Bird Watching

The Place

If bird watching is your passion and you are planning to visit Argentina you have now the chance to experience one of the greatest undiscovered nature spots in store for you and get the chance to enjoy your favorite outdoors activity in a face of the country that many tourists do not usually notice.

Santa Adela lodge is located in the South Eastern part of Entre Province which is “the place to go” if you are a bird watcher and you are in Buenos Aires. The distance between this hotspot and the capital city of Argentina is less than three hours by car so no domestic flights are needed to enjoy this fabulous destination.

What makes this unique area so special is not only its proximity from Buenos Aires but it’s very high diversity of species that you can find along your stay in this unbelievable region of South America that features more than 100 species of endemic birds, both local and migratory including many endangered ones among them.

The geographic characteristics of this place provide the perfect habitat for great quantity and variety of native species. Our sighting area is situated close to the Uruguay River where agriculture is booming in the highlands and it is also close to sizeable areas of wetlands, thick brush and grasslands so the bird population is simply incredible. It makes this unique birding destination second to none since it is almost impossible to find another place that combines its proximity from Buenos Aires with such an amazing bird watching. For those outdoorsmen seeking for adventures in what we call “the deep country” this trip will end up as a real discovery.

Since we manage a vast area and there are many watching spots for visiting, we will customize your trip depending on your main interest in order to be focus in your target. We can do sightings from Ceibas to Colon, it roughly covers a territory of more than 200 kilometers long by 70 kilometers wide so you have the choice to make a quick getaway directly to rich birding areas close to town (ideal for a busy travelers) or to stay a week visiting different spots that are not only excellent for birding but also great for other animals or for exploring local cultural stuff.

Tours

We are proud to organize tailored made bird watching trips according to your goals. Our bird watching programs are made for all kind of budgets and needs, from one day to a week, for all nature lovers and birdwatchers from beginners to experts. Small groups is what we prefer to manage in order to insure personal treatment and professional assistance to all the members of each party. We love nature so we put special emphasis in not disturbing the birds and nature in general and we are committed to preserve and protect our environment. We also have expertise in all flora and fauna of the area and offer custom tours for game watching.

Our game tours are planned around the mammalian and reptile highlights of our area near Buenos Aires. They include species as axis deer, wild boar, water buffalo, capybara, European hare, fox and overo lizard among many other. These tours are also guided by accomplished wildlife tour guides, and although the birding aspect of the destination will not be ignored, observing and photographing animals both large and small will be the primary focus of our attention.

In general terms, our tours begin when we pick up the guests either upon arrival to Buenos Aires Int’l airport or at their hotel in Buenos Aires city usually on early morning. We drive for the rest of it, have lunch at the lodge and then we go birding in the first afternoon until sunset. We stay at Santa Adela lodge (luxury lodging) for the number of days that you have chosen and then we take you back to Buenos Aires after lunch of the last morning when the expedition is over. All services during your stay are first class: from the careful attention of our staff, the quality of our cuisine (Argentinean quality wine & prime beef are one of the highlights at the lodge), our four-wheel-drive vehicles available in the field and the professionalism of our guides will make an unforgettable experience out of this trip.

The recommended maximum group size is eight participants with one professional guide so if we host bigger groups we manage them with at least two guides. Our itineraries are planned to maximize your birding experiences, as well as taking advantage of the major highlights of each destination – be they cultural, historical or scenic.

If you are looking for a birding adventure abroad your country but can’t getaway for long time Santa Adela lodge offers short tours for your next bird watching break for up to one week in the field. We can host you for the number of days that fit in your travel itinerary. Daily tours are also available for visitors that stay in Buenos Aires for other reasons like business, sightseeing and so on.

The Species

The bush of our area is an endless source of endemic birds’ spotting at anytime. There are a lot of specialties. Some of them are the Lark-like Brushrunner, Little Thornbird, Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper, Brown Cacholote, White-naped Xenopsaris, Yellow-throated Spinetail, Stripe-crowned Spinetail, Short-billed Canastero, Chotoy Spinetail and Tufted Tit-spinetail.

The grasslands give you good chances to spot the Argentinean cousin of the African ostrich: the Greater Rhea, such as its close relatives: the Red-winged Tinamou and the Spotted Nothura.

Since this area is plenty of permanent water Aquatic species are very abundant too with many interesting birds like the Roseate Spoonbill, the Wood Stork, Maguari Stork and Southern Screamer. Ducks as Brazilian teals, White cheek whistling ducks, Speckled teals, Silver teals, Yellow billed pintails are just few of the waterfowl species that the guests can spot in local ponds.

As for raptors, this area is also great for them with some specialties like the Savanna Hawk. Other birds available are the Striped Cuckoo, Scissor-tailed Nightjar, Nacunda Nighthawk, White-fronted Woodpecker, White Woodpecker, Great Antshrike and Yellowish Pipit. It's a great spot for Monjitas, such as the Gray Monjita, the easily seen White Monjita and the Black-crowned Monjita mainly visible in winter time.

What none of the other bird watching companies of the country can’t do is to visit the high volume doves’ roosts of this area which are really unique in the world: we spot literally millions of Eared doves (Zenaida auriculata) flying out of where they nest at sunrise or into the roost at sunset. To see this spectacular flight worth the trip by itself but if you are looking for not common species in Argentina, another highlight of a tour to this area would be an encounter with the endangered Black-and-white Monjita, or with the wonderful and also endangered Saffron-cowled Blackbird. Oher endangered species that can be found, mainly in summer time are the seedeaters. The most singular of them are the Dark-throated Seedeater, Tawny-bellied Seedeater, Chestnut Seedeater, Rufous-rumped Seedeater and Marsh Seedeater. Another rare visitor to the area during the warm months of the year is the Upland Sandpiper which is also declining in its population.

For all this, a trip to Santa Adela lodge in South East Entre Ríos is highly recommended and even a “must” if your goal is to visit a bird watching paradise in Argentina.