Tropical Birding Trip Report Peru: Manu and Machu Picchu August 2018 A Tropical Birding set departure tour PERU: Manu and Machu Picchu 24th August – 11th September 2018 Staying at a place called Cock-of-the-rock Lodge, we just had to see this bird! (Andean Cock-of-the-rock) Tour Leader: Jose Illanes All photos in this report were taken by Jose Illanes TOUR SUMMARY: This tour in southern Peru is a fantastic tour to be able to lead regularly, as it offers up much more besides the birds. There is good potential for mammal sightings (or other creatures), and top all of that off, we have the traditional visit to the iconic Machu Picchu Inca ruins, arguably the First Wonder of the South American World. So, it combines classic Amazonian birds, with Andean birding, Inca ruins, and great natural history in one of the world epic biodiversity hotspots. In Manu, in the Andes, displaying Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Creamy-crested Canastero, Giant 1 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Peru: Manu and Machu Picchu August 2018 Hummingbird, Rufous-crested Coquette, Peruvian Piedtail, (amongst a profusion of other hummingbirds), and a procession of colorful Andean tanagers, like Golden-collared, Paradise, and Blue-necked Tanagers. Other Andean standouts included Andean Motmot, Blue-banded Toucanet, Bluish-fronted Jacamar, and Lanceolated Monklet. On this year’s tour we stayed at Villa Carmen along the lower Manu Road, where forests with bamboo patches were rich in birds, and included a Cinereous Tinamou at a feeding station, and Blue-throated Macaws passing overhead. We will definitely include this marvelous place on future tours. Lower down, excellent views of Amazonian Antpitta, Orinoco Goose, Horned Screamer, Hoatzin, Pavonine Quetzal, Red-necked Woodpecker, and Purus and White-throated Jacamars featured. Moving away from Manu, we ventured higher into the Andes at Abra Malaga, where the gorgeous White-tufted Sunbeam was the highlight. We then visited the famous ruins of the Incas, getting record numbers of Torrent Ducks and Inca Wren while doing so, as well as a popular Masked Fruiteater. The tour finished at the wonderful port of Pucusana, where Inca Terns, Humboldt Penguins and Red-legged Cormorant entertained at the last, before International departures pulled us back to Lima. A Humboldt Penguin was waiting for us at Pucusana At the end of this incredibly diverse tour, we had recorded a substantial bird list of 644, 42 of which were only heard. Among the group favorites on the tour were Golden-headed and Pavonine Quetzals, Masked Fruiteater, Andean Cock-of-the- rock, Rufous-capped Antthrush, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Paradise Tanager, Creamy-crested Spinetail, Inca Wren, Red- necked Woodpecker, Dark-billed Cuckoo, Hoatzin, Blue-footed Booby, Amazonian Antpitta, Torrent Duck, Rufous- crested Coquette. 2 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Peru: Manu and Machu Picchu August 2018 Huacarpay Lakes (near Cusco) The tour started in the Peruvian capital, Lima, before flying to the Andean city of Cusco. Once there, we quickly started exploring the Andes and birded these lakes near the city. The lakes were dotted with birds like Slate-colored (Andean) Coot, Puna and Yellow- billed Teals, White-tufted Grebe, Puna Ibis, Plumbeous Rail; Andean Lapwing was also found nearby. At one point, an Aplomado Falcon darted in and chased some of the ducks away too. The reedy edges held Wren-like Rushbird and Many- colored Rush-Tyrant (below). Away from the lake the habitat is scrubby, and this is where we found Blue-and- yellow Tanager, Band-tailed Seedeater and Band-tailed Sierra-Finch. Variable Hawk and Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle were also seen overhead. After a field lunch, we visited another site, and found Rusty-fronted Canastero and Bearded Mountaineer, both Peruvian endemics, and therefore big targets for us in the area. Golden-billed Saltator, Black-throated Flowerpiercer and Streak-fronted Thornbird were also found in the same, scrubby habitat. We returned to Cusco in the late afternoon, taking in the central Plaza de Armas before dinner in the city that night. Cusco to Wayqecha (Upper Manu Road) On this day we retraced our steps but headed towards the Manu road birding our way to and beyond the entrance to Manu National Park, a vast protected area covering high Andean forest that stretch all the way down into the Amazon too. 3 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Peru: Manu and Machu Picchu August 2018 This was day where we covered a few different habitats, both scrub and forest in the high Andes on our route to Wayqecha a lodge and research station on the Upper Manu Road. This involved driving up and over a pass before we entered the park itself. Before lunch, and before reaching Manu, we had amassed a good list of species, including the World’s largest hummingbird, Giant Hummingbird, a soaring Mountain Caracara, Green-tailed Trainbearer, Andean Tinamou (for some only), Black-backed Grosbeak, Andean Flicker perched on the rocks, Creamy-crested Spinetail (page before). Rufous- webbed Bush-Tyrant, Mourning and Peruvian Sierra-Finches, and Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch. On the final leg driving down to Wayqecha we found a Yungas Pygmy-Owl, Red-crested Cotinga, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Moustached Flowerpiercer, and Rust-and-yellow Tanager, among others, which rounded out a typically birdy day on this area. A single night was spent on the Upper Manu Road at Wayqecha. Wayqecha to Cock-of-the-rock Lodge (Upper Manu Road) We started out just above Wayqecha, and the birding was great, with species like Red-crested Cotinga, and Masked Trogon, and flowers attracting Amethyst-throated Sunangel, Violet-throated Starfrontlet, and Rufous-capped Thornbill. Golden-collared Tanager (above), Scarlet-bellied, Hooded and Chestnut-bellied Mountain-Tanagers, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan (next page), and Black-faced Brush-Finch (next page) were all also found in the same area of the Upper Manu Road. A bit of playback was required to reel in one of the calling Rufous Antpittas too. After that, we left Wayqecha behind and continued down the Manu Road from there. 4 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Peru: Manu and Machu Picchu August 2018 Just below Wayqecha, we noted Shining Sunbeam, Crimson- mantled Woodpecker, Pale- legged Warbler, White-collared Jay, and Rust-and-yellow and Grass-green Tanagers. One of the characteristic features of birding the Manu Road are the roving mixed feeding flocks of Andean birds, and we found another further down, which held Fulvous Wren, Barred Becard, Capped Conebill, and Spectacled Redstart. Just before lunch, we found a Slaty-backed (Maroon-belted) Chat-Tyrant too. After lunch, another feeding flock lower down still produced Striped Treehunter, Pearled Treerunner, Saffron-crowned, Beryl-spangled, and Slaty Tanagers, and Yellow-whiskered Chlorospingus. A friendly Inca Flycatcher was also found sitting beside the road. The same area also yielded a male Golden-headed Quetzal, which betrayed its presence by its call. At the end of the day we checked into Cock-of-the-lodge for a two night stay. 5 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Peru: Manu and Machu Picchu August 2018 Cock-of-the-rock Lodge (Upper Manu Road) Before dawn (and before breakfast) we drove a short distance up the road to a traditional lek site of the lodge’s most famous bird, the Andean Cock-of-the-rock (above). The display site held an amazing 7-8 different scarlet males on our visit there, which also brought us our first Andean Motmot, and a Yungas Manakin too before we turned back to return to the lodge for breakfast. However, other birds distracted us from doing so, included a nesting Barred Becard, White-backed Fire-eye, Three-striped and Two-banded Warblers, Montane Foliage-Gleaner, Orange-eared Tanager and Three-striped Hemispingus (next page). At and after our late breakfast we admired the lodge feeders, where hummingbirds like Green Hermit, Violet-fronted Brilliant, Booted Racket-tail, White-bellied Hillstar, Wire-crested Thorntail, Many-spotted Hummingbird, and Sparkling, Brown and Lesser Violetears all came in enthusiastically. At the fruit, we watched Russet-backed Oropendola, Saffron-crowned, Golden, Blue-necked and Silver-beaked Tanagers enjoying the banana bonanza. Brown Capuchin and Bolivian Dwarf Squirrel Monkeys, Brown Agouti, and a Tyra also showed interest in any fallen fruit. The lodge garden held plenty of extra birds too, as fruiting trees attracted Blue Dacnis, Bay-headed, Spotted, and Paradise Tanagers all feeding close to the restaurant. Other garden birds included Green-fronted Lancebill, Geoffroy’s Wedge-billed Hummingbird (part of a recent east-west split of this species), Black-billed Thrush and Yellow-browed Sparrow. Along the road nearby, we found Black- streaked Puffbird, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, and Spotted Barbtail. 6 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Peru: Manu and Machu Picchu August 2018 After lunch, we drove up above the lodge to get some higher species we had missed before on the way down, finding Golden-eyed Flowerpiercer, Common Chlorospingus, Green (Inca) Jay, and Blue-banded Toucanet. The latter was the major hope of this upward search. At dusk we managed to call in two different male Lyre-tailed Nightjars that battled with each other impressively just overhead. Cock-of-the-rock Lodge to Villa Carmen (Lower Manu Road) After breakfast, we visited some forest with bamboo below the lodge, where we found Swallow Tanager, Lanceolated Monklet, Black-crowned Tityra.