La Cumbre - Coroico Road

Headed up to La Cumbre at 4450m and made our first stop at a lake surrounded by some of the best scenery of the our to date complete with a flock of Andean Goose, Crested Ducks, and flocks of Baird’s Sandpipers. 

Great scenery up here...

Andean Goose

We drove along a side track and came across a Slender-billed Miner, followed by a pair of Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe that we watched feeding below us for quite some time. Amazingly a flock of Grey-breasted Seedsnipe were then found, followed by Puna Ground-Tyrant, and White-winged Diuca-Finch. We returned to the lake where a flock of Andean Gulls were in the parking area, and we also picked up a nest-building Giant Coot and a flock of Andean Swallows.

Andean Gull

Great scenery at La Cumbre to watch seed snipe in...

Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe

Driving on we took another side track where a Streak-throated Canastero was found, along with Andean Ibis, Cinereous Ground-Tyrant, Black Siskin, Peruvian, Plumbeous and Ash-breasted Sierra-Finches. Next up was a bird I’ve dipped four times on - Scribble-tailed Canastero. But it’s a bogey bird no longer as we had great views of a singing bird in the high-altitude grassland today! Wow!  A few Mourning Sierra-Finches at the same locality hardly got a look in!

Cinereous Ground-Tyrant

Scribble-tailed Canastero

And more great scenery...

Moving on to the Pongo valley the rain came in making things tricky for us, but we had Cinereous Conebill, Black-throated Flowerpiercerand Spot-winged Pigeon.

Our picnic lunch was consumed on the bus as it was still raining and then we drove to another site where Diademed Tapaculo was well and truly nailed with views on the ground as expected followed by views of it in a bush overhead…! I know right…! A flock was then discovered with Citrine Warbler, Violet-throated Starfrontlet, Bolivian Brush-Finch,  Moustached Flowerpiercer and a pair of Rufous-bellied Bush-tyrants.

The famous Coroico Road.... Also known as The Road of Death...

Eventually by early afternoon we arrived at the famous Coroico Road, also called more ominously ‘The Road of Death’. Well it was dead this afternoon, save for a splendid pair of Barred Fruiteaters and a confiding Yungas Pygmy Owl. 

Barred Fruiteater

So at 4pm we decided to head to the fantastic Rio Selva Resort way below us at 1140m. It took a while to get there but it was worth it, as Torrent Tyrannulet, Black Phoebe, Pale-breasted Thrush, Swallow Tanager, Mottle-backed Elaenia, and both Social and Dusky-capped Flycatchers were all new additions to our list.

Pale-breasted Thrush

Laguna Alalay - La Paz

We visited Laguna Alalay this morning and spent a very pleasant couple of hours birding around this huge lake. 

Laguna Alalay

At our first spot we saw several Rosy-billed Pochard, Red Shoveller, Puna Teal, Andean Duck,Yellow-billed Teal, Yellow-billed Pintail, White-cheeked Pintail, White-tufted and Silvery Grebes, Andean Coot, Spotted Sandpiper, several Wilson’s Phalaropes, Puna Ibis and in the sedges were quite a few Wren-like Rushbirds. A Giant Hummingbird hovered right in front of us and a couple white-morph Little Blue Herons were a surprise.

Andean Duck

Giant Hummingbird

Plumbeous Rail

Wilson's Phalaropes

Wren-like Rushbird

We drove up into the hills and saw Brown-backed Mockingbird, Glittering-bellied Emerald and a few Grey-crested Finches but it was pretty quiet, so we dropped back down to a different viewpoint at the lake. Here there were numerous White-backed Stilts, Pectoral Sandpipers,Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Andean Lapwing and a Collared Plover. 

White-backed Stilt

In the reeds a flock of Yellow-winged Blackbirds showed well, whilst a flock of Grassland Yellow-Finches were present. From our vantage point in the hills we also we scoped 3 Fulvous Whistling-Ducks– a scarce Bolivian bird.

After lunch in a restaurant we drove to Cochabamba airport and took the short flight to La Paz where our bus met us, complete with luggage.

Mountain Toucans and Sunbeams.....

We birded Tablas Montes again this morning, leaving the hotel early doors as usual but this time took a new side track that led us into some fantastic habitat. 

There was a beautiful sunrise today....

Our search for Hooded Mountain-Toucan to-date had been frustrating to say the least and everyone scanned the hillsides intently for any signs. Walking along the track produced flyover Scaly-naped Parrots and 3 Barred Parakeets, this latter species very tricky to find anywhere. 

Scaly-naped Parrots

An Amethyst-throated Sunangel perched up nicely for us, and Black-throated Thistletail once again showed very well. 

Black-throated Thistletail

We had our usual field breakfast before continuing walking further along the track and eventually we heard the distinctive sound of a Hooded Mountain-Toucan calling close by. Sure enough there it was, moving around a large tree behind us and we enjoyed fine views of a pair before they flew off downhill. 

Hooded Mountain-Toucan at last....!!!

We dallied a little while at the same spot, watching some Pale-footed Swallows flying around and perching on a tall snag above us, before another Hooded Mountain-Toucan was spotted and this one gave even better views. Walking back to the coach a Maroon-belted Chat-Tyrant was only seen by me but an Orange-browed Hemispingus was seen by several of the group. And that was our cue to leave and head down to the Miguelito Track once again.

Upon arrival we hadn’t walked very far when a pair of Andean Guans appeared beside the track. We then spent quite some time trying to obtain views of Bolivian Tapaculo, which never really showed satisfactorily but there were several glimpses of a constantly calling individual. A Yellow-whiskered Bush-Tanager was something of a surprise, as was a pair of high flying Solitary Eagles. Lunch was enlivened by a few Greater Yellow-headed Vultures flying up through the valley and a cracking Versicolored Barbet appeared close by.

From here we drove back up to the higher areas and almost immediately on leaving the coach nailed the endemic Black-hooded Sunbeam, which appeared three times giving great views. At the same spot a Great Sapphirewing fed around some flowers in front of us, Grey-bellied Flowerpiercers fed unobtrusively and a few other common species were seen.

Tablas Montes - Miguelito Road

Left at 4am and drove a couple of hours back up to Tablas Montes where we took a different side track and enjoyed another field breakfast. A calling Rufous-faced Antpitta was ‘encouraged’ to cross the track in front of us, whilst Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanagers fed around us. The key species here was the endemic Black-throated Thistletail and we nailed this sucker pretty quickly thanks to some good spotting by The Dungeonmaster! 

Black-throated Thistletail

The open area held the rare Rufous-bellied Bush-Tyrant, as well as Sierran Elaenia, several Red-crested Cotingas, White-browed Brush-finch,Citrine Warbler, Masked Tityra, and Hooded Mountain Tanager.

Then we drove lower to about 1650m approx. and followed another side track that led us to many new species. First up was some Russet-backed Oropendolas nesting beside Dusky-green Oropendolas, a Grey-breasted Wood-Wren was watched building its nest and a Golden-crowned Flycatcher adorned a nearby treetop. Then a Slaty-capped Flycatcher flicked along the track in front of us and a singing Yungas Warbler was tracked down and showed very well. We followed this with decent views of Andean Solitaire and finally a Blue-banded Toucanet just wanted to be seen by our appreciative group! 

Blue-banded Toucanet

The forest opened out from here and became quite degraded but in one small pocket of habitat a Ochre-faced Tody-Flycatcher had taken up residence and was reasonably confiding. So we drove to the next patch of good forest where a flyover Plum-crowned Parrot was followed a little later by a Red-billed Parrot scoped at the top of a tree. A Crested Quetzal was called in and we had eye-level views of this stunning bird, and we followed this with a diminutive Hazel-fronted Pygmy-Tyrant flicking around a bank right in front of us. 

Crested Quetzal

Hazel-fronted Pygmy-Tyrant

Our great morning continued when we walked up a steep incline and could scan the treetops and found a Saffron-crowned Tanager, quickly followed by some treetop hugging and exceedingly rare Straw-backed (Green-throated) Tanagers– what a bird! Behind us a Versicolored Barbet came in to take a look at us, but it was just a  shame the calling Bolivian Tapaculo wouldn’t play ball. However, we then had a close Deep-blue Flowerpiercer, followed by a pair of close Chestnut-tipped Toucanets, which was very pleasing considering the poor views we had at Los Volcanes some time ago.

Versicolored Barbet

Lunch was taken in the field where a calling Yungas Tody-Tyrant called invisibly from a dense area of bushes and bamboo. So we drove out of here and birded the noisy main road back up to the pass, but Lady Luck was on our side today as we called in a rufous-morph Yungas Pygmy Owl that gave fine scope views. 

Yungas Pygmy Owl

There was a distant calling Hooded Mountain Toucan that some of the group saw in flight, several Hooded and Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanagers around as well, and a flyby Southern Mountain Cacique to round off a great day. 

Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager

We headed back to the hotel at a little after 4pm for an early dinner.

Tablas Montes

Headed up to the humid Yungas forest of Tablas Montes this morning, stopping at San Isidro Lagoon where we saw White-tufted and Silvery Grebes, Andean Coot, Yellow-billed Pintail, Yellow-billed Teal, Andean Duck and our first Andean Gulls on the way up.

Tablas Montes

Once the road started to descend we took a side track into some great habitat but it was misty and raining heavily upon arrival. 

Violet-throated Starfrontlet in the mist

Thankfully within a few minutes the weather cleared and we enjoyed good weather all day. But in the mist to start with a Violet-throated Starfrontlet posed close by, quickly followed by the first of several Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanagers, Red-crested Cotinga, Azara’s Spinetail, Blue-backed Conebill, White-crested Elaenia, Spectacled Whitestart and some flyover Pale-footed Swallows.

Spectacled Whitestart

 Walking slowly downhill we came upon a Blue-capped Tanager, followed by a Sierran Elaenia, Grey-breasted Wood-Wren, Bolivian Tyrannulet, Blue-black Tanager – another potential split, Rust-and-yellow Tanager and just before our coffee break a pair of Golden-browed Chat-Tyrants skulked in the shadows. 

Bolivian Tyrannulet 

Golden-browed Chat-Tyrant

The birding slowed by mid-morning but around a clearing we picked up a flock with several Tyrian Metaltails, Barred Becard, Highland Elaenia, Smoke-coloured Pewee, Masked Flowerpiercer, Grey-bellied Flowerpiercer, and a Long-tailed Sylph also appeared. 

White-browed Brush-Finch

Walking on we had Light-crowned Spinetail and a pair of White-browed Brush-Finches, Gould’s Inca and a showy Citrine Warbler before lunch. The afternoon was only really memorable for a couple of calling and non-responsive Blue-banded Toucanets. We did see a few previously seen species but it was really hard going and we left for the drive back to our hotel in Cochabamba at 4pm, hoping to avoid the rush hour traffic.

Cerro Tunari

Our day began after a later breakfast and a Sparkling Violetear feeding in a large flowering tree outside the front door of the hotel. Then we headed up into the high hills of Cerro Tunari where the first bird as we left the coach was a Bolivian Blackbird. Pretty soon after a Bolivian Warbling-Finch was teed up in the scope but it flew away before everyone in the group could lay eyeballs on it, and we were left with flocks of Rufous-sided Warbling-Finches to sift through to no avail. Overhead, we saw Andean Swifts, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle and a few Mountain Caracaras. Moving higher up we came across a Yungas Dove walking along a channel below the road, Collared Warbling-Finch,Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant, White-winged Black-Tyrant, Peruvian Sierra-Finch, White-tipped Plantcutter and an Andean Hillstar.

Andean Hillstar

Around some bushes near a small settlement a Cochabamba Mountain-Finch showed well, as did Rufous-bellied Mountain-Tanager (Saltator), a pair of Streak-fronted Thornbirds gave good views. Our picnic spot beside a patch of Polylepsis forest turned out to be very good with a flock of Greenish Yellow-Finches, Tawny Tit-Spinetail and a Giant Conebill.

Cochabamba Mountain-Finch

Rufous-bellied Mountain Tanager (Saltator)

Tawny Tit-Spinetail

Giant Conebill

Greenish Yellow-Finch

After lunch we drove to just over 4000m and into the puna zone where Taczanowski’s Ground Tyrant was seemingly common. 

Cerro Tunari

There was a flock of Ash-breasted Sierra-Finches, several White-winged Diuca-Finches and Cream-winged Cinclodes to keep us entertained. Driving back down a random stop to look at some Bright-rumped Yellow-Finches produced walk-away scope views of a pair of stunning Ornate Tinamou feeding and walking across an open area opposite the road. Wow! 

A phonescoped Ornate Tinamou

We also saw Black-winged Ground-Dove, a Black Siskin in a flock of Hooded Siskins, and a Red-crested Cotinga. As we drove further downhill a flock of Mountain Parakeets flew across in front of the coach and landed nearby. 

Fulvous-headed brush-Finch

When they flew off we got out of the coach to search for them and had good looks at Maquis Canastero and a huge surprise in the shape of a pair of Fulvous-headed Brush-Finches to round off another good day.