Siberia Cloud Forest

Comarapa is excellently situated to visit Siberia cloud forest, just a short three-quarters of an hour drive from our hotel. So it was another early 4.30am breakfast and then we were off up into the hills where it was just about light enough upon arrival to see a calling White-throated Tyrannulet. This was one of the best days of the tour with so many new birds to keep us occupied throughout the day and pretty quickly we saw several of the distinctive local race of Common Bush Tanager, Mountain Wren, endemic Bolivian Brush-Finch, and an obliging Trilling Tapaculo. 

Tyrian Metaltail

I just couldn’t believe that our first attempt at seeing the endemic Rufous-faced Antpitta resulted in almost everyone seeing it, as it hopped out onto a narrow path in front of us on three occasions! Wow!  We followed this with Andean Slaty thrush, Grey-breasted Wood-Wren, Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant, and the first of many Tyrian Metaltails. 

Andean Condor

Overhead we saw Andean Condor, Mountain Caracara, Swallow-tailed Kite, Short-tailed Hawk and Bicolored Hawk. 

Swallow-tailed Kite

Meanwhile a stunning Masked Trogon flew in and landed below us on a mossy branch, whilst White-crested Elaenia, Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, Pearled Treerunner, Bar-bellied Woodpecker and Glossy-black Thrush were all new additions to our ever growing list. 

Bar-bellied Woodpecker

Masked Trogon

Best of all, a pair of mighty Giant Antshrikes gave killer views as they fed just below the track and I’m still amazed how well they showed to the entire group. 

Giant Antshrike (female)

By around 10am bird activity slowed down, but we kept picking up new birds regularly. A cute little White-bellied Woodstar perched on top of a tree showed well in the scope, and at the same spot Blue-winged and Chestnut-bellied Mountain Tanagers appeared, whilst a Lesser Violetear displaced the Woodstar from its lofty perch. Then a Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant was quickly followed by the much rarer Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant, before we continued walking along the track with Barred Becard, Blue-backed Conebill and Long-tailed Sylph seen just before we paused for our picnic lunch. 

Rufous-capped Antshrike

More walking down the track resulted in Blue-capped Puffleg, a few more sightings of Pearled Treerunner, White-eared Solitaire, Band-tailed Pigeon and Smoke-coloured Pewee. At 4pm we left and drove to a lower elevation where the dry scrub-covered hillside we visited yesterday was distinctly calmer but still resulted in poor views of Spot-breasted Thornbird. Compensation came in the shape of a Rufous-capped Antshrike that gave several fine views, a flock of Hooded Siskins, a female Red-tailed Comet (endemic), and finally an Ocellated Piculet. What a day!

Saipina Valley

What a cracking morning this proved to be as we birded the Saipina Valley, home to the Critically Endangered Red-fronted Macaw. Our search didn’t bode too well initially as we only had a pair flying high overhead as we scanned the fields and bushes from our vantage point beside the road. But there were lots of new birds such as White-fronted Woodpecker, Golden-billed Saltator, Sooty-fronted Spinetail, and a stunning Black-and-rufous Warbling-Finch. 

White-fronted Woodpecker

A phonescoped Golden-billed Saltator

There was also Glittering-bellied Emerald, Blue-tufted Starthroat,  Blue-crowned Parakeets and White-bellied Tyrannulet. 

Blue-crowned Parakeet

From here we drove further into the valley where below some cliffs we found White-winged Black-Tyrant, several of the endemic Cliff Parakeet, Greater Wagtail-Tyrant, Crowned Slaty Flycatcher, Masked Gnatcatcher, Ringed Warbling-Finch, and a White-bellied Hummer. 

Masked Gnatcatcher

Ringed Warbling-Finch

White-bellied Hummingbird

All of a sudden we heard the distinctive sound of macaws from up the valley and there they were….. A pair flew right past us, circled around and came in to land more or less right beside us on some tall cacti where they called before flying to some bushes a little further away. The flight views in the morning sunshine were spectacular to say the least. Wow! 

Red-fronted Macaw

We followed this with some coffee here and then found a fine Ultramarine Grosbeak and both Grey-crested and Red-crested Finches appeared. 

Ultramarine Grosbeak

We left here and drove into another dry valley where a pair of White-tipped Plantcutters looked fantastic and were a good spot by Martin, whilst there were several more previously seen hummers to keep us entertained.  

Group in the Saipina Valley

Moving on we walked alongside a dry river valley where bird activity continued apace with Streak-fronted Thornbird and Southern Scrub Flycatcher appearing before a pair of awesome Cream-backed Woodpeckers were found. What a bird this is and a lifer for yours truly – a high five moment. 

Cream-backed Woodpecker

We also saw Cliff Flycatcher, the endemic Bolivian Earthcreeper, Stripe-crowned Spinetail and a group of Dusky-legged Guans.

In the afternoon after a siesta we drove up into the hills above Comarapa and struggled to find any birds in the high winds. However, we did get a brief view of a skulking Spot-breasted Thornbird and whilst trying to catch a glimpse of this species a Pectoral Sparrowflew in. We also had a flyby Yungas Dove, Chiguanco Thrush and an attractive Brown-capped Whitestart entertained us for a while. So we decided to head back to the hotel earlier than usual as we had another early start to look forward to!

Heading to Comarapa

We left Los Volcanes this morning in a howling gale that destroyed our chances of seeing too many birds although a Blue-browed Tanager gave great views as we walked along the jeep track. We got that bird at the tail end of a small flock that included Marble-faced Bristle-Tyrant and Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Plain Antvireo, Yellow-olive Flatbill and Black-goggled Tanager. Apart from that it was pretty quiet, save for a quite remarkable find of a lek of Great-billed Hermit with at least 6 birds calling from the bushes beside the track and a flyby Yungas Dovefor a few people.

Leaving here we drove to Laguna Los Volcanes where a few Common Gallinules, an Anhinga and at least 3 Least Grebes were present on the lake. Walking back downhill through some interesting forest and we came across a pair of Guira Tanagers in a flock of Blue Dacnis, Grey Elaenia, and a Buff-throated Saltator. Unfortunately a calling Bolivian Tapaculo failed to show, and just before reaching the bus a Golden-rumped Euphonia showed.

Golden-rumped Euphonia

We then had quite a drive towards our next destination of Comarapa. We hit a purple patch as we drove past the Grande Vallee junction where the habitat of arid scrub & bush covered hillsides was alive with birds and after some of the group noticed a few Dusky-legged Guans beside the road we stopped and checked out the area. Our first Rufous-collared Sparrows of the trip were numerous here and we did our best to ignore them as there were far more interesting species to look at such as Saffron-billed Sparrow, Grey Crested Finches,Blue-crowned Parakeets, Purple-throated Euphonia, and a small group of cracking Black-capped Warbling-Finches. 

Saffron-billed Sparrow

Overhead, a Bicolored Hawk soared across the valley, whilst our first White-winged Black-Tyrant was only a flyby. 

Record shot of Bicoloured Hawk

An Ultramarine Grosbeak eluded nearly everyone, but a perched Glittering-bellied Emerald posed nicely. Other birds seen here included Red-crested Finch, Bananaquitand Narrow-billed Woodcreeper. En-route to Comarapa we saw a Blue-and-yellow Tanager Blue-and-white Swallow. 

Refugio Los Volcanes

After some overnight rain it was pretty slow going for much of the day, yet we still pulled out some great birds. Scanning from the clearing around our rooms in the early morning gloom produced several Blue-throated Piping-Guans, Blue-headed Parrot, Plumbeous Pigeon, Plush-crested Jay, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Yellow-chevroned Parrot, Andean Condorsat on a ledge, Variable Oriole, and most frustratingly a Chestnut-tipped Toucanet teed up in the scope didn’t remain on its perch long enough for everyone in the group to see it. 

Yellow-chevroned Parakeets

After a great breakfast we walked along the jeep track where we immediately honed I on a calling Slaty Gnateater that gave brief views. Moving on we saw Pale-legged and Two-banded Warblers, Buff-fronted Foliage-Gleaner, Dusky-green Oropendola, Streaked Xenops, Green-cheeked Parakeet, Ochre-cheeked Spinetail, White-backed Fire-eye, flyby Military Macaws, Plumbeous Kite, Versicolored Barbet, Fork-tailed Woodnymph and Plain Antvireo. We did spend a long time trying to locate a calling Short-tailed Antthrush, which eventually Mavis spotted. The bird kept moving from perch to perch and never really gave great views, but most of us saw it. We also took a side trail where Slaty Gnateater proved far more sociable, and a Grey Tinamou was seen. 

Slaty Gnateater

Lunch back at the lodge was another good meal and with a couple of hours ‘off’ over lunch, most of us spent the time watching up to 40 Military Macaws feeding raucously nearby. What an absolute pleasure it was to watch these stunning birds cavorting in the treetops and flying around constantly. 

Military Macaws

There was also a distant flock of swifts that proved to be Sick’s Swifts, whilst the rapidly improving weather enticed numerous Andean Condors to take to the air, along with a Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle. And a flock of Turquoise-fronted Amazons was also scoped.

Once everyone was assembled we took to the trails behind the lodge, seeing Masked Tityra,Yungas Manakin and Black-goggled Tanager. Another quick trip along the jeep track was noteworthy only for the impressive spectacle of the raucous Mitred Parakeets constantly screaming overhead. Back at the lodge a Tschudi’s Woodcreeper gave point blank views. 

Rufescent Screech Owl

We tried for Rufous Nightjar that only called once but had better luck after a protracted search for Rufescent Screech-Owl.

Lomas de Arena - Refugio Los Volcanes

We endured the world famous Bolivian roadwork fiasco en-route to Lomas de Arena this morning, eventually arriving at a little after 7.30am. We didn’t actually get very far into the park at all but still picked up a variety of interesting species starting with Barred Antshrike, Green-barred Woodpecker, Blue-winged Parrotlet,Double-collared Seedeaterand Red-crested Finch. As we were watching a pair of Chotoy Spinetails, Chaco Puffbird, and the same spot also held Rufous Casiornis, Pearly-vented Tody-Tyrant, Blue-black Grassquit, and a pair of Rufous-fronted Thornbirds. 

Chaco Puffbird

We also saw a few close Fork-tailed Flycatchers, White-banded Mockingbird, Pale-breasted Spinetail, and a family group of 5 White Woodpeckers. Around a pool we saw  a pair of Red-billed Scythebills, Buff-throated Woodcreeper, Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, Orange-backed Troupialand a Crowned Slaty Flycatcher.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

We then drove to Los Volcanes, arriving in thick mist. With our bags being taken down in a couple of cars we saId our goodbyes to our driver Fernando and began walking the 4kms to the lodge. With poor visibility it was a little frustrating to only hear some good birds but the lower we walked the better things got for us. We had a couple sightings of Pale-legged Warbler, Streaked Xenops, a cracking Black-capped Antwren and Yellow-olive Flatbill. 

A perched Andean Condor beside the track

A small flock held Red-eyed Vireo, Tropical Parula, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, and a White-winged Tanager, but the sight of a majestic Andean Condor perched in a nearby tree was far more appealing! By now the mist had lifted and we could see the far side of the valley, and could also identify some of the numerous parrots wheeling across the canopy. Most were Mitred Parakeets, but there was also Turquoise-fronted Amazons, Blue-headed Parrots and some brief Military Macaws. We also saw Black-goggled Tanagerand Ochre-cheeked Spinetail on the final stretch of the walk to the lodge. 

Not a bad location!

Return to Santa Cruz

Headed back to the same gallery forest as last night for our last spot of birding around Trinidad. But not before getting views of Little and Scissor-tailed Nightjars and a sexy little Capped Heron along the way. Once at the forest we spent the next couple of hours following the trail into really good habitat. 

At the entrance a Pale-vented Pigeonwas perched in a tall Cecropia, followed by Plain-crowned Spinetail, Straight-billed Woodcreeper and Glittering-throated Emerald, A few birds came into my owlet imitation including Streaked Xenops, Blue Dacnis, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Golden-crowned Warbler and a pair of owls as well. 

Ferruginous Pygmy Owl

We had further views of Unicolored Thrush, albeit it not good views, but views nonetheless. Walking back to the cars a pair of Yellow Tyrannulets  posed nicely. And that was our time up, so we headed to the airport for our flight back to Santa Cruz.

Back at the hotel in Santa Cruz we met up with Martin and Sue who had arrived from the UK earlier this morning, had lunch and then I took Martin and Sue to the Botanical Gardens whilst Miguel took the rest of the group back to the airport. In the gardens we truly nailed Bolivian Slaty Antshrike with a pair giving walk away views. 

Bolivian Slaty Antshrike

We also had White-bellied Seedeater, Southern Yellowthroat,Buff-throated Woodcreeper, Blue-crowned Trogon, Amazonian Motmot and Thrush-like Wren. We reached the lagoon at dusk and were amazed to see 1000+ Western Cattle Egrets rooting here, along with all the other usual suspects and 26 Snail Kites was a surprise. 

The egret roost...

The rest of the group found a few Red-winged Tinamous around the airport before we all met up for dinner.

Return to Trinidad, Bolivia.

We began the day with a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl in the spotlight prior to an early breakfast before saying our goodbyes to the amazing staff at the lodge. It had been basic, with 10 of us sharing 2 bathrooms, the hot conditions, but the food was excellent. Around the lodge we saw a flock of Dusky-headed Parakeets feeding on the grass, as well as a few White-eyed Parakeets and a pair of flyover Turquoise-fronted Amazons. Driving back to the main road a pair of Toco Toucans posed nicely on the top of a tree, a Swallow-tailed Hummingbird gave a great performance as it fed around a flowering bush and a pair of Blue-and-yellow Macaws flew low overhead.

Blue-and-yellow Macaw

Then we began the long drive back to Trinidad, stopping a few times to look at the amazing birdlife that the Llanos de Moxos provides. The first pond we stopped at held a group of feeding Large-billed Terns, as well as White-headed Marsh-Tyrant. Driving further along we called in a Striped Cuckoo that showed very well. 

Ash-coloured Cuckoo

White Monjita

The next pool was really productive with a group of Brazilian Teal and 2 Muscovy Ducks flying by, Yellow-bellied and Large Elaenia, a pair of cracking White Monjita, Ash-coloured Cuckoo, Green-barred Woodpecker, Campo Flicker, Yellow-browed Tyrant and another Swallow-tailed Hummingbird.

Campo Flicker

Green-barred Woodpecker

 The rest of the dusty drive gave us Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, White-winged Swallowand Green Ibis. 

After lunch back at the lodge near Trinidad we drove to a nice gallery forest just outside of Trinidad where we came a cross a Unicolored Thrush singing away from its perch. 

Band-tailed Antbird

We also saw a pair of Band-tailed Antbirds, Streaked Flycatcher,Black-throated Mango, Buff-bellied Hermit, Grey-headed Tanager, Velvet-fronted Grackles, a couple of Night Monkeys and at the end of the day spotlighted a Tropical Screech-Owl. We also heard a distant Common Potoo and Common Pauraque as well.