VOLCAN COSIGUINA 
NICARAGUA

near POTOSI (Compass)

Lat:00^o00´S/00^o00´W ha topography msl 
Protected/registered status 
Best Time for visit (9th January, 2005)

Birding Site Guide

Potosi was reached in an arduous 3 and a half hour bus ride from the town of Chinandega in north-west Nicaragua. The first bus left at 8am arriving at 11:30, too late for serious birding. My bird finding book said no accommodation was available in Potosi. This is true but a few kms before the town, there was an obvious sign for the Hostal Hacienda Cosiguina. This would make a good base for an earlier assent of the volcano. A trail led up from the bus stop in Potosi. It had several branches but I kept to the main one leading up hill. which took me up to about 250m altitude. A bus went back at 3pm giving me only 3 hours birding in the middle of the day. Inspite of this I saw a good range of species but not the Scarlet Macaw which supposedly has a remnant population here. During my walk on the lower slopes a man on horseback passed me carrying an air rifle and looked to be hunting, showing that there is no actual protection in this protected area. A morning here climbing to better quality forest should produce many more species. I saw 39 species including 3 lifers

 
Species seen

• Thicket Tinamou Crypturellus cinnamomeus
• Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
• Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
• Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
• Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris
• Crested Bobwhite Colinus cristatus
• Rock Dove Columba livia Introduced
• Red-billed Pigeon Patagioenas flavirostris
• White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
• Ruddy Ground-Dove Columbina talpacoti
• Inca Dove Columbina inca
• White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi
• Orange-fronted Parakeet Aratinga canicularis
• Groove-billed Ani Crotophaga sulcirostris
• Cinnamon Hummingbird Amazilia rutila
• Salvin's Emerald Chlorostilbon salvini
• Black-headed Trogon Trogon melanocephalus
• Hoffmann's Woodpecker Melanerpes hoffmannii
• Least Flycatcher ? Empidonax minimus
• Nutting's Flycatcher ? Myiarchus nuttingi
• Brown-crested Flycatcher Myiarchus tyrannulus
• Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus
• Social Flycatcher Myiozetetes similis
• Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
• Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
• Rufous-naped Wren Campylorhynchus rufinucha
• Banded Wren Thryothorus pleurostictus
• White-lored Gnatcatcher Polioptila albiloris
• White-throated Magpie-Jay Calocitta formosa
• Tennessee Warbler Vermivora peregrina
• Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia
• Stripe-headed Sparrow Aimophila ruficauda
• Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
• Altamira Oriole Icterus gularis
• Streak-backed Oriole Icterus pustulatus
• Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
• House Sparrow Passer domesticus Introduced

Other Fauna 
A total of -- species of mammals. 

There are -- recorded species of amphibians and reptiles. 

Flora 

Author: Charles Hesse

www.birdingsiteguide.com