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Written by Charles Hesse
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Aug 24, 2006 at 12:00 AM |
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BALSAS
PERU
CAJAMARCA (Compass)
Lat:00o00´S/00o00´W ha topography msl
Protected/registered status
Best Time for visit (19-20th June, 2006)
Birding Site Guide
We reached Balsas on a twice weekly bus from Celendin to Chachapoyas which took about 4 hours. Buses from Celendin leave for Chachapoyas and beyond at 11am on Thursdays and Saturdays. The ride took about 2 hours and passed by the Hacienda Limon site. Balsas is a 20 minute walk from the bridge at Chacanto. A lady living accross from (and working in) the hospital in Balsas rents out rooms cheaply (8s for a bed, regardless of the number of people in it). There is also accomodation in Chacanto which also has a couple of basic restaurants. There are a couple of small shops but no restaurants in Balsas, but I heard there is someone who can prepare meals on request. We cooked for ourselves. There are phones in Balsas and Chacanto but no internet.
There is good birding within walking distance of the town. You can walk from Balsas (away from Chacanto) along the river for about half an hour to the end of the road. Along here I heard Yellow-faced Parrotlet and saw a Peruvian Pigeon perched on top of a mango tree in the evening. Also White-shouldered Tanager. The next morning I walked back to Chacanto seeing Maraïon Thrush on the way. Without crossing the bridge, carry on along the road by the river. This forks, the right carrying along by the river where I saw Peruvian Pygmy-owl and Peruvian Pigeon. The left goes up a valley, passed a mango tree plantation on the left. After this there is a house on the left just passed which I got great views of Yellow-faced Parrotlet and Peruvian Pigeon. Further on we saw a pair of Black-chested Buzzard-Eagles.
I saw 31 species including 2 lifers
Species seen
Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus
Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris
American Kestrel Falco sparverius
Peruvian Pigeon Patagioenas oenops Endemic Vulnerable
Croaking Ground-Dove Columbina cruziana
Bare-faced Ground-Dove Metriopelia ceciliae
White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi
Scarlet-fronted Parakeet Aratinga wagleri
Yellow-faced Parrotlet Forpus xanthops Endemic Vulnerable
Groove-billed Ani Crotophaga sulcirostris Possibly seen
Peruvian Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium peruanum
Andean Emerald Agyrtria franciae
Black-necked Woodpecker Colaptes atricollis Endemic
Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet Camptostoma obsoletum
Tawny-crowned Pygmy-Tyrant Euscarthmus meloryphus
Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus
Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
Fasciated Wren Campylorhynchus fasciatus
Long-tailed Mockingbird Mimus longicaudatus
Maranon Thrush Turdus maranonicus Endemic
Tropical Gnatcatcher Polioptila plumbea
Bananaquit Coereba flaveola
White-shouldered Tanager Tachyphonus luctuosus
Hepatic Tanager Piranga flava
Blue-gray Tanager Thraupis episcopus
Purple-throated Euphonia Euphonia chlorotica
Streaked Saltator Saltator striatipectus
Golden-bellied Grosbeak Pheucticus chrysogaster
Yellow-tailed Oriole Icterus mesomelas
Other Fauna
A total of -- species of mammals.
There are -- recorded species of amphibians and reptiles.
Flora
Author: Charles Hesse
www.birdingsiteguide.com |
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Last Updated ( Jul 20, 2008 at 04:38 PM )
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