October was a very productive month for my year-long challenge of reporting a new bird seen every day. El Niño-derived persistent rainfall in Bariloche seems to be becoming more intermittent, and spring has slowly settled in, with all summer migrants having reached town by the end of the month. Additionally, several trips out of town allowed me to target some fine birds and spice up my choices.
My local patch by the lake in Bariloche bursts with bird activity when the weather permits. Flying steamer duck (Tachyeres patachonicus), blue-and-white swallow (Pygochelidon cyanoleuca), Austral negrito (Lessonia rufa), plain-mantled tit-spinetail (Leptasthenura aegithaloides) and rufous-tailed plantcutter (Phytotoma rara) were some of the species I chose after walks in the area. Meanwhile, I noticed how I see fire-eyed diucons (Pyrope pyrope) less and less often in town and Austral parakeets (Enicognathus ferrugineus) more and more often in the forest, making these choices rather logical as these species move towards their breeding grounds.
Local folks Guillermo Amico and Alex de Torres were great company during outings out of Bariloche. The Patagonian steppe is covered in a green carpet splashed with shallow lagoons, where Chilean flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis) have arrived in good numbers. Red shovelers (Spatula platalea) and cinereous harriers (Circus cinereus) also obliged in the area.
Meanwhile, activity in the forest seems to have increased, with Magellanic woodpeckers (Campephilus magellanicus) busy with territorial displays in different places and on different dates. I am working on a personal quest for the Patagonian tapaculos, and finally connected with the black-throated huet-huet (Pteroptochos tarnii) after a long wait, having only briefly observed Magellanic tapaculos (Scytalopus magellanicus). The localized ochre-flanked tapaculo (Eugralla paradoxa) is alas still marked as “heard-only” in my personal records.
One of the highlights in Bariloche this month was hiking up to Refugio Frey on Cerro Catedral with friends from work. The landscape was completely covered in snow around the shelter, offering dreamy scenic views. Snow did not deter the birds, as we enjoyed great views of lifers yellow-bridled finch (Melanodera xanthogramma) and white-browed ground-tyrant (Muscisaxicola albilora).
Several short excursions out of the city delivered some of the rarest birds I have seen to date. A solo road trip through Córdoba Province brought me to the Central Sierras, where I connected with the Sierran endemics Cordoba cinclodes (Cinclodes comechingonus) and Olrog’s cinclodes (Cinclodes olrogi), among an array of Andean birds disconnected from their main populations by several hundred kilometres (read more about it here). Moving on to the Chaco, I connected with the smart Salinas monjita (Neoxolmis salinarum), one of the most range-restricted endemic birds in Argentina. Then, the large wetland of Mar Chiquita delivered poor views of James’s flamingos (Phoenicoparrus jamesi) and more obliging Dinelli’s doraditos (Pseudocolopteryx dinelliana) marking territory (read more about it here).
My friend Tati Pessano also moved to Bariloche and provided great company by joining me on all my subsequent adventures. Our first mission was to get some fieldwork done in Islote Lobos National Park (read about it here). However, a couple of days prior to fieldwork, in the surroundings of Puerto Madryn, delivered the stunning endemic Chubut steamer duck (Tachyeres leucocephalus) and the near-endemic Patagonian yellow finch (Sicalis lebruni). While we failed to see the popular orcas (Orcinus orca) at Península Valdés, we enjoyed really close encounters with southern right whales (Eubalaena australis), southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) and South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens).
Islote Lobos was rough in different aspects, but we had a blast. Among the loads of seabirds seen during our stay, Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) and snowy sheathbill (Chionis albus) were among my most wanted species. The range-restricted Hudson’s black-tyrant (Knipolegus hudsoni), sandy gallito (Teledromas fuscus) and carbonated sierra finch (Rhopospina carbonaria) were nice additions, but the real star of the show was the charismatic and threatened yellow cardinal (Gubernatrix cristata), which showed up on different occasions (read about it here).
October ended with Tati and me visiting Central Chile, aiming to get our migratory status in Argentina renewed — and connect with some local goodies. The Andean slopes in Farellones, just outside Santiago, delivered different targets, including the endemic and particularly showy (for a tapaculo!) moustached turca (Pteroptochos megapodius) and several picturesque tyrants, raptors and finches. However, finding a thick-billed siskin (Spinus crassirostris) singing loudly outside its known distribution range was one of the highlights.
Then we moved on to Quintero, where we were due to set off on a pelagic trip with Nicolás Araya from Quintero Wild. Nico kindly suggested some areas in town for us to look for penguins and sea otters (Lontra felina). While we failed to find either, we enjoyed great views of numerous Humboldt Current specialties from town. In particular, connecting with a lifelong dream bird such as the Inca tern (Larosterna inca) was greatly appreciated, even from a distance.
Luckily, we greatly improved our views of this stunner on the pelagic trip, which exceeded all expectations. Among numerous lifers and highlights, watching a magnificent northern royal albatross (Diomedea sanfordi) appear from the horizon and approach our boat a couple of times seemed hard to beat. However, right at the end of the pelagic trip, a subadult Chatham albatross (Thalassarche eremita) showed up among the other albatrosses. Having read extensively about this species, seeing it here made the encounter truly exciting. October may have ended with my bird of the month — a species I did not expect to see in South America!
October absolutely exceeded my expectations in terms of birds, as I managed to connect with most of my targets on the different short trips I went in. Here is the archive of the birds of the day for this month. As always, birds are reported in scientific, English and, in this case, Argentinian Spanish names, together with the location of each sighting.
- 1 Oct 2026: Red shoveler (Spatula platalea) pato cuchara (Bariloche, Argentina)
- 2 Oct 2026: Great kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) benteveo (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- 3 Oct 2026: Cordoba cinclodes (Cinclodes comechingonus) remolinera serrana (Quebrada del Condorito National Park, Argentina)
- 4 Oct 2026: Salinas monjita (Neoxolmis salinarum) monjita salinera (San José de las Salinas, Argentina)
- 5 Oct 2026: Dinelli’s doradito (Pseudocolopteryx dinelliana) doradito marrón (La Para, Argentina)
- 6 Oct 2026: Blue-and-white swallow (Pygochelidon cyanoleuca) golondrina barranquera (Bariloche, Argentina)
- 7 Oct 2026: Flying steamer duck (Tachyeres patachonicus) quetro volador (Bariloche, Argentina)
- 8 Oct 2026: Cinereous harrier (Circus cinereus) gavilán ceniciento (Pilcaniyeu, Argentina)
- 9 Oct 2026: Austral parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineus) cachaña (Bariloche, Argentina)
- 10 Oct 2026: Lesser rhea (Rhea pennata) choique (Esquel, Argentina)
- 11 Oct 2026: Chubut steamer duck (Tachyeres leucocephalus) quetro cabeza blanca (Rawson, Argentina)
- 12 Oct 2026: Patagonian yellow-finch (Sicalis lebruni) jilguero austral (Península Valdés National Park, Argentina)
- 13 Oct 2026: White-tipped plantcutter (Phytotoma rutila) cortarramas (Islote Lobos National Park, Argentina)
- 14 Oct 2026: Scissor-tailed nightjar (Hydropsalis torquata) atajacaminos tijera (Islote Lobos National Park, Argentina)
- 15 Oct 2026: American golden plover (Pluvialis dominica) chorlo pampa (Islote Lobos National Park, Argentina)
- 16 Oct 2026: Snowy sheathbill (Chionis albus) paloma antártica (Islote Lobos National Park, Argentina)
- 17 Oct 2026: Yellow cardinal (Gubernatrix cristata) cardenal amarillo (Islote Lobos National Park, Argentina)
- 18 Oct 2026: Carbonated sierra finch (Rhopospina carbonaria) yal carbonero (Islote Lobos National Park, Argentina)
- 19 Oct 2026: Hudson’s black tyrant (Knipolegus hudsoni) viudita chica (Las Grutas, Argentina)
- 20 Oct 2026: Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) flamenco austral (Pilcaniyeu, Argentina)
- 21 Oct 2026: Fire-eyed diucon (Pyrope pyrope) diucón (Bariloche, Argentina)
- 22 Oct 2026: Plain-mantled tit-spinetail (Leptasthenura aegithaloides) coludito cola negra (Bariloche, Argentina)
- 23 Oct 2026: Austral negrito (Lessonia rufa) sobrepuesto austral (Bariloche, Argentina)
- 24 Oct 2026: Magellanic tapaculo (Scytalopus magellanicus) churrín andino (Bariloche, Argentina)
- 25 Oct 2026: White-browed ground tyrant (Muscisaxicola albilora) dormilona ceja blanca (Bariloche, Argentina)
- 26 Oct 2026: Rufous-tailed plantcutter (Phytotoma rara) rara (Bariloche, Argentina)
- 27 Oct 2026: Snowy egret (Egretta thula) garcita blanca (Osorno, Chile)
- 28 Oct 2026: Moustached turca (Pteroptochos megapodius) turca (Farellones, Chile)
- 29 Oct 2026: Thick-billed siskin (Spinus crassirostris) cabecitanegra picudo (Farellones, Chile)
- 30 Oct 2026: Inca tern (Larosterna inca) gaviotín monja (Quintero, Chile)
- 31 Oct 2026: Chatham albatross (Thalassarche eremita) albatros de las islas Chatham (Quintero, Chile)
