Northern Peru

Northern Peru San Martin, Loreto, Amazonas, Cajamarca, Lambayeque, La Libertad and Lima from 2 October to 23 October 2018 by Dick Meijer and Peter van Scheepen Long-whiskered Owlet, Fundo Alto Nieva (Photo PL) From left to right: Miguel Lezama (guide), Peter van Scheepen, Gerlinde Taurer, Graham Tebb, Peter Los, Dick Meijer and Kenny (local guide) Introduction Not surprisingly, the endemic–rich northern part of Peru acts as a magnet to bird watchers. You should go there! For various reasons the five of us (Peter van Scheepen, Graham Tebb, Gerlinde Taurer, Peter Los and Dick Meijer) decided to ask Tanager–Tours (www.tanagertours.com) to offer a trip during which we might: see species for which stake outs have been found only recently or that were recently described: Scarlet–banded Barbet, White masked Antbird, Cordillera Azul Antbird, ‘Yungas’ and ‘Tschudi’s’ Woodcreepers and Long–whiskered Owlet; find the many (45) often rare and beautiful (Marvelous Spatuletail!) endemic species of this part of Peru; find endemic and range–restricted species that we had previously missed in Northern Peru, elsewhere in Peru or in South America: White–cheeked, Shrike–like and Chestnut–crested Cotingas and Dotted Tanager; improve heard–only–records of much sought–after but difficult to see species, such as Pale–billed, Rusty–tinged and Chestnut Antpittas and Blackish, Trilling, Rufous–vented, Large–footed and White–crowned Tapaculos; see and photograph many of these rare birds; enjoy the scenery and wild life of this remote part of Peru. Miguel Lezama of Tanager Tours proposed an itinerary – more or less the standard Northern Peru Enigmatic Missing Species trip of Tanager Tours – that seemed to meet our wishes. Three of us (Peter van Scheepen, Peter Los and Dick Meijer) wanted an extension to El Molino to look for Purple– backed Sunbeam, White–cheeked Cotinga and Ancash Tapaculo. Most – Gerlinde was visiting Peru for the first time – of us had visited Peru once or several times before and two of us had been to northern Peru, so our wish lists included mainly difficult species: the bar was set high. We succeeded in finding Scarlet–banded Barbet, Cordillera Azul Antbird (both only recently described), ‘Yungas’ Woodcreeper (yet to be described) and ‘Tschudi’s’ Woodcreeper (potential split from Ocellated) in Plataforma. We saw White–masked Antbird (recently refound) in San Lorenzo (Loreto) and Long–whiskered Owlet (until recently known from a few mist net catches, now there are stakeouts) in Fundo Alto Nieva. Of the 45 endemics of (northern) Peru that could be seen on our route we found 37, including a beautiful adult male Marvelous Spatuletail (see table 1). We unsuccessfully looked for Ash–breasted Antwren for nearly a full day above Waqanki lodge and made a second fruitless attempt below Santa Rosa the next day, which was a shame. We did not really go for the other eight endemics theoretically possible on our route so missing them hurts less. Endemics possible on our route in northern Peru English name Scientific name Range in Peru Site (s) where recorded 1.White–winged Guan Penelope albipennis Valleys of Andes: Quebrada Frejolillo Quebrada Frejolillo Koepcke's Screech–Owl Megascops koepckeae Utcubamba and Not recorded Apurimac valley Long–whiskered Owlet Xenoglaux lowery Amazomas & San Fundo Alto Nieva Martin: Fundo Alto Nieva Koepcke's Hermit Phaetornis kopeckeae East slope of Andes: Aconabikh Tarapoto Black Metaltail Metalura phoebe West slope of Andes El Molino Marvelous Spatuletail Loddigesia mirabilis Utcubamba valley Huembo Purple–backed Sunbeam Aglaeactis aliciae West bank Rio Marañon: El Molino Huamachuco Scarlet–banded Barbet Capito wallacei Plataforma Plataforma Black–necked Woodpecker Colaptes atricollis West slope of Andes and Sinsicap Marañon valley 10. Ash–throated Antwren Herpsilochmus parkeri San Martin: Quebrada Not recorded Mishquiyacu White–masked Antbird Pithys castaneus Northern Amazonia: San San Lorenzo Lorenzo (Loreto) Cordillera Azul Antbird Myrmoderus eowilsoni Plataforma Plataforma Pale–billed Anrpitta Grallaria carrikeri East side of northern San Lorenzo (Florida Andes: Fundo Alto Nieva Pomacochas) Rusty–tinged Antpitta Grallaria przewalskii East side of Andes: Fundo Alto Nieva Fundo Alto Nieva Chestnut Antpitta Grallaria blakei East slope of Andes: Owlet lodge Fundo Alto Nieva Ochre–fronted Anrpitta Grallaricula ochrraceifrons East side of northern Fundo Alto Nieva Andes:Fundo Alto Nieva Unicolored Tapaculo Scytalopus unicolor Marañon drainage of El Molino western Andes: El Molino Large–footed Tapaculo Scytalopus macropus Abra Barra Negro Not recorded Rufous–vented Tapaculo Scytalopus femoralis East slope of Andes: Fundo Alto Nieva Fundo Alto Nieva 20. Neblina Tapaculo Scytalopus altirostris East slope of Andes from Not recorded Amazonas to Junin Ancash Tapaculo Scytalopus affinis Cordillera Blanca in El Molino Ancash: El Molino Tschudi's Tapaculo Scytalopus acutirostris East slope of Andes Not recorded Coastal Miner Geositta peruviana Coastal plain Coast and Bosque de Pomac Striated Earthcreeper Geocerthia serrana Arid montane areas at El Molino 3000 – 4600 m Surf Cinclodes Cinclodes tacxanowskii Coast Puerto Viejo Rusty–crowned Tit– Rlephasthenura pileata Marañon and Huallaga Not recorded Spinetail valley Russet–bellied Spinetail Synnalaxis zimmeri Locally along west slope Sinsicap of Andes Russet–mantled Softtail Thripophaga berlepschi Fundo Alto Nieva San Lorenzo (Florida Pomacochas) Mishana Tyrannulet Zimmerius villarejoi Forest near Rio Nanay Quebrada and Mayo valley Mishquiyacu 30. Inca Flycatcher Leptopogon tacczanowski East slope of Andes Fundo Alto Nieva Johnson's Tody–Flycatcher Poecilotriccus luluae Northern Andes: Fundo Fundo Alto Nieva Alto Nieva and Owlet lodge Unstreaked Tit–Tyrant Anairetes agraphia East slope of Andes Not recorded Tumbes Tyrant Tumbezia salvini Quebrada Frejolillo Quebrada Frejolillo Piura Chat–Tyrant Ochthoeca piruae Northwest: Marañon Heard at Abra valley Porcuya and seen at Sisicap Rufous Flycatcher Myiarchus semirufus Northwest: Bosque de Bosque de Pomac Pomac and Rafan Masked Fruiteater Pipreo pulchrea East slope of Andes Not recorded White–cheeked Cotinga Zaratornis stresemanni West slope of Andes: El El Molino Molino Peruvian Plantcutter Phytotoma raimondii Coastal plain: Bosque de Rafan Pomac Black–bellied Tanager Ramphocelus melanogaster Mayo and upper Waqanki lodge, Huallaga valley Arena Blanca reserve and Fundo Alto Nieva 40. Yellow–scarfed Iridosornis reinhardti Eastern slope of Andes Owlet lodge Tanager at 2000 –3700 m Cinereous Finch Piezorina cinerea Desert scrub in Bosque de Pomac northwest: Bosque de and Rafan Pomac Great Inca–Finch Incaspiza pulchra West slope of Andes: Not recorded Trujillo Little Inca–Finch Incaspiza watkinsi Dry Marañon valley Bosque de Yanahuanca Plain–tailed Warbling– Poospiza alticola Andes of northern Peru: El Molino Finch El Molino 45. Rufous–eared Atlapetes rufigenis Both slopes of upper El Molino Brushfinch Marañon valley: El Molino Table 1: Endemic birds possible on our route in northern Peru and recorded by us (source: www.perubirds.org/aves_endemicas_del_peru.shtml + Birds of Peru). Of the Peruvian endemics and range–restricted species missed in Peru during previous visits White–cheeked Cotinga turned out to be hard and was only seen briefly by one of us and our guide and thus remains much sought–after, Dotted Tanager was readily found near Tarapoto. Despite considerable efforts we failed to find Royal Sunangel (not present at the feeders at Fundo Alto Nuevo) and Ash–throated Antwren. May be next time! We fared quite well on the notoriously skulking gnateaters, antpittas and tapaculos: we had great views of one gnateater, five antpittas and five tapaculos. Still, three antpittas and two tapaculos were heard only (see table 2). Gnateaters, antpittas and tapaculos Chestnut–crowned Gnateater Seen at Plataforma Scaled Antpitta Heard at Plataforma and on ridge above Waqanki lodge Chestnut–crowned Antpitta Seen at Abra Porcuya Stripe–headed Antpitta Heard high along road above El Molino Pale–billed Antpitta Seen at San Lorenzo (Florida Pomacochas) Rusty–tinged Antpitta Seen at Fundo Alto Nieva and heard at Owlet lodge Chestnut Antpitta Seen at Owlet lodge Thrush–like Antpitta Heard at Aconabikh Ochre–fronted Antpitta Seen at Fundo Alto Nieva Ash–colored Tapaculo Heard at Abra Porcuya Blackish Tapaculo Seen at San Lorenzo (Florida Pomacochas) Unicolored Tapaculo Heard at Sinsicap and seen along road above El Molino Trilling Tapaculo Seen at San Lorenzo (Florida Pomacochas) Rufous–vented Tapaculo Seen at Fundo Alto Nieva White–crowned Tapaculo Heard at Plataforma, Fundo Alto Nieva and Owlet lodge Ancash Tapaculo Seen high along road above El Molino Table 2: Records of gnateaters, antpittas and tapaculos. The photographers were quite happy with their opportunities to take photographs of the target and more common species during our trip. Northern Peru is without question a great place for bird watchers. Not only are the birds spectacular, the scenery is often breathtaking. Most accommodations were okay. Only in Plataforma was our accommodation rather basic. The food in the restaurants or cooked by our own cook was generally tasty and well prepared; nobody had serious stomach problems. We compiled a checklist of possible species, which contained nearly 1100 species. We eventually recorded 598 species of bird during the main trip of which 59 were heard only. This is quite a high number but many of them were common or widespread species that

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