I am most happy to provide some comments about and reactions to my (all too brief) birding trip in November 2022 to the Provincia de Cordoba in the Chaco reagion of central Argentina.

I happened to be on business in Santiago de Chile and had five extra days available to me.  The flight from Santiago to Cordoba is only 1 hour and 20 minutes.  It made good sense to get in some extra birding.  I’m a birder with wide experience in Central and South America.  I’m also a birder with age-related loss of vision.  The single hotel we stayed at was more than adequate; it was especially appropriate, given the number of species easily seeable on the hotel grounds and in nearby locations.

Martin Toledo, the guide provided me by Beagle International, was nothing short of brilliant in the field.  His extraordinary eyes and ears made all the difference in what was necessarily a very short period of birding.  He knows the territory and its unique avifauna intimately.  His expert use of the ‘scope was such that I was always able to get on the bird quickly.  Given my vision problems, Martin’s agile use of the ‘scope was especially appreciated.  He showed both patience and persistence in bringing some particularly ‘difficult’ species into view.  In 3 ½ days of intensive birding, we saw some 120 species, of which 57 were lifers for me.

Serious world-birders would do well to consider a trip to the Province of Cordoba.  They should do everything they can to secure Martin Toledo as their guide.