Bearly Believable – Birding Bolivia (2 Viewers)

[Farnboro John]

25 August The Pipeline Road (Eastern edge)

We had a morning drive to the pumping station at the East side of Kaa Iya, seeing little of note (Crab-eating Foxes and Tapetis). Back for breakfast I got some nice pictures of the local Yellow-headed Caracara. Talking to Hugo by the vehicle later I asked him if he was now going to remove the water barrels etc from the flatbed at the back of the truck so all of us could get up there if conditions were favourable. He dithered and I pressed my case: “I’ll put that another way – we’ve got tonight, tomorrow and tomorrow night and we now need unfettered access to the flatbed where the views are best.”

He and Cesar removed their equipment from the flatbed. Had he objected I would have started to make points about them working for paying clients here now and not for notional ones turning up next week – but he wisely didn’t.

So off we went on the afternoon drive, standing up on the back holding onto the surrounding railings with an excellent view in all directions and able to swing our bins and cameras into action in any direction without craning out of the window or trying to see past other bodies in the cab. I did feel that to justify my earlier firmness I had to spend as much of my time up there as I could stand – with the South wind still in command it was still not very warm!

We stopped to check the integrity of the plastic lined pool our team had put in earlier in the week (it was fine) and Hugo found us a Stripe-backed Antbird (tick but no photo). We birded the area while Hugo and Cesar were working in the bushes and were surprised to turn around and see Hugo coming towards us with his left foot suddenly awkward and turned up. As he reached us he explained that he had a tarantula perched on one boot, which he was carrying in his hand so we could see it and, once he put it down, photograph it on the track. Excellent work! He then identified a Pale-crested Woodpecker as it flew over the vehicle as a silhouette and before it pitched in a nearby tree allowing us views but not enough time to deploy the cameras. Impressive!

Having reached the limit of our patrol we turned and started back. As we passed through one of the small pumping station compounds Hugo shouted Cesar to stop and called “White-bellied Nothura!” as a partridge-sized bird sprinted from the inner fence towards the edge of the compound. Opening fire almost without aiming I was lucky enough to get a couple of frames in focus of this new bird for me but Steve missed it as he was on the wrong side (inside) and it was behind the vehicle. Fortunately we saw another a day or two later which he got.

A stop and wander at another pumping station yielded a female Great Antshrike and later in the drive we encountered a showy Bat Falcon sitting high on a dead tree as well as another group of White-coated Titi Monkeys typically reticent when it came to allowing pictures. A Gray Brocket with a fawn made its way across the track but too far away for photos: after the fab views of the one at the far West end of the road we weren’t all that concerned.

The afternoon drive extended into the darkness of the early evening and we were lucky to find a Tropical Screech Owl sitting up before reaching base for dinner prior to another night drive. We were unlucky that it flew away before we could get pictures.

This was our second-to-last night drive and we felt things were coming right down to the wire as far as sightings of the key species were concerned. Still – every day is different.

Before we even left the ranger station Hugo managed to spot a Great Horned Owl atop a tree by the track and this one sat for photos, making it seem almost like a tick as I’d seen several in Florida in 1988 and one for a couple of seconds at Jaguarland but none this close and this well.

Finally I managed to get a usable photo of a Tapeti that hopped along the edge of the road rather than straight off into the bushes. The first ones we’d seen (when I wasn’t ready) had showed well but then we had a whole series of unco-operative ones, so it was about time.

We were keyed up throughout the drive, most of which I spent up on the flatbed. Accordingly I got the full benefit of the mighty crash in the bushes right next to the road that caused a crash stop (instant dust cloud) and debussing of the remainder of the crew. Torches were swiftly deployed for trying to see into the bush. I put mine on red and kept a bit of an eye on sectors where the others weren’t looking, including up and down the road. Being stopped in the dark in wilderness you know contains Jaguars and Pumas makes you want full 360 degree situational awareness.

For a while we heard nothing and, you’ve guessed it, saw nothing. Then we heard the clip, clop of a large animal’s hooves departing on a trail the beginning of which, let alone the part within the bushes, we also couldn’t see – and that was as close as we got to Lowland Tapir. Neither of us tick on hoofbeats, however certain.

Last day at Kaa Iya tomorrow. Definitely down to the wire.

John

Yellow-headed Caracara
Red-crested Finch X 2
The Pipeline Road
Tarantula sp X 3

 

[Farnboro John]

Rest of the day and into the night

John

White-bellied Nothura
Great Antshrike X 2
White-coated_Titi Monkey
Scaly-headed Parrot
Bat Falcon
Great Horned Owl
Tapeti

 

[Farnboro John]

26 August: The Road goes ever on and on (Over the Edge)

A bit of a change this morning with a drive not just to but beyond the Eastern pumping station to the very Eastern edge of Kaa Iya. Beyond the pumping station the National Park was only on our right, with cattle stations on our left. There were gates to go through occasionally and nobody seemd to have told the cattle that the park ended at the track so they were on both sides of us and some areas were much more open that we had become used to. We thought some of these areas would reward exploration on foot but of course our main targets were best looked for by covering ground and that meant mainly driving along the track.

Movement in a bit of thicker bush turned out to be peccaries and investigation found they were Collared Peccaries. They didn’t seem bothered by our presence and as they wandered about we managed a few shots through gaps in the trees and bushes. I saw a hawk flash past the right hand side of the vehicle and pitch in a thick bush. I got a shot of its back end perched up and believe my identification as Bicolored Hawk on tail banding, thickness of legs and rufous breast is correct.

By the time we reached the metal gate barring exit from the park and further exploration along the pipeline no cats had appeared though a group of three Crab-eating Foxes had wandered across and away from the track: we saw another on the return trip. The highlight of that return trip was a stop and walk through the bush on an animal trail to one of the remaining lagoons at this end of the dry season. It was a small but lush pond (well, say small lagoon but large pond, if that helps) surrounded by tall trees.

On our way to it we came across a Cream-backed Woodpecker (another of those large woodpeckers that are always easy to see and photograph), only moving on once we had the results we wanted. The obstacle was more waiting for it to pose just right so cream back and head pattern were on view in a pleasing way than difficulty seeing the bird. When we reached the pool Hugo invited us to pick a log and sit waiting in silence for animals to appear to drink. As it was now the middle of the day we were sceptical, it seemed likely to us that very early morning or late afternoon would be the time to do such a stakeout, but perhaps the risks involved in walking so far through the bush were too high for that.

Anyway if it wasn’t much cop for mammals it was pretty decent for birds and in quick succession we ticked off Flavescent Warbler and Great Rufous Woodcreeper (which does exactly what it says on the tin) as well as obtaining further views of Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Black-backed Water Tyrant and a really nice photo-opportunity with a plug-ugly Turkey Vulture.

Before the end of the drive, mid-afternoon, we got decent views of Ruddy Ground Doves on the track but they were too quick for us to also get photos.. We spent a little time packing and birding the compound, finding and photographing a White-lined Tanager as well as a couple of Bue-crowned Parakeets, before having an early meal and heading out for our very last night drive.

When dinner was served it included a Key Lime Pie and chocolate cake (with candles) in honour of Steve’s birthday! Of course we further embarrassed him by singing Happy Birthday. A highlight of an up-and-down day!

We absolutely flogged the Pipeline Road West with no great surprises apart from another brief view of Tropical Screech Owl. Heading back disappointed, we had one last highlight when an Ocelot jumped out from the left side perhaps a hundred metres or so ahead, with a Tapeti kicking its last held firmly in the cat’s jaws. We tried to creep forward in the vehicle but the cat unfortunately made off in a leisurely way into the vegetation presumably to find somewhere to enjoy its meal.

John

Bicolored Hawk back end
The other end airfield
Collared Peccary X 2
Cotton-wool tree
Cream-backed Woodpecker X 3

 

[Farnboro John]

Rest of the morning drive

John

Southern Screamer X 2
Turkey Vulture
Flavescent Warbler X 2
Turkey Vulture
Olivaceous Woodcreeper
Great Rufous Woodcreeper

 

[Farnboro John]

The afternoon's take

John

White-lined Tanager female X 2
Gray Brocket male X 2

 

[Farnboro John]

27 August: Return to Santa Cruz

We still had a half-chance on an early morning drive before departure on the morrow. Desperate stuff and desperation does not often improve performance: we saw nothing that wasn’t utterly familiar to us. Even the Crab-eating Foxes were fed up to the back teeth with us and stayed away: no late win for us before game over.

The drive out of the area only yielded more Brockets: due to opening hours issues we lunched at a Brazilian-style diner not the posh restaurant of the drive into the area. In full daylight and with hope gone we had time to view the progressive devastation of the area outside the national park by cattle stations, gradually encroaching closer and closer in what should really be a buffer zone between the wildlife and the human population. It was difficult to be hopeful about the eventual outcome for the area, let alone our own chances as we drove out.

Back on the main road we had an unusual sighting of a Great White Egret walking across the carriageway – bone dry and no water nearby, very odd.

Coming into Santa Cruz we hit some bad rush hour traffic but eventually reached our new location of the Hostel Travella (a backpackers’ favourite) where unfortunately, tired, hot and wanting to get out for beer we got off on the wrong foot with the manager when he couldn’t find our room key, destroying the effect of his put-on London matey accent and Tony Blackburn-quality jokes. The rooms not being en suite was also a surprise but very much a first world problem we weren’t going to kick about: not only that but the showers turned out to be the best ones of the trip. Steve took it as his fault anyway for not checking the prospectus well enough.

The manager sensibly gave us a different room – a double which was worrying – to unwind in while he dashed about trying to locate the key, and he also spoke to the owner who even more sensibly advised him to give us a room each once he had located it, so we got great sleep opportunities each of the two nights we were there given that both of us snore habitually - despite the salsa club next door.

Dinner was at an alleged Japanese/Korean diner only fifty yards away, Bolivian food with below the bare minimum of spicing to make it seem Asian. They had cold beer though – and we had wine stashed for a nightcap back at the ranch afterwards.

John

Me on the viewing deck
Kaa Iya map
Our room at the ranger station

 

[Allen]

we had time to view the progressive devastation of the area outside the national park by cattle stations, gradually encroaching closer and closer in what should really be a buffer zone between the wildlife and the human population. It was difficult to be hopeful about the eventual outcome for the area

Thoroughly enjoying this write up John. And I know what you mean re the above. We saw the same in Belize after a wonderful reserve stay with blackened stumps with cattle wandering about them really bringing home first hand the destruction cattle ranching does indescriminately. It was thoroughly depressing.

 

[Steve Babbs]

A rather belated photo of the crew from Jaguarland.

 

[Farnboro John]

28 August: Botanical Gardens Finale

Steve found the Lufthansa on-line check in system wasn’t working, which wasn’t great with our three-leg journey home and wanting our luggage through-ticketed. Trying to check in via the office of BoA (a short walk away) – failed, but they did book us seats next to each other on their flight from Santa Cruz to Sao Paulo – we took a taxi to the Botanical Gardens for a last thrash round, going via the resort with the sloths and White-eared Titi Monkeys. The taxi driver didn’t initially understand the mission and tried to get us to the gate of the place but eventually we managed to get him to understand that we wanted to walk along the main road and look in while he waited for us. During our efforts I found a Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth doing the proper hanging from a branch and feeding on leaves but the monkeys didn’t show, which was disappointing for both of us.

Then it was on to the Botanical Gardens where suddenly as foreigners we were charged 30 Bolivianos each to get in – what? It was 10 last two times (we didn’t say out loud)! You don’t question such things especially by analogy with previous, in case they want to recover the undercharging, so we had to stump up from our dwindling store of Bolivian currency.

Once in we had another brief view of the Southern Amazon Red Squirrel which repeated its frustrating disappearing performance right in front of us. We made our way through the wilder parts of the woodland checking out a couple of trails that according to the map led right through the blocks they were in but actually petered out in the middle, forcing in each case a retreat to the main drag and a different route around. At least we got more views of Black-and-Gold Howlers including a black adult male, though he didn’t want to sit for his portrait and instead presented the camera with views of his plums as he moved off to a big shady tree where he could keep out of our way.

This turned out fortuitously to be the best move we could have made when a massive owl launched off a tree in front of us and glided away down the middle of the track before a couple of brisk flaps and a swoop up to land in plain view facing us on another tree. Our first instinct was Great Horned but as we looked at it I become convinced the face pattern was all wrong and hauled the field guide out of my rucksack. Sure enough what we had (incidentally we had immediately taken record shots) was a Stygian Owl! We stalked it and took closer photos, revelling in the great views of a fantastic bird as a highlight of our final day in the field. Sidling closer eventually resulted in the owl making off away from the track, which was perhaps best for it and us as it was very difficult to tear ourselves away from its majestic presence.

Continuing on we found a Golden-green Woodpecker showing off its contrasting finery before becoming aware of a flock of parrotlets. These proved very difficult to identify, partly because they kept high in trees against the strong sunlight and partly because all the species look very much alike – overall bright green with detail differences that can be hard to see! Persistence and inspection of progressively better photos eventually demonstrated that they were Blue-winged Parrotlets and our final tick of the trip.

Notwithstanding this the birding continued to be good, with nice views of Ocellated and Olivaceous Woodcreepers, Bolivian Slaty Antshrikes and other familiar species. My last species photographed was the only bird seen on every day of the trip: a Rufous Hornero sitting up nicely near the Botanical Gardens gate as we headed back to catch a bus into town.

John

A Blue-crowned Parakeet from Kaa Iya the previous day that I missed uploading
Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth from the main road X 3
Black-and-gold Howler Monkey X 3 (adult male last)

 

[Farnboro John]

And some birds

John

Great Antshrike
Stygian Owl
Golden-green Woodpecker
Blue-winged Parrotlet X 2

 

[Farnboro John]

Last birds

John

Bolivian Slaty Antshrike female X 2
Bolivian Slaty Antshrike male
Rufous Hornero, our constant companion, X 2

 

[Farnboro John]

29 – 30 August: For a moment I thought we were in trouble

We had a taxi booked for 0530 to get us to the airport in plenty of time for our flight. The driver seemed to be in training for the next F1 season but we arrived alive and managed to check in with just a few minor issues, mainly still not being able to download e-boarding passes to our phones, so ending up with some rather fragile looking till-roll paper copies. The check-in folks assured us that the luggage was through-ticketed and we headed off for a breakfast of paninis and coffee. While waiting at the gate for our flight we were able to watch our last Bolivian birds, Gray-breasted Martins, which were nesting in numbers on the undersides of the airport jetways and occasionally perching on the ledges just outside the thick slightly tinted windows through which we were watching.

Our flight from Santa Cruz to Sao Paulo was without incident. Even as transit passengers we had to pass through security (though we didn’t have to recover our hold luggage) but we got lucky immediately after that as one of those electric buggies airports use for less mobile passengers was just picking one up and invited us to hop on for the indoor trip to the end of the terminal building (T1 to T3 are in fact all one building) from which our flight to Frankfurt would be leaving. It was smugly satisfying to be driven past all the people who had been ahead of us in the security queue and were now toiling along with their hand baggage or in some cases, full suite of luggage.

We had about five hours to wait for our next flight and we broke up the afternoon with coffees and the odd snack. The airline broke up the afternoon further by announcing my name on the PA system (luckily Steve heard it, I would have completely missed it). For a moment I thought we were in trouble. Fortunately when we obeyed their summons to the check-in desk it turned out they were just providing us and all the other passengers hampered by the system issue preventing our use of smart phones for e-boarding passes with proper card versions.

Bored with coffees we had a couple of rounds of beers to pass the time. Steve picked cans of Amstel but with my wider experience of American beers when it was my turn I came back with a couple of bottles of Lagunitas, a fine US real ale. Steve acidly asked how I was going to open the crown-tops at which point I flourished the bottle-opener on my key-ring. Don’t leave home without it!

Eventually it was time to board the Lufthansa 747-8 for the transatlantic flight. If anything the aircraft was even more geriatric than the outbound one: my entertainment system now wouldn’t entertain the idea of sound at all and I perforce watched English language films by means of subtitles. The jet seemed too warm and of course travelling cattle-class in the centre of the aircraft with unknown people outside each of us in the aisle seats we had no room and felt awkward about asking to get out too often despite a fierce attack of restless leg which prevented sleep for ages.

The food was dreadful, once again I got stuck with the vegetarian option which I regard as completely inappropriate: not only that but even if I had been vegetarian I would not have regarded badly cooked pasta with a minimum of indeterminate sauce and one small bit of tomato as any kind of meal.

As part of not getting caught out by missed connections we had another long wait at Frankfurt and though we hadn’t gone through security outbound here, this time we did have to. The detector succeeded in spotting the laser pointer mounted within my thermal imager and they decided to make me take everything out of my hand baggage and run the lot through again with me itemizing each piece of equipment. For a moment I thought I was in trouble… Fortunately after the second scan they were satisfied and I got the lot back. However, I don’t know why they thought it was an issue or why they didn’t continue to consider it an issue – and I wasn’t going to ask, just took my gear and legged it!

The aircraft for our onward Dolomiti flight was late but the staff turned it round with astonishing speed. In fact they were so fast that we were convinced that despite our long wait our luggage wouldn’t have made it onto the plane. We climbed at max chat all the way to cruising altitude instead of reducing to climbing power as airliners usually do and in consequence arrived at London City Airport pretty much on time, at 1625. Good effort. Off we went to the baggage return.

Bags began to come through, were lifted off in turn by their owners who then set off homewards or onwards. We were dismayed when the last bag notice came up and the conveyor stopped – but a quick look at the information screen revealed that was for the previous flight and ours hadn’t started arriving yet. Both bags came though together and our respective runs for home began. DLR, Jubilee and Waterloo to Farnborough got me to Marion’s well-timed arrival and we were in the Prince of Wales by 1830. Endex!

John

 

[Steve Babbs]

Have you worked out your number of 'lifers'?

 

[Farnboro John]

Have you worked out your number of 'lifers'?

I think its 168 birds and 24 mammals but I haven't actually added them to the list yet so there might be one or two differences at the margins or due to splits/lumps. The quality is there as well with Andean Condor, Sunbittern, Toco Toucan and Greater Rhea all definitely world highlights!

Very satisfactory.

John

 

[Steve Babbs]

Not quite the car fest I was hoping for. 6 mammals, 14 birds, 3 reptiles and one amphibian.

 

[davholla]

A few more pix from the morning.

John

Glass-winged Butterfly sp
Streaked Xenops
Fungi
Riverbank Warbler X 2
Lizard tormenting furry thing

View attachment 1608145View attachment 1608147View attachment 1608149View attachment 1608150View attachment 1608151View attachment 1608152

I saw that butterfly in Boliva in October this year two of them were eating bird excrement which was something new for me.

 

[davholla]

16 August: Jaguarland!

Breakfast reset to omelette: perhaps that’s what they do with all guests, first morning of the stay is omelette and to get other stuff you stay longer. Presumably that means it’s not too busy, or I’d expect the cyclic menu to be driven by what day it is.

0830 pick up by guide Nicolas, drive Jose. Nicolas was a tall, broad-shouldered athletic young-looking enthusiastic guy with a bit of a coca-chewing habit while Jose was a khaki vest-wearing somewhat pot-bellied, goatee-bearded shrewd-eyed chap (in fact Hollywood would cast him to place the action in South America in a heartbeat) who understood a hell of a lot more English than he spoke – he laughed at even some of my more abstruse jokes before Nicolas did! Cook Natalie was travelling in a separate vehicle with an American couple (we decided to avoid discussing politics for the next few days!) Nicolas inquired as to our kinds of music and I mentioned AC/DC – guess what, his favourite band! Steve slumped with his hands over his face as we were treated to wall-to-wall AC/DC for the next hour.

A stop for a comfort break proved useful for listing as a Toco Toucan flew past (fortunately not while we were otherwise engaged.) This remarkable looking bird with its huge glowing golden-yellow bill is familiar to older Brits from adverts for Guinness Irish stout and was something I particularly wanted to see – excellent!

We stopped at a roadside diner for lunch where the resident dog (which looked very roughly Shih-tzu in origin) gave us considerable unwanted attention as holiday healthcare Rule One is don’t engage with local dogs… I’m sure the dogs know this and think it is a great joke. Lunch was peanut soup followed by braised beef and assorted veg. The beef wasn’t too tough which was a pleasant surprise.

Eventually the asphalt ran out and we had a couple of hours of dusty track driving (to the surreal sound, with the temperature well in the thirties and dust hanging in the dry atmosphere, of Wham’s Last Christmas after a radical change of playlist!) before reaching the ranch that constitutes Jaguarland.

Having negotiated the gate we were immediately engaged in wildlife watching as we passed river channels and small lakes with Snail Kites and Roseate Spoonbills familiar to me from Florida long ago. The vehicle pulled up by a wider pool within a channel and Nicolas immediately remarked: “there it is!” as a swirl formed on the water surface. Following his lead we leapt out of the car, returning to it quickly for our cameras as we were getting point-blank views of a Bolivian River Dolphin surfacing to breathe. Before long we had managed to get pictures as well as great views of the full length of the dolphin from long narrow beak to flukes – I must admit I considered adding a cetacean to my list in one of the two landlocked countries of South America something of a coup.

Moving on we added Neotropic Cormorants, Greater Rheas (photos at last) and Southern Lapwings to the day list but proper new birds were also all about us (well me, Steve had seen them all on previous trips): Savanna Hawk departing from us across the fields; Large-billed Terns patrolling the channels and waterbirds galore including the enormous Jabiru. I’d hoped we might see one or two of these huge storks but here flocks of ten or twenty stalked through and past dozens and hundreds of Wood Storks and egrets with Cocoi Herons dotted everywhere. The channels were full of Caiman of assorted sizes as well. As we passed a block of taller forest Jose braked to a stop and 2 Bolivian Red Howler Monkeys were in the trees watching us with suspicion (or maybe its just the way they look normally!) Despite being able to see them clearly in bins they were quite difficult to get a clear photo of and after a while they moved off – not quickly but inevitably into places where they were less easy to see.

I can’t quite remember and stupidly didn’t write it down but I think from my notebook that after this introduction to Jaguarland we made for camp and sorted out tents. We were not the only guests, the vehicle that had brought our cook had also brought two Americans whom we had met briefly over lunch. Without any idea of their leanings Steve and I resolved to avoid politics in conversation: no need to court trouble and we already know it can be a touchy subject in this day and age. In fact we didn’t see much of them and they didn’t stay very long, though long enough for us to hear them muttering about the lack of luxury or private facilities such as a lounge area. Welcome to the wilderness….

The tents were substantial plastic creations with decent headroom and in my case a nice big double bed. Steve got only a mattress on the floor (still better than the lilos of my camping youth) but once the Americans left he moved into their tent which was as well equipped as mine and had electricity run in on an extension lead to boot!!

John

The spaghetti of street wiring outside our hotel room in Santa Cruz.
Greater Rhea
Crane Hawk (amended title)
Bolivian River Dolphin X 2
Southern Screamer
Jabiru

View attachment 1608614View attachment 1608615View attachment 1608616View attachment 1608620View attachment 1608621View attachment 1608622View attachment 1608623

By Jaguar land you mean, Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park? I was there in October although I stayed in the park guards place near the gas workers and fortunately it was indoors with air con (it was very hot).

 

[Farnboro John]

By Jaguar land you mean, Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park? I was there in October although I stayed in the park guards place near the gas workers and fortunately it was indoors with air con (it was very hot).

No, we were at Kaa Iya at the end of the trip. Jaguarland is North of Santa Cruz.

John

 

[davholla]

No, we were at Kaa Iya at the end of the trip. Jaguarland is North of Santa Cruz.

John

That makes sense - it sounded very different from where I went. Very interesting series - did you see any butterflies in Kaa lya? There were loads in October but the guide said that there were none a few weeks earlier. I believe him but it was hard to.

 

[pbjosh]

We’re also just back from our trip. Much more a pure bird focused adventure but lots of laughs and lots of fun times. Only had to move rocks out of the road and beg our way past one bloqueo, and managed to stay ahead of fuel shortages, which was all very welcome as we were quite worried about logistical headaches. A ton of time driving but some great birds along the way. Highlights for me were many but Red-fronted and Blue-throated Macaws, Hooded Mountain Toucan, Scimitar-winged Piha, and two new Antpittas are perhaps my favorites. Most importantly we had a ton of laughs and everyone enjoyed tremendously. I managed about 30 new birds which was about as well as I had thought possible. Most of the rest of the crew had around 60-100 each, and one friend who has done a lot less in S America than the rest of us had 250+!