Friday, June 10

 Friday, June 10

I finally made it to Jardin Botanico. Since it doesn't open until 9am, I enjoyed a slow breakfast and negotiated a taxi fare of Bs25, arriving just before 10am. This is truly an amazing birding area given its proximity to the city. Not quite Parque Metropolitano in Panama City, but nevertheless, quite good.

The laguna was not particularly populated, but I did see my first Least Grebe, Wattled Jacana and Common Moorhen of the trip. Rufous-browed Peppershrike and Rufous Hornero were in the trees and hillside. I started to walk toward the Moorhen for a better view when I noticed an Aligator (not a log) just to its right. A Roadside Hawk was perched beautifully at eye-level and did not flush while I shot closer and closer. A Yellow-tufted Woodpecker perched exposed in the top branches of a tree, while a House Wren moved through the middle branches.

I meandered through the extensive trail system that crosses varied types of forest habitats. This variety made the garden highly productive throughout the day. Along the fence-line, I found Thrush-like Wren, a female Purple-throated Euphonia, Sayaca Tanager, and Hooded Tanager. Moving into the woods, Woodcreeper became abundant, including Straight-billed Woodcreeper. An opening in the canopy was the perfect setting for a Black-fronted Nunbird to perch in the sunlight. 

Black-fronted Nunbird (300mm f/4 1/400, ISO200)

This section of trail held Creamy-bellied Thrush, which given my previous misses I had started to believe would be a bird I missed to migration. I also found the male Purple-throated Euphonia and Tropical Parula. Perhaps the most interesting bird of the day was the Red-billed Scythebill, who quite actively picked way at tree trunks. The low brush yielded Black-capped Antwren and Bolivian Slaty-Antshrike. Other birds included Silver-beaked Tanager, Fawn-breasted Wren. The day ended with a better shot of a Purplish Jay, Crested Oropendola and Yellow-chevroned Parakeet.

Red-billed Scythebill (300mm f/4  1/400, ISO200)

I returned to the hostel via a trufi taxi and then set off for the bus terminal. Bus terminals are undoubtedly the hardest part of traveling in a foreign language. I was not entirely sure what kind of ticket I had purchased, but I reiterated “cama, cama, cama” as often as possible. I came to expect an old school bus, but was pleasantly surprised that I actually had purchased a place on a cama bus (Bs70). The rumors about how cold they become were true, and every Bolivian was prepared with a blanket. I threw my fleece over me, pulled my hat down, turned on some music and slept fairly well over the course of the night.

Bird tally: 15 new, 11 lifers

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