Narvaez (Tarija) - Villa Charcas (Chuquisaca)

Sjoerd Mayer

Birds observed during a walk from Narvaez (Tarija) to Villa Charcas (Chuquisaca), Bolivia, in March 1992 (168 KB, pdf document, see below about how to read it). A detailed trip report with data on all species seen or heard during a two-and-a-half week long walk that I made through the remote hill and mountain country of northern depto. Tarija and southern depto. Chuquisaca in March 1992. Half of the walk repeated a trek that Jon Fjeldså and I did half a year before. During that trek we found many good birds, including many new species for the dpto. of Chuquisaca. During my trek alone I found 220 bird species, of which five were new birds for Tarija and eleven were new for Chuquisaca. Some of the birds encountered: Solitary Eagle Harpyhaliaetus solitarius, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle Spizastur melanoleucus, Red-faced Guan Penelope dabbenei (was very common!), and Alder Parrot Amazona tucumana (including one flock of at least 900 at a roost!). Some of the observations in this trip report are covered in "Recent ornithological surveys in the Valles region, southern Bolivia - and the possible role of Valles for the evolution of the Andean avifauna", by Jon Fjeldså and Sjoerd Mayer, 1996.

The entire walk is described in my "A Walk from San Josecito to Villa Charcas" (pdf document, 120 KB). This walk leads you through a remote part of Bolivia, where there are no roads, and where local people travel on foot or on horseback. The trail takes you through a wide range of natural habitats: through the forested Andean foothills and through extensive grasslands, through mossy and dark cloud forests, through deep dry valleys, and finally the walk ends in green fields amidst semidesert country. You will meet colorful and, as everywhere else in Bolivia, friendly and helpful people. You will get to know the rich birdlife of these parts of Bolivia, as this walk description contains notes about the birds you are likely to encounter.

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Photo 1. The forest on the eastern slope of Cerro Bufete. Yungas Manakin Chiroxiphia boliviana is very common here. Southern White-crowned Tapaculo Scytalopus bolivianus also occurs. © Lois Jammes.

Photo 2. The foot bridge across the Rio Pilaya. © Sjoerd Mayer.

Photo 3. Somewhere between the Rio Pilaya and El Palmar. © Sjoerd Mayer.

Photo 4. Somewhere between the Rio Pilaya and El Palmar. © Sjoerd Mayer.

Photo 5. My camping spot at Cañon Verde. Two nice birds here were Black-banded Owl Strix huhula (singing over my tent!) and Common Potoo Nyctibius griseus. © Sjoerd Mayer.

Photo 6. Somewhere between the Rio Pilaya and El Palmar. © Sjoerd Mayer.

Photo 7. Somewhere between the Rio Pilaya and El Palmar. © Sjoerd Mayer.

Photo 8. Somewhere between the Rio Pilaya and El Palmar. © Sjoerd Mayer.

Photo 9. This was close to El Palmar, if I remember well. © Sjoerd Mayer.

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