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A Report from birdtours.co.uk

Chile, 17-27 May 2002,

Greg Roberts

gag@powerup.com.au

With Glenn Scherf, we flew from Santiago to Arica, where he hired a vehicle, for the northern sector. A second vehicle was hired in Santiago for the central sector. Two days of continuous rain towards the end of the trip scuttled plans to visit El Yeso and limited observations at La Campana.

18-20/5 - Arica and the Atacama Desert, focusing on the relatively lush Azapa and Lluta valleys and the Alacran Peninsula on the outskirts of Arica.

20-22/5 - Birded road to Putre at 3400m, our base for two nights, checking out the valley behind the northern edge of town; one full day to Parinacota and Parque Nacional Lauca to 4500m. No sign of Diademed Sandpiper-Plover. Return to Santiago.

23-24/5 - Coast around Con Con and the Rio Aconcagua.

24-26/5 - Parque Nacional La Campana.

26-27/5 - Cajon del Maipo and San Gabriel after bad weather prevented access to El Yeso.

Birds
*denotes lifer

*Lesser Rhea (small nos in Lauca NP),
*Chilian Tinamou (1 at La Campana; 1 near San Gabriel),
Ornate Tinamou (common between Putre & Lauca NP),
Sooty Shearwater (1 off Alacran),  Great Grebe,
White-tufted Grebe,  Silvery Grebe (several Lauca NP),
*Humboldt (Peruvian) Penguin (fairly common off Con Con),
*Peruvian Pelican (common on coasts),
*Guanay Cormorant (2 off Alacran; common off Con Con),
*Red-legged Cormorant (2 off Alacran; fairly common off Con Con),
Olivaceous Cormorant,
*Peruvian Booby (common on coasts),
Great Egret,  Snowy Egret,  Cattle Egret,  Black-crowned
Night-Heron,  Little Blue Heron,
Chilean Flamingo (common in Lauca NP),
*Puna Ibis (common in Lauca NP),
Andean Goose (common in Lauca NP),  Red Shoveler,  Crested Duck (several in Lauca NP),  Silver Teal,  Puna Teal (several in Lauca NP),  Southern Wigeon,  Brown Pintail,
Turkey Vulture,  Black Vulture,  American Kestrel,  Aplomada Falcon,  Chimango Caracara,  Red-backed Hawk (around Arica, and Puna Hawk in Lauca NP),
White-winged Coot,  Red-fronted Coot,  Giant Coot (common in Lauca NP),  Spot-flanked Gallinule,
Southern Lapwing,  Collared Plover,  Surfbird,  Greater Yellowlegs,  South American Stilt, 
*Peruvian Thick-knee (2 in open cultivated field in Lluta Valley),
American Oystercatcher,  Blackish Oystercatcher (several at Alacran),
*Grey Gull (common off Alacran; fairly common off Con Con),
*Band-tailed Gull (common off Alacran),
Kelp Gull,  Andean Gull (common in Lauca NP),  Franklin's Gull,  Black Skimmer,  Elegant Tern,
*Inca Tern (fairly common off Con Con),
*Grey-breasted Seed-Snipe (several in Lauca NP),
*Chilean Pigeon (several at La Campana NP and in Cajon del Maipo),
*Pacific Dove (common around Arica),
*Bare-faced Ground-Dove (common around Putre),
Croaking Ground-Dove (common in Azapa Valley),  Black-winged Ground-Dove (en route to Putre),  Golden-spotted Ground-Dove (several in Lauca NP),  Picui Ground-Dove,  Eared Dove,
California Quail (common in La Campana NP),
Mountain Parakeet (calling at Putre),
*Green-backed Firecrown (several at La Campana NP),
*Oasis Hummingbird (fairly common in Azapa Valley),
*Peruvian Sheartail (small nos in Azapa Valley),
*Andean Hillstar (1 in Putre),
*Chilean Flicker (several in Cajon del Maipo),
*Greyish Miner (2 en route to Putre),
Puna Miner (common in Lauca NP),
Scale-throated Earthcreeper (1 near San Gabriel),
*White-throated Earthcreeper (2 in valley behind Putre),
*Plain-breasted Earthcreeper (common around Putre & in Lauca NP),
Straight-billed Earthcreeper (several en route to Putre),
*Chilean Seaside Cinclodes (several around Con Con),
Bar-winged Cinclodes,  White-winged Cinclodes (several in Lauca NP),  Dark-bellied Cinclodes (2 near Rio Aconcagua),
Thorn-tailed Rayadito (common in La Campana NP),
*Desmur's Wiretail (1 in La Campana NP),
*Streaked (Streak-backed) Tit-Spinetail (several en route to Putre),
Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail,  Austral Negrito,
Cordilleran Canastero (common in north),
*Dark-winged Canastero (common in gully behind Putre),
*Canyon Canastero (2 in rocky outcrop in Lauca NP),
*Dusky-tailed Canastero (2 near San Gabriel),
White-throated Treerunner (3 in La Campana NP),
White-crested Elaenia,  Tufted Tit-Tyrant,
*Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant (2 in gully behind Putre),
*Patagonian Tyrant (2 in La Campana NP; 1 near San Gabriel),
*White-tailed Shrike-Tyrant (1 in gully behind Putre),
*Great Shrike-Tyrant (1 along railway line north of Rio Aconcagua),
*Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant (several en route to and behind Putre),
*White-fronted Ground-Tyrant (fairly common in Lauca NP),
*White-browed Ground-Tyrant (1 near San Gabriel),
*Puna Ground-Tyrant (common in Lauca NP),
Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrant (1 en route to Putre),
Rufous-naped Ground-Tyrant (1 in Lauca NP),
Dark-faced Ground-Tyrant (2 near Rio Aconcagua),
White-browed Chat-Tyrant (1 in gully behind Putre),  Fire-eyed Duicon (common in La Campana NP),  Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant,  Vermilion Flycatcher,
*Rufous-tailed Plantcutter (2 near Rio Aconcagua),
Southern House Wren,
Chilean Swallow,  Blue-and-white Swallow,
*Andean Swallow (fairly common around Putre),
Chiguanco Thrush (several in Lluta Valley),  Austral Thrush (common),  Chilean Mockingbird (common),
Greenish Yellow-Finch,  Bright-rumped Yellow-Finch (small nos around Putre),  Common Diuca-Finch,
*White-winged Diuca-Finch (common in Lauca NP),
*Slender-billed Finch (fairly common in orchards in Azapa Valley),
*Black-throated Flowerpiercer (2 in gardens in Putre),
Cinereous Conebill (common in Azapa Valley),
Black-hooded Sierra-Finch (2 en route to Putre),  Grey-hooded Sierra-Finch,  Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch,  Band-tailed Sierra-Finch (several around Putre),  Mourning Sierra-Finch,  Plumbeous Sierra-Finch, 
*White-throated Sierra-Finch (common in Lauca NP),
Chesnut-throated Seedeater (common in Lluta & Azapa valleys),
Hooded Siskin,  Black Siskin (2 in Lauca NP),  Black-chinned Siskin,
*Yellow-rumped Siskin (several near Putre),
Rufous-collared Sparrow,  House Sparrow,  Shiny Cowbird,  Austral Blackbird (several near La Campana NP),  Yellow-winged Blackbird,  Long-tailed Meadowlark.
Total - 138  Lifers - 43

MAMMALS

Guanaco,  Vicuna (common in Lauca NP),
*Mountain Vizcacha (common in Lauca NP),
*Alpine Rat (common in Lauca NP),
Southern Sea-Lion.

 

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