From 15
to 19 October we made a side trip to northernmost Chile
from our main birding trip to Bolivia. For an
introduction, see the report of the main trip.
The LanChile flight from La Paz to Arica is only 30 or 40
minutes and goes daily at about noon. In Arica, the
coastal town in the Atacama desert, we drove in the
airport taxi (10 US dollar) to the car rental office
Americano at the hotel of the same name (they have an
office at the airport but this was not open on this
Sunday). Here we made a reasonable deal for a Nissan
Sunny, a bit older than their other cars but it was a
good one. Their e-mail is servturi@entelchile.net or
amrencar@entelchile.net or reservas@hotel-americano.cl (the
hotel itself, at the same desk), and the address is
General Lagos 559, phone 252234, fax 252150.
We did some shopping at the big food store nearby (Supermercado
Azul, 18 de Septiembre 799, credit card accepted), and we
filled the gas tank. We were not sure if this gas would
be enough for the whole trip up and down to Lauca
National Park so we lent a reserve tank from a friendly
local inhabitant and filled that tank up as well.
Afterwards this appeared unnecessary, because the Sunny
is an economic car and the road is asphalted all the way.
But indeed we saw no fuel station anywhere outside Arica.
Should you venture onto the long dirt roads in Lauca NP
then this may be different, but I think that the bird
species can 'all' be seen from the main road, and you
need your time for that. (BTW this friendly man of the
reserve tank has an apartment for rent in Arica, just in
case you want to stay there a while for the seabirds or
so. His name is Rene Domingo Aguilar Parra, phone 213127.)
Putre is the
little town from where you normally operate for the
birding at Lauca, and around Putre itself the birding is
also very good. It is situated at about 3400 m, way up
into the dry shrub zone above the coastal desert. We
easily drove up from Arica to Putre in the late afternoon
hours, nearly without stopping however. In Putre we found
the reception at the only real hotel very inhospitable (with
a big sign telling that it is for sale) and we think it
is too expensive (80 dollars). So instead we drove into
the village itself and found the hostal El Cali
acceptable enough although we had the only room with
private bath. The rooms are at a cozy courtyard where you
also park the car for the night. If there are more cars
for the night, see that yours is parked in front if you
want to get out early. But the first morning we just
walked to the small gorge at the North side of the
village (best reached via the road along the post office
and the plaza). This small site, so near to the village,
gave us one of the best birding experiences of the whole
trip to Bolivia and Chile, with three earthcreeper
species (Straight-billed, Plain-breasted, and the range-restricted
White-throated), esp. near the side-gorge bifurcating at
a small group of Eucalyptus trees. We found the birds
rather tame here, in contrast to such situations in
Bolivia, where we often met boys with catapults (slingshots)
looking for birds. Although Putre had the look-and-feel
of many other Andean towns, it is clearly part of a
richer country than Bolivia. However, we did not find any
good restaurant here, all are a bit shabby, but it seems
that the hotel Las Vicuņas can provide meals too. In
Putre is also the office of www.birdingaltoandino.com
Lauca NP starts soon above Putre and the birding in this
splendid natural habitat is as easy as it is impressive.
It's just roadside birding along this quiet road to
Bolivia, asphalted all the way to at least the end of the
Chungara lake, which is the farthest you would normally
go (and where we had a substantial colony of Andean
Avocet with many young birds). The whole area above Putre
is a nice mixture of small bogs and stony puna slopes,
and puna grass plains of a quality that reportedly is not
seen in Bolivia. We only took two side roads from the
main road. The 3 km road to the hamlet Parinacota is
essential, especially the lower, most western one along
the marsh plains, although the upper one is of better
quality but both are easy for non-4WD. Just before the
village are two small streamside bogs on the hillside and
these were good for Grey-breasted Seed-snipe and Puna
Snipe, amongst others. Reportedly, and the main reason
for our search here, Diademed Sandpiper-Plover occurred
here but we found none, neither at a few of the spots
that have been mentioned for it more recently. Never
mind, because of this search we did see other interesting
species. Walking at this altitude (4400 m) is slow, even
on level ground like these bogs. Hence it may take a very
long time to find a DSP which has the habit of hiding in
small gullies and not moving then. The general area below
the majestic Parinacota volcano was good birding all day
long. We went up to this altiplano basin on both days.
See the list for the species, marked LC.
On the way back from Putre down to the coast we did some
additional birding in the beginning, in the shrub zone (at
WP21) and the transition to the semi-desert. This is
worthwhile even after having birded in the direct
vicinity of Putre. Strikingly, we were too early for the
bird life here, so we had to wait until I think an hour
after the first light when it soon became warmer. At a
creek in the semi-desert at WP22 we saw nothing special.
Further down, you can't miss the very typical candalabra
cactuses around 2500 m altitude, in the desert zone (at
WP23). From the winding road through the pure and
blinding desert you often see the green Lluta valley far
below. When you reach the bottom of the valley there is a
line of tall and broad eucalyptus trees in front of you,
and in these trees (but not often afterwards) we saw
several Slender-billed Finch. This species is restricted
to the Atacama desert region. In the rest of this valley
we ticked a few other species, like Peruvian Pygmy-Owl (a
bit to the right after entering the valley) and Chestnut-throated
Seedeater, but there were no blossoming trees or shrubs
so we had to place our hope on the hummingbird
specialties of this region on the other valley, called
Azapa, which is near Arica itself. The comfortable hotel
Americano gives discount to guests who also rent a car
and I think we had a reasonable price for such a good
room in a rather developed country. There are plenty
shops and restaurants nearby and in this seaside town we
decided for the fish restaurant El Rey del Marisco. This
is a few blocks walking downtown from the hotel. You are
seated upstairs with a good view on the cosy evening
street life, and food and service were excellent.
Apart from the hummers (see below), seabird watching is
the specialty of Arica and this is normally done from the
so-called Alacran peninsula, pier-like protruding into
the sea, at about 1 or 2 km South of Arica, and clearly
South of the harbour business. You can drive up to the
very end of the peninsula and park there. In the morning
hours we had a nearly constant flow of Guanay Cormorants
and Peruvian Boobies close by (apparently returning from
their roost), as well as some good other seabirds like
Humboldt Penguin swimming around, and waders like
Blackish Oystercatcher feeding on the rocks at your feet.
We left here at about 9 a.m. in the hope of being yet
early enough to get those hummers inland in the Azapa
valley. Many signs lead you here. The valley is situated
right inland from Arica, see the sketchy map. There are
several garden centers all along the (only) road in this
Azapa valley and we drove on till near the village called
San Miguel. And there we got them. Peruvian Sheartail and
Oasis Hummingbird were well visible at the profusely
flowering hedgerow at Km 11, at about 150 m before the
turn-off to Las Maitas (all on the right). This turn-off
is about 1 km before San Miguel. At the start of this
village is a road to the left indicated with Museo, and
on this side road, after 150 m or so, is another good
hummer spot on the right: the garden of that museum and
university branch, with large trees. We hoped for the
other hummer specialty here, the Chilean Woodstar, but
found none (only another Oasis Hummingbird), now nor the
following morning. Slender-billed Finch was calling most
of the time from a small tree opposite the museum
entrance, so on the other side of this road. In the late
afternoon we had a different composition of the seabirds
at the Alacran peninsula: more Red-legged than Guanay
Cormorants, whereas in the morning it had been nearly
only Guanay. The stunning Grey Gull and Inca Tern
regularly came along as well. On one occasion we drove
the coastal road about 10 km further down South beyond
the turn-off to the Alacran peninsula, but this produced
nothing. When leaving the country we now could drive to
the airport ourselves, saving another costly morning hour
(which gave us a few more ticks at the Alacran, like Cape
Petrel and Franklin's Gull). The airport is far out into
the desert, and the small park opposite the hall looks
attractive as a trap for migrant or stray birds but a
quick look only gave some very common birds.
Please mind that for Arica itself a rental car is not
necessary. You could walk to the Alacran peninsula, or be
dropped off there after a short taxi ride. The hummers
are a bit further away, but along this only valley road
many shared taxis and minibuses pass by. Putre and Lauca
NP could be done by bus but this requires more planning,
and Putre, the only regular place for the night up there
(maybe the hamlet Parinacota is also possible), is a few
kms from the main road. At the turn-off to Putre you have
to be for the buses and trucks to Bolivia. However, at
this point along the main road (the turn-off to Putre)
you may have to wait quite a while, as we learned from
the teacher who we gave a lift to her school in
Parinacota. I also don't know what the bus would cost, as
you are having a ride in an international bus then, and
if they do stop at all. In short, do some thorough
research in order to prevent disappointments on this
remote park at 4000+ m altitude. Should you read this in
let's say 2007, then you would not have to worry about
the infrastructure of Lauca NP, because I cannot imagine
that this park still would be such a hidden treasure by
that time.
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