full 3 hours, and even having arrived at the international airport the recommended three hours in advance we came very close to missing our flight! Our flights from Ushuaia to Rio Gallegos and El Calafate back to Ushuaia were also with Aerolineas Argentinas, and despite the company’s local reputation for unanticipated schedule changes and cancellations, we experienced no problems other than some minor delays. The Aerolineas flight schedule did, however, necessitate us doing the tour in reverse of the originally planned direction (El Calafate to Rio Gallegos) when we discovered it was not possible to fly the short distance from Rio Gallegos back to Ushuaia without going through Buenos Aires. In Ushuaia we rented a car from Hertz, the only major car rental company with a kiosk at the airport. Hertz was also considerably cheaper than other alternatives, and we were very pleased with their hassle-free service. The car, a brand-new Chevy Corsa, was a small 2-door model, but perfectly adequate for the roads around Ushuaia.
At present there is no good English-language field guide to the birds of Argentina. All of the birds we were likely to see in southern Patagonia are, however, illustrated in Jaramillo’s Birds of Chile, so this was the book we decided to take with us. The plates are quite good, and the only drawback was the lack of range information for Argentina, which occasionally left us uncertain about which species we should expect to see where.
Complete itinerary:
25 Dec – 03 Jan: Ushuaia (Cabañas del Hain) (Paul arrives on 01 Jan)
04 Jan: Fly to Rio Gallegos (Hotel Austral)
05 Jan: Rio Gallegos area (Hotel Austral)
06 Jan: Rio Gallegos to Piedra Buena (Hotel Rio Santa Cruz)
07 Jan: Piedra Buena to Estancia La Angostura
08 Jan: Estancia La Angostura to El Chalten via Strobel Plateau (Senderos Hotel)
09 Jan: Los Glaciares NP, El Chalten (Senderos Hotel)
10 Jan: El Chalten to El Calafate, fly to Ushuaia (Cabañas del Hain)
11-13 Jan: Ushuaia (Cabañas del Hain)
December 25 – January 4: Ushuaia
For 10 days Cathy was based in Ushuaia, and when not busy working had a few opportunities to do some birding, mostly along the shores of the Beagle Channel. Our self-catering accommodations (Cabañas del Hain) were located in the western part of town, from which it was only a 5 minute walk down to the shore adjacent to the mouth of the Rio Pipo. On a single visit to this area it was quite easy to see 30 or more species, making it an excellent place to become acquainted with the common birds of Tierra del Fuego. The river mouth attracted a large mixed flock (30+ individuals) of Flying and Flightless Steamer-Ducks that were present on every visit, along with many Crested Ducks, numerous pairs of Kelp Geese, a small flock of Ashy-headed Geese, and Dolphin Gulls that stopped in to bathe in the fresh water. Both Magellanic and Blackish Oystercatchers were always present here. Austral Negrito, Bar-winged Cinclodes and Long-tailed Meadowlark could usually be found along the edge of the beach, and Dark-bellied Cinclodes frequented the banks of the Rio Pipo itself. Birds that were common in the wooded and scrubby areas back from the shore and along the river included Rufous-collared Sparrow (ubiquitous throughout Patagonia), Black-chinned Siskin, Patagonian Sierra-Finch, Austral Thrush, Chilean Swallow, White-crested Elaenia and Tufted Tit-Tyrant, and on several occasions Magellanic Snipe flushed from boggy areas. We spent four days SCUBA diving around Islas Bridges, an archipelago of small islands south of the airport, where the most commonly seen birds were Kelp and Upland Geese (breeding on the islands), Imperial and Rock Cormorants, Kelp Gull, and Chilean Skua. These species plus South American Tern and occasionally Southern Giant-Petrel could also usually be seen along the waterfront in Ushuaia harbor. On one day we drove east along the Beagle Channel to the road’s terminus in Estancia Moat. Excellent views of a singing Grass Wren and a not-overly-satisfactory look at a pair of sleeping Spectacled Ducks in a pond near Estancia Harberton were the birding highlights of that trip. On another day we spent a few hours in Tierra del Fuego NP, where Thorn-tailed Rayadito and Southern House Wren were especially abundant, and three Andean Condors and a pair of Black-chested Buzzard-Eagles were a nice bonus.
Paul arrived in Ushuaia on January 1, and, official work finished, we flew to Rio Gallegos on the afternoon of January 4 to meet Martina for the start of our tour through southern Santa Cruz province.
5 January: Rio Gallegos
We started the morning on the outskirts of Rio Gallegos at the Reserva Costera Urbana, a wetland reserve run by a NGO that Martina helped to establish. Here we were fortunate to locate several Ruddy-headed Geese among a large flock of Upland Geese, and to get quick but satisfactory views of an Austral Canastero perched atop the mata verde bushes. At this site we also saw our first Chilean Flamingos, Least Seedsnipe, and Common Miners. We moved on to drive the road south towards Cabo Virgenes, along which we picked up White-bridled Finch, many Lesser Rheas and some Chocolate-vented Tyrants, and, after a bit of a search, several Rufous-chested Dotterels. We ended the afternoon at Punta Loyola, the southern side of the mouth of Rio Gallegos, where large numbers of Magellanic Penguins were in the water and standing around on sandbars. The final highlight of a good day’s birding was a “Pallid” Falcon perched on a telephone pole just on the outskirts of Rio Gallegos.
6 January: Rio Gallegos to Piedra Buena
Our first stop of the morning was the Rio Gallegos waterfront, where we found a flock of Brown-hooded Gulls and large numbers of White-rumped Sandpipers. An hour’s drive north brought us to the Coyle Estuary, where several roadside lagoons held a diverse assortment of waterfowl. Here we saw our first Coscoroba and Black-necked Swans, Speckled Teal, Red Shovelers, Red-gartered Coots and Silvery Grebes, as well as a single White-winged Coot and the only White-tufted Grebes of the trip. Along the north side of the estuary we found Gray-hooded Sierra-Finch, and, after a bit of a search, a Band-tailed Earthcreeper. There was virtually no wind and by midday it was getting quite hot – the temperature eventually reached about 30C – and we were regretting not having packed some light-weight clothing! Who’d have predicted we’d be sweating profusely in Patagonia? Up to this point we’d been doing well finding all of the key target birds, but now hit a snag as we discovered that all of the lagoons where Magellanic Plover can usually be found were dry, the consequence of a dry winter followed by a warmer-than-normal (as we were experiencing!) summer. We also couldn’t find any Patagonian Tinamous, but while scanning the roadsides we did encounter a pair of Scaly-throated Earthcreepers, several Aplomado Falcons, and a Large Hairy Armadillo. Guanacos and Lesser Rheas were also abundant along the main road, including many male rheas accompanied by chicks of varying sizes. Late in the afternoon we stopped at the Rio Santa Cruz, where we found our first Patagonian Mockingbird, Mourning Sierra-Finch, Sharp-billed Canastero, and Spectacled Tyrant. We spent the night in nearby Piedra Buena, at a basic but comfortable hotel just off the main road.
7 January: Piedra Buena to Estancia La Angostura
Today was a long driving day, and we kept ourselves occupied by continuing to scan the roadsides for tinamous. Still no luck, but we did pick up Tawny-throated Dotterels, a Common Diuca-Finch, and, in a roadside pond, several pairs of Lake Ducks. A steady rain began falling as we reached Gobernador Gregores, and we stopped for lunch, hoping the shower would have passed by the time we were ready to move on. It kept raining, however, and we had a very wet drive in to Estancia La Angostura, encountering muddy spots that were a challenge to negotiate even in Martina’s big 4WD Hilux. A couple of wet Variable Hawks were the only notable birds along the way. After arriving at Estancia La Angostura we killed some time having a cup of tea and looking around the museum-like living room, but eventually decided to just put on the raingear, drive the truck out to the marsh for shelter, and see what we could find. While sitting in the truck we easily taped Wren-like Rushbird, Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, and a Yellow-winged Blackbird into view. When the rain eased off enough to allow us to stand comfortably outside the truck, we began to try for Austral Rail. Amazingly, a rail responded almost immediately, and in less than 15 minutes we managed to get quite good views of this often very difficult-to-see species! A Silver Teal, unusual for this site, finished off the day’s birding. The weather finally cleared as we settled in for the evening’s gaucho-style lamb barbecue.
8 January: La Angostura and Strobel Plateau to El Chalten
Before breakfast we wandered back down to the marsh, getting better (dryer!) views of many of the same species we’d seen the previous evening. Martina then led us on a successful search for a roosting Magellanic Horned Owl, picking up Cordilleran Canastero along the way. We left the estancia in mid-morning to begin the quest for Hooded Grebes. Our first stop, a lagoon close to the estancia, held a large assortment of waterfowl and shorebirds including several dozen Wilson’s Phalaropes, but no Hooded Grebes or Magellanic Plovers. Next we made the long drive to the Strobel Plateau, where the first lagoon we checked was nearly dry. The second lagoon was also short of water, and a large number of birds were crowded together in a far corner where the most water remained. Fortunately, two Hooded Grebes were among the throngs of ducks, coots and swans jostling for space here. But no Magellanic Plovers (just plenty of Double-banded Plovers along the shore), so we detoured to Lago Cardiel on our way back down the plateau. The dirt access road was still too muddy to drive after the previous day’s rain, necessitating a walk of about a mile to reach the lakeshore. Our effort was rewarded by good views of a menage-a-trois of Magellanic Plovers who seemed to be engaged in either a territorial dispute or courtship contest. It was after 5 p.m. when we finally hit the road for the 3-1/2 hour drive to El Chalten. It had been a long day, but after a late (and excellent!) dinner we decided to take advantage of the fact that the sun had actually set (something we hadn’t witnessed on most nights!) to drive a short way into Los Glaciares NP to look for Rufous-legged Owl. No owls responded to the tape, but we still went to bed happy to have seen a few key species today.
9 January: Los Glaciares NP
We spent the day searching for Andean forest specialties along the road through Los Glaciares NP to Laguna del Desierto. We were fortunate to have another crystal-clear, warm day with spectacular views of Cerro Fitzroy and the surrounding peaks and glaciers. In the course of the morning we found a family of Magellanic Woodpeckers (a pair with their juvenile female offspring), several families of Chilean Flickers, White-throated Treerunner, and Magellanic Tapaculo. The afternoon was spent in an ultimately unsuccessful search for Spectacled Duck and Austral Pygmy-Owl, as well as several long-shots that can sometimes be seen in the park, Torrent Duck and Black-throated Huet-huet. Rufous-tailed Plantcutter finally put in an appearance late in the afternoon, but the biggest surprise and disappointment of the day was a total lack of Andean Condors! Martina said this was highly unusual, but assured us that we couldn’t fail to see condors on the way to El Calafate the following day.
10 January: El Chalten to El Calafate
First thing in the morning we made a return trip into the park to the Chorillo del Salto waterfall to make one last try for Austral Pygmy-Owl and Huet-huet. No luck with either, but we did score a pair of Dark-faced Ground-Tyrants below the falls. Today we finally experienced the notorious Patagonian winds, which at times made it difficult to stand, let alone to hold binoculars or camera steady, and as a consequence we saw few birds along the roadsides as we drove towards El Calafate. Hoping to locate Patagonian Yellow-Finch, a species we had missed earlier in the week, we stopped at a sheltered canyon near La Leona. A pair of yellow-finches was nesting in a crack in the cliff-face here, but we were surprised to realize they were not the species we were seeking, but were instead Greater Yellow-Finches. And despite ceaseless scanning of the horizon and several stops along the way at known roost sites, we managed to make it to the airport in El Calafate without seeing a single Andean Condor (one dark spot on the horizon required a little too much imagination to tick conscionably!). We arrived back in Ushuaia in the early evening and in the midst of a terrific windstorm that made for some pretty exciting lurches as we came over the mountains and dropped precipitously down to the airport, which sits on an island in the channel.
11 January: Martial Glacier and Beagle Channel Boat Trip
The winds that had raged throughout the night had died down by morning, and we took advantage of calm but overcast weather to visit the Martial Glacier. Rather than wait for the chairlift to open at 10 a.m., we arrived shortly after 7 a.m. and hiked the pleasant 1 km streamside trail to the top of the lift and start of the trail to the glacier. Dark-faced Ground-Tyrants were common, and once we were above treeline and within the glacial cirque we found a pair of Yellow-bridled Finches, an Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrant, and, high along the easternmost branch of the stream, a Gray-flanked Cinclodes. After several hours of searching among the scree slopes and cushion-plants without finding any signs of White-bellied Seedsnipe, we rode the chairlift back down to the nearest tea-room for some much-needed soup and hot chocolate. We took advantage of unusually calm conditions in the Beagle Channel to book an afternoon boat trip to the penguin colony at Isla Martillo. In addition to the many Magellanic Penguins, about 30 Gentoo Penguins were also present. The large catamaran we had taken had an upper deck that was a perfect platform for pelagic birding, but we were very disappointed by how few seabirds there were in the channel. Imperial Cormorants and South American Terns were abundant, and we saw several dozen Black-browed Albatross, Chilean Skuas, and a few Southern Giant-Petrels, but no Magellanic Diving-Petrels (a major blow!) and no other tube-noses except for a single Sooty Shearwater.
12 January: Garibaldi Pass and Estancia Harberton
We had read in a 2004 trip report that Garibaldi Pass, 50 km NE of Ushuaia along the main road to Rio Grande, was another reliable spot for White-bellied Seedsnipe, so we started the morning there. After spending an hour fighting our way up through dense thickets of scrubby Nothofagus, we concluded that there was no easy (or safe) way to get over to the scree slopes we could see in the distance. So we beat our way back down to the car and drove instead out the road to Estancia Harberton, hoping to re-find and get better looks at the Spectacled Ducks we had seen there the previous week. We didn’t find them, however, and the only new species we picked up along the way was a Ringed Kingfisher. We arrived back in Ushuaia late in the afternoon and paid a visit to the dump, which is on the east side of town where the main road to Rio Grande turns north into the mountains. Unfortunately the dump had just closed for the day (hours are 0830-1630), but from outside the fence we had good scope views of a fresh pile of refuse being picked over by gulls and caracaras. Three White-throated Caracaras were among the crowd.
13 January: Tierra del Fuego NP
It rained throughout the night and was still raining in the morning, so we slept in before eventually heading out to Tierra del Fuego NP in mid-morning. Showers continued on and off until mid-afternoon, and plenty of fresh snow on the mountains made us glad we hadn’t waited until today to visit the Martial Glacier! We spent the day walking trails in several areas of the park (Lapataia, Lago Roca and along the Rio Pipo), still hoping to run across Austral Pygmy-Owl and other species we hadn’t yet managed to see. A White-throated Treerunner and some perched Austral Parakeets (a species we had only seen in flight until now) were, however, the best birds we could manage throughout the day. Upon returning to Ushuaia we made another visit to the shore west of the mouth of the Rio Pipo. White-rumped and Baird’s Sandpipers were more abundant here than they had been the previous week, and we were astounded to discover a Rufous-chested Dotterel among them. We got much better, closer looks at this bird than those we had painstakingly stalked across the steppes in Rio Gallegos! We looked for this bird again unsuccessfully the next morning before heading to the airport to embark on the long journey home.
Complete trip list: Our total trip list was 114 species, and included all of the very local southern Patagonian specialties with the exception of White-bellied Seedsnipe and Patagonian Tinamou.
Lesser Rhea (Rhea pennata): common in Santa Cruz, especially in east
Black-necked Swan (Cygnus melancoryphus): 2, Tierra del Fuego NP; common in Santa Cruz
Coscoroba Swan (Coscoroba coscoroba): a few on most lakes in Santa Cruz
Upland Goose (Chloephaga picta): common throughout
Kelp Goose (Chloephaga hybrida): pairs common along shore in Ushuaia
Ashy-headed Goose (Chloephaga poliocephala): 8, Ushuaia; 3, Los Glaciares NP
Ruddy-headed Goose (Chloephaga rubidiceps): 4, Reserva Costera Urbana
Flightless Steamerduck (Tachyeres pteneres): common along shore in Ushuaia
Flying Steamerduck (Tachyeres patachonicus): common along shore in Ushuaia; 10+, Strobel Plateau
Crested Duck (Lophonetta specularioides): most common duck, especially in Ushuaia
Chiloe Wigeon (Anas sibilatrix): a few in Tierra del Fuego; common in Santa Cruz
Speckled Teal (Anas flavirostris): common in Santa Cruz
Spectacled Duck (Anas specularis): 2, near Estancia Harberton
Yellow-billed Pintail (Anas georgica): a few in Tierra del Fuego; common in Santa Cruz
Silver Teal (Anas versicolor): 1, Ea. La Angostura
Red Shoveler (Anas platalea): small numbers on lakes in Santa Cruz
Lake Duck (Oxyura vittata): 5, near G. Gregores; 10, Ea. La Angostura
Gentoo Penguin (Pygoscelis papua): ~30, Isla Martillo penguin colony
Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus): 100+ Punta Loyola; 200+, Isla Martillo
White-tufted Grebe (Rollandia rolland): 3-4 at Coyle Estuary
Great Grebe (Podiceps major): common in Rio Gallegos; pairs often seen on lakes in Tierra del Fuego
Silvery Grebe (Podiceps occipitalis): common on lakes in Santa Cruz
Hooded Grebe (Podiceps gallardoi): 2, Strobel Plateau
Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis): common on lakes in Santa Cruz
Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophris): 30+, Beagle Channel boat trip
Southern Giant-Petrel (Macronectes giganteus): 2, Rio Gallegos; common, Beagle Channel
Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus): 1, Beagle Channel boat trip
Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus): small numbers in Beagle Channel, east of Ushuaia
Rock Cormorant (Phalacrocorax magellanicus): common, Beagle Channel
Imperial Cormorant (Phalacrocorax atriceps): common, Beagle Channel and Rio Gallegos
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax): 3, Ushuaia
Black-faced Ibis (Theristicus melanopis): a few seen everywhere except El Chalten
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura): one or more seen daily in Ushuaia
Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus): 3, Tierra del Fuego NP
Cinereous Harrier (Circus cinereus): conspicuous (several breeding pairs) at Ea. La Angostura
Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus): 2, Tierra del Fuego NP; 2, Los Glaciares; 1, Ea. La Angostura
Variable Hawk (Buteo polyosoma): 3, near Ea. La Angostura
White-throated Caracara (Phalcoboenus albogularis): 3, Ushuaia dump
Southern Caracara (Caracara plancus): more common in Santa Cruz than in Ushuaia
Chimango Caracara (Milvago chimango): more common in Ushuaia than in Santa Cruz
Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis): 2, south of Piedra Buena; 1, Strobel Plateau
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus): 1, Rio Gallegos (“pallid” race)
Austral Rail (Rallus antarcticus): 1, Ea. La Angostura
White-winged Coot (Fulica leucoptera): 1, Coyle Estuary
Red-gartered Coot (Fulica armillata): common on lakes in Santa Cruz
Magellanic Oystercatcher (Haematopus leucopodus): common in Ushuaia and Rio Gallegos
Blackish Oystercatcher (Haematopus ater): fairly common along shore in Ushuaia
Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis): common, seen daily
Two-banded Plover (Charadrius falklandicus): 7, Rio Gallegos; common, Strobel Plateau
Rufous-chested Dotterel (Charadrius modestus): 4, south of Rio Gallegos; 1, Ushuaia
Tawny-throated Dotterel (Oreopholus ruficollis): 10, near G. Gregores; 4, Strobel Plateau
Magellanic Plover (Pluvianellus socialis): 3, Lago Cardiel
South American (Magellanic) Snipe (Gallinago paraguaiae): 4, Ushuaia
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca): 3, Coyle Estuary; 1, Reserva Costera Urbana; 1, Ea. La Angostura
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes): 1, Coyle Estuary
White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis): common, Rio Gallegos; 20+, Ushuaia
Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii): small numbers in Ushuaia and on lakes in Santa Cruz
Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor): several dozen at lagoon near Ea. La Angostura
Least Seedsnipe (Thinocorus rumicivorus): 5-10 daily, steppe habitat in Santa Cruz
Brown-hooded Gull (Chroicocephalus maculipennis): common, Rio Gallegos; 1, Ea. La Angostura
Dolphin Gull (Leucophaeus scoresbii): common along shore in Ushuaia
Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus): common throughout (small numbers on inland lakes)
South American Tern (Sterna hirundinacea): very common in Beagle Channel and Rio Gallegos
Chilean Skua (Stercorarius chilensis): fairly common in Beagle Channel
Rock Pigeon (Columba livia): common in Rio Gallegos
Eared Dove (Zenaida auriculata): 1-4 seen daily in Santa Cruz
Austral Parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineus): 2, Tierra del Fuego NP; 3, Los Glaciares NP
Magellanic Horned Owl (Bubo magellanicus): 1, Ea. La Angostura
Ringed Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata): 1, near Ea. Harberton
Chilean Flicker (Colaptes pitius): 10, Los Glaciares NP
Magellanic Woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus): 3, Los Glaciares NP
Common Miner (Geositta cunicularia): 4, Rio Gallegos; 3-4, Strobel Plateau
Scale-throated Earthcreeper (Upucerthia dumetaria): 2, south of Piedra Buena
Band-tailed Earthcreeper (Ochetorhynchus phoenicurus): 1, Coyle Estuary
Bar-winged Cinclodes (Cinclodes fuscus): 3+, Ushuaia shore; 3, Martial Glacier; 3, Garibaldi Pass; 1, Los Glaciares NP
Gray-flanked Cinclodes (Cinclodes oustaleti): 1, Martial Glacier
Dark-bellied Cinclodes (Cinclodes patagonicus): 3, Ushuaia; 3, Los Glaciares NP
Wren-like Rushbird (Phleocryptes melanops): 2, Ea. La Angostura
Thorn-tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda): common, Los Glaciares and Tierra del Fuego NP
Cordilleran Canastero (Asthenes modesta): 1, Ea. La Angostura; 1, Los Glaciares NP
Austral Canastero (Asthenes anthoides): 1, Reserva Costera Urbana
Sharp-billed Canastero (Asthenes pyrrholeuca): 2, Rio Santa Cruz; 3, Ea. La Angostura
White-throated Treerunner (Pygarrhichas albogularis): 1, Los Glaciares; 2, Tierra del Fuego NP
Magellanic Tapaculo (Scytalopus magellanicus): 1, Los Glaciares NP
White-crested Elaenia (Elaenia albiceps): common in wooded areas
Tufted Tit-Tyrant (Anairetes parulus): fairly common in Ushuaia; 3, Los Glaciares NP
Many-colored Rush-Tyrant (Tachuris rubrigastra): 3, Ea. La Angostura
Austral Negrito (Lessonia rufa): common throughout in open habitat
Spectacled Tyrant (Hymenops perspicillatus): common in wetland areas in Santa Cruz
Chocolate-vented Tyrant (Neoxolmis rufiventris): fairly common on steppes in Santa Cruz
Fire-eyed Diucon (Xolmis pyrope): fairly common in Los Glaciares and Tierra del Fuego NP
?Great Shrike-Tyrant (Agriornis lividus): 1, near Piedra Buena; 1, Ea. La Angostura; neither ID 100% certain
Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrant (Muscisaxicola flavinucha): 1, Martial Glacier
Dark-faced Ground-Tyrant (Muscisaxicola maclovianus): 2, Los Glaciares NP; Martial Glacier
Rufous-tailed Plantcutter (Phytotoma rara): 1, Los Glaciares NP
Blue-and-white Swallow (Pygochelidon cyanoleuca): 1-3 seen daily in Santa Cruz
Chilean Swallow (Tachycineta meyeni): very common in Ushuaia; a few seen in Santa Cruz
Correndera Pipit (Anthus correndera): 1, Ushuaia; 3, Rio Gallegos; 2, Strobel Plateau
Southern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon): very common in wooded areas
Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis): 2, Ushuaia; 1, Ea. La Angostura
Patagonian Mockingbird (Mimus patagonicus): 2-5 seen daily in Santa Cruz
Austral Thrush (Turdus falcklandii): common throughout in wooded areas
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus): common in towns and at Ea. La Angostura
Black-chinned Siskin (Carduelis barbata): common throughout
Gray-hooded Sierra-Finch (Phrygilus gayi): 8, Coyle Estuary; 2, near G. Gregores; 3, near La Leona
Patagonian Sierra-Finch (Phrygilus patagonicus): common in Tierra del Fuego
Mourning Sierra-Finch (Phrygilus fruticeti): 4, Rio Santa Cruz; 1, Strobel Plateau; 5, near La Leona
White-bridled Finch (Melanodera melanodera): 5, south of Rio Gallegos
Yellow-bridled Finch (Melanodera xanthogramma): 2, Martial Glacier
Common Diuca-Finch (Diuca diuca): 1, near Gobernador Gregores
Greater Yellow-Finch (Sicalis auriventris): 2, near La Leona
Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis): ubiquitous, common everywhere
Yellow-winged Blackbird (Agelasticus thilius): 2, Ea. La Angostura
Long-tailed Meadowlark (Sturnella loyca): 1-3 daily along Ushuaia shore and on steppes in Santa Cruz
Mammals
Large Hairy Armadillo (Chaetophractus villosus): 1, near Coyle Estuary
European Hare (Lepus europaeus): common throughout Santa Cruz
Argentine Gray Fox (Pseudalopex griseus): several daily in eastern Santa Cruz
South American Sea Lion (Otaria byronia): colony in Beagle Channel
Humboldt’s Hog-nosed Skunk (Conepatus humboldtii): 2, near G. Gregores
Commerson’s Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersoni): common in Rio Gallegos
Guanaco (Lama guanicoe): very common, steppes of Santa Cruz