Cochabamba Arid Valleys

by Lawrence Rubey and A. Bennett Hennessey

The arid valleys outside Cochabamba on the main highway to La Paz offer surprisingly good birds. Although not a good as San Miguel (see site #19), there are at least a couple good stops when driving from Cochabamba to La Paz, worthwhile particularly if you have missed some of the key specialties at San Miguel.

Leaving the city of Cochabamba, pass through Quillacollo and then soon after cross a fairly long bridge over the Rio Tapacari. Form the bridge onwards, good vegetation begins (see GPS waypoint below). For the next 15 km or so, good indigenous vegetation for Bolivian Blackbird. The blackbird can often been seen from the road moving through the dry valleys in small groups. Scan the skies as this stretch is also a remarkably good site for Andean Condor.

Continue on the highway and continue climbing in altitude. About 36 kilometers after the Cochabamba tranca, pass the small settlement of Llavani (at 3200 meters). The next 10 kilometers between Llvani and the village of Bombeo can be very good birding. Notable species include Red-tailed Comet and Bolivian Blackbird. A good strategy is to simply park at one of the pullouts at promising looking sites on this winding mountain road. At about 3600 meters, just before the small settlement of Bombeo, one encounters a very nice patch of remnant Polylepis very close to the road (see GPS waypoint). Further on, west of Bombeo (that is, further toward La Paz) the roadside becomes more barren and roadside birding much less interesting.

Birds found in the Polylepis near Bombeo include Rufous-bellied Saltator, Giant Conebill,

Plain-mantled Tit-Spinetail and Brown-capped Tit-Spinetail. Gray-hooded parakeet is also common in the stretch of road. Other common birds include Golden-billed Saltator, D’Orbigny’s Chat-Tyrant and some of the more common species on the San Miguel in the Appendix.

GPS reading just past bridge over Rio Tapacari: S 17 35.059' W 66 21.257'
GPS reading at roadside Polylepis near Bombeo: S 17 40.324' W 66 26.097'

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