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Written by Charles Hesse
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Aug 24, 2006 at 12:00 AM |
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BOSQUE AMPAY
PERU
APURIMAC (Compass)
Lat:00o00´S/00o00´W ha topography msl
Protected/registered status
Best Time for visit (23rd-24th April, 2006)
Birding Site Guide
Bosque de Ampay is located near the large town of Abancay in the state of Apurimac, 4-5 hours from Cuzco by regular bus. Abancay has many places to stay eat and internet. Taxis will take you up to the 'Sanctuario' for 10s although the road is bad. Alternatively you can take any minibus heading up towards Cuzco and get out at the turn-off. This used to be an arch but it seems to have fallen in and is now a non-descript left turn a a sharp right bend 5-10 minutes up from the centre. From the turn-off it is about a 4km walk up hill to the 'Estacion Ecologico'. Part of the way up there is a confusing junction with 3 options. Take the middle one that goes up the highest. You may need to register at the building although there was nobody there but we got collared on the way down and had to pay an unofficial 5s litter picking charge.
Birding is good up from the building. Above here I saw Cinnamon Flycatcher, Blue-and-yellow & Rust-and-yellow tanagers, Mountain Velvetbreast, Black-throated Flowerpiercer and Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch. Higher up there is a fork in the trail with the left one going to the small lake (Angasqocha) just 5 minutes away, and the right going up to the large upper lake (Uspaqocha), a further 2 hour's walk. At the fork I saw Apurimac & Creamy-crested Spinetail plus White-banded Tyrannulet. Following the left trail past the small lake, you get to a clearing where noisy kids play football at the weekend. This would make a good place to camp. This clearing is good for hummingbirds and I saw Violet-fronted Starfrontlet here. From here there are some small trails into the forest. I found one that passed through good Podocarpus forest up to a house. I had great views of Undulated Antpitta here. Back at the fork, there was good birding up the other trail towards the upper lake. On the first part of this trail I saw Rufous-fronted Canastero in a clearing, Apurimac Spinetail, Pearled Treerunner and White-tufted Sunbeam. Higher up in more scrubby areas I saw Shining Sunbeam, Puna Hawk (both dark and light phases), Andean Parakeet, Andean Flicker and White-browed Chat-Tyrant. Up near the lake I saw Andean Goose, Bar-winged Cinclodes, Black-billed Shrike Tyrant and several species of sierra-finch.
I saw 45 species including 6 lifers
Species seen
Andean Goose Chloephaga melanoptera
Plain-breasted Hawk Accipiter ventralis Possibly seen
Red-backed Hawk Buteo polyosoma
American Kestrel Falco sparverius
Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata Possibly seen
Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata
Mitred Parakeet Aratinga mitrata
Andean Parakeet Bolborhynchus orbygnesius
White-collared Swift Streptoprocne zonaris Possibly seen
Sparkling Violet-ear Colibri coruscans
White-bellied Hummingbird Leucippus chionogaster
Shining Sunbeam Aglaeactis cupripennis
Violet-throated Starfrontlet Coeligena violifer
Tyrian Metaltail Metallura tyrianthina
Scaled Metaltail Metallura aeneocauda Possibly seen
Blue-mantled Thornbill Chalcostigma stanleyi
Bar-winged Cinclodes Cinclodes fuscus
Apurimac Spinetail Synallaxis courseni Endemic Vulnerable
Creamy-crested Spinetail Cranioleuca albicapilla Endemic
Rusty-fronted Canastero Asthenes ottonis Endemic Possibly seen
Pearled Treerunner Margarornis squamiger
Undulated Antpitta Grallaria squamigera
Red-crested Cotinga Ampelion rubrocristata
White-crested Elaenia Elaenia albiceps
Cinnamon Flycatcher Pyrrhomyias cinnamomea
Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant Ochthoeca rufipectoralis
White-browed Chat-Tyrant Ochthoeca leucophrys
Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant Agriornis montana Possibly seen
White-winged Black-Tyrant Knipolegus aterrimus
House Wren Troglodytes aedon Heard
Chiguanco Thrush Turdus chiguanco
Great Thrush Turdus fuscater
Spectacled Redstart Myioborus melanocephalus
Cinereous Conebill Conirostrum cinereum
Rust-and-yellow Tanager Thlypopsis ruficeps
Blue-and-yellow Tanager Thraupis bonariensis
Peruvian Sierra-Finch Phrygilus punensis
Plumbeous Sierra-Finch Phrygilus unicolor
Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch Phrygilus plebejus
Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch Poospiza caesar Endemic
Black-throated Flowerpiercer Diglossa brunneiventris
Apurimac Brush-Finch Atlapetes forbesi Endemic
Rufous-collared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis
Golden-billed Saltator Saltator aurantiirostris
Hooded Siskin Carduelis magellanica
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 04:47 PM )
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