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

 

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