Peru - Day 9; Sacsayhuaman, Tipon and Pikillacta Archeological Parks & Huancay Lake

   Today would be our final day in Cusco before leaving for more bird-related destinations. We started the morning by visiting the Sacsayhuaman Archeological Park just to the north of the city, and this visit consumed most of the morning. The ruins were quite interesting, and there was interest on a birding front as well, with a very confiding pair of Andean Lapwing upon one of the old Inca Reservoirs. After this we had a final walk around the old city of Cusco before, taking a taxi to Sixt car rental and picking up our wheels for the next stage of the trip.

  The first destination with the new car was the Archeological park of Tipon, an old Inca water management system. The system was pretty impressive but without any interpretation there was not much that we could understand. An Andean Flicker was the best of the birds on offer here. After this we drove Pikillacta Archeological Park, our final one of these sites that we would visit. This was a larger site and was again very interesting but lacking in interpretation. Being a pre-Inca site there was quite some differences with the architecture of the ruins on display, but again, it was difficult to understand what we were seeing.

  It was only 15:00 once we had finished our visits to the parks, and so we decided to have a look around the Huancay Lake that was just across the road from Pikillacta. There were extensive reedbeds all around the lake as well, and these were home to a few nice birds including one of my favourites in the Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant and several quite showy Plumbeous Rails. Over the reeds there was a nice male Cinereous Harrier, whilst on the water were several Cinnamon Teals and a single Chilean Flamingo. It was an enjoyable hour birding the site, before we drove the 90 minutes to the town of Paucartambo, where we lodged before the real fun begins.  

Peru - Day 8; Cusco

   Today was not a birding day at all. Instead we spent our time in Cusco, visiting various museaums and exploring the city. We learned quite a bit about the Inca and pre-Inca civilisations in the Andes, adding more context to many of the sites that had visited in the previous days. At night we went to a performance of traditional Andean dances which was excellent. The only bird of note was a single Black-throated Flowerpiercer that was in the garden of our hotel.  

Peru - Day 7; Aguas Calientes & Cusco

   Today was not a day for birding. Having enjoyed a successful day at Machu Picchu and then Aguas Calientes we had nothing further to achieve in the area and so had booked on the first train out in the morning, at 08:30. We arrived at the station quite early and that meant we had some time to watch the birds visiting the garden. Although most of the species were common, there was at least two Green-and-white Hummingbirds present, meaning I could get some photos of this range restricted species. Other birds of interest included a Rusty Flowerpiercer and Golden-crowned Flycatcher.

  After two hours on the train, and then two hours in a minibus, we returned to Cusco and organized our things. After we had headed to our hotel and got ourselves settled in, we spent the rest of the afternoon we explored the historic center of the city, visiting the Precolombian Art Museum, which was interesting, as well as visiting the Plaza and the many historic streets. The city in this area was very beautiful, but was very busy with tourists because of an Andean festival that takes place over the month but happened to culminate on this day. 

-Cisco Historic Plaza 

Peru - Day 6; Machu Picchu & Aguas Calientes

   Today was a very special day, as it was the day that we would visit Machu Picchu. Having arrived in the small town of Aguas Calientes the previous night, which serves as a gateway to the main Machu Picchu site we were all set to go in the morning. After a quick breakfast at the hotel we headed to the bus stop in the centre of the town, and then took the bus up the mountain to the site.

  Fortunately everything ran very smoothly, which I had been concerned was not the case. As of this year they have a new system of only designated circuits can be walked, with allocated entry times (although not exit times). This meant that we could not walk around of our own free will, but the circuit 2 that we reserved did allow us to climb the mountain overlooking the site, as well as walk around the ruined Inca town as well.

  Machu Picchu was fanastic! Walking among the ruins was brilliant, seeing all the sights so familiar from pictures. The valley from which the mountain rises up is absolutely magnificent and really sets the scene for such a wonderful place. This is my third official ‘wonder of the world’ and is the first one that has really impressed me. At the last minute we picked up a guide from the bus station, Luis, and it has to be said that he helped greatly with our time at the site, understanding what had been interpreted from the ruins and what it meant about Inca lifestyle.

  Although the main focus of Machu Picchu was the archeology, there was some birding to be done. Inca Wren is a key target that on our trip could only be found here. Fortunately it did not take me long to find a pair in the bamboo adjacent to the trails. Outside the ticket gate there was some forest and here I spotted a White-throated Quail-Dove walking silently in the undergrowth. Sadly I didn’t notice, until it was too late, that there were also some Hummingbird feeders on the far side of the bus dropoff zone. Only once I had boarded the bus did I see them, and feeding on them was a Green-and-white Hummingbird, my other target for this area. An unfortunate development to an otherwise excellent morning.

  In the afternoon we walked the road through the valley from Aguas Calientes. Although the road was busy with tourists walking and buses passing by, it was quite enjoyable birding. A few tanager flocks passed by, including only my second Silvery-backed Tanager. Another mixed flock had a Sclater’s Tyrannulet in it, which is not a species I have seen very often. An Andean Motmot showed fantastically well at one point, at eye level very close to us. 

  And on the river there were more birding goodies, with the usual assortment of fast river species; Torrent Duck, Torrent Tyrannulet and White-capped Dipper, but there was also a Fasciated Tiger Heron which is only my second time seeing this species and after the first time my camera was stolen, so a nice species to finally see again.

  After this walk we relaxed a bit in Aguas Calientes, enjoying a break after a fast paced start to our Peru trip. 

-Machu Picchu

Peru - Day 5; Tambomachay, Puka Pukara and Quengo Archaeological Parks & Aguas Calientes

   Today was not so much of a birding day, but a touristy day visiting a few of the archeological parks around Cusco, before returning the hire car and taking the train to Aguas Calientes, the small town that serves as the focal point for travelers visiting Machu Pichu. A busy day in prospect. 

  We spent the first few hours of the morning around the town of Pisac, where we had stayed the previous night. At around 08:00 after a bit of shopping we headed off, driving the 40 minutes to the Tambomachay Archeological Site. Here there are some impressive Inca ruins which are very accessible, and although the site is not large, we still managed to spend the best part of an hour here.

  This was helped largely by some excellent bird activity. I knew before our visit that this would represent my last chance on this trip to find the localized Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch, and fortunately I was able to locate a pair of these rather smart birds right next to the excavated Inca ruins. Job done! Other good birds around included Mourning Sierra Finch, Black-throated Flowerpiercer and Cream-winged Cinclodes, but the highlight was perhaps the flocks of seed-eating birds in the adjacent fields. 

  Across the road from here is the Puka Pukara Archeological Site which was, in my opinion, more impressive than the previous site but is smaller and is not surrounded by natural woodland in the same way, so from a birding perspective there was little on offer. We finished off the morning by visiting the Quengo Archeological Site just outside Cusco. This was small and not especially impressive, and almost as uninspiring as the previous site for birding, with the exception of a flyover Andean Ibis and a Black-throated Flowerpiercer in the adjacent trees. 

  Once we returned the car at midday we took an Uber to the Inca Rail ticket office and made sure everything was in order for our train to Machu Pichu. The bus to the train station from Cusco took two hours, followed by an hour and forty on the train. There was also a two hour wait between the two transport modes, so by the time we reached the town of Aguas Calientes we were thoroughly exhausted. It did not help that it was already dark, so we could not appreciate the view from the train. Once we arrived at 22:00, we were utterly exhausted and went straight to bed to hopefully rise up feeling fresh for an important day tomorrow.

Peru - Day 4; Soraypampa Valley & Pisac

   We had hoped to spend the morning hiking in the Sorampay Valley, where there are a few short scenic tracks into the mountains. Sadly, this plan developed a problem when we found out there had been a landslide a few kilometres from the start of the trails, collapsing the road. With this added complication to a hike that already seemed difficult at the altitude, we decided to spend the morning birding along the road.

  The birding actually started before first light. We had hoped to make a head start on the hordes of tourists heading up the mountain with an early start, but this also meant we could try for the Koepcke’s Screech Owl at the ecocamp about 20 minutes drive from the town. Fortunately the owl responded fairly quickly and so we were not held up long by this short stop.

  Birding on the road at the top was pleasant for the first hour or so, before the minibuses started to arrive with the daily visitors. Before then we didn’t manage to find any of the outstanding targets but did manage the best views of the Apurimac Brushfinch yet, and also found a pair, together, of Vilcabamba Tapaculo. They did not show as well as the previous days bird, but I cannot ever recall seeing two tapaculos together.

  Once we had descended back from the Soray valley, we had a little bit of time to bird the scrub just before the main road, where people find the Pale-tailed Canastero. Despite not being super late in the morning, it was still hot and with only two distant songs from the target, we had to leave it behind. Still, I later found upon double-checking my eBird, that I had seen this species before last time I was in Peru.

  We drove three hours through Cusco to the small town of Pisac to the north of Cusco. This is a tourist hotspot, filled with small artisanal shops and alternative medicines. Although the town was beautiful, it did not feel like the Peru that I have gotten to know in two visits. We spent the end of the afternoon at the Pisac Archeological Park which was really quite stunning and well worth the visit. There were no birds here to speak of, nor were there in the town of Pisac itself when we explored it during the early evening. 

Peru - Day 3; Quebrada Arapato & Soraypampa Valley

  For our first full day in Peru actually doing some activities, we headed from the town of Curuhuasi where we lodged, an hour up the mountains to the site known as Quebrada Arapato where we had hoped to find my first Tapaculo tick of the year, as well as some of the other regional endemics found in the area. Being at high altitude it was tough going, and not helped by a stubborn cloud that took an hour to shift early in the morning. 

  Still, it only took us 90 minutes to find our main target, the Ampay Tapaculo. Despite numerous attempts, no birds had responded until this individual and so it was something of a relief to find the bird at all. However, it then proceeded to show phenomenally well, jumping out of the vegetation and feeding on the road. It was one of the showiest Tapaculos I have ever had the privilege of witnessing. 

  The other birding in the area was also very enjoyable, with a Stripe-headed Antpitta being one of the other highlights. In terms of new birds there were two of the other targets that we found here; the Apurimac Brushfinch and the Rusty-fronted Canastero. Neither of them showed particularly well however, although they would occur at other sites we would visit as well, so not too much pressure. A Montane Guinea Pig made up the best of the non-birds. 

  During the late morning we made an hours stop at a small archeological park just down the mountain from our birding site. The Sayhuite Archeological Park was small with a few Inca findings but it was a nice spot to spend an hour. There were a few birds in the area, including another Apurimac Brushfinch and a pair of Creamy-crested Spinetails which showed nicely. 

  After driving two hours to the town of Mollepata we had a short lunch before we ascended the mountains once again, this time into the Soraypampa Valley where we spent another two hours birding before returning to our lodging in the town. This valley is home to yet another new Tapaculo species for me, and so we made that our priority for the afternoon. 

  It was quite frustrating with many buses of tourists streaming past us as we ascended the mountain, but fortunately that did not stop us from having simply fantastic views of a Vilcobamba Tapaculo jumping out onto some exposed branches and giving me my second fantastic Tapaculo show of the day.

  The general birding in the area was also excellent, with Apurimac Spinetail being the latest regional endemic to fall, followed quickly by White-tufted Sunbeam. The Spinetail was not at all cooperative, but fortunately I found some more further down which showed much better. The hummingbird was perched up nicely but sadly all too briefly, allowing only a single in focus photo to be taken before it was lost behind the forest. 

Peru - Day 2; Lima & travel to Cusco

   There was an element of jetlag in play this morning, since we awoke very early and were awake on and off throughout the night listening to a local fiesta, as well as the surprisingly vocal House Wrens. 

  Once daylight broke we were able to spend the morning around the hostal, and while downtown Lima is not the best place for birding it was good to get back in touch with a few species I had not seen for a few years, such as Amazilla Hummingbird and Scrub Blackbird. Both common species where they occur but not especially widespread.

  Late morning we transferred to the airport for our internal flight to Cusco. The flight over the Andes was spectacular, with a beautiful cloud inversion over Lima and some stunning snow-capped peaks on offer. Upon arrival in Cusco we got hold of our rental car and then drove the three hours to the town of Carahuasi where we found a small hotel and settled down for the night. 

Peru - Day 1; Madrid Barajas Airport & arrival

   After a year away I was finally heading back to South America, to the country of Peru. This would be my second time visiting this country, but that is so massive and home to so much wildlife would require several trips to do full justice to. 

  Today was little more than a travel day, leaving Paris early in the morning, then flying to Madrid where we would wait a short while before taking a flight to Lima. This latter flight was 10 hours long and by the time we arrived in Lima we were absolutely exhausted. 

  In terms of birding the most action was in Madrid Airport, where I got to see my first Spotless Starlings in a few years. Additionally there was a flyover White Stork and Red Kite, which made for an interesting way to pass the three hours we spent there. We did not see any birds in Peru due to the lateness of our arrival. 

Blackstone Edge Reservoir & Whiteholme Reservoir

  Once again the ample shoreline at Blackstone Edge provided a wader bonanza this morning. Whilst I was away at a wedding for Friday afternoon and Saturday, the number of Sanderling reported reached 12, but this morning it had increased again to an incredible 15! Very impressive for an inland site. At times they were quite approachable, and a steady stream of birders came and went throughout the morning, enjoying this incredible inland spectacle. Was nice to see both AC and DF up there as well.

   Whilst there I also ventured on to Whiteholme Reservoir but found it almost void of birdlife. Who can blame the migrant waders when Blackstone Edge has so much shoreline to offer, and Whiteholme has comparatively little. 

-Sanderlings