Having finally made it back to civilization yesterday, we knew we still had an eight-hour drive ahead of us to reach the town of Tumupasa, from where we would be able to spend a few days birding in the Madidi National Park. We set off from Caranavi at 06:00 in the morning and finally reached our destination at 14:30 in the afternoon, with a few short stops for fuel and supplies. Along the way we descended from the Andes, and saw a few interesting birds on the way; a nice adult King Vulture, at least three different Laughing Falcons perched up conspicuously and a nice roadside Black-capped Donacobius.
After arranging a hotel and sorting ourselves out for the
next few days, we drove the five kilometers up to the park and began to bird the
entrance road, thus saving us the 200 Bolivianos entry fee per person. No sooner
had we arrived than we were met by an incredible mixed species flock, that
overwhelmed us all. A few notable species we were able to pick out included
White-winged Shrike-Tanager and Lemon-chested Barbet, both of which were new
for me. There were quite a few common tanagers as well, plus many other birds
that came through too quickly to properly identify.
As we continued on our short walk in the area, we picked up
other bits that were not part of any flocks. On the river we heard either
Buff-rumped or Riverbank Warblers, but could not be certain which, and on the
walk back we had brief views of a very angry Grey-throated Leaftosser, which
was calling down near the river and only came into view when it charged at the
playback we were using.
We decided to stick around until after dark to hopefully
track down some owls. Fortunately we did not have to wait long, and we managed
to hear a Band-bellied Owl before the light had even gone. We used a tape and
soon spotted the birds flying towards us against the sky. Sadly they remained
high up in the trees above us, but one of the birds we were able to see in the
torchlight.
After a few days without birding as we drove down from the
mountains, this made an excellent change, and we were very excited about the
upcoming days and what they might hold.
Madidi National Park: Violet-headed Hummingbird, Band-bellied Owl, Blue-crowned Trogon, Collared Trogon, Lemon-throated Barbet, White-eyed Parakeet, Grey-throated Leaftosser, Inambari Woodcreeper, Blue-capped Manakin, Round-tailed Manakin, Screaming Piha, Brown-winged Schiffornis, Greyish Mourner, Chivi Vireo, Moustached Wren, Tropical Parula, Two-banded Warbler, Slate-throated Whitestart, Red-crowned Ant Tanager, White-winged Shrike-Tanager, Fawn-breasted Tanager, Bay-headed Tanager, Green-and-gold Tanager, Black-faced Dacnis, Guira Tanager, Yellow-backed Tanager,
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