VOLCAN COSIGUINA
NICARAGUA
near POTOSI (Compass)
Lat:00o00´S/00o00´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
