PARAGUAY

Paraguay is the most under-watched destination in South America. The habitats vary from the dry, thorny expanse of the Chaco to the lush, humid Orient, a mosaic of Atlantic forest and cerrado – two of the most rapidly disappearing habitats on the planet. This is a tour for the adventurous birder. With so few observers active in the field, every trip brings with it the very real possibility of new discoveries. Our tours are led by Paul Smith, co-author of the forthcoming Field Guide to the Birds of Paraguay and Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Paraguay or Hugo del Castillo, co-author of the Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Paraguay and Atlas of the Birds of Paraguay.

Days 1–2 We will take a flight from London to Asunción via Brazil, arriving in the morning. After showering and getting cleaned up at our hotel in Asunción, where we will be spending the night, we will begin the birding gently with a leisurely afternoon at the Botanic Gardens. Here we might expect Purple-throated Euphonia, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Thrush-like Wren, Campo and Green-barred Flickers, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Red-crested Cardinal, Sayaca Tanager, Blue-rumped Parrotlet and Pearly-vented Tody-tyrant amongst numerous other species. There is a small dry forest reserve here where we have a chance of seeing Brown Capuchin and skulkers such as Barred Antshrike. Other species we'll be keeping an eye out for are White-barred Piculet, Greyish Saltator and, if we are lucky, Blue-crowned Trogon.

Day 3 Today we will depart early from Asunción, crossing the Rio Paraguay and entering the seasonally flooded palm savannas of the Low Chaco. We will bird the roadside pools here looking for waterbirds such as Jabiru, Southern Screamer, Plumbeous, Whistling, White-faced and Buff-necked Ibises, Black-collared Hawk, Maguari and Wood Storks and a whole host of heron species. The palm savannas are also an excellent place for Nanday Parakeet and the unusual Chaco form of Scaly-headed Parrot. Birding areas of marsh banana often brings good views of Scarlet-headed Blackbird and, with luck, Dinelli's Doradito and Least Bittern. We will stop for lunch at Pirahú to sample some of its nationally famous empanadas. As we proceed deeper into the Chaco we will notice the vegetation becoming gradually drier, thornier and more stunted. We will arrive in the Mennonite colony of Loma Plata late in the afternoon. We will spend the night here and will have time to relax before the evening meal and our night drive. Mammals can be surprisingly co-operative in the Chaco and our night drives may turn up as many as 10 species in a night. Possibilities include Three-banded and Six-banded Armadillo, Azara's and Crab-eating Foxes, Grey Brocket Deer, Geoffroy's Cat, Capybara, Coypu, Crab-eating Raccoon and three species of peccary. We will also, of course, be looking for nightbirds, not least Great Horned Owl, the Chaco endemic Chaco Owl (the first of the Chaco Big 6!), Ferruginous Pygmy-owl, Tropical Screech-owl, Scissor-tailed and Little Nightjars and Common Pauraque

Day 4 The area around Loma Plata is known as the Cuenca Upper Yacaré Sur and is one of the Important Bird Areas in the Chaco. Today we will be visiting temporary salt lagoons and the surrounding thorn scrub in search of Chaco endemic birds such as such as Black-capped Warbling-finch, Chaco Chachalaca, Cream-backed Woodpecker, Scimitar-billed and Great Rufous Woodcreeper, Crested Hornero and Larklike Brushrunner. The gorgeous Many-coloured Chaco Finch is one of the most beautiful of the Chaco endemics and, fortunately, is plentiful in some areas. Other interesting species we may come across along the way are Stripe-backed Antbird, Greater Wagtail-tyrant, Short-billed Canastero and Spot-backed Puffbird. Tinamous can be very co-operative in this area and there is a wealth of species - White-bellied Nothura, the country endemic Chaco Nothura and the Chaco endemic Brushland Tinamou being amongst the most frequently recorded. We will also look out for hordes of White-browed Blackbirds – they will be preparing to breed and we may be lucky enough to see a few males practicing their spectacular display flights!

Days 5–6 An early departure is called for as we head deep into the Chaco (almost to the Bolivian border) to the little-visited Parque Nacional Teniente Enciso and Parque Nacional Médanos del Chaco. These reserves protect large populations of the Chaco Peccary – a species known only from fossil remains until it turned up alive and well in the Paraguayan Chaco in 1976! Mammals are often encountered during the day here; in addition to the peccary, Grey Brocket Deer, Chaco Mara and even Puma are seen with some regularity. Though the harsh environment means there is less bird diversity here, this is the place where the real Chaco specialties hang out and where we hope to add more of the Chaco Big 6 to list, with Quebracho Crested-tinamou, Black-legged Seriema, Crested Gallito and Spot-winged Falconet all present. Though primarily a winter visitor, the Chaco endemic Cinereous Tyrant often hangs around too. We may be in time to catch the last of the wintering Black-crested Finches (a charismatic little bird), whilst other species such as Ringed Warbling-finch (a potential split as Chaco Warbling-finch), Little Thornbird, Brown Cacholote, Stripe-crowned Spinetail, Blue-crowned Amazon and Blue-crowned Parakeet are also likely. With some luck the majestic and threatened Crowned Eagle may be seen perching prominently on a tree-top. On our night drives in this area Chaco Owl is regularly observed, as are a large numbers of mammals, potentially including Jaguar and Giant Anteater.

Day 7 We will bird briefly after breakfast before heading back towards Loma Plata, again birding along the way. Laughing Falcon is a charismatic species often seen on telegraph poles, while it is not unusual to see the vulnerable Crowned Eagle. Numerous raptor species including Southern Caracara, American Kestrel, Savanna, Zone-tailed, Harris's, Roadside and Crane Hawks can be seen along the route. As usual we will be stopping at birding spots to try to clean up on the last of the Chaco birds. Besides the birding stops we will break up the journey with a visit to the Proyecto Tagua, a peccary breeding project where we can have a good look at the Chaco Peccary being bred for release into the wild. They also have examples of Collared and White-lipped Peccaries, giving us a chance to compare their respective characteristics and characters. Check out the bone-shuddering threat display of the White-lipped and be glad that there is a fence between us and him! This is also the spot for the last and hardest of the Big 6 Chaco birds the rare Black-bodied Woodpecker and with some patience we may be able to convince the gorgeous Olive-crowned Crescentchest to show itself. The night will be spent in Asunción.

Day 8 We have a long day ahead of us today, so we will be off early with a visit to the Campo Maria Nature Reserve, a huge salt lagoon that is a haven for migrating waterbirds. Time it right and we should see the arriving northern migrants mingling with the last of the winter waterfowl. Some Chilean Flamingos should still be around along with White-cheeked Pintail, Silver Teal, White-necked Stilt, Collared Plover, White-tufted and Silver Grebes, Ringed Teal, Rosybill and Coscoroba Swan, whilst the northern migrants usually include White-rumped, Stilt and Pectoral Sandpipers, both yellowlegs, Hudsonian Godwit and various others. Campo Maria regularly turns up new records for Paraguay, most recently Speckled and Blue-winged Teal and Yellow-billed Pintail – we will be checking the flocks out carefully! Diurnally active mammals are often encountered here, too – White-lipped Peccary, for example, is often seen. The surrounding scrub is home to Chaco endemic species like Cream-backed Woodpecker and Chaco Earthcreeper, whilst the near-threatened Greater Rhea is usually seen on the approach. From here we will head on to the city of Concepcion, birding the lush roadsides of Ruta 5 that bisect the Humid Chaco along the way.

Days 9–10 The fascinating Concepcion region is an amalgam of three biomes – Pantanal, Humid Chaco and Cerrado – that result in a unique and varied avifauna typical to this area of the country. During our time in this area we will be birding in the Parque Nacional Serranía San Luís and Parque Nacional Paso Bravo areas. Amongst the species that are special to this part of the country we will be searching for Reiser´s Tyrannulet, Planalto and Henna-capped Foliage-gleaner, Blaze-winged Parakeet, Pied Lapwing, Grey-headed Tanager, Black-banded Woodcreeper, White-bellied Warbler, Bare-faced Currasow and Blue-throated Piping-guan. Also in this area are two memorable birds that will stick in everybody's minds long after the trip is over - the frankly breathtaking Green-winged and Hyacinth Macaws. In forested areas Bare-throated Bellbird (Paraguay's national bird) and Blue-crowned Motmot are also possibilities.

Days 11–12 Departing Concepcion, our next stop is the cerrado at Estancia Laguna Blanca. With 14 globally threatened species in 2500 hectares, it is one of the country's most important sites. The near-threatened White-banded Tanager is relatively easy here, whilst Black-throated Saltator, White-rumped Tanager, Rusty-backed Antwren, Plumbeous Seedeater and White-rumped Monjita are restricted-range species in Paraguay which we will be looking for. Threatened cerrado specialities, such as Cock-tailed Tyrant, Sharp-tailed Grass-tyrant and Black-masked Finch, will be amongst our main objectives, whilst the charismatic cerrado endemic Curl-crested Jay is one of three corvid species we can expect to see here. However, at the top of our hit list is the endangered White-winged Nightjar (known to occur regularly at only three sites on Earth, two of which we will be visiting!). Night birding here is spectacular; in addition to the 'candicans' as it is known locally, Rufous, Scissor-tailed and Little Nightjars are possibilities, as is the bizarre Common Potoo.

Days 13–16 The biodiversity of the Paraguayan Atlantic Forest is simply breathtaking and it's a fact that the more time you spend in the forest, the more species you see. For this reason we will spend 4 nights at the Itabó Rivas Reserve looking for as many of the 76 Atlantic Forest endemics as we can in that time. Scale-throated Hermit, Yellow-fronted Woodpecker, Buff-bellied Puffbird, Rufous-capped Motmot, Saffron and Spot-billed Toucanets, Red-breasted Toucan, Rufous-capped Spinetail, Spot-backed Antshrike, Helmeted and Robust Woodpeckers, Ruby-crowned Tanager, Blackish-blue Seedeater, White-shouldered Fire-eye, Ochre-breasted Foliage-gleaner are just a fraction of what may turn up at this site. Night birding brings the possibility of Black-capped Screech-owl, Mottled and Black-banded Owls as well as forest nightjars such as Ocellated Poorwill and even Long-tailed Potoo. One particularly big tick here is the endangered Vinaceous Amazon, whilst this locality is also the last known location where the critically endangered Purple-winged Ground-dove was seen in Paraguay. Our time spent here will boost our species list exponentially.

Day 17 Today we head back to Asunción. There is still some birding to be done though, and some big species to see. Our stop off is at Arroyos and Esteros which is a marshy area that will get us some more new ticks before its time to head home. Yellow-rumped Marshbird, White-headed Marsh-tyrant, Dark-throated Seedeater, Long-tailed Reedfinch, Bearded Tachuri and Crested Doradito are all possibilities, but our main target is the bizarrely beautiful and threatened Strange-tailed Tyrant. Never was a bird more aptly named! We arrive in Asunción in the late afternoon/early evening for our final group dinner and a comfortable night's sleep at our hotel.

Day 18 There may be time for some sightseeing before boarding our flight back to the UK via Brazil.

Day 98 Arrival in London at the end of the tour.

General Information At this time of year expect the climate to be hot. In the Chaco it will be hot and dry, possibly with some hot, dry winds in the more remote areas of the High Chaco. Eastern Paraguay is hot and humid, with temperatures between 27–35°C most days; though at this time of year occasional cool days (down to about 16°C) are not uncommon and nights may be chilly. Sudden electrical storms are possible – it is best to prepare for all eventualities. There is no malaria in Paraguay but there are a number of special health requirements, so please consult your GP. A reasonable degree of fitness for walking is required and you should bring walking shoes. Accommodation will be in good quality hotels with en-suite facilities where these are available. Accommodation in the Chaco is basic but comfortable. Several of these rooms are available so it may be possible to arrange more private accommodation if we are the only group present. Hot water and hot meals, including asado (huge barbecues of grilled meat and a Paraguayan speciality), are available at all destinations.

Group size Minimum number for tour to go ahead: 3; maximum group size: 7 with 2 leaders.