Santa Cruz Botanical
Garden
by A. Bennett Hennessey and
Lawrence Rubey
The dry forest bird community in the Santa Cruz Botanical Gardens is
sufficiently different that it should not be missed while birdwatching in Santa Cruz. The Botanical
Gardens is an island
of Chiquitano
dry forest with some patches of what the botanists call Chiquitano/Chaqueño
transitional forest. The area also has a
small marsh and borders on agricultural fields and pastures and chaco influenced scrub. Over 230
birds have been compiled in the area, including approximately 120 commonly seen
birds and 65 breeding species. All birding is best early in the morning, but
the Botanical Gardens can also be active in the afternoon, more so than other
Santa Cruz sites. Some special birds of the Botanical Gardens are Rufous-breasted Hermit, Buff-bellied Hermit, Red-billed Scythebill, Mato Grosso Antbird, Bolivian Slaty-Antshrike, and Fawn-breasted Wren.
The Botanical Garden is of a rectangular shape with trails traveling
around and within the forested perimeter, allowing access to forest and
forest-edge birds. Be aware that these trails can be fairly muddy and flooded
in places during the rainy season. The
trail can be used to form a 3
km and a 5
km loop. We recommend starting the trail in the left
corner by the fence (side gate), having the main road at your back. The trail
travels along the edge of the marsh passing several lookout areas. Keep an eye
out for Snail Kite, Black-collared Hawk, Social Flycatcher, Flavescent Warbler,
and Red-capped Cardinal. Listen out for a Blue-crowned Motmot
and Rufous-tailed Jacamar that breed in the area.
Follow the left trail, often muddy, away from the main road. This area has been the best spot for
Red-billed Scythebill foraging along the trunks. In the roadside scrub, listen out for the skulkers; White-backed Fire-eye, Mato
Groso Antwren and
Fawn-breasted Wren. The trail travels
straight through forest and scrub for approximately 2 km. At approx. 1 km there is a trail cutting
to the right, which can be used to form a small loop through the forest, or you
can continue straight through more open habitat for another 1 km to another trail on the
right. In the forest
look out for Black-fronted Nunbird, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Black-banded
Woodcreeper, Buff-throated Woodcreeper,
Streaked Xenops, Black-capped Antwren,
and Band-tailed Manakin. Both trails connect with another straight
trail following the other side of the Botanical Garden, that
can take you back to the main road. Don’t
be surprised to meet the friendly-armed security guards along the trail-
especially at sunset when they make their rounds.
Logistics: The Botanical Gardens is approximately 3km on the
right side from the tranca of Cotoca on Avenida Virgen de Cotoca. A taxi drive from the center should cost
around $4, though make sure he takes you to the new
Botanical Gardens after the Cotoca tranca, and not the old one, that was
destroyed by a flood about 7 years ago.
The Botanical Garden is now official open but not frequently visited.
Occasionally one can enter through the front gate, but if not, we have never
had any problems entering at all times through the side gate at the far left
corner of the fence, it you are facing the Gardens from the road. At the side gate, mention that you would like
to enter to look at birds (holding up your binoculars and saying “aves” should do). We
suspect the gate attendants think we are doing something far more scientific
and incomprehensible than just looking at birds.