Dark-breasted rosefinch (Procarduelis nipalensis)

Dark-breasted rosefinch (Procarduelis nipalensis)

A beautiful high-elevation dweller, seen here around the Tungnath temple during the full moon of April 2018. The winters are harsh here, but on the last day of…


Himalayan Pika (Ochotona roylei)

Himalayan Pika (Ochotona roylei)

This little cutie was in full swing eating the delicious primula flowers and other species now in bloom, but I just missed it having a mountful of flowers.…


Himalayan Pika (Ochotona roylei)

Himalayan Pika (Ochotona roylei)

This little cutie was in full swing eating the delicious primula flowers and other species now in bloom, and here it had a very short break on an outcrop to…


Andean Goose (Chloephaga melanoptera)

Andean Goose (Chloephaga melanoptera)

This large duck is unmistakable and very conspicuous, and I saw several of them here at River Alota. A haven in the middle of the dusty desert! Altitude: 3836…


Andean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus andinus)

Andean Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus)

The huge, dry Altiplano is not without water. Several springs feed lagoons and rivers - even in the deepest of the dry season. This is River Alota, shallow…


Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli)

Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli)

This shallow river is teaming with life and fish - in the middle of the desert. I wonder how the fish could end up here - are they remnants of the time when…


Altiplano butterfly 01

Altiplano butterfly 01

One of very few butterflies I saw on the Altiplano. In the Amazon there's a lack of salt and they sometimes swarm aound sweat or urine stains in the landscape.…