ABRA PATRICIA & VALLE HERMOSO 
PERU

SAN MARTIN (Compass)

Lat:00o00´S/00o00´W ha topography msl 
Protected/registered status 
Best Time for visit (24th-25th June, 2006)

 

Birding Site Guide

Abra Patricia is a great birding spot easily accessed by public transport from Pomacochas. Look for white colectivo taxis waiting by the side of the road. Some only go as far as El Progreso but you can pay a bit extra to get them to take you to the Abra which is about 40km and takes less than an hour. We paid 7s each to get to El Paraiso, an abandoned restaurant 3km below the Abra. You can pitch a tent inside of the old restaurant which has a padlock on the door so your stuff is safe. The key is available from the the guardaparques at the Restaurant Chanchita just before the Abra. Also, there is possibly accomodation (or camping space) at the restaurant which would probably be a better place to stay. ECOAN is in the process of building accomodation but I don't know when it will be ready. 

The km markers have all changed and the Abra is now near the km364 marker. You can pay the guardaparques to guide for you and show you the 3 trails currently available for use. We only explored the Grallaria trail which was very good. The start of the trail is a little difficult to find on your own. After you pass the km364 marker look for the first small hill on the left. The trail goes into this. Birding is also good along the road from the abra down. There is another small trail going right (coming down) accross from El Paraiso, along a stream which seems to be the only source of water around here. 1km further down from El Paraiso is a left bend with a few houses valled Valle Hermoso. Here a small trail goes right into a valley. Most of the big trees have been removed but there are still a few good birds to be seen. In Valqui, it was written that Long-whiskered Owlet was alledgedly heard here. We walked the trail at night but heard nothing. I saw 45 species including 6 lifers.


Species seen

  • Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
  • Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
  • Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris
  • Plumbeous Pigeon Patagioenas plumbea
  • White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi
  • Scaly-naped Parrot Amazona mercenaria
  • Speckled Hummingbird Adelomyia melanogenys
  • Chestnut-breasted Coronet Boissonneaua matthewsii
  • Emerald-bellied Puffleg Eriocnemis alinae
  • Long-tailed Sylph Aglaiocercus kingi
  • Andean Toucanet Aulacorhynchus albivitta
  • Smoky-brown Woodpecker Veniliornis fumigatus
  • Crimson-mantled Woodpecker Piculus rivolii
  • Azara's Spinetail Synallaxis azarae
  • Variable Antshrike Thamnophilus caerulescens
  • Long-tailed Antbird Drymophila caudata
  • Rusty-tinged Antpitta Grallaria przewalskii Endemic Heard only
  • Rusty-breasted Antpitta Grallaricula ferrugineipectus
  • Rufous-vented Tapaculo Scytalopus femoralis Endemic Heard only
  • White-crested Elaenia Elaenia albiceps
  • Streak-necked Flycatcher Mionectes striaticollis
  • Golden-faced Tyrannulet Zimmerius chrysops
  • Black-throated Tody-Tyrant Hemitriccus granadensis
  • Cinnamon Flycatcher Pyrrhomyias cinnamomea
  • Maroon-chested Chat-Tyrant Ochthoeca thoracica Heard only
  • Barred Becard Pachyramphus versicolor
  • Sharpe's Wren Cinnycerthia olivascens
  • House Wren Troglodytes aedon
  • Gray-breasted Wood-Wren Henicorhina leucophrys
  • Andean Solitaire Myadestes ralloides Heard only
  • Great Thrush Turdus fuscater
  • Green Jay Cyanocorax yncas
  • Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo Vireolanius leucotis
  • Spectacled Redstart Myioborus melanocephalus
  • White-capped Tanager Sericossypha albocristata
  • Common Bush-Tanager Chlorospingus ophthalmicus
  • Blue-capped Tanager Thraupis cyanocephala
  • Hooded Mountain-Tanager Buthraupis montana
  • Flame-faced Tanager Tangara parzudakii
  • Beryl-spangled Tanager Tangara nigroviridis
  • Blue-and-black Tanager Tangara vassorii
  • White-browed Hemispingus Hemispingus auricularis Endemic
  • Masked Flowerpiercer Diglossopis cyanea
  • Yellow-breasted Brush-Finch Atlapetes latinuchus
  • 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

 

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