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Written by Charles Hesse
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Aug 24, 2006 at 12:00 AM |
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ABRA MARUNCUNCA
PERU
PUNO (Compass)
Lat:00o00´S/00o00´W ha topography msl
Protected/registered status
Best Time for visit (17-18th May, 2006)
Birding Site Guide
Abra Maruncunca is a pass between Sandia and San Juan de Oro. A bus leaves Juliaca daily and passes Sandia about 1pm. It should take about 3 hours but our bus set off late and had a few problem on route meaning it was about 5pm by the time we arrived. The driver should know Maruncunca but look out for the 'obelisco' on the right just before the pass and ask to get off here. A short distance before the obelisk, there is a path leading off to the right (looking down hill). Follow this up the hill and down the other side. At the first obvious fork in the trail (about 15 minutes from the road), there is a small flat area just big enough for a tent. We camped here 2 nights. There should be other places to camp back near the road too.
I birded the left fork here which leads down through some nice humid forest. The first 5-10 minutes of the trail had some fruiting trees with Andean Cock-of-the-Rock (common), Blue-banded Toucanet and Band-tailed Fruiteater. Flowering shrubs and trees had many hummingbirds including Gould's Inca, Booted Racket-tail and Long-tailed Sylph. I also saw Maroon-tailed Parakeet here. About 15 minutes down from the fork, there is a fork leading down to the right.Ignore this and go straight on under a low branch, down some muddy steps. After this, at a diagonal moss-covered tree accross the trail, I saw Scimitar-winged Piha, Hooded Tinamou, Scarlet-breasted Fruiteater, Versicolored Barbet, White-eared Solitaire, Green Jay and Slaty Tanager.
Further down, the slope becomes flatter. This area of forest had Scaly-naped Parrot and a mixed flock including Tawny-breasted Flycatcher. The is another fork, the left leading to a small stream with good water. This forest has species more similar to Bolivia than Peru and deserves a lot more exploring.
We walked all the way back down to the bridge at the main river (16km) some of which had some good birding. The upper part had Three-striped Warbler, White-bellied Hummingbird and Cinnamon Flycatcher. Around the small village of Yanacocha further down I saw White-winged Black-Tyrant and Speckled Chachalaca. At a cliff further down I saw some swifts which I thought looked like smaller versions of White-collared. I thought they might be White-chested but were probably more likely White-tipped. After the larger town of Quiquira, the road wound down to the river near which I saw Black-faced Tanager. This road has very little traffic. Buses pass here at about 7-8am (?) and in the late afternoon. As buses come directly from Julicaca it would be possible to go straight to Abra Maruncunca and bird Sandia on the way back.
I saw 60 species including 7 lifers.
Species seen
Hooded Tinamou Nothocercus nigrocapillus
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
Aplomado Falcon Falco femoralis
Speckled Chachalaca Ortalis guttata
White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi
Maroon-tailed Parakeet Pyrrhura melanura Photographed Recorded
Scaly-naped Parrot Amazona mercenaria Photographed
White-tipped Swift Aeronautes montivagus Possibly seen Recorded?
Gray-breasted Sabrewing Campylopterus largipennis Photographed
Green Violet-ear Colibri thalassinus
White-bellied Hummingbird Leucippus chionogaster
Speckled Hummingbird Adelomyia melanogenys
Gould's Inca Coeligena inca
Booted Racket-tail Ocreatus underwoodii
Long-tailed Sylph Aglaiocercus kingi
Masked Trogon Trogon personatus
Versicolored Barbet Eubucco versicolor
Blue-banded Toucanet Aulacorhynchus coeruleicinctis
Azara's Spinetail Synallaxis azarae Recorded
Spotted Barbtail Premnoplex brunnescens
Montane Foliage-gleaner Anabacerthia striaticollis
Olivaceous Woodcreeper Sittasomus griseicapillus
Olive-backed Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus triangularis Possibly seen
Montane Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes lacrymiger
Variable Antshrike Thamnophilus caerulescens Photographed Recorded
Barred Antthrush Chamaeza mollissima Heard
Slaty Gnateater Conopophaga ardesiaca
Band-tailed Fruiteater Pipreola intermedia Photographed
Scarlet-breasted Fruiteater Pipreola frontalis Photographed
Scimitar-winged Piha Lipaugus uropygialis Vulnerable
Andean Cock-of-the-rock Rupicola peruviana Photographed
Streak-necked Flycatcher Mionectes striaticollis
Tawny-breasted Flycatcher Myiobius villosus
White-winged Black-Tyrant Knipolegus aterrimus
Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
Barred Becard Pachyramphus versicolor
Blue-and-white Swallow Notiochelidon cyanoleuca
House Wren Troglodytes aedon
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren Henicorhina leucophrys Recorded
White-eared Solitaire Entomodestes leucotis
Green Jay Cyanocorax yncas
Spectacled Redstart Myioborus melanocephalus
Citrine Warbler Basileuterus luteoviridis Recorded
Russet-crowned Warbler Basileuterus coronatus Recorded
Three-striped Warbler Basileuterus tristriatus
Bananaquit Coereba flaveola
Black-faced Tanager Schistochlamys melanopis Seen near San Jose
Common Bush-Tanager Chlorospingus ophthalmicus Recorded
Slaty Tanager Creurgops dentata
Blue-capped Tanager Thraupis cyanocephala Photographed
Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager Anisognathus somptuosus Photographed Recorded
Bronze-green Euphonia Euphonia mesochrysa Possibly seen
Beryl-spangled Tanager Tangara nigroviridis
Blue-and-black Tanager Tangara vassorii
Slaty Finch Haplospiza rustica
Rusty Flowerpiercer Diglossa sittoides Photographed
Bluish Flowerpiercer Diglossopis caerulescens
Black-faced Brush-Finch Atlapetes melanolaimus Endemic Photographed
Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch Buarremon brunneinucha Photographed
Rufous-collared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis
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 03:16 PM )
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