Bolivia: Endemic Macaws & More!
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BOLIVIA: ENDEMIC MACAWS & MORE! PART II: FOOTHILLS, CLOUDFORESTS & THE ALTIPLANO SEPTEMBER 28–OCTOBER 8, 2018 Male Versicolored Barbet – Photo Andrew Whittaker LEADERS: ANDREW WHITTAKER & JULIAN VIDOZ LIST COMPILED BY: ANDREW WHITTAKER VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM Bolivia continued to exceed expectations on Part 2 of our tour! Steadily climbing up into the mighty ceiling of South America that is the Andes, we enjoyed exploring many more new, different, and exciting unspoiled bird-rich habitats, including magical Yungas cloudforest stretching as far as the eye could see; dry and humid Puna; towering snow-capped Andean peaks; vast stretches of Altiplano with its magical brackish lakes filled with immense numbers of glimmering flamingoes, and one of my favorite spots, the magnificent and famous Lake Titicaca (with its own flightless grebe). An overdose of stunning Andean scenery combined with marvelous shows of flowering plants enhanced our explorations of a never-ending array of different and exciting microhabitats for so many special and interesting Andean birds. We were rewarded with a fabulous trip record total of 341 bird species! Combining our two exciting Bolivia tours (Parts 1 and 2) gave us an all-time VENT record, an incredible grand total of 656 different bird species and 15 mammals! A wondrous mirage of glimmering pink hues of all three species of flamingos on the picturesque Bolivian Altiplano – Photo Andrew Whittaker Stunning Andes of Bolivia near Soroto on a clear day of our 2016 trip – Photo Andrew Whittaker Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Bolivia Part 2, 2018 We began this second part of our Bolivian bird bonanza in the bustling city of Cochabamba, spending a fantastic afternoon birding the city’s rich lakeside in lovely late afternoon sun. Its reeded fringes were alive with the mix of exotic colors of the much-loved Many-colored Rush Tyrant as they danced to the rhythm of clicking Wren-like Rushbirds. Water birds abounded with Puna Teal, lovely Rosy- billed Pochard, Yellow-billed Teal and Pintail, Andean Ruddy Ducks, Puna Ibis, and Andean Gulls. However, best of all, we encountered the high Andean form of Silvery Grebe (to be split). Many-colored Rush Tyrant at Lake Titicaca – Photo Andrew Whittaker Serene flocks of wintering Wilson’s Phalaropes mesmerized us in wonderful light, spinning in circles and showing off their perfect reflections in the still waters. Our first full day out of Cochabamba got us off to a flying start, birding spectacular cloudforest outside the city. Here, on the lovely ridge, the Yungas forest was literally dripping with exotic, colorful bromeliads, orchids, and mosses of many kinds, and we were rewarded with a host of avian beauties! Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Bolivia Part 2, 2018 Birding the famous Yungas cloudforest – Photo Andrew Whittaker At our first stop, after another superb field breakfast, we were spinning around with so much to see including the much sought-after Hooded Mountain-Toucan (WOW); Barred Fruiteater; colorful White-collared Jay; Bar-bellied Woodpecker; two fantastic Sword-billed Hummingbirds; two lovely Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Bolivia Part 2, 2018 endemics—Orange-browed Hemispingus and Gray-bellied Flowerpiercer; Tawny-rumped Tyrannulet; and Rufous-bellied Bush-Tyrant. A magnificent pair of Blue-banded Toucanets put on a show to remember with their singing see-saw act. However, the highlight of the day was a magnificent subadult Black-and-chestnut Eagle that soared just over our heads along the forested ridge top and off into the mist—simply outstanding! A handsome male Barred Fruiteater – Photo Andrew Whittaker Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Bolivia Part 2, 2018 A stellar Blue-banded Toucanet eyes the group in the rich Yungas cloudforest – Photo Andrew Whittaker Who could ever forget the incredible kaleidoscope of colors in the mixed species tanager flocks with the likes of Chestnut-bellied, Scarlet-bellied, Hooded, and Blue-winged mountain-tanagers; Rust-and- yellow Tanager; and a superb White-eared Solitaire with its vivid colors and odd song. A Yungas Pygmy-Owl teased us from thick vegetation while we enjoyed the magical sweet songs of a group of Fulvous Wrens that showed well after playback. The endemic cool-looking Orange-browed Hemispingus – Photo Andrew Whittaker Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 Bolivia Part 2, 2018 Snow-capped Cerro Tunari dominated the magnificent scenery as we enjoyed yet another super day of birding in rich, isolated agricultural valleys and threatened highland Polylepis forests for a horde of cool endemics. The early morning found the fields jumping with birds; most noteworthy were the cool looking endemic Cochabamba Mountain-Finch and near endemic Rufous-bellied (Saltator) Mountain-Tanager—both fell quickly! Finally, at last we coaxed out the highland form of the endearing Olive-crowned Crescentchest for lovely scope studies before Julian spotted a Wedge-tailed Hillstar, which we scoped on a telephone wire. The tiny fields continued to be extremely productive. Next up were Maquis Canastero (showing well), Rock Earthcreeper, White-browed Chat-Tyrant, and to my surprise, a pair of endemic Bolivian Warbling-Finches even doing song display flights! We then gloated over Gray-hooded Parakeet, Greenish Yellow-Finch, and flashy male Black-hooded Sierra- Finches. Higher up, the Polylepis produced the endearing Tawny Tit-Spinetail, but sadly, no response from the conebills this year. The delicate Tawny Tit-Spinetail – Photo Andrew Whittaker Climbing into more breathtaking scenery of the dry Puna, which was dotted with flowering cactus, I spotted a magical Giant Hummingbird feeding its youngster in a nest balanced on top of a columnar cacti. We enjoyed stunning scope studies before a wonderful scenic lunch stop. Here at the higher elevation, the lovely meadows held an unexpected rarity, a lone White-throated Sierra-Finch amongst a flock of White-winged Diuca-Finches. We had entered into the land of flocks of Llamas and quickly found Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, our first Andean Geese, Crested Ducks, Cinereous Ground- Tyrants, Cream-winged Cinclodes, Streak-fronted Thornbird, and Cordilleran Canastero. Midafternoon found us returning after a great day of birding through remarkably beautiful fields of colorful cultivated flowers, such as sweetly scented Carnations and Alstromeira, to our nice hotel, and later enjoying a great dinner. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 7 Bolivia Part 2, 2018 Giant Hummingbird nestling on cactus – Photo Andrew Whittaker The next day we departed early from Cochabamba, traveling up through mile after mile of breathtaking mountain scenery to our destination, the vivid high grass plains of the stunning Bolivian Altiplano. Birding stops en route provided us with endemic Bolivian Blackbird, Rufous-sided Warbling- Finch, the incredible Red-tailed Comet, and a huge Giant Hummingbird taking a bath. Nearing the Altiplano, we visited an isolated valley in the stark dry Puna with low scrub where we enjoyed stellar views of Andean Flicker, Black Siskin, flocks of Bright-rumped Yellow-Finches, White-Browed and Rufous-naped ground-tyrants, the localized d’Orbigny’s Chat-Tyrant, Puna Canastero, and Brent even spotted a Mountain Caracara on a nest. After an exceptional picnic lunch, we entered the Altiplano. Sadly, our backdrop of snow-capped Sajama volcano at a staggering 21,463 ft (6,542 m) in the distance was hidden this year by low clouds. Just before arriving at our destination of Oruro, I spotted a lovely pair of striking black-and-white Andean Avocets. We stopped and enjoyed observing them with their tiny 2–3-day-old chicks, as the female was brooding them, and we also nailed our first cool-looking terrestrial Andean Negritos. After settling into our hotel we took a short drive to enjoy the lovely evening sun, birding at the nearby Lake Uru Uru. Here we were treated to an incredible spectacle of huge numbers of flamingos (all three species) and other waterfowl, herons, and shorebirds putting on a spectacular display! The night was in our comfortable hotel in front of the historic town square of this mining community where we enjoyed a nice change—pizza and delicious ice cream! Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 8 Bolivia Part 2, 2018 Showy cactus flowers on the immense Bolivian Altiplano – Photo Andrew Whittaker An early start found us departing our hotel and exploring a nearby rich cactus-clad valley, the highlight being fantastic studies of a confiding Ornate Tinamou and Aplomado Falcon! Other finds were lovely flocks of colorful Hooded Siskins, Mountain Parakeets, Brown-backed Mockingbird, Spot- Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 9 Bolivia Part 2, 2018 winged Pigeon, Brown-capped Tit-Spinetail, and Rufous-naped and Spot-billed ground-tyrants. However, sadly this year the Andean Hillstar gave us a hard time with just quick fly-bys. Later we enjoyed again the vibrant pinks of thousands of flamingos: Chilean, Andean, and James’s stretching as far as the eye could see into the distance. We found our remaining target, getting stellar views of the localized and neat-looking Puna Plover among masses of migrant Baird’s Sandipers. I even found 4 extremely lost (and mega rare here in Bolivia) Semipalmated Plovers! Saying goodbye to this amazing spectacle, we had a lovely meal before we drove to and through the crazy and unique city that is La Paz and beyond, soon reaching the famous and stunning Lake Titicaca. However, our socks were knocked off en route when we enjoyed beautiful scope looks at the endemic Black-hooded Sunbeam, which simply must be one of the most spectacular of all hummers! An Ornate Tinamou showed well in the dry Puna – Photo Andrew Whittaker We arrived midafternoon at our lovely lakeside hotel on this famous high-altitude Lake Titicaca. After a short rest we explored the reed-edged lake and hotel grounds, enjoying fabulous views of Black- throated Flowerpiercers and yes, of course, the magnificent Titicaca Grebe.