Field Guides Tour Report BLUE-THROATED MACAW EXTENSION Sep 5, 2011 to Sep 11, 2011 Dan Lane & Jay VanderGaast What can I say about the Beni other than there are a load of birds there! Any destination where you can tally upwards of 160 species of birds along the roadside on a travel day is okay in my books! This is the kind of place that can turn non-birders into birders, and it was a fantastic place in which to begin our Bolivian adventure. The rare, endemic, Blue-throated Macaw is the main target of the trip, and once again, we had a superb encounter with a pair in the La Verde palm grove where they like to hang out. After a few false alarms in the form of the much more common, though no less beautiful, Blue-and-yellow Macaw, we finally heard a pair of these macaws, then caught sight of them as they flew up to the treetops and perched there for some lengthy, soul- satisfying views. That there are only about 300 of these lovely birds remaining in the wild made the moment that much more special. It's great to know there are folks like the owners of El Jabiru triplets: cute in an ugly sort of way. (Photo by guide Cutal who are actively involved in preserving these marvelous Jay VanderGaast) macaws and their specialized habitats. Macaws aside, our brief time in the Beni was an endless parade of incredible birds, too many to recount here, but a sampling of my favorites would have to include the following: an abundance of storks of all three species, with triplet Jabirus in a nest being especially memorable for their grotesque charm; more Gray-necked Wood-Rails in a day then I've ever seen on any other trip; that pair of lovely Yellow-collared Macaws that were sitting just outside the hacienda, minutes before we left the ranch the last morning. Also worth remembering was the Little Nightjar that allowed us to walk right up to it, the wonderful array of woodpeckers (10 species) with such stunners as Pale-crested and Golden-green, plus that surprise White-throated at La Habana on the final day, and the trio of lovely monjitas. The angelic-looking White Monjita is a heavenly bird, and one of my all-time favorites! This was definitely a fun-filled few days, and a great lead-off to the main Bolivia tour. Thanks to all of you for signing on to this tour, so that I was able to go along too. I am truly grateful for that! This was my first visit to the Beni, but will hopefully be my first of many to this birding paradise! --Jay We have more information about this itinerary and future departures on our web page for Bolivia. KEYS FOR THIS LIST One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant BIRDS Rheidae (Rheas) GREATER RHEA (Rhea americana) – We saw about 20 of these big guys on our drive into the ranch, then small numbers daily after that. Field Guides Birding Tours • www.fieldguides.com • 800-728-4953 1 Tinamidae (Tinamous) UNDULATED TINAMOU (Crypturellus undulatus) – Heard in riparian forest along the Rio Ipurupuru. [*] RED-WINGED TINAMOU (Rhynchotus rufescens) – Several were seen beautifully in the early morning at the Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz, including an adult (presumably a male) with a couple of fuzzy chicks. Anhimidae (Screamers) SOUTHERN SCREAMER (Chauna torquata) – Quite numerous in wet areas along the drive from Trinidad to the ranch. Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl) WHITE-FACED WHISTLING-DUCK (Dendrocygna viduata) – A couple of small flocks on our way into the ranch. BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK (Dendrocygna autumnalis) – Outnumbered the preceding species but overall there weren't a lot of whistling-ducks around. ORINOCO GOOSE (Neochen jubata) – A pair of these uncommon birds were on the edge of the large lake en route to La Verde, and another pair were in the marshy field with all the shorebirds on our drive back to Trinidad. MUSCOVY DUCK (Cairina moschata) – Only a couple of these husky ducks were seen along the drive to the ranch. BRAZILIAN TEAL (Amazonetta brasiliensis) – The most numerous duck of the trip, with several seen daily. Cracidae (Guans, Chachalacas, and Curassows) SPECKLED CHACHALACA (Ortalis guttata) – Chachalacas were seen every day, but try as we might we couldn't turn any of them into Chaco Chachalacas. BARE-FACED CURASSOW (Crax fasciolata) – John spotted these elusive birds just a short way into our Rio Ipurupuru boat trip, and Herons abound in the Beni wetlands. Here an exquisite they stuck around for us to get almost everyone on them, though Capped Heron strolls through a small marsh. (Photo by they were tucked way back into the underbrush. guide Jay VanderGaast) Ciconiidae (Storks) MAGUARI STORK (Ciconia maguari) – Quite reminiscent of the White Stork of the Old World, this impressive species was seen in fair numbers once we got well away from Trinidad. JABIRU (Jabiru mycteria) – These huge storks never fail to impress when seen at close range or in flight. We saw them in good numbers, and even found two or three nests. One nest near the ranch had triplets! [N] WOOD STORK (Mycteria americana) – The most abundant stork, with hundreds seen daily. Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants and Shags) NEOTROPIC CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) – Seen in small numbers daily. Anhingidae (Anhingas) ANHINGA (Anhinga anhinga) – A few birds seen most days. Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns) RUFESCENT TIGER-HERON (Tigrisoma lineatum) – Quite common, especially so in the wet grasslands at La Esperanza, and often sitting up on fenceposts along the way. COCOI HERON (Ardea cocoi) – These dapper herons were a regular sight throughout the tour. GREAT EGRET (Ardea alba) – Numerous daily. SNOWY EGRET (Egretta thula) – Regular in small numbers. CATTLE EGRET (Bubulcus ibis) – Common. STRIATED HERON (Butorides striata) – Not numerous, but we did see a few each day. WHISTLING HERON (Syrigma sibilatrix) – First seen at the Viru Viru airport, then regularly around the ranch, but missed on our afternoon around Trinidad. CAPPED HERON (Pilherodius pileatus) – One of these striking herons was seen at close range at La Verde (the Blue- throated Macaw site) and a few more over the next few days. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (Nycticorax nycticorax) – Quite a few around wetlands near the ranch. Field Guides Birding Tours • www.fieldguides.com • 800-728-4953 2 Threskiornithidae (Ibises and Spoonbills) GREEN IBIS (Mesembrinibis cayennensis) – According to Dan, on previous trips, this has been the least common of the ibis species, but that wasn't the case this year, and we saw a bunch of these birds each day in the Beni. BARE-FACED IBIS (Phimosus infuscatus) – This was arguably the least numerous ibis species we saw, with just a few birds seen near the ranch. PLUMBEOUS IBIS (Theristicus caerulescens) – Quite common, though in the dry conditions, not nearly as numerous as usual. BUFF-NECKED IBIS (Theristicus caudatus) – We had regular great looks at these beautiful birds, which are now split from the montane Black-faced (Andean) Ibis. ROSEATE SPOONBILL (Platalea ajaja) – Small numbers daily. Cathartidae (New World Vultures) BLACK VULTURE (Coragyps atratus) – Abundant. TURKEY VULTURE (Cathartes aura) – Also abundant. LESSER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE (Cathartes burrovianus) – Also quite numerous, and seen well a number of times. Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) SNAIL KITE (Rostrhamus sociabilis) – Must have been lots of apple snails around, as there were sure plenty of these birds looking for them. PLUMBEOUS KITE (Ictinia plumbea) – Two birds were seen during the boat trip on the Rio Ipurupuru. BLACK-COLLARED HAWK (Busarellus nigricollis) – Several of these attractive hawks were seen particularly along the drives to and from the ranch. CRANE HAWK (Geranospiza caerulescens) – A few folks glimpsed a flying bird just before it disappeared into the canopy at dusk along the Rio Ipurupuru. GREAT BLACK-HAWK (Buteogallus urubitinga) – A handful each day; some got our hearts racing, thinking we may have finally spotted a Crowned Eagle, but no such luck. SAVANNA HAWK (Buteogallus meridionalis) – Quite numerous in the open grassland areas. ROADSIDE HAWK (Buteo magnirostris) – Very common, and seen daily. These Bolivian birds are quite strikingly marked, and look quite unlike Roadside Hawks from more northern regions. WHITE-TAILED HAWK (Buteo albicaudatus) – Seen in small numbers daily, starting at the Viru Viru airport. This isn't your everyday Roadside Hawk; the BLACK HAWK-EAGLE (Spizaetus tyrannus) – Heard as we birded the race found in Bolivia, saturatus, has a distinct, gallery forest on our final day in the Beni. [*] hooded look. (Photo by guide Jay VanderGaast) Falconidae (Falcons and Caracaras) SOUTHERN CARACARA (Caracara plancus) – Very common and seen daily. YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA (Milvago chimachima) – Seen in small numbers on most days. AMERICAN KESTREL (Falco sparverius) – Common and seen daily. APLOMADO FALCON (Falco femoralis) – A couple of birds were hunting in the grasslands around the Viru Viru airport, causing great concern among the many White-browed Blackbirds there. We also saw one in the Beni. Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots) RUFOUS-SIDED CRAKE (Laterallus melanophaius) – Good habitat was scarce in the dry conditions, but we found one small lily-covered pond at El Cutal, and had very nice looks at a pair of these crakes there. GRAY-NECKED WOOD-RAIL (Aramides cajanea) – Driving the roads in the early morning is sure the way to see this bird; we saw as many as 10-15 on some days before it got too warm. In the middle of the day, you'd wonder if these birds even occurred here.