In Search of Patagonian Mara in Argentina
Colleagues! Planning on a trip to Paraguay this July. I would like to try for an extension in to Argentina for a shot at some Patagonian Mara, my main target for that region. I see most sightings seem to be on Peninsula Valdez. iNaturalist has some a bit further north in Argentina. I am seeking inside advice about possible areas closer to Buenos Aires than P Valdez. My time is limited a bit so I am hoping to be able to find a spot closer to BA and drive down for a shot. I have advice of some locations south of P Valdez too but if I can get them north that would be awesome. ALSO – is there another reason I should go to P Valdez for other species that for example I could not see in Paraguay? July being winter makes things a bit more iffy I know. And it is not the great Orca hunting season so that would not be a great reason for the peninsula, right? Thanks in advance!
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Evan
Last year I had two or three Patagonian Mara sightings in one morning in July on the road from Viedma to Balneario El Condor, towards the southern end of that drive around -41.0123, -62.8231. I seem to remember my local friend saying he sees them almost every time he drives it. Someone else on here reported that Franciscana Dolphin was findable by watching from the nearby dunes around -41.0220, -62.7977 at high tide (they probably went a different time of year, but I imagine it might not matter). If you’re interested at all in birds, that Mara patch is also good for Greater Rhea (basically an ostrich!), while the nearby (and locally-famous) Burrowing Parrot colony at -41.0633, -62.8505 is truly impressive. This is still 11 hours of driving from Buenos Aires, but if you’re set on avoiding flights, it at least saves you a portion of the 15-hour drive from Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn, plus venturing out and around the peninsula, which I understand is an expedition in itself.
If you do plan on doing Peninsula Valdez, make sure to inquire in advance about access. Though I didn’t end up trying to get out there (didn’t have a car), I seem to remember hearing in Puerto Madryn that many of the roads on the peninsula were closed when I was passing in July – though it may have been only due to the unusually-northerly snowfall they’d just gotten (but i guess also keep that in mind as a possible spoiler).
However, you would be in the area at the right time for a mammal that you decidedly won’t be finding in Paraguay – the Southern Right Whales. They are absolutely common in the Golfo Nuevo during the winter (I was there in early July last year and there were already lots, despite the whalewatching tourism peak coming in later months). You can spot them from a distance even from the beach right in town at Puerto Madryn, but a much, much better spot is Punta Flecha and Playa Las Canteras north of town (NOT the nearby Playa El Doradillo as many people imply – these spots are all part of a greater “El Doradillo” preserve or something like that). I think it was for a couple hours either side of high tide (get a second opinion) that the whales come so close to these two points that you’d scarcely regret leaving your binoculars at home. Punta Flecha is an overlook where they occasionally go almost under you, and Playa Las Canteras is a neighboring spot where you see them just off shore at eye level (and I think more frequently than from the overlook). There are Southern Mountain Cavy at Punta Flecha as well, though I missed them.
On Peninsula Valdez, I think the major remaining non-Paraguay mammals are Southern Elephant Seal, South American Sea Lion, Guanaco, Chilla fox, and Large Hairy Armadillo. I can only imagine (from experience elsewhere) that the Guanaco and Chilla are active year-round, but I’m not sure about any of the others – I got the impression that Elephant Seal and active armadillos might be sparse or absent in the winter. If you go, check other trip reports here for details of where to look, but I seem to remember that there weren’t any reports from the winter.
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AlvaroJaramillo
The distances are huge. Flights are cheap. Fly down to Trelew or Puerto Madryn and rent a car there.