BALSAS 
PERU

CAJAMARCA (Compass)

Lat:00o00´S/00o00´W ha topography msl 
Protected/registered status 
Best Time for visit (19-20th June, 2006)

 

Birding Site Guide

We reached Balsas on a twice weekly bus from Celendin to Chachapoyas which took about 4 hours. Buses from Celendin leave for Chachapoyas and beyond at 11am on Thursdays and Saturdays. The ride took about 2 hours and passed by the Hacienda Limon site. Balsas is a 20 minute walk from the bridge at Chacanto. A lady living accross from (and working in) the hospital in Balsas rents out rooms cheaply (8s for a bed, regardless of the number of people in it). There is also accomodation in Chacanto which also has a couple of basic restaurants. There are a couple of small shops but no restaurants in Balsas, but I heard there is someone who can prepare meals on request. We cooked for ourselves. There are phones in Balsas and Chacanto but no internet. 

There is good birding within walking distance of the town. You can walk from Balsas (away from Chacanto) along the river for about half an hour to the end of the road. Along here I heard Yellow-faced Parrotlet and saw a Peruvian Pigeon perched on top of a mango tree in the evening. Also White-shouldered Tanager. The next morning I walked back to Chacanto seeing Maraïon Thrush on the way. Without crossing the bridge, carry on along the road by the river. This forks, the right carrying along by the river where I saw Peruvian Pygmy-owl and Peruvian Pigeon. The left goes up a valley, passed a mango tree plantation on the left. After this there is a house on the left just passed which I got great views of Yellow-faced Parrotlet and Peruvian Pigeon. Further on we saw a pair of Black-chested Buzzard-Eagles. I saw 31 species including 2 lifers. 


Species seen

  • Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
  • Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
  • Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus
  • Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris
  • American Kestrel Falco sparverius
  • Peruvian Pigeon Patagioenas oenops Endemic Vulnerable
  • Croaking Ground-Dove Columbina cruziana
  • Bare-faced Ground-Dove Metriopelia ceciliae
  • White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi
  • Scarlet-fronted Parakeet Aratinga wagleri
  • Yellow-faced Parrotlet Forpus xanthops Endemic Vulnerable
  • Groove-billed Ani Crotophaga sulcirostris Possibly seen
  • Peruvian Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium peruanum
  • Andean Emerald Agyrtria franciae
  • Black-necked Woodpecker Colaptes atricollis Endemic
  • Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet Camptostoma obsoletum
  • Tawny-crowned Pygmy-Tyrant Euscarthmus meloryphus
  • Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus
  • Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
  • Fasciated Wren Campylorhynchus fasciatus
  • Long-tailed Mockingbird Mimus longicaudatus
  • Maranon Thrush Turdus maranonicus Endemic
  • Tropical Gnatcatcher Polioptila plumbea
  • Bananaquit Coereba flaveola
  • White-shouldered Tanager Tachyphonus luctuosus
  • Hepatic Tanager Piranga flava
  • Blue-gray Tanager Thraupis episcopus
  • Purple-throated Euphonia Euphonia chlorotica
  • Streaked Saltator Saltator striatipectus
  • Golden-bellied Grosbeak Pheucticus chrysogaster
  • Yellow-tailed Oriole Icterus mesomelas


Other Fauna 
A total of -- species of mammals. 

There are -- recorded species of amphibians and reptiles. 

Flora 

Author: Charles Hesse

 

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