Birding the Americas Trip Report
and Planning Repository
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CHILE
17 - 27 May 2002
by Greg Roberts
With Glenn Scherf, we flew from Santiago to Arica, where he hired a vehicle,
for the northern sector. A second vehicle was hired in Santiago for the
central sector. Two days of continuous rain towards the end of the trip
scuttled plans to visit El Yeso and limited observations at La Campana.
ITINERARY
18-20/5 - Arica and the Atacama Desert, focusing on the relatively lush
Azapa and Lluta valleys and the Alacran Peninsula on the outskirts of Arica.
20-22/5 - Birded road to Putre at 3400m, our base for two nights, checking
out the valley behind the northern edge of town; one full day to Parinacota
and Parque Nacional Lauca to 4500m. No sign of Diademed Sandpiper-Plover.
Return to Santiago.
23-24/5 - Coast around Con Con and the Rio Aconcagua.
24-26/5 - Parque Nacional La Campana.
26-27/5 - Cajon del Maipo and San Gabriel after bad weather prevented access
to El Yeso.
BIRD LIST *denotes lifer
*Lesser Rhea (small nos in Lauca NP)
*Chilian Tinamou (1 at La Campana; 1 near San Gabriel)
Ornate Tinamou (common between Putre & Lauca NP)
Sooty Shearwater (1 off Alacran)
Great Grebe
White-tufted Grebe
Silvery Grebe (several Lauca NP)
*Humboldt (Peruvian) Penguin (fairly common off Con Con)
*Peruvian Pelican (common on coasts)
*Guanay Cormorant (2 off Alacran; common off Con Con)
*Red-legged Cormorant (2 off Alacran; fairly common off Con Con)
Olivaceous Cormorant
*Peruvian Booby (common on coasts)
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Black-crowned
Night-Heron
Little Blue Heron
Chilean Flamingo (common in Lauca NP)
*Puna Ibis (common in Lauca NP)
Andean Goose (common in Lauca NP)
Red Shoveler
Crested Duck (several in Lauca NP)
Silver Teal
Puna Teal (several in Lauca NP)
Southern Wigeon
Brown Pintail
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
American Kestrel
Aplomada Falcon
Chimango Caracara
Red-backed Hawk (around Arica, and Puna Hawk in Lauca NP)
White-winged Coot
Red-fronted Coot
Giant Coot (common in Lauca NP)
Spot-flanked Gallinule,
Southern Lapwing
Collared Plover
Surfbird
Greater Yellowlegs
South American Stilt
*Peruvian Thick-knee (2 in open cultivated field in Lluta Valley)
American Oystercatcher
Blackish Oystercatcher (several at Alacran)
*Grey Gull (common off Alacran; fairly common off Con Con)
*Band-tailed Gull (common off Alacran)
Kelp Gull
Andean Gull (common in Lauca NP)
Franklin’s Gull
Black Skimmer
Elegant Tern
*Inca Tern (fairly common off Con Con)
*Grey-breasted Seed-Snipe (several in Lauca NP)
*Chilean Pigeon (several at La Campana NP and in Cajon del Maipo)
*Pacific Dove (common around Arica)
*Bare-faced Ground-Dove (common around Putre)
Croaking Ground-Dove (common in Azapa Valley)
Black-winged Ground-Dove (en route to Putre)
Golden-spotted Ground-Dove (several in Lauca NP)
Picui Ground-Dove
Eared Dove
California Quail (common in La Campana NP)
Mountain Parakeet (calling at Putre)
*Green-backed Firecrown (several at La Campana NP)
*Oasis Hummingbird (fairly common in Azapa Valley)
*Peruvian Sheartail (small nos in Azapa Valley)
*Andean Hillstar (1 in Putre)
*Chilean Flicker (several in Cajon del Maipo)
*Greyish Miner (2 en route to Putre)
Puna Miner (common in Lauca NP)
Scale-throated Earthcreeper (1 near San Gabriel)
*White-throated Earthcreeper (2 in valley behind Putre)
*Plain-breasted Earthcreeper (common around Putre & in Lauca NP)
Straight-billed Earthcreeper (several en route to Putre)
*Chilean Seaside Cinclodes (several around Con Con)
Bar-winged Cinclodes
White-winged Cinclodes (several in Lauca NP)
Dark-bellied Cinclodes (2 near Rio Aconcagua)
Thorn-tailed Rayadito (common in La Campana NP)
*Desmur’s Wiretail (1 in La Campana NP)
*Streaked (Streak-backed) Tit-Spinetail (several en route to Putre)
Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail
Austral Negrito
Cordilleran Canastero (common in north)
*Dark-winged Canastero (common in gully behind Putre)
*Canyon Canastero (2 in rocky outcrop in Lauca NP)
*Dusky-tailed Canastero (2 near San Gabriel)
White-throated Treerunner (3 in La Campana NP)
White-crested Elaenia
Tufted Tit-Tyrant
*Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant (2 in gully behind Putre)
*Patagonian Tyrant (2 in La Campana NP; 1 near San Gabriel)
*White-tailed Shrike-Tyrant (1 in gully behind Putre)
*Great Shrike-Tyrant (1 along railway line north of Rio Aconcagua)
*Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant (several en route to and behind Putre)
*White-fronted Ground-Tyrant (fairly common in Lauca NP)
*White-browed Ground-Tyrant (1 near San Gabriel)
*Puna Ground-Tyrant (common in Lauca NP)
Ochre-naped Ground-Tyrant (1 en route to Putre)
Rufous-naped Ground-Tyrant (1 in Lauca NP)
Dark-faced Ground-Tyrant (2 near Rio Aconcagua)
White-browed Chat-Tyrant (1 in gully behind Putre)
Fire-eyed Duicon (common in La Campana NP)
Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant
Vermilion Flycatcher
*Rufous-tailed Plantcutter (2 near Rio Aconcagua)
Southern House Wren
Chilean Swallow
Blue-and-white Swallow
*Andean Swallow (fairly common around Putre)
Chiguanco Thrush (several in Lluta Valley)
Austral Thrush (common)
Chilean Mockingbird (common)
Greenish Yellow-Finch
Bright-rumped Yellow-Finch (small nos around Putre)
Common Diuca-Finch
*White-winged Diuca-Finch (common in Lauca NP)
*Slender-billed Finch (fairly common in orchards in Azapa Valley)
*Black-throated Flowerpiercer (2 in gardens in Putre)
Cinereous Conebill (common in Azapa Valley)
Black-hooded Sierra-Finch (2 en route to Putre)
Grey-hooded Sierra-Finch
Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch
Band-tailed Sierra-Finch (several around Putre)
Mourning Sierra-Finch
Plumbeous Sierra-Finch
*White-throated Sierra-Finch (common in Lauca NP)
Chesnut-throated Seedeater (common in Lluta & Azapa valleys)
Hooded Siskin
Black Siskin (2 in Lauca NP)
Black-chinned Siskin
*Yellow-rumped Siskin (several near Putre)
Rufous-collared Sparrow
House Sparrow
Shiny Cowbird
Austral Blackbird (several near La Campana NP)
Yellow-winged Blackbird
Long-tailed Meadowlark.
Total - 138 Lifers - 43
MAMMALS
Guanaco
Vicuna (common in Lauca NP)
*Mountain Vizcacha (common in Lauca NP)
*Alpine Rat (common in Lauca NP)
Southern Sea-Lion.
********************************************************
Greg Roberts
gag@powerup.com.au