Bolivia Day 6; Tambo, Torrecilla & Siberia

  We had a busy day in prospect today, with several sites we wanted to visit and only a finite amount of time to visit them all in. From our base in Saipina we drove forty minutes back along the highway to the small town of Tambo. Here we had just one main target, the Bolivian Earthcreeper which was easy to find on paper. And so it transpired, only half an hour after arriving at the location we had saved, we found an individual in the cactus, but it did not want to show well, no matter how hard we tried.

  Still the highlight of Tambo was not the Earthcreeper but the sheer numbers of birds feeding in the fields. We had an estimated 100 Grey-crested Finch here, as well as a few Ultramarine Grosbeak, including a smart male, a male Red-crested Finch and a smart Black-and-chestnut Warbling Finch. In addition, there were roving flocks of Grey-hooded Parakeets and a small group of five Red-fronted Macaws also flew over us calling loudly. And to cap it all off, we had an Agouti walk across the back of the fields.

  Next we drove half an hour to a small road near the town of Torrecilla, where there were a few other birds we wanted to find. It was still quite early but there were no clouds and already it was beginning to get warm. It took some time but we soon found our first target with Olive-crowned Crescentchest in the bushes, but it was typically elusive throughout. Further down the road in a small agricultural area we found many more birds of different species, including our main target for this site; Bolivian Warbling Finch. It was always elusive in the fields however, and kept company with Black-and-chestnut Warbling Finch and Rufous-sided Warbling Finch, so was not always easy to pick out. Also here, we had a pair of Grey-bellied Flowerpiercers, which is another Bolivian endemic it is good to have under our belts.

  By now it was late morning, but since our afternoon would be committed to driving, we decided to drive 20 minutes up the road to the Siberia Road, an area of forest just off the highway. Obviously it was warm but we still managed some nice birds, not least a new Antpitta with the Bolivian endemic Rufous-fronted Antpitta, which showed well but all too briefly, and a nice showy Trilling Tapaculo. Otherwise just a handful of woodland species, but still nice to see some more Bolivian Brushfinches.

  In the afternoon we drove four hours to the town of Tiraque where we spent the evening, before driving into the forests again tomorrow. 

Species List:
Tambo: Picui Ground Dove, White-tipped Dove, Glittering-bellied Emerald, White-bellied Hummingbird, Grey-hooded Parakeet, Turquoise-fronted Amazon, Red-fronted Macaw, Mitred Parakeet, Narrow-billed Woodcreeper, Bolivian Earthcreeper, Rufous Hornero, White-tipped Plantcutter, Greater Wagtail-Tyrant, Great Kiskadee, Hooded Siskin, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Greyish Baywing, Ultramarine Grosbeak, Black-capped Warbling Finch, Grey-crested Finch, Black-and-chestnut Warbling Finch, Greenish Yellow Finch, Red Pileated Finch, Golden-billed Saltator,
Torrecilla: Least Grebe, Picui Ground Dove, Roadside Hawk, Grey-hooded Parakeet, Variable Antshrike, Olive-crowned Crescentchest, Spot-breasted Thornbird, Stripe-crowned Spinetail, White-winged Black Tyrant, House Wren, Chiguanco Thrush, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Brown-capped Whitestart, Red Tanager, Black-backed Grosbeak, Sayaca Tanager, Grey-bellied Flowerpiercer, Rufous-sided Warbling Finch, Bolivian Warbling Finch, Black-and-chestnut Warbling Finch, Pampa Finch,
Siberia Crossroads: Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Roadside Hawk, Rufous-faced Antpitta, Trilling Tapaculo, White-throated Tyrannulet, Common Chlorospingus, Bolivian Brushfinch, Pale-legged Warbler, Brown-capped Whitestart, Spectacled Whitestart,