Argentine Arthropods

Easier to photograph than birds and often more plentiful, the butterflies, damselflies, moths and spiders (arthropods) that I encountered were astonishing in their variety and beauty. 

And so, as I finish my last photo-blog entry from my 2020 journey in South America, I'd like to share some of the intricate details I found in these tiny creatures.

Enjoy!

Argentine Birds

I was fortunate to see some 75 different bird species while travelling for the month of February in northern Argentina.

Not having a field guide, I relied on the help of my birding friends at Eco-portal de Piedra and also Alex Earnshaw, a relative by marriage.

Not all the birds were easy to photography but below are some of the better ones I managed to capture.

Aurora trogon

Black vulture

Black-throated mango hummingbird (same as top photo)

Buff-browed foliage gleaner

Crested caracara

Great pampa-finch

Monk parakeet

Plush-crested jay

Ruffous hornero

Spot-winged pigeon

Whistling heron

Guira cuckoo

Toco toucan

Southern lapwing (photo by Peter Jaspers-Fayer)

La California

After our family reunion, we spent a delightful day at Estancia La California, the original family ranch in Santa Fe province, hosted by our cousins Veronica and Josephine Benitz and their families. While the original building (above) is gone, it is still a working farm with dairy, soybean, corn and grains being produced.

After a traditional asado under an enormous oak tree, and a swim in the family pool, we took flowers to the family cemetary to pay our respects. 

Here are buried my father James Frank Macdonald Bell; my grandfather and grandmother; their parents and grandparents; and many other relatives as well. We had a few moments silence around my Dad's grave and I was moved to say the following: 

Dad, we lost you too soon. We’re here today to honour you and to thank you and mum. You gave us life, good health and a very good upbringing. You live on in our hearts. We will never forget you. Thank you. 

Benitz Family Reunion 2020

Every five years the descendants of William & Josephine Benitz, my grandmother's grandparents, gather for a family celebration. Five years ago we celebrated at Fort Ross, an earlier Benitz home in California.

This year, the four day reunion was held in the town of La Cumbre, in the province of Cordoba, where many Anglo-Argentine families had summer homes to escape the blistering heat of the pampas.

We had our first asado at El Rincon, a beautiful home tucked into the hills of La Cumbre. Built by Great-great Uncle Alfred in the early 20th century, it has an irrigation system cut into the surrounding rock that keeps the swimming pool fresh and sparkling, and the extensive gardens lush and green.

It's encouraging to see the younger generation taking an interest in their family history and connections that stretch to 5th cousins. 


I hope they and their children to come will join us at Fort Ross in 2025!

Colonia del Sacramento

Uruguay is just a short ferry ride away from Buenos Aires and the closest town, Colonia del Sacramento is well worth a visit.

Established as a Portuguese colony in 1680, its historic buildings, cobblestone streets and great restaurants make it worthy of a longer visit than my day-trip provided.

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires (aka BA) is a big, bustling city with a metro population of over 15 million. It's a capital city with much to admire: Beaux-Arts buildings, broad avenues and leafy green parks; it's the Paris of South America.

The old port area of La Boca is where tango dancing started in the 1880s. Its colourful building and narrow streets make it a mecca for tourists today - including me!

The night we arrived in BA there was a huge protest outside the Congress building near our hotel. Tens of thousands of young porteñas were waving their green scarves and demanding the legalization of abortion.

Our hotel was low budget but very funky (in a positive sense). Set in an old historic building with no sign on the door, the long creaking wooden staircase led to an open common area that can only be described as classic Steampunk. Fortunately we had a private, clean room with plenty of hot water for about $35 USD a night!

Iguazú

View from the Lower Trail

Our next stop was to see Las Cataratas del Iguazú, recently voted one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Even though I visited 10 years ago, these falls are so amazing that I had to come back again!

View from the Devil's Throat Trail

We took a ride on the 'Jungle Boat' and got throughly soak by the waterfalls.

They say the negative ions given off by waterfalls are very grounding.

They certainly made me feel good!

After two days in Argentine, we took a taxi to the Brazilian side for new vistas of the many falls.

A four foot cayman ws dozing by the trail

Besides being surrounded by stunning waterfalls, the parks are a great locations to see animals: toucans, caymans, lizards and so many different butterflies.

A common butterfly known locally as the '88'

Toucans were feeding in a cecropia tree

Cachi and Los Cardones

Los Cardones National Park

After our time in Las Yungas, we set off for the mountain town of Cachi. Getting there was a wild drive of switchbacks through the clouds, emerging onto to a high dessert valley of tall cacti, called Cardones. 

The veranda of Casa de Campo La Paya

Cachi is a pretty, touristic town with the usual hostels, hotels and restaurants. We decided to stay out in the countryside at Casa de Campo La Paya. After a rough 1/2 hour drive, we were pleased to be welcomed to a historic hacienda built in 1878. Our dinners in this traditional home were amazing as was the Malbec wine grown on the property! 

Peter and a friendly Casa de Campo companion dog

After two days of hiking in the hills, we set out at dawn to catch a flight from Salta to Iguazu Falls, the subject of my next post.

Below are a few more images from this fascinating part of the world.

The hills around Cachi were always changing in the brilliant desert light

A metallic green bumblebee looking for nectar at the Casa de Campo

The cardone cacti glowed in the early morning light as we drove back to Salta

Eco-portal de Piedra

In eastern Jujuy, a variety of eco-zones are waiting to be explored. We made our base in a hacienda at Eco-portal de Piedra, run by Sylvia, Carlos and their son Carlitos. All are expert birders and they helped us identify many birds by their sound: toucans, macaws, salteros, hummingbirds to name a few.

We took an ATV high into the mountains with Carlitos until a fallen tree blocked further progress. Lots of birds to see but they were small, fleeting and difficult to photograph. Finally a beautiful Aurora Trogon posed nicely on an open branch for a few  minutes. And one of the coolest things we saw was a scarab beetle pushing a ball of dung across the path! 

Another day we drove further east into the Chaco region with Sylvia and a group of birders from Portland Oregon. Their guide was excellent at spotting birds. The best one we saw was the Red-legged Seriema, a very primitive bird of the dry Chaco. 

A moth to be identified!

Probably more interesting than birds in the Yungas were the insects. So many interesting butterflies and moths. An unwelcome side effect were the biting insects. But I guess that was the price to be paid. I'll make a separate page for butterflies and another for the birds before this trip is over.