SANDIA
PERU
PUNO (Compass)
Lat:00o00´S/00o00´W ha topography msl
Protected/registered status
Best Time for visit (16th May, 2006)
Birding Site Guide
Sandia is an out-of-the-way site famous for the endemic Green-capped Tanager. Sandia is reached by a gruelling 7-8 hour bus ride from Juliaca. Buses seem to leave twice a day, at 7:30am and 3pm (20s). If you have your own transport, the road there passes some nice lakes with many waterbirds that might be worth stopping at. Sandia has several places to stay, eat and do internet. We stayed at Hostal Sandia on the plaza for 10s per person.
Green-capped Tanagers are apparently fairly common after 8km further down the valley. There are minibuses that leave the terminal when full that could drop you there. I walked from town early in the morning and found the species just 30 minutes to an hour from town. They were fairly easy to find in any areas with decent scrub or trees. Dusky Green Oropendola and Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle were also seen in this area and Torrent Tyrannulet, Black Phoebe and Torrent Duck could be seen on the river near town (the former 2 species just above and the latter just below).
Buses only leave Sandia for Juliaca at 3pm although the San Juan bus also passes later on but is usually full. It's best to buy you tickets the day before as the buses often fill up. We chose the Selva Sur bus which skidded off the road and into a ditch leaving us to freeze above 4,000m for the night. It might be advisable to choose a different bus. I saw 33 species including 2 lifers.
Species seen
- White-tufted Grebe Rollandia rolland Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Great Egret Ardea alba Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Puna Ibis Plegadis ridgwayi Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Andean Goose Chloephaga melanoptera Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Torrent Duck Merganetta armata
- Speckled Teal Anas flavirostris Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Yellow-billed Pintail Anas georgica Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Andean Duck Oxyura ferruginea Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus Photographed
- American Kestrel Falco sparverius Photographed
- Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Slate-colored Coot Fulica ardesiaca Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Giant Coot Fulica gigantea Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Andean Lapwing Vanellus resplendens Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Andean Gull Larus serranus Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata Photographed
- White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi
- White-bellied Hummingbird Leucippus chionogaster
- Andean Flicker Colaptes rupicola Seen on bus ride to Sandia
- Highland Elaenia Elaenia obscura
- Torrent Tyrannulet Serpophaga cinerea
- Streak-necked Flycatcher Mionectes striaticollis
- Tufted Tit-Tyrant Anairetes parulus
- Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans
- White-winged Black-Tyrant Knipolegus aterrimus
- Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
- House Wren Troglodytes aedon
- Chiguanco Thrush Turdus chiguanco
- Rust-and-yellow Tanager Thlypopsis ruficeps
- Green-capped Tanager Tangara meyerdeschauenseei Endemic Vulnerable Photographed Recorded
- Dull-colored Grassquit Tiaris obscura
- Dusky-green Oropendola Psarocolius atrovirens
Other Fauna
A total of -- species of mammals.
There are -- recorded species of amphibians and reptiles.
Flora
Author: Charles Hesse
www.birdingsiteguide.com
