Having managed to clean up on a number of our targets the previous day, today was an opportunity to search for our few remaining targets with renewed focus. We would then take the road over the mountain into the Andamarca valley to try for a few outstanding species that we had missed on the Parihuanca Road earlier in the itinerary.
The morning was spent birding the lower part of the road between Calabeza and the Andamarca pass. Here there was some good-quality forest, although it was noticeably more fragmented than the satellite image suggested. Still, we had some steady birding with both of our outstanding targets easily found. The first was of course the Junin Tapaculo, which was easier on this road than other areas. We found a bird early in the morning which showed nicely but in obviously low light. Later in the morning we found another bird which showed very well in the open at first, but later became much more elusive. Fortunately both birds were very vocal. There was also a nice show from the Vilcambamba form of the Marcaparta Spinetail, a local species which was much appreciated.
Having cleared up on our remaining targets for this area,
we decided to head over the mountain pass and into the Andamarca valley by the end of
the morning, arriving early in the afternoon. Here we hoped to catch up with
the as-yet undescribed split of Azaras Spinetail, hopefully, get better views of
the as-yet-undescribed Mantaro Thornbird and then stick around until the
evening to see the local subspecies of Koepckes Screech Owl.
The first two targets we eventually managed to find
mid-afternoon, in a shady patch of habitat near a river. Both showed well, and
there were a couple of other trip ticks as well in Rust-and-yellow Tanager and
White-bellied Hummingbird. We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to locate
some day-roosting Screech Owls in a Eucalyptus plantation near the village
school, but we failed to do so. This was as an endeavor to save time on our
three-hour return drive in the dark, but alas it was all in vain.
Fortunately, it was not even fully dark when we heard the
first Koepckes Screech Owl at night, and with some playback, the bird readily
came to the edge of the Eucalyptus plantation for excellent views. Having got
what we wanted so quickly, we were able to make good progress on our return
drive back to Calabeza in the dark, and managed it in just over two hours,
including brief stops of Band-winged Nightjar and White-tailed Opossum. Another
brilliant day was thus concluded, continuing our fine form for finding birds on
this trip. Long may it continue.
Calabaza: Andean Guan, White-tipped Dove, Amethyst-throated Sunangel, Long-tailed Sylph, Purple-backed Thornbill, Violet-throated Starfrontlet, Puna Ibis, Roadside Hawk, Variable Hawk, Junin Tapaculo, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Marcapata Spinetail, Rufous Spinetail, Streak-necked Flycatcher, Black-throated Tody-Tyrant, White-banded Tyrannulet, Sierran Elaenia, Smoky Bush Tyrant, Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Blue-and-white Swallow, House Wren, Mountain Wren, Great Thrush, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Slaty Brushfinch, Blue-capped Tanager, Lacrimose Mountain Tanager, Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager, Blue-and-black Tanager, Moustached Flowerpiercer,
Valle Andamarca: White-tipped Dove, White-bellied Hummingbird, Koepcke's Screech Owl, American Kestrel, Mantaro Thornbird (undescribed form), Creamy-crested Spinetail, Mantaro Spinetail (undescribed form), Smoke-colored Pewee, Black Phoebe, White-winged Black Tyrant, House Wren, Great Thrush, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Spectacled Whitestart, Black-backed Grosbeak, Rust-and-yellow Tanager, Blue-capped Tanager, Blue-grey Tanager, Golden-billed Saltator,
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