BOLIVIA'S AVIAN WONDERS!
April 6 - 20, 2013

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Featuring: Amboró National Park, Comarapa (for Red-fronted Macaw), Siberia Forest, Villa Tunari Road, Carrasco National Park, Lake Uru-Uru and Lake Titicaca!

Bolivia is truly a biological treasure nestled in the heart of South America. Its bird-filled, pristine, varied habitats offer exciting birding and this little known destination is possibly the best kept birding secret in the Americas. From snow-capped peaks and volcanoes to pristine forests, cactus dominated valleys, puna grasslands, bogs and lakes, the great diversity of wildlife has seen many accomplished birders recommend Bolivia as their favorite South American destination.

With this in mind, we have set up a fantastic tour to cover all the above habitats starting in the tropical lowlands at Santa Cruz and climbing up into the high Andes, Lake Titicaca and La Paz, the world’s highest capital city. This small landlocked country boasts an amazing 1,300 species of birds…a full 40% of the species of South America. There are twenty endemic species with three times that represented by endemic races. Another hundred or so are endemic to the limited ecosystems that share a border with Bolivia and we will seek out many of the specialties, including flocks of dazzling tanagers, numerous antbirds, flycatchers, parrots, hummingbirds, and much, much, more.

Join us on a great South American wildlife adventure to explore the avian wonders of Bolivia - South America's best kept birding secret!

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Day 1: Santa Cruz to Buena Vista.
Plan on arriving in the morning in Santa Cruz, Bolivia (Airport code: VVI), the second largest city of Bolivia positioned in the transitional zone between the seasonal marshes and Chaco desert to the east, the southern edge of the Amazonian rainforest to the north, scrub and grasslands to the south and the foothills of the Andes to the west.

After lunch, we will drive north through sprawling grassland habitats toward the small city of Buena Vista, where we will spend the next two nights. Buena Vista is located on the edge of the northern boundaries of Amboró National Park. Some of the birds we can expect to see today include Blue-crowned Parakeet, Toco Toucan, Burrowing Owl, Whistling Heron, Scaly-headed Parrot, Gilded Hummingbird, Black-banded Woodcreeper, Yellow-chinned Spinetail and Stripe-backed Antbird to name but a few.

Day 2: Amboró National Park
Nestled amidst three unique and very different ecological regions: the Andes, the Amazon basin, and the Chaco, Amboró National Park protects 180,000 hectares of pristine bird habitat. Here we will explore the forests of Amboró in the vicinity of Buena Vista, searching for birds like Yellow-tufted and Red-necked Woodpeckers, Blue-crowned Trogon, Purplish Jay, Buff-throated and Straight-billed Woodcreepers, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Great and Barred Antshrikes, Fork-tailed Woodnymph and Russet-backed and Crested Oropendolas. In the early evening we will go birding the nearby marsh of Curichi Cuajo, where we expect to see some very charismatic species, like Southern Screamer and Hoatzin.

Days 3 & 4: Buena Vista to Los Volcanes
We will leave our hotel in Buena Vista very early in the morning of day 3 on our way to Refugio Los Volcanes, where we will spend the following two nights. Los Volcanes lies right next to the south easternmost corner of Amboró National Park, in a deep valley overlooking some impressive sandstone cliffs and surrounded by wet tropical forests. The area is remarkable not only for its birds, but also for its flora. Around 100 species of orchids have been identified for this area, and there’s also a wide variety of bromeliads. We will spend time here exploring the trails around our lodge and searching for several species of parakeets, like Blue-crowned, Mitred and Dusky-headed. Andean Condors are often seen here as well. We will also bird the dry, deciduous forest near Samaipata, to look for such specialties as White-faced Dove, Green-cheeked Parakeet, Buff-bellied Hermit, Slender-tailed Woodstar, Ochre-cheeked Spinetail, Lined Antshrike, Ocellated Piculet, Slaty Gnateater, Gray-crested Finch, Black-capped and Ringed Warbling-Finches, Dull-colored Grassquit and others. Black-capped Antwren, Plush-crested and Purplish Jays, Moustached Wren, Common Piping-Guan, Tataupa Tinamou, Black-goggled, Orange-headed and Guira Tanagers, Rufous-bellied Thrush and Dusky-green Oropendola are other possible sightings in this region.

Above photos:
Short-winged (Titicaca) Grebe © Luis Segura
Hoatzin © Gina Nichol


Southern Screamer © Gina Nichol

Andean Condor © Steve Bird

Day 5: Los Volcanes to Comarapa
We will leave our lodge at Los Volcanes and drive west to explore and bird the Samaipata area before continuing on to Comarapa. Comarapa is the best area to see the rare Red-fronted Macaw and there are also numerous raptors here. This part of the itinerary will allow us to bird a highly transitional area from the humid tropics to the Bolivian desert. The vegetation becomes drier as the altitude increases and we enter the dry valleys in the rain shadow of the surrounding mountains. Our simple yet adequate accommodations are located in the Village of Comarapa. This will be our base for the next two nights as we bird a variety of different habitats.

Day 6: Siberia Forest
A short drive up on the mountains gets us to some of the southernmost deciduous forest in the eastern Andes. At elevations above 8,000 feet, we will be amazed by the abundance of epiphytes and flowers as we enter Siberia Forest. This area offers a new variety of The avifauna, quite different from what we seen thus far. This is the easternmost distribution range for birds like Scaly-naped and Black-winged Parrots, Violet-throated Starfrontlet, Bar-bellied Woodpecker, Pearled Treerunner, Unicolored Tapaculo, Red-crested and Chestnut-crested Cotingas, Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant, Tawny-rumped and White-throated Tyrannulets, Sierran Elaenia, Spotted Nightingale-Thrush, Spectacled and Brown-capped Redstarts, Pale-legged Warbler, White-browed Conebill, Blue-winged and Chestnut-bellied Mountain-Tanagers, Rufous-naped and Stripe-headed Brush-Finches and Gray-bellied and Moustached Flower-Piercers. Other harder to find species here include Blue-capped Puffleg, the stunning Crested Quetzal, Crested Becard, Plumbeous Tyrant, Band-tailed and Barred Fruiteaters, Rusty-browed Warbling-Finch and the endemics Light-crowned Spinetail and Rufous-faced Antpitta. Our Bolivia bird list will surely be visibly higher by the end of this day!

Chestnut-crested Cotinga © Gina Nichol

Day 7: Comarapa to Cochabamba
Our early start to Cochabamba will allow us time to stop in some good birding areas. We will target the endemic Black-hooded Sunbeam along with the very restricted Blue-capped Puffleg. The showy Red-tailed Comet is possible here as well. After crossing a very scenic pass through the high mountains near Siberia, the road drops down again, passing a series of valleys and ridges. We will soon reach the slopes covered with gnarled, red-bark Polylepis forests. These trees grow at higher altitudes than any other, and support a good number of new bird species for us. We will look for Olive-crowned Crescentchest, Spot-breasted Thornbird, Rufous-bellied Saltator, Rufous-sided and Rusty-browed Warbling-Finches. As the day goes on other stops include habitat for the lovely and near endemic Citron-headed Yellow-Finch, Spot-winged Pigeon, Bare-faced Ground-Dove, Gray-hooded Parakeet, Golden-breasted Flicker, Striped Woodpecker, Plain-breasted and Rock Earthcreepers, Brown-capped Tit-Spinetail, Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant, D’Orbigny’s and White-browed Chat-Tyrants, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, Hooded Siskin, Ash-breasted and Black-hooded Sierra-Finches, Greenish Yellow-Finch, Plain-colored and Band-tailed Seedeaters and many more. We’ll also look for Maquis Canastero and the endemic Cochabamba Mountain-Finch. A handful of delightful hummingbirds include Giant, Sparkling Violetear and Red-tailed Comet. At the end of the day cross the last ridge and descend to the historical city of Cochabamba to spend the night.

Rock Earthcreeper © Luis Segura

Day 8: Cochabamba to Villa Tunari
This morning we will leave Cochabamba, at 8,400 feet, to climb to the Puna ridge at 12,000 feet before dropping back down to rich montane temperate forest. This is the Villa Tunari Road, known to be one of the best birding sites in South America. We’ll bird here for Black-winged Parrot, Amethyst-throated Sunangel, Great Sapphirewing, Black-hooded Sunbeam, the fabulous Golden-headed and Crested Quetzals, White-throated Quail-Dove, Hooded Mountain-Toucan, Blue-banded Toucanet, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Chestnut-crested Cotinga, the endemic Black-throated Thistletail, Rufous Antpitta, Andean Tapaculo, Rufous-breasted and Brown-backed Chat-Tyrants, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Blue-and-Black Tanager, and White-browed Conebill, before descending to the tropical lowlands and our hotel overlooking the river in Villa Tunari, where we will spend the following two nights. At the end of the day, we will have dropped some 10,500 feet from the pass this morning all the way down to Villa Tunari.

Crimson-mantled Woodpecker © Steve Bird

Day 9: Carrasco National Park
Located at the foot of the Andes at less than 1500 feet above sea level, Villa Tunari is in one of the wettest areas of sub-tropical forest on the South American continent. We will spend the morning birding in the lower forests of Carrasco National Park. Our goal here is to explore a cave with the southernmost population of Oilbirds on Earth. The river crossing is an adventure in itself. In a safe but thrilling procedure, a little cable car is pulled across over the rushing river below. The forest here harbors a number of Amazonian species like Amazonian Umbrellabird, Black-throated Antbird, Black-spotted Barbet, Black Phoebe, Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, Crested and Dusky-green Oropendolas, Golden-crowned Flycatcher, Screaming Piha, Black-and-chestnut Eagle, the restricted Upland Antshrike and the stunning Andean Cock-of-the-Rock.

Day 10: Villa Tunari to Cochabamba
In the morning morning, before leaving the Villa Tunari area, we will check Tablas Montes and Miguelito trails to search for any missed species. After lunch we will start our way back, up the mountains and on to Cochabamba, but taking a different road. In the late afternoon, we will continue up to the tree line, where we will bird until sunset to try for the rare Swallow-tailed Nightjar, which lives in the canyons of this area. This bird is more easily seen here than anywhere else and we’ll make a special effort to find it. After targeting the vast majority of species that we were after in this region, we will continue on to Cochabamba, where we will spend two nights.

Day 11: Cerro Tunari area
At dawn we will see the sun creep over the mountains to the west and bring warmth to the valley below. The endemic Bolivian Warbling-Finch is here, along with dazzling hummingbirds including the Red-tailed Comet and Sparkling Violetear and the less common Giant Hummingbird. Gray-hooded Parakeets leave their roosts squawking loudly as they race to the lower forests. We will look for these and other birds before continuing on to a tree line forest with rushing mountain streams where Torrent Ducks feed next to White-capped Dippers. We will also look for Tufted and Yellow-bellied Tit-Tyrants, White-winged Black-Tyrant, Giant Conebill, Tawny Tit-Spinetail, Puna Hawk, Bare-faced and Black-winged Ground-Doves, Rock Earthcreeper, Andean Hillstar, Olive-crowned Crescent-chest and White-browed Chat-Tyrant.

Other birds we may see here in rocky canyons include Andean Swallow, Andean Flicker, Plain-breasted Earthcreeper, White-winged Cinclodes, Streak-throated Canastero, White-fronted, Cinereous and Puna Ground-Tyrants, Greenish and Bright-rumped Yellow-Finches, Rufous-bellied Saltator, Fulvous-headed Brush-Finch, Plumbeous Sierra-Finch, and White-winged Diuca-Finch.

After the activity dies down in the mid-morning, we will continue up the mountain road. Above the tree line, the scenery changes drastically. Sheep and Llama farmers here live in houses unchanged since the early 1500s, giving this place a very medieval look. Their lifestyle has also changed little, so visiting this area will be like a journey back in time. This is also prime habitat for the rare Short-tailed Finch. We will enjoy a picnic lunch, served in a scenic location. We will spend most of this day at altitudes above 10,000 feet . This will be important for our acclimation to the higher altitudes to be reached during the next few days.

Bare-faced Ground Doves and Rufous-bellied Saltator © Luis Segura

Day 12: Cochabamba to La Paz
We will leave Cochabamba early this morning to begin our journey to Oruro and on to La Paz. Our first stop will be to try for the Brown-backed Mockingbird and the endemic, monotypic Bolivian Blackbird in the arid valleys south of town. The road climbs to the Puna grasslands at a mountain pass, where red-rock canyons off the road harbor Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail, D’Orbigny’s Chat-Tyrant and other interesting birds.

The pass lowers into the Bolivian altiplano, a rolling tableland that stretches between the western and eastern cordilleras. The city of Oruro is built on the slopes of a hill and we will make a quick stop near the city to look for the rich avian delights at Lake Uru-Uru. An ancient inland sea once covered Lake Uru-Uru as well as Titicaca. Today, the two lakes are only connected in wet years by the Desaguardero River. Uru-Uru has extensive shallow shores with teeming waterfowl, shorebirds, marsh birds and waders. The most important of these is the endemic Short-winged Grebe. At times, the lake teems with three species of flamingos: Chilean, Andean and a small number of James’s.

We continue on to La Paz in the afternoon. Time permitting, we will stop along the way to look for Darwin’s Nothura, Silvery Grebe, Golden-spotted Ground-Dove, Mountain Parakeet, Andean Lapwing, Tawny-throated Dotterel, Gray-breasted and Least Seedsnipes, Streak-throated Canastero, Common Miner, Andean Negrito, Short-billed Pipit, and Band-tailed Yellow-Finch. We will reach our comfortable hotel in La Paz at the end of a productive day and settle in for a two-night stay.

Titicaca Grebe © Luis Segura

Day 13: La Cumbre Pass and Coroico Road
Today you’ll experience some of the most impressive drives on Earth. We will leave La Paz after an early breakfast and climb through the clouds to La Cumbre Pass at over 15,000 feet where Snowcapped peaks and snowfields will surround us. Natural Puna gardens attract a variety of hummingbirds including Andean Hillstar. This delightful jewel is well adapted to the high altitude with its ability to go into a dormant torpor to save energy at night and on cold days.

From this point, we will drop more than 11,0000 feet in less than 80 kilometers, passing through Puna habitat, Andean lakes, cloud forest and finally the exuberant rainforests of the Yungas. We will stop to bird the different habitats along the way. Andean Cock-of-the Rocks can be seen from the roadside this day and birding the steep temperate and sub-tropical slopes will be exhilarating. We will look for Black-winged and Plum-crowned Parrots, Crested and Golden Headed Quetzals, Band-tailed and Barred Fruiteaters, Barred Becard, Crescent-chested Cotinga, Bolivian Tyrannulet, White-eared Solitaire, Golden-browed Chat-Tyrant, Mountain Wren, White-collared Jay and a dazzling array of tanagers. Other possible birds include Citrine Warbler, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Ochraceous-breasted Flycatcher, Chestnut-bellied Mountain-Tanager, the stunning Golden-collared Tanager and a race of Light-crowned Spinetail with a white crest.

Further down the habitat becomes more sub-tropical, with huge bamboo stands intermixed with cloud forest. Several bamboo specialists forage here, and we will look for Sepia-brown Wren, Plushcap and Superciliaried, Three-striped, Orange-browed and Drab Hemispinguses. Some of the forest species include Hooded Mountain-Toucan, Rust-and-Yellow, Blue-and-Black and Blue-capped Tanagers, Crimson-mantled and Bar-bellied Woodpeckers, Long-tailed Sylph, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Rufous-capped Thornbill, Rufous-bellied Brush-Tyrant, Blue-banded Toucanet, Hooded Mountain Toucan and Southern Mountain Cacique.

Above: Andean Cock-of-the-Rock © John Ashworth
Right: Sword-billed Hummingbird © Steve Bird

Day 14: Lake Titicaca and Sorata
Lake Titicaca is the last stretch of an ancient inland sea that once covered nearly 24,000 square miles and included Lake Uru-Uru. It is the world’s highest navigable lake and its greatest known depth is 920 feet. Floating “totora” reeds enable descendants of the Uru Indians to maintain floating villages, and inhabitants on the southern border use them to build the distinctive reed boats the lake is known for.

Today we will bird the marshy shorelines to look for the endemic Short-winged Grebe among the totora reeds. We will also look for Silvery Grebe, Plumbeous Rail, Andean Ruddy-Duck, Mourning and Peruvian Sierra-Finches, Black-winged Ground-Dove and Black Siskin.

Other possible species here include Puna Snipe, Correndera Pipit and Slender-billed Miner. After lunch and an active morning we will change the pace of the tour and return to La Paz.

Day 15: Departures from La Paz
Today we will transfer to La Paz International Airport (Airport code: LPB) for return flights home.

Leaders: Miguel Castelino (w/ 4-5 clients) and Gina Nichol and Steve Bird (w/ 6-10 clients).

Call (203) 453-6724 NOW or email gina@sunrisebirding.com
to hold your place on this fantastic tour!