Sunday, June 5

The day started at 5:30 and I was in a cab to Las Lomas by 6am. Of course, it was completely overcast; quite poor light for birding, but the effect of cobalt-blue cloud cover over the sand dunes was spectacular. I was the only soul until 11am and real crowds only started to arrive once I was hiking out around 2pm. 

Las Lomas de Arena (21mm f/9 1/250, ISO100)

View of Las Lomas de Arena (28sec)

I was greeted by Southern Lapwing, Roadside Hawk, American Kestrel, Eared Dove, and Chopi Blackbird on the grassy plain between the park entrance and the path to the dunes. As the road bent to the right, numerous Smooth-billed Ani were calling. This path was very productive, including Rufous Hornero, Burrowing Owl, Red-legged Seriema, Picui-Ground Dove, White-eyed Parakeet, Guira Cuckoo, Buff-throated Woodcreeper, Plush-crested Jay, Squirrel Cuckoo, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Southern Caracara and Saffron Finch. Reaching the dunes and walking to the right towards the lagoon, I found White-necked Stilt. I aimless strolled and noticed a second laguna behind the main dune. The pond and the muddy scrub were very productive: Brazil Duck, Ringed Teal, White-faced Duck, Cocoi Heron, Limpkin, Whistling Heron, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron (juvenile), Turkey Vulture, Yellowish Pipit, Kiskadee, and Saffron Finch. 


(NB: I did not identify the Buff-throated Woodcreeper until I sorted through my photographs after returning to Texas. At the time, I suspected a Buff-throated, but was holding out hope that it was a new species. But, the guide I had used to identify Buff-throated while in Panama was quite dated. Since then, the Cocoa Woodcreeper (X. susarrens ) of Central America and northern South America has been split from Buff-throated (X. guttarus). Thus, I renamed my old Buff-throated pics as Cocoa, I did get a new species, after all. I also noticed an icterid I had identified as a Chopi Blackbird had a faint rusty cap that was visible with its head positioned at several angles. Hence, I could add Chestnut-capped Blackbird to the list. Similarly, a bird I had identified as a pipit was actually a female Spectacled Tyrant with a very inconspicuous eye-ring).

Southern Caracara (300mm f5.6 1/1000, ISO200)

On the hike back, a Red-legged Seriema was poking around a garden patio. The path had many of the same birds as the walk in, but a pair of Thrush-like Wrens were singing on the return, as well as a noisy Green-cheeked Parakeet. There is a creek that runs along the edge of the Chaco plain after the entrance that yielded Roadside Hawk, Limpkin and Green-barred Woodpecker. I walked to the actual park entrance in order to catch a Microbus (#21, Bs3) back to Santa Cruz and found White-banded Mockingbird. The Microbus took me as far as the third ring road around Santa Cruz. I got off at the Hipermarket Sud and walked to the hostel (about 30 minutes) with a stop for a fried chicken dinner.

Red-legged Seriema (300mm f/4 1/250, ISO100)

That evening, four of us (Englishwoman, Brazilian and an Aussie who had just arrived) walked to the center for dinner and a beer. The Brazilian told a story that made about as much sense as chicken soup at a whorehouse (you really had to be there for that one).

Bird tally: 37 total, 27 new, 23 lifers