Peru Manu Part I: The Cloud Forest and Foothills Aug 01—13, 2008
Posted by Steve Hilty
Steve Hilty
Steve Hilty is the senior author of A Guide to the Birds of Colombia, and the recently published Birds of Venezuela, both by Princeton University Press. Other credits inclu...Related Trips
Call it the year of the hummingbird. We identified 39 species of hummingbirds on this trip, including several we haven't seen for years. Two, in particular, were the lovely little Rufous-capped Thornbill and the Rufous-webbed Brilliant, the latter coming to a feeder a few times at the Hacienda Amazonia. Neither is seen frequently. Then there were the colorful or boldly-patterned ones such as Collared Inca, Long-tailed Sylph, Mountain Velvetbreast, Gould's Jewelfront (now a regular at Hacienda Amazonia), Rufous-crested Coquette, Blue-fronted Lancebill, and so many more. But, this trip was much more than hummingbirds.
On the coast near Lima we enjoyed a fine day in marshes, old farmland, and coastal areas, and ended with Humboldt Penguins and a boat trip around the bay at Pucusana with gulls, terns, and pelicans at little more than arm's reach. A few brave Belcher's (Band-tailed) Gulls even rode the bow of our boat as we motored along. Then it was off to the historic city of Cuzco and a visit to peaceful and shimmering Huacarpay Lake. The next day found us watching Bearded Helmetcrests, flowerpiercers, and Giant Hummingbirds at dawn, crossing a quiltwork of picturesque arid highlands, and eventually descending through cloud forests of the eastern Andean slope to the Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge.
Over the next few days we rose well before dawn to crouch in darkness, awaiting the arrival of glorious Andean Cocks-of-the-rock at their display arena, and to greet the chilly dawn as lively mixed species assembled and hummingbirds began making their first morning visits to dew-laden flowers sparkling in morning sunbeams. What were the Andean highlights? I'd pick the Andean Potoo—stoic, unmoving, and rarely detected as it rests through the day. I'd also pick the two exquisite Golden-headed Quetzals well-photographed from every angle; the stunning tanager flocks we encountered at several elevations; the male Wire-crested Thorntail at the Stachytarpheta shrub; the unforgettable silhouette of a Lyre-tailed Nightjar as it floated, ghostlike, over our heads with its ribbon-tail streaming behind; the pair of Black-and-chestnut Eagles at the "mirador" (lookout); the Amazonian Umbrellabird that kept returning; and even the all-too-brief view of a Harpy Eagle as it flew low up a hillside.
At the Hacienda Amazonia it was almost as if we were starting all over again. Here, at much lower elevation, almost everything was new and different: strange Hoatzins, a garden buzzing with hummingbirds, colorful lowland tanagers, macaws commuting to and fro, swifts spinning in great kettles, and raptors drifting in languid circles against a forested ridge. We added many new birds to our growing lists along the long road and on trips to a nearby stream, perhaps most notably, another quick look at a flying Harpy Eagle (for some lucky folks); pairs of Striolated and Chestnut-capped puffbirds; a Bicolored Hawk in a tree over the lodge; a pair of Orange-fronted Plushcrowns; and a wonderful evening with a Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl hunting from a low perch, and a Black-banded Owl that was seen several times. For birders and naturalists, this is about as good as it gets.