Today did not start well that’s for sure. Not only did we get lost on our way to the reserve, but a random log in the middle of the highway caught me off-guard and I put a hole in the hire car which added significant expense to our already quite expensive trip. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a really nice day birding one of the most well known reserves in the area, the upland site of Yanacocha.
This reserve is a border between the Paramo and the Cloud
Forest. The reserve is set up with numerous feeding sites home to a wide variety
of Tanager species and especially Hummingbirds. There were two new species for
me here, the Sapphire-vented Puffleg and the Golden-breasted Puffleg. But the
highlight was undoubtedly the Great Sapphirewing which will always be one of
the most spectacular species of Hummingbird I have ever seen. The tanager
species variety was more limited but Black-chested Mountain Tanager was new for
me and it was very docile around the feeders, and it was nice to see great
numbers of Black Flowerpiercer there was well.
Other birds were also good, with nice views of both Equatorial and Tawny Antpitta near the road. A pair of Carunculated Caracara flew overhead giving fantastic views, and there was a very smart pair of White-browed Spinetail to enjoy. Barred Becard was another new species for me that we encountered today.
Jacob Drucker, an old friend from Israel who
was working in the area, provided us with a tip to find a very rare and endemic
hummingbird here, but this was during the afternoon when the fog set it. We
descended down a steep winding path, and then realised we had run out of time
and had to ascend at speed which resulted in Lia becoming quite unwell with
altitude sickness. Still we managed to make it out of the reserve without too
much trouble, only we did not find the hummingbird for which we went to such
great lengths.
Reserva Yanacocha: Andean Guan, Tyrian Metaltail, Sapphire-vented Puffleg, Golden-breasted Puffleg, Shining Sunbeam, Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Mountain Velvetbreast, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Great Sapphirewing, Carunculated Caracara, Equatorial Antpitta, Tawny Antpitta, Pearled Treerunner, White-browed Spinetail, Barred Becard, White-banded Tyrannulet, Rufous Wren, Great Thrush, Grey-browed Brushfinch, Spectacled Whitestart, Superciliaried Hemispingus, Black-chested Mountain Tanager, Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager, Golden-crowned Tanager, Blue-backed Conebill, Glossy Flowerpiercer, Black Flowerpiercer, Masked Flowerpiercer,
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