Country: Bolivia
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Birding in the Trinidad Region
The open, easy-viewing habitats of the Beni floodplain resemble the Pantanal and the Venezuelan llanos, with marshes, oxbow lakes, open meadows and pastures. Concentrating on specialities, the group targets Orinoco Goose, Hudson's Black Tyrant and possibly Chaco Eagle, while riverine gallery woodland is worked for Plain Softtail, Fawn-breasted Wren, Unicoloured Thrush, Velvet-fronted Grackle and Sulphur-bellied Tyrant-Manakin. The list captures a classic Beni day: screamers, Sunbittern, Jabiru, Hoatzin, a wide heron, egret, stork and ibis selection, kingfishers, tinamous, guans and curassows, raptors, nightjars, woodpeckers, woodcreepers, spinetails and antbirds, tyrants, marsh tyrants, monjitas, oropendolas, blackbirds, seedeaters and cardinals. Mammals are unusually conspicuous: the Crab-eating Fox (Common Zorro), Brown Brocket Deer and many Capybaras.
Read MoreArrival and Overnight in Santa Cruz de la Sierra
The tour begins in the evening in Bolivia's commercial capital, with an airport transfer included. Santa Cruz is the easy gateway to the country — more direct international connections than La Paz, including flights from the United States, Brazil and Argentina — and it sets the scene for the whole journey. A colonial red-tile centre sits alongside fast-modernising glass and concrete development, and the city marks the meeting point of Amazonian rainforest, dry Chaco, Andean cloudforest and open savanna. It is a calm, practical first stop before the birding begins in earnest the next morning.
Read MoreAfternoon Exploration of the Trinidad Region
The afternoon begins the exploration of the Trinidad area, a first look at the Pantanal-like country of the Llanos de los Moxos. On arrival we get a first taste of the open, seasonally flooded grassland, palm savanna and gallery woodland that will occupy the next two days. It is a relaxed introduction to a landscape of easy viewing and a very large list, setting up the full wetland day that follows.
Read MoreMachariapo Valley and Cerro Asunta Pata
More humid Yungas forest in the Machariapo valley on the edge of Madidi National Park is worked for the endemic Yungas Antwren and very localised Rough-legged Tyrannulet at a site where they are more regular, with a real but very slim chance of Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo. Cerro Asunta Pata offers a fair chance of the recently described near-endemic Yungas Tyrannulet, plus the localised White-browed Hermit and a new Fuscous Flycatcher-complex taxon. The area also repeats chances for Bolivian Recurvebill, Upland Antshrike, Bolivian White-crowned Tapaculo, Yungas Tody-Tyrant, Yungas Manakin, Straw-backed Tanager and the undescribed Black-capped (Inambari-Tambopata) Antwren, with a real chance of the bright yellow endemic Inti (San Pedro) Tanager; the source adds that such a poorly known region could yield an interesting discovery or two. Wider species include eagles, White-throated Hawk, Striped Owl, nightjars, puffbirds, woodcreepers, manakins, tanagers, dacnises and honeycreepers, with Orange-breasted Falcon, Peruvian Treehunter, White-throated Antpitta, Hazel-fronted Pygmy Tyrant and Chestnut-crested Cotinga among lucky uncommon specialities.
Read MoreApolo Cerrado Fragments (Palkachupa Cotinga)
The Apolo region is a relict of Bolivian Andean cerrado that evolved in isolation in a single rain-shadow catchment along the otherwise humid eastern flank of the Andes; very limited in extent and largely cleared for farming and cattle ranching. Working the remaining fragments of dry woodland and scrub, the star target is the lovely endemic Palkachupa Cotinga, with the rare near-endemic Green-capped Tanager also present and apparently easier to find here than in extreme southeast Peru.
Read MoreBolivian Spinetail (Inquisivi dry forest)
Inquisivi is one of only two known surviving sites for the Critically Endangered endemic Bolivian Spinetail, yet the species is still quite easy to find in the dry forest near town. The activity also covers a newly described form of Green-cheeked Parakeet, a good selection of dry-country and woodland species, and a second chance for Black-hooded Sunbeam.
Read MoreSiberia Cloudforest (Amboro National Park)
On the high ridge dividing Santa Cruz and Cochabamba departments, tall epiphyte-laden trees tower over bamboo and flowering-shrub undergrowth, in complete contrast to the arid valleys below. Mornings are often clear with superb views, but afternoon mists usually develop and the group chases disappearing flocks in swirling cloud. The dense undergrowth taunts with the haunting whistles of the endemic Rufous-faced Antpitta and the endless trills of Trilling Tapaculo; roadside flowering bushes attract Violet-throated Starfrontlet and Tyrian Metaltail, while the forest holds Bar-bellied Woodpecker, Montane Woodcreeper, Light-crowned Spinetail, Pearled Treerunner, Buff-banded Tyrannulet, mountain tanagers and whitestarts. The descent stops at low bushes for the endemic Grey-bellied Flowerpiercer, Red-tailed Comet, Freckle-breasted Thornbird, Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, Bolivian Warbling Finch, Rufous-sided Warbling Finch and Band-tailed Seedeater.
Read MoreDry Valleys and Rio Misque (to Saipina)
The transfer to the Rio Misque floodplain is itself a birding activity: the uncommon restricted-range Dot-fronted Woodpecker and the formidable Giant Antshrike are targeted, and open scrubby rolling hills give first opportunities for the confiding Olive-crowned Crescentchest, near-endemic Bolivian Warbling Finch and the elusive Huayco Tinamou (mostly heard). Andean Condors are often seen in good numbers over the dry valleys. Overnight in the Saipina area.
Read MoreCerrado East of Town (Riberalta)
A superb cerrado area east of Riberalta is worked for the poorly known Rufous-sided Pygmy Tyrant, with hopeful targets the retiring Ocellated Crake and localised Black-masked Finch. The surrounding rainforest, with Madeira-Tapajos affinities, supplies a large supporting cast of Amazonian species, from tinamous, potoos and parrots through puffbirds, woodcreepers and antbirds to fruitcrows, becards, euphonias and a full set of tanagers; uncommon visitors such as Amazonian Umbrellabird and White-banded Tanager add spice to the day.
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