Peru - Day 13; Amazonia Lodge

   Today was our only full day at Amazonia Lodge, and it rained. It rained all day. Sometimes it rained heavily, and sometimes it only drizzled but it barely stopped raining for the entirety of the day. This obviously took a heavy toll on the activities of our day, but we made the best of it and tried to find some birds and animals along the trails.

  We started on the Jeep trail, which was a new trail for us. With the weather against us it was difficult going, but we had a few birds and some new species for me with Green-and-rufous Kingfisher, Chestnut-crowned Foliage-Gleaner and Bluish-slate Antshrike. An excellent bonus species was a Cinereous Tinamous that was walking on the path in front of us, and a Tinamou tick is always good. A Grey Tinamou also crossed the path later on but it was further away. The main target for this section of our walk was in an area of bamboo, the White-lined Antbird. Fortunately despite the weather, once we reached the correct habitat we were able to easily find a pair. A pair of Ornate Stipelthroat finished off the walk nicely.

  After this short walk, and with the rain cleared a little, I walked the base of the Tower Trail to try and track down some antbird species. Activity was quite low but I managed to find the species I hoped for when a single male Brownish-headed Antbird came and responded to the tape. This bird had been a bad dip for us in Bolivia, so it was good to catch up with one here. Otherwise the overall number of birds was quite low, until the end when I caught the back end of a mixed species flock containing two new antbird species for me; Sooty Antbird and Chestnut-tailed Antbird. 

  After lunch, with the weather still cool and drizzly, we continued exploring around the lodge, returning to the Jeep Trail and then exploring some other areas. Despite a few small groups of birds, activity was very muted. Towards the end of the afternoon I finally managed to track down a pair of Amazonian Antshrike, but despite my best efforts I could not manage to see them within the dense thicket of vegetation they had made their home. Even more frustratingly was that through the thermal imager I could see the outline of the bird clearly, watching it sing away, but I was never able to translate this into actual field views!  

  At night I once again took the thermal out to search for mammals, and it was once again very rewarding. Helpfully the rain had stopped so it was not unpleasant to be out in the field. On the Jeep Trail I found a small White-browed Hermit asleep, as well as another bird that could not be identified. Around the lodge garden itself I managed to find a large heat signature that would not move, until I was too close when it ran away to reveal itself as a Paca! Sadly too quick for photos, but great to finally see this animal. The evening was rounded off with a small mouse near the lodge. 

Peru - Day 12; Mirador Pico de Hoz & Amazonia Lodge

   I was awoken to the song of the Rusty-belted Tapaculo, singing relentlessly in the vegetation not far from our room. With daylight breaking I decided to head straight for the source of the song to track the bird down, and hopefully manage to see it this time. Fortunately it did not take long before I had managed to see the bird, perched up on a fallen log in the early morning understorey darkness. In the following half hour I managed a couple more views but never particularly prolonged. After yesterdays disappointment, this was a huge relief. 

  We would leave the Mirador Pico de Hoz today, and had until 09:30 before we had to leave. In that time we managed to clean up on target, the Bamboo Antshrike which was a tricky customer as it flew across the road, before I managed to get a clear view. The adult King Vulture did not pay a visit to the vulture feeding hide, but a juvenile was present. 

  And with that our very enjoyable visit to the this excellent site came to an end. We said our farewells to Jonathan to drove onwards to the village of Atalaya about 15 minutes away, where we would get the boat to our next stop, the Amazonian Lodge. Our journey to the lodge was very straightforward in the end, with a short journey by boat first before arriving at the lodge late morning. Because of this we spent the first few hours relaxing on the lodge veranda, before lunch and a rest. The feeder at the lodge helped keep us entertained, with a pair of Blue-throated Piping Guans being new for me, as they fed each other the bananas from the feeders. 

  At around 14:30 we set off into the forest. We had no guide for this lodge and so had to discover the trails for ourselves. We eventually managed to complete the Tower Trail that leads up the adjacent mountains through dense forest. It was a difficult trail at times, but the forest was excellent at there were a few birds to keep us entertained despite being the afternoon. The only new bird for me was a Silvered Antbird which was feeding along a river at the start, but other highlights included a fantastic performance from another Rusty-belted Tapaculo, a brief Ringed Antpipit and a Ruddy Quail Dove. A group of Cappuchin monkeys offered a nice mammal bonus.

  At night I searched with the thermal and torch around the lodge trails, but with less success than I had at Mirador Pico de Hoz. Still, a Grey-fronted Dove made for a nice roosting bird tick, and at the end of the walk I found a group of three Night-Monkeys, making it a fairly successful walk in the end. 

Peru - Day 11; Mirador Pico de Hoz

   Our day at Mirador Pico de Hoz started with a very lively session around the feeders. A troop of around 20 – 30 Black-capped Squirrel-Monkeys came charging through disturbing everything around them, with the exception of a small group of Spix Guan. On the feeder just below were a group of three Undulated Tinamou gobbling down corn, and after them came a Brown Agouti, also ready to devour the corn. It was incredibly busy with animals coming and going all the time. After a while even the Dusky Titi monkey family came down to the feeders, although they had to fight for a space between the Squirrel-Monkeys and the Spix Guans.

  Our first foray away from the feeders came before breakfast, when we took a short walk to the Mirador with Jonathan, our guide and proprietor of Mirador Pico de Hoz. Although many of the birds we heard did not respond, the important Goeldis Antbird did, and a smashing male came and gave excellent views.

  After breakfast we did a loop of the property. Sadly many of the birds did not respond to playback at all, or were incredibly secretive if they did. The worst of these was the Rusty-belted Tapaculo which was extremely vocal and responsive but never showed despite our best efforts. It took some time but we did get views of Black-faced Antthrush, and the Rufous-sided Crakes were already present at the feeding station. We finished off with a Ringed Antpipit site, which was another new bird for me. Additionally, not on known territories, we had a Fine-barred Piculet and a handful of other commoner lowland species.

  During the mid-afternoon lull I spent some time around the hummingbird feeders where I added White-bearded Hermit and Many-spotted Hummingbird to my list of new birds whilst at the site. In the afternoon we walked on the road outside the grounds and had a few target species respond to tape but not show. Black-tailed Trogon came and showed very nicely, and a White-browed Hermit was feeding on roadside flowers. There was a bit of parrot movement throughout the time we were there, and two Scarlet Macaws that flew past were new for me.

  In the evening after dark, we had a bit of an explore of the reserve grounds. It started phenomenally well, with a Two-toed Sloth found distantly in the thermal, before being found closer again at the end of the night. A Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl also put in a performance near our dining area. Around the grounds we found a selection of small mammals and roosting birds, but the highlight was a very showy Amazon Bamboo Rat, over a foot long, and a roosting Rufous Motmot. We had brief views of another Night-Monkey and on the lake we had some views of a Caiman, but it submerged too quickly to be appreciated. 

Peru - Day 10; Manu Road & Mirador Pico de Hoz

   Today was one of the most important days on the whole trip, as we descended the Manu Road from the borders of the Puna and the Cloud Forest all the way down to the Amazon rainforest. From our base in Paucartambo, we drove forty minutes to our first stop, as the first rays of light came over the mountains, and we passed through patches of clearness and fog.

  The first stop was on the border of the Cloud Forest, right at the very top of the Manu Road. Here I had hoped to quickly find the endemic Puna Thistletail, but at the first stop there was nothing. A short drive onwards of less than 100 metres did finally produce the bird, but while they were vocal they were not especially responsive, and in the end I had to be satisfied with pretty poor views after some considerable effort. But about a kilometre later I had some absolutely phenomenal views when we casually stopped to take a photo of the landscape. The area itself was pretty lively with commoner cloud forest species, the highlights being Three-striped Hemispingus, Moustached Flowerpiercer and a small group of Golden-collared Tanager. 

  After this success we continued down the elevation a short way to the level of the Wayqecha Cloud Forest Biological Station. Although this station was too expensive to stay at, we were able to bird the road adjacent to it and had some excellent birding, including some very confiding Golden-collared Tanagers and Hooded Mountain Tanagers, and a very nice Bolivian Tyrannulet. My next target species was notched off here with a pair of Grey-eared Brushfinch which showed moderately well.

  On the way back to the car we were passed by a man on a tuktuk, who asked if we were birdwatchers. He said that he was on his way to feed the Antpittas and asked if we wanted to join, so we absolutely agreed. Thanks to Marianno, we were able to accompany him to the Red-and-white Antpitta feeder, where two individuals performed incredibly well. We then tried a Leymabamba Antpitta feeder but the bird did not come, only another Red-and-white Antpitta which made short work of the worms. He did say he also fed Urubamba Antpitta, but that was a 06:00 and we had missed it. Thanks to him, we saved ourselves a world of pain trying to located our main target, the Red-and-white Antpitta by ourselves.

  With the main Antpitta and target species of the day seen, we continued down the mountain. From here we hit a few snags, with two target flycatcher species not responding to tape at all and not showing. Next we tried to stop at a Cock-of-the-Rock lek but no birds were present, leaving us a little confused about how to see these birds.

  Continuing down we then stopped at the Cock-of-the-Rock lodge garden. Here we hoped to find the Peruvian Piedtail hummingbird but it did not show in the time we were there. Fortunately there were several other interesting birds here, including a new one for me with Wire-crested Thorntail, as well as new subspecies of Golden Tanager and Orange-eared Tanager. Seeing male Yungas Manakin was new for me, and at one point I even got brief views of some birds lekking within the bushes. The lodge helpfully explained the situation with the Cock-of-the-Rock lek and we arranged to visit on our way back up the Manu Road. It wasn’t just birds on offer here, with a small group of Tufted Cappuchins feeding in the back, a Brown Agouti running across the garden and a couple of Bolivian Squirrels playing in the dining area. 

  It was already mid-afternoon by this point so we headed down all the way to the Amazon foothill town of Pilcopata, only stopping at a stakeout for Black-backed Tody-Tyrant, a localized species that showed well but briefly after some effort. Passing through Pilcopata, we eventually found our way to our lodging; the Mirador Pico de Hoz, a hummingbird garden with a few other goodies. Since it was already late there was little time for any birding here besides enjoying the hummingbird feeders. Even during this brief visit there were new species for me with Golden-tailed Sapphire, Gray-breasted Sabrewing and finally Gould’s Jewelfront. There were a few other individuals that were almost certainly new for me, but I couldn’t get enough to confirm them. We had our first monkey species here as well, with a group of four Dusky Titi Monkeys.

  At night we went for a walk around the grounds with Jonathan, the proprietor and bird guide. We tried to search for caimans in a small wetland area but failed to find any. This was my first night using the thermal imager I purchased, and it turned out to be fantastic addition to my optics. I found a few Grey-cowled Wood-Rail, a couple of Purple Gallinule and a sleeping White-necked Jacobin. Otherwise there was also a Hoatzin that was flushed by the boat as we passed. On the mammal front it was excellent, with a pair of Night Monkeys seen right at the top of the trees, and a large Bamboo Rat fittingly in the bamboo, and a common Amazonian Opossum. The usual nighttime assortment of wildlife including frogs, toads and bats also kept us entertained during the hour we spent exploring. 

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