deby@cs.utwente.nl (Rolf de By) (02/18/91)
Hi all, I am planning to go birding in Bolivia (and northern Chile) for two months around the end of the present year. I have a few questions concerning these plans and am wondering whether any of you can help me out. Here it comes: - Fjeldsa & Krabbe's book ``Birds of the High Andes'' is a highly relevant, and good looking book, that sells for 85,- english pounds in the UK. The issuer is Apollo in Denmark. I find the price quoted a little bit too much for what is offered. My question is whether it is equally expensive in the Fennoscandian countries. If you know of a significantly cheaper offer, please let me know. - I know of two trip reports of birdwatchers to Bolivia. One is by Frank van Groen on a trip in April 1988 (6 days), the other is by Sjoerd Maijer on a trip of 6 days in October 1989. I do not have the latest Whitehouse list of trip reports. Does it contain others? - Does anybody know of a ``Guide to birding sites'' that deals with Bolivia (exclusively or partly)? - Does anybody know of commercially available tape recordings of neotropic species besides the ones by Hardy et al? - There are two species extremely high on my list: Diademed Plover (Phegornis mitchellii) and Tawny-throated Dotterel (Oreolophus ruficollis) (take a look at Shorebirds to understand why). Especially the first seems to be somewhat rare. Does anybody have specific information on these birds? I appreciate any hints, Rolf Rolf A. de By Vakgroep Informatiesystemen Tel : (0)53--893753 Faculteit der Informatica b.g.g.: (0)53--893690 Universiteit Twente Fax : (0)53--339605 Postbus 217, 7500 AE Enschede Email : deby@cs.utwente.nl The Netherlands deby@henut5.bitnet -- Rolf A. de By Vakgroep Informatiesystemen Tel : (0)53--893753 Faculteit der Informatica b.g.g.: (0)53--893690 Universiteit Twente Fax : (0)53--339605 Postbus 217, 7500 AE Enschede Email : deby@cs.utwente.nl The Netherlands deby@henut5.bitnet
andrewt@cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) (02/19/91)
In article <1991Feb18.093451@cs.utwente.nl> deby@cs.utwente.nl (Rolf de By) writes: > extremely high on my list: Diademed Plover (Phegornis mitchellii) I saw one during a 5 day walk in the Cordillera Blanca in Peru. We were at the end of a long days (uphill) walk and had reached about 4300m (14,000 ft). Driving snow and sleet had dropped visibility to about 10m. We were trying to find a decent campsite when through the snow I saw this bird sitting on a low rock. Binoculars showed it to be a weird plover. I could only watch it briefly because Monica insisted we move on before she froze. We had only just met so she didn't appreciate that a new bird can be more important than frostbite. One of my favourite birds. I guess this doesn't help much except for the location - at the top of a grass covered glacial valley, not far below the snowline, about 200m from a beautiful glacial lake. I remember seeing it mentioned in a brochure for a Chile trip by an US bird travel company. > I know of two trip reports of birdwatchers to Bolivia ... 5 years ago I spent 3 weeks in Bolivia but my birding was limited by transport, money and language difficulties. Also the only book I had was a poor Argentinian field guide in Spanish. Bolivia isn't an easy country to travel. I highly recommend the South American Handbook - the best travel guide ever written. There is a great walk which from outside La Paz -> Corrico. Its along a pre-Inca road now used only by a few tiny indian villages. You cross a ~4500m pass on the first day then walk down for the next 3 days going from above the snow-line into full rain-forest. I wasn't that successful with birds on the walk, partly because of rain and lack of time but I did see tinamou at the snow-line and torrent duck in raging white-water (they are amazing). Andrew Taylor
alonso@maxwell.mmwb.ucsf.edu (Darwin Alonso) (02/21/91)
In article <2087@cluster.cs.su.oz.au> Andrew Taylor gives a
nice account of birding and travel in Bolivia, and then mentions
seeing a torrent duck.
I had a great opportunity to watch a torrent duck at work (play?)
in some rapids near Mt. Fitzroy in Patagonia, and that still
is one of the highlights of my birding carrer. Keep your eyes
open for them.
Also, if you go as far south at Santiago, Chile
there is a penguin colony near Zapallar (45min. north of Vin~a del Mar),
which I think is (one of?) the norther-most in the world. Do Penguins
make it to New Zealand?
Darwin O.V. Alonso alonso@maxwell.mmwb.ucsf.edu
U.C. San Francisco, or
wk. (415) 476-8910; home 564-8601 alonso@cgl.ucsf.edu