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BAHÍA DE ASUNCIÓN HALF-DAY TOUR
Introduction:
Across the bay from the capital city is this remarkable birding site, an inernationally important stopping point for waterbirds. With almost 300 species recorded here and a constantly changing cast of performers, visiting the bay is never dull, and all takes place against a backdrop of the stunning skyline of downtown Asunción. If you are in the capital and looking to chalk up a healthy bird list without straying too far from the centre, then there is no better way to do it than this. Combine it with half-day at the Botánico or Arroyos y Esteros (see below) for a full day of top notch birding.
Black Skimmer (right) Rynchops niger
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Birdfinders |
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Main Targets:
Our target on this half-day trip is to amass as big a list as possible in the allotted time.
Recommended duration:
This is a half-day tour only.
Best time to visit:
The Bahía can be visited all year round with a differing selection of birds present during the different seasons. For maximum species numbers the best time to visit is during the passage of the Nearctic migrants from September through to December.
Itinerary:
Day 1 - Departure from hotel at 5.30am, bird-watching in the Bahía de Asunción and return to hotel c11pm.
(Itineraries are subject to change according to levels of animal activity or client´s preference.)
What else might we see?:
RAMSAR site and Important Bird Area, the Bahía de Asunción is a vital stopover for migrant waterbirds during the southbound migration. During winter it also receives an influx of southern migrants, including numerous species of ducks and grebes. Despite being just a stonesthrow from the city centre some 300 species have been recorded here. "The bay" provides easy birding with a mixture of aquatic and wetland birds and over 100 species possible in a single morning at peak times of year - all against the dramatic backdrop of the City of Asunción waterfront.
Best time to visit is from September through to December when a constant stream of Nearctic migrant waders means that the Bay is frequently overflowing with waterbirds. The Bahía is of particular importance for the Near Threatened Buff-breasted Sandpiper which is easy to see here, but a host of other waders are present including Stilt Sandpiper, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, White-rumped, Baird´s and Pectoral Sandpipers, American Golden and Collared Plovers, Hudsonian Godwit, White-backed Stilt, Wattled Jacana and Wilson´s Phalarope. There are always surprises too, with species such as Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot and Semipalmated Sandpiper occasionally showing their faces, despite only a handful of records from the interior of South America.
But its not just waders that make a visit to the Bahía worthwhile. Potential raptors include Snail Kite, White-tailed Kite, Osprey, Southern Crested-Caracara and Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, whilst there are usually ducks around such as Brazilian Duck, Ringed and Silver Teal, Rosybill and if you are very lucky Red Shoveler or Comb Duck. Flocks of White-winged Coot, usually with White-tufted and Silvery Grebe in amongst them amass in winter. Large-billed and Yellow-billed Terns are always loafing on sandbanks with Neotropical Cormorants and charismatic Black Skimmers. Herons are well-represented too with numerous egrets, Cocoi Heron and Black-crowned Night-Heron amongst the most frequently seen.
Away from the water there is plenty to see. The reedbeds harbour Scarlet-headed, Unicoloured and Chestnut-capped Blackbirds, whilst South American Painted-Snipe, South American Snipe and Grey-breasted Rail are sometimes flushed. Giant Wood-Rail is a bolder reedbed inhabitant that frequently ventures out into the open. Smaller reed birds include Crested, Dinelli´s and Warbling Doraditos, Bay-capped Wren-Spinetail (in winter), Pale-breasted Spinetail and Greater Thornbird, whilst flocks of seedeaters habitually include Double-collared, White-bellied and Rusty-collared amongst others. A large number of Tyrant-flycatchers are also visible, you might expect to see Grey and White Monjita, Spectacled Tyrant, Cattle Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Tropical Kingbird, the handsome Fork-tailed Flycatcher and even the newly-described Grey-capped Tyrranulet. Other notable species that are often encountered include Saffron and Red-crested Finch, Striped Cuckoo, Yellowish Pipit, Masked Gnatcatcher, Barred Antshrike, Nacunda Nighthawk and various Hirundines such as White-rumped and Tawny-headed Swallow.
What does it include?:
The price includes pick-up from and return to Asunción hotel, accommodation, transport, food, non-alcoholic drinks and guiding fees.
It does not include travel insurance, personal expenses, alcoholic drinks or travel costs incurred before the beginning of the tour or after return to Asunción.
Combine with an afternoon at the Botanico or Arroyos y Esteros for a full day birding:
For further information or to book your tour email us at faunaparaguay@yahoo.com.ar
Grey-capped Tyrranulet Serpophaga griseicapilla
