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Category: BOLIVIA
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CORANI & LIST (KM72 Villa Tunari & Cochabamba) 
BOLIVIA

COCHABAMBA (Compass)

Lat:00o00´S/00o00´W ha topography msl 
Protected/registered status 
Best Time for visit (5th-6th January, 2006)

 

Birding Site Guide

This spot on the new highway between Cochabamba to Villa Tunari is easily reached by public transport. One can either take a Villa Tunari bus from Oquenda and 9 de Abril in Cochabamba (2 hours, Bs12) or a communal taxi to Colomi and another to Corani Pampa from there (an hour and a half, Bs 6 + 6). The advantage is that taxis leave earlier (eg. 5am) rather than than 7am for the bus. The bus driver dropped me at the turn-off for the Corani Hydroelectric dam at km 77.4. This road actually turned out to have good birding (Plushcap, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager and Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant) but I was turned back by road-workers after a while. The walk back along the main road also had good birds including Andean Guans perching near the road, Black-and-blue Tanager and Pearled Treerunner. There are several trails running from this stretch of road which may be worth exploring. The best spot to get off though is at the unmarked km72. There is a turn (on the left coming from Cochabamba) downhill to Tablas Montes and a big sign here reading 'Locoto'. The track winds downhill from here and had many good birds including Olivaceous Siskin, Bolivian Tyrannulet, Barred Fruiteater and Blue-winged Mountain Tanager. The best place though is a inconspicuous track leading from the other side of the road about 50m back towards Cochabamba. This leads to a dead end finally but has amazing birding. Birds seen here included Black-throated Thistletail, 4 species of flowerpiercer, Long-tailed Sylph, Collared Inca, Black-hooded Sunbeam, Light-crowned Spinetail, Yellow-billed Cacique and Stripe-headed Woodquail heard. This area is firly high altitude and can have a lot of rain and mist. I saw 45 species including 34 lifers. 


Species seen 


Other Fauna 
A total of -- species of mammals. 

There are -- recorded species of amphibians and reptiles. 

Flora 

Author: Charles Hesse

 

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