Peru: Manu and Machu Picchu August 2010
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Peru: Manu and Machu Picchu August 2010 PERU: Manu and Machu Picchu 13 – 30 August 2010 Tour Leader: Jose Illanes Itinerary: August 13: Arrival day/ Night Lima August 14: Fly Lima-Cusco, Bird at Huacarpay Lake/ Night Cusco August 15: Upper Manu Road/Night Cock of the Rock Lodge August 16-17: San Pedro Area/ Nights cock of the Rock Lodge August 18: San Pedro-Atalaya/Night Amazonia Lodge August 19-20: Amazonia Lodge/Nights Amazonia Lodge August 21: River Trip to Manu Wildlife Center/Night Manu Wildlife Center August 22-24: Manu Wildlife Center /Nights Manu Wildlife Center August 25: Manu Wildlife Center - Boat trip to Puerto Maldonado/ Night Puerto Maldonado August 26: Fly Puerto Maldonado-Cusco/Night Ollantaytambo www.tropicalbirding.com Tropical Birding 1-409-515-0514 1 Peru: Manu and Machu Picchu August 2010 August 27: Abra Malaga Pass/Night Ollantaytambo August 28: Ollantaytambo-Machu Picchu/Night Aguas Calientes August 29: Aguas Calientes and return Cusco/Night Cusco August 30: Fly Cusco-Lima, Pucusana & Pantanos de Villa. Late evening departure. August 14 Lima to Cusco to Huacarpay Lake After an early breakfast in Peru’s capital Lima, we took a flight to the Andean city of Cusco. Soon after arriving in Cusco and meeting with our driver we headed out to Huacarpay Lake . Unfortunately our arrival time meant we got there when it was really hot, and activity subsequently low. Although we stuck to it, and slowly but surely, we managed to pick up some good birds. On the lake itself we picked out Puna Teal, Speckled and Cinnamon Teals, Andean (Slate-colored) Coot, White-tufted Grebe, Andean Gull, Yellow-billed Pintail, and even Plumbeous Rails, some of which were seen bizarrely swimming on the lake itself, something I had never seen before. Puna Ibises were also noted around there. By checking the reedy fringes of the lake we also found Wren-like Rushbird and Yellow-winged Blackbird in addition to the multicolored Many-colored Rush-tyrant that came into playback. The scrubby areas around Huacarpay also produced the shy endemic Rusty- fronted Canastero as well as White-browed Chat- Tyrant . One of our main targets though was the beautiful Bearded Mountaineer , a dashing endemic hummingbird that we finally found after a prolonged search feeding on their favored yellow blooms. We also found a couple of Mountain Caracaras (left ) and Black- chested Buzzard-Eagles after scanning the near mountain ridges. After lunch in the field we birded a small trail on the other side of the like, where we found Golden billed Saltator, Peruvian Sierra- finch, Blue-and-yellow Tanager, Bare-faced Ground-dove, Band-tailed Seedeater, Greenish Yellow-finch and some migrant Rufous-naped Ground-tyrants . Just before we left we also located a pair of Andean Lapwings feeding on the lake shore, afterwhich we returned to the pleasant Andean city of Cusco for the night. www.tropicalbirding.com Tropical Birding 1-409-515-0514 2 Peru: Manu and Machu Picchu August 2010 August 15 Huancarany, Paucartambo and Upper Manu Road After an early breakfast (that would be come familiar to our group) we head out on the road towards the Amazon, where we passed through a variety of habitats en route from dry Andean areas, dry temperate forest, and also cloudforest too. Our first stop was near the village of Huancarany , a small Andean settlement with a bustling market. Just the other side of the village an area of mixed forest, of native and introduced species provided some birding for us. Here we almost stepped on an Andean Tinamou , and also found both Black-tailed and Green-tailed Trainbearers buzzing around the shrubs and trees. Striking Black-throated and Moustached Flowerpiercers were also found there along with Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch , Mourning Sierra-Finch , Spot-winged Pigeons , and a couple of Andean Flickers were even seen perched in one of the non-native eucalyptus trees that dot the hillsides there. From there we drove through a really dry section of the Andes that brought us some cool new species, including the striking Tawny-throated Dotterel , and both Puna and Black-faced Ibises . Further on down the road we made a special stop for the often tricky endemic Creamy-crested Spinetail , one of our main targets on this eastward-bound journey. This time though it proved straightforward and gave us some amazing looks as it crept around a tangle. This same hot spot also produced the handsome Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant , the colorful Rust-and-yellow Tanager , the striking White-winged Black-tyrant , and the odd Cinereous Conebill . Finally, we emerged out of these dry, dusty Andean areas up into the moist cloudforest. After lunch we birded a road through the forest, with low cloud and mist coming and going regularly, that kept the area active, and brought us some great mixed feeding flocks, one of the undoubted highlights of birding the Andes. This fast-moving temperate feeding flock held White-throated Tyrannulet, White-browed and Blue-backed Conebills, Brown-backed-Chat-Tyrant, Blue-capped Tanager, the gorgeous Pearled Treerunner, and the strikingly-marked Scarlet-bellied Mountain- Tanager . Imitating the whistles of a pygmy-owl did not bring in the owl, although did bring in a couple of hummingbirds that flew in to mob the offender. This included both Shining Sunbeam and Violet-throated Starfrontlet . A little further along the road another stop in the temperate forest produced the technicolor Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan , Citrine Warbler , and Andean Parakeet . Fortuitously too a Speckle-faced Parrot also flew in and landed right above us while we standing there. With one more planned stop before we arrived at our lodge we hit the road again, aware that daylight would soon be fading. It was well worthwhile though for White-collared Jay , Masked Trogon , Amethyst-throated Sunangel , and Bolivian Tyrannulet . In the evening we arrived, if a little late, at our lodging for the night, Cock-of-the-rock Lodge along the famed Manu Road. www.tropicalbirding.com Tropical Birding 1-409-515-0514 3 Peru: Manu and Machu Picchu August 2010 August 16 Cock-of the Rock Lodge and San Pedro Area Our first stop of the morning was of course to check out the lek site of the Andean Cock-of-the- rock , the lodge’s centerpiece. At least six different bright orange males were seen displaying from the lodge’s purpose-built blind, where they were also heard giving their harsh grunts, meows, and squeals that belies the beauty of their striking plumage. Then once again we hit another dazzling feeding flock, which this time held a markedly different species mix from some experienced at higher elevations the day before: Orange-eared, Beryl-spangled, Blue-necked and Spotted Tanager, Yellow-throated Bush-tanager, Black-eared Hemispingus, Three striped and Two- banded Warbler, Montane Foliage-gleaner, Olive- backed Woodcreeper, Cinnamon-faced Tyrannulet and Marbled- faced Bristled-Tyrant. Later in the morning we also birded a trail behind the lodge and once again found another mixed feeding flock, that may indeed have been the same flock roaming the area that we’d found earlier, with many of the same species, and few extra ones too like Paradise Tanager arguably the most spectacular of all tangara species, as well as Golden-eared and Yellow throated Tanagers, Versicolored Barbet, Ornate Antwren, Streaked- necked Flycatcher, and Streaked Xenops. In bamboo patches along the trail we also found Warbling Antbird, Striped-chested Antwren, and Yungas Manakin . After lunch back the lodge the afternoon was spent first enjoying the hummers around the lodge feeders, and enjoying some further roadside birding. The feeders yielded Booted Racket-tail , Wire-crested Thorntail , Violet-fronted Brilliant , and Many-spotted Hummingbird . Walking down the road from the lodge this time we found the recently-split Andean Motmot (split from Blue- crowned and formerly referred to widely as Highland Motmot ), Gray-breasted Wood-Wren , the cute Yellow-rumped Antwren , and three oropendola species: Russet-backed, Crested, and Dusky- green . However, best of all was the rare Semicollared Hawk . This great day on the famed Manu Road closed with a successful pre-dinner search for Vermiculated Screech-Owl . August 17 Upper Manu Road On this day we headed up higher than the lodge, to target some higher elevation species. We started pre-dawn by finding a spectacular male Lyre-tailed Nightjar perched beside the Manu Road. We climbed much higher than we’d been the day before up to 9000ft (2700m) at the www.tropicalbirding.com Tropical Birding 1-409-515-0514 4 Peru: Manu and Machu Picchu August 2010 highest point, birding temperate forest flanking the road. Some of the species picked up near our breakfast stop included the oddly-named Superciliaried Hemispingus , Black-faced Brush-Finch (page before ), Fulvous Wren , Barred Becard , the striking Streaked Tuftedcheek , Capped Conebill , and a Pale-legged Warbler that responded very well to a bit of playback. However, arguaqbly the highlight was getting the endemic Red-and-white Antpitta that was typically hard to see initially. However, in the end I had to drive the bird from its hiding spot up towards the group, which worked well with us getting great views after a little ingenuity. It was challenging birding this dusty road at times, although worth it for the avian rewards that came to us including Grass-green Tanager, Striped Treehunter, Blue-banded Toucanet, Andean Guan, Rufous-capped Thornbill, Buff-thighed Puffleg, Chestnut-breasted Coronet and the gorgeous Gould’s Inca . Lower down the road we also bumped into a nice fruiting tree that attracted Saffron-crowned, and Blue and Black Tanagers, in addition to Blue winged Mountain- Tanager and Montane Woodcreeper .