Neuquén

Neuquén is one of the twenty-three provinces of Argentina; it is located in the west of the country, at the northern end of Patagonia. It borders Mendoza Province to the north, Rio Negro Province to the southeast, and the country of Chile to the west. It also meets La Pampa Province at its northeast corner. It covers an area of 94,078 km² (36,324 square miles) with a population of only about three-quarters of a million people, a third of whom live in the capital and largest city, also called Neuquén.

The Colorado River to the Northeast separates Neuquén from the Mendoza Province, while the Limay River to the Southeast faces the Río Negro Province, whereas the Andes mountain range to the west separates the province from Chile. The province divides into are two distinct landscapes; the mountainous fertile valleys with forest in the West, and the arid plateau with fertile land only close to the basins of the Limay and Neuquén rivers that lie to the East. Less important rivers include the Aluminé, Malleo, and Picún Leufú rivers, and there are a series of lakes including the Nahuel Huapi Lake covering 550 km², thatnis shared with the Río Negro Province, the much smaller Aluminé, Lácar, Huechulaufquen, Lolog (35 km²), Traful, Hermoso, Quillén, Ñorquinco, Tromen and Falkner lakes.

Lanin National Park – ©Natalie HG CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The province is home of the magnificent forest of Los Arrayanes National Park. Other National parks include Lanín National Park, the Nahuel Huapí National Park (shared with the Río Negro Province), and the Laguna Blanca National Park.

The weather is continental and cold, with temperate summers, and in the arid regions a wide difference in temperature between day and night. There is also a big contrast in humidity, with regular precipitations of up to 4.000 mm in some regions of the Andean part of the province.

The provinces economy is largely dependent on mining and oil and gas production.

Birding Neuquén

Although not really on the nature-watching map, birding in Neuquén Province, offers a good birding opportunities because two highly distinct ecosystems: the arid Patagonian steppe to the east and the lush Andean-Patagonian forests to the west, meet in the province. This northwestern corner of Argentine Patagonia is home to more than 300 species of birds and has accessible hotspots for seeing regional specialties like the Magellanic Woodpecker, Andean Condor, and Burrowing Parrot. Any part of the province can produce several Caracara species.

Los Arrayanes Forest – ©Linguayscriptura CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

For temperate forest birds Lanin National Park features beautiful Southern Beechwoods against dramatic volcanic backdrops like Lake Paimú. Also, the northern section of Nahuel Huapi National Park, which reaches into southern Neuquén (near Villa La Angostura), provides additional pristine temperate rainforest habitat for Magellanic Woodpecker and Austral Parakeet.

Both of which also occur in Los Arrayanes Forest, which is best for White-throated Treerunner, Patagonian Sierra-finch, Thorn-tailed Rayadito, Andean Flicker and Green-backed Firecrown.

El Tromen Provincial Park, which is situated in the rugged north near Chos Malal, has marshes and lagoons surrounding the imposing Tromen Volcano over which Andean Condor soar. It also features excellent trails for high-altitude birds like Ruby-topaz Hummingbird and wetland species like Neotropical Cormorant and Ashy-headed Goose.

Laguna Blanca National Park holds both Chilian and Andean Flamingos and many other waterbirds such as Red Shoveler, Chiloe Wigeon and both Coscoroba and Black-necked Swans.

Laguna Blanca National Park – ©ClaudioNQN CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons

The eastern plateaus are best for grassland and scrub birds like Lesser & Darwin’s Rhea, Elegant Crested-Tinamou and Upland Goose among the larger species and many small birds such as Patagonian Canastero, Scale-throated Earthcreeper, Burrowing Parakeet, Rufous-banded Miner and Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant.