Bird Watching in South America

My parents, Jim and Milly, recently were able to make it down for a visit.  This was the first time my dad has been to Paraguay in almost 9 years so I was very excited to show him our ministry and home in San Francisco.  We did many things including taking a boat ride across the Paraguay river...

visiting the local fruit and vegetable market...

getting stranded on the dirt roads...

among many other things.  One of the other things I was looking forward to doing with my father was bird watching in South America.  He really enjoys admiring and identifying birds as they remind him of God's ingenuity.  The day after my parents arrived my dad turned 70 years old and his one birthday request was for a South American birdwatching book to help him identify the many new birds he would see during their visit.

After receiving his birthday gift it wasn't long before we were able to start putting the book to use.  Later that same day we boarded a rickety wooden boat with a motor that banged in the same hull where we sat.  Water was visible through the floorboards under our feet.  As we putted across the Paraguay river we spotted a loon-like waterfowl called an Anhinga.  This bird was swimming impressive distances underwater before popping up in another part of the river with this fish in his mouth.

Once we reached the far side of the river we were greeted by this brilliant Yellow Billed Cardinal.  This is the same bird in the first picture of this post.  That one is probably my favorite shot out of all of these.  I love the colors and composition... it was like God put a bird-sized spotlight on my subject just for that shot.  Moments after that picture was captured the Yellow Billed Cardinal took flight- which I also caught.

After a couple days in the city we headed south to take my parents to our home in a rural subsistence farming community.  On the way down we stopped by our camp: Campamento Yvytyrusu.  We recently had a tree planting day there were we planted about 180 trees as the property needs more shade to accommodate campers in the Paraguayan climate.  Right now some of the only large trees on the property are four towering Eucalyptus trees.  These trees are inhabited by dozens of roccus Monk Parakeets.  If you look closely their green plumage changes to an indigo blue at the tips of their wings.

Their nests are actually a massive thicket of twigs.  Some of the nests in the trees at camp are as big as an easy chair (and perhaps as comfy for the Parakeets- I can't say).  Used to seeing these boisterous birds as pets in a cage it's cool to see them flying in large flocks overhead.  They keep very busy at building their nests hauling even more twigs to reinforce and enlarge their dwellings.  From where I sit some 50 feet below it seems that they often get into fights with each other.  You always hear them before you see them- it's no wonder people can teach them to talk- they seem to have a lot to say!

Some of the other birds that are common sights in Paraguay are this type of woodpecker, a Campo Flicker...

this beautiful Heron, the Great Egret, referred to in Guarani as a Guyrati...

and this small Burrowing Owl.  The one in the picture was our neighbor's pet (which made it easier getting the picture :-).

Towards the end of my parents visit we all went to the Iguazu Falls in Argentina.  Along the way I spotted movement in a tree trunk very close to the path we were on.  A bird's head peeked out from a hole in the stump and a yellow breasted bird emerged.  Shortly after, the more colorful male also emerged, flew to a distant branch and put on a show trying to lure us away from the nest.  For about 15 minutes Toby worked hard with his Opa to identify the birds.  Toby began to whistle to the female bird which was only feet away.  To everyone's surprize the bird answered back!  While Jim thumbed through his bird book Toby chatted back and forth with the yellow breasted bird which turned out to be a Black Throated Trogon.

A little further down the path we passed by these wild looking flowers.  I know they're not birds and I don't actually know what they're called but they looked so cool I didn't want to leave them out.

While at the falls we also saw a few of these guys; the Plush Crested Jay.

Along the way we passed this bird fishing in the shallow water above the falls.  I like the colors on the water in this shot.

But the bird I was most hoping to get a picture of at the Iguazu Falls was the Toco Toucan.  During a previous visit I caught a glimpse of Toucans high up in the trees.  I quickly stopped to change to my zoom lense when I felt something warm hit arm.  I looked down to find a bright orange substance on my skin and my camera case.  Then I looked up to find this sight.

I suppose I should count myself privileged, it's not too many people that can say they've been pooped on by a Toucan!  We specifically planned our day so that we'd be higher up near the top of the falls around dusk.  We had been told that's how to find the most Toucans.  We had fought crowds all day at the Iguazu Falls but as the sun grew low in the sky and the colors changed to reds and yellows the hundreds of people disappeared and we found we had the upper trail virtually to ourselves.  The experience was surreal.  And then we caught sight of our first Toucan; he was perched on an Avocado tree above one of the falls.  Can you see him?  I also caught her in mid-flight.

I was bummed that the pictures were not clearer because the Toucan was so far away.  A little farther down the trail we spotted two more perched in a tree as the sun set...

and here are a few more parting shots of these spectacular birds!