My first whole month in Argentina was full of challenges but still offered goodies. Magellanic woodpecker, tapaculos, canasteros and owls obliged in Patagonia, but a trip to the coastal pampas was the cherry on top.

Coastal Buenos Aires Province produced several endemics and thousands of waders over a short trip marked by terrible weather: Hudson’s canastero, sulphur-bearded reedhaunter, Olrog’s gull and more.

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.