Kit to bring (1 Viewer)

[jalethbridge]

Hello
I am having kit dilemmas. I want to see lots of birds. But I am coming with a non-bird watcher, a good friend of mine, but unconverted. The trip is in February.
How critical is a scope? I basically have too much stuff, and cannot bring it all. If I have a scope, I always use it, and as such I am very slow and tedious to a non-birder. I am thinking it will be better to leave it behind and bring 10x bins instead of 7x, and just hope I can get closer. Instead of a scope I could bring a camera.
I will be visiting Costanera Sur, of course, and then places nearby(ish) like Ceibas and Ribera Norte (where my guide will have a scope). I am also travelling to Bariloche and San Martin, do people think I will miss not having a scope here?
I would also like some birding advice for this region. We will be doing quite a lot of walking, but also have a car to go further afield. Will the birds be very different to BA region? The only book I have is the Narovsky 15th ed.
I am very much looking forward to the trip, I have never been before, unless there are sparrows, 100% of the birds will be new!
Any advice would be helpful, I read all the reports in this section already, including a great one from Martin in Cambridge.
Cheers
Jonathan

 

[black52bird]

Hello
I am having kit dilemmas. I want to see lots of birds. But I am coming with a non-bird watcher, a good friend of mine, but unconverted. The trip is in February.
How critical is a scope? I basically have too much stuff, and cannot bring it all. If I have a scope, I always use it, and as such I am very slow and tedious to a non-birder. I am thinking it will be better to leave it behind and bring 10x bins instead of 7x, and just hope I can get closer. Instead of a scope I could bring a camera.
I will be visiting Costanera Sur, of course, and then places nearby(ish) like Ceibas and Ribera Norte (where my guide will have a scope). I am also travelling to Bariloche and San Martin, do people think I will miss not having a scope here?
I would also like some birding advice for this region. We will be doing quite a lot of walking, but also have a car to go further afield. Will the birds be very different to BA region? The only book I have is the Narovsky 15th ed.
I am very much looking forward to the trip, I have never been before, unless there are sparrows, 100% of the birds will be new!
Any advice would be helpful, I read all the reports in this section already, including a great one from Martin in Cambridge.
Cheers
Jonathan

Dear Jonathan

I just got back from 3 weeks in Argentina, based on BsAs and (for work) San Nicolas 250 km north, which is forgetable!. The Costanera Sur is great - I got 35 new spp for my life list on one day there. Ribiera Norte is not worth trying as it is closed because of flooding, which has washed masses of plastic rubbish all through the reserve. Try to get to the Otamendi Reserve 67 km north of BsAs, which is great. But go by car. I tried by local trains and it is impossible - bad information, and the condition of the second train is dreadful - no windows, and an armed guard because it goes through poor shanty-town areas, which is not great if you're carrying £1000 worth of optical equipment.
Also, I found the telescope invaluable at Costanera Sur - couldn't have done the ducks, Ibises and waders well with only my 10x binos!!

Have fun

David

 

[JCL]

Costanera is the only place where you'd get benefit from a scope. Not quite sure what you mean by going further afield; it's a big country, and the birds certainly change from one area to another. Those in Bariloche will be quite different to those at Ceibas, for example. But Narosky will cover them all.

 

[jalethbridge]

WOW, what a country

Hi
In the end took only 10x binos, and a mucho cheapo 20x scope which I didn't use very much.
Went to Ceibas, Otamendi, and of course Nahuel Huapi NP on the other side of the country. 188 species in all, of which 178 were lifers. Extraordinary trip, great birding. One thing to note is that if totally unfamiliar with the birds, Narosky is a mixed bag. Great that the maps are right there on the species pages, so you can whittle down, but the illustrations don't cut it. The Collins, with its less that ideal layout, is probably still more useful. I found the birding very slow going with the book.
Cheers
Jonathan