Three days watching birds in the Chaco woodlands produced well over 50 lifers including smart endemics: Salinas monjita, crested gallito, Dinelli’s doradito, crescentchest, xenopsaris, warbling finches or chaco sparrow.

A short visit to the cloud forests surrounding Salta offered my first-ever hummingbirds and guans, represented by attractive endemics. Yungas specialist Tucuman amazon, yungas sparrow and brushfinches followed.

My first time birding in the Neotropics involved a couple of hours walking the grasslands around Viru Viru Airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, featuring grasping looks at nothuras, tinamous and rheas.