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 metres. It sounds like this:
Tag Archives: River Alota
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 and crystal clear, and surprisingly has a large amount of fish! Not a place I would expect to find flamingos, but this location has sufficient life for […]
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 the Altiplano was part of the Pacific? In any case they make up a good portion of the Heron’s diet, and they […]
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. Here it’s plenty of salt, but perhaps not so much pollen. Please help my identify it – leave a comment. Altitude: 3838 metres.