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.
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