arolina bird club Field trip
Special Carolina bird club Field trip
Introduction to Peru
Coastal Lima, Abancay Endemics, Cusco and
Machu-Picchu
November 30 - December 9, 2008
Reservations and prepayment are required on all Ventures. Your place on this Venture will be reserved when your deposit of $300 has been received. Please make your check payable to VENTURES, Inc. and send it to this address or call the office with your VISA or MasterCard #.
Limited to 10 participants.
This Peru tour is a perfect short trip for an introduction to some of Peru's
outstanding birds and scenic areas. We start with coastal birding in Lima, a
visit to the famous Inca ruins of Machu-Picch
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but also some very good subtropical, temperate cloud forest, as well as looking
for some of the rarest birds on earth in the Polylepis woodlands. We also take
in the Apurimac endemics near Cuzco, an area not on regular Peru birding
itineraries.
On this trip we stay at comfortable country inns throughout and all are convenient to the best birding spots. The food is very good and the people very friendly. If you have never been to South America before, this introductory tour to Peru will open your eyes to the beauty and diversity that is South America. With the recent publication of the new Birds of Peru, this is now an excellent time to visit this incredibly diverse country.
Leader: Simon Thompson
$3,395 per person with single room supplement of $495
Price includes: Domestic flight back from Lima to Cusco and return, transportation throughout, all accommodation, meals (except where specified): entrance fees and gratuities (except for leader/guide), trip information packet & bird checklist, and guide/leader service throughout.
Not included: International flight to Lima, airport departure tax, alcoholic beverages, any meals specified in the itinerary, laundry, and other items of a personal nature.
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This Peru tour may be combined with our Santa Marta Mountains, Colombia Venture from November 21-28. Alternatively you may wish to arrive in Lima the day before in order to rest before our early start on Day 2.
Day 1 (Sunday, November 30) Fly to Lima
The flights from the US usually arrive in Lima late in the evening. We
will then transfer to our hotel for the night. Night near the Lima Airport
Day 2 (Monday, December 1) Lomas de Lachay
This morning we will visit the Lomas de Lachay, an area of low coastal
hills that are covered in a unique 'fog vegetation' (i.e. the sparse plant life
obtains its moisture almost entirely from condensation in this almost rainless
landscape). Bare desert en route to the Lomas is home to the endemic Coastal
Miner, whereas higher up in the hills we may find Grayish Miner and the endemic
Thick-billed Miner. At times Least Seedsnipe, Tawny-throated Dotterel and
Yellowish Pipit nest in this area, while other birds we may find on the green
slopes of the Lomas are Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Variable Hawk, Croaking
Ground-Dove, Oasis and Amazilia Hummingbirds, Vermilion Flycatcher, and Peruvian
Meadowlark. If we are fortunate we will even find the rare and nomadic
Raimondi's Yellow-Finch in this area. A short distance away is a desolate desert
canyon, where among the sparse cacti and large boulders we shall look for the
endemic Cactus Canastero, and in more open areas we shall keep an eye out for
the small desert race nanodes of the Burrowing Owl. On the return journey we
shall diligently search recently plowed fields for the cryptic Peruvian
Thick-knee and the diminutive Short-tailed Field-Tyrant, while in hedges and
brushy areas we may find Parrot-billed and Chestnut-throated Seedeaters. A brief
visit to the Pacific Ocean shore will enable us to watch the numerous seabirds
that feed in the nutritious waters of the cold Humboldt current, including the
huge Peruvian Pelican, Peruvian Booby, Guanay Cormorant and Band-tailed, Grey
and Kelp Gulls. Hotel in Lima
Day 3: (Tuesday, December 2) Abancay
To avoid a long drive, we will take the early morning flight from Lima
to Cusco, before driving towards Abancay. We'll stop with a picnic lunch and
some birding. If time permits we'll take our look for the endemic and still
undescribed to science "Ampay" Tapaculo. Hotel de Turistas in Abancay
Day 4: (Wednesday, December 3) Apurimac Canyon
We'll have a pre -dawn start to a locality in the dry Apurimac Canyon.
Here we'll search for the as yet undescribed species of Screech Owl, tentatively
known as Apurimac Screech Owl. Here too is the slow voiced race of Peruvian
Pygmy Owl, which will surely turn out to be a separate species too. As the light
comes up and with a field breakfast, we'll take a look at Pale-tailed Canastero
and maybe White-eared Puffbird before heading off to our next locality near the
high pass above Abancay where we recently discovered the endemic Apurimac
Spinetail, which is common here. Here also is the endemic Apurimac Brush Finch,
"Ampay Tapaculo", Streak-backed and Rusty-fronted Canastero. After
lunch we'll head for the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Night in the Sacred Valley
of the Incas
Day 5: (Thursday, December 4) Sacred Valley
We'll have a very early start this morning. After a substantial field
breakfast we'll have all day to work the humid temperate forest. Starting at a
large patch of Chusquea bamboo we should see Parodi's Hemispingus (endemic) and
Puna Thistletail (endemic). Other possibilities throughout the day include:
Drab, Three-striped, Black-eared and Black-capped "Hemispingi",
Golden-collared and other Tanagers, White-throated and White-banded Tyrannulets,
Andean Ibis, Unstreaked Tit-tyrant (endemic), White-rumped Hawk, Sierran Elaenia,
Marcapata Spinetail (endemic), Inca Wren ( endemic), plus a lot more. Rufous and
Undulated Antpittas are here too. In the afternoon we'll look for Cuzco Brush
Finch (endemic). Night in the Sacred Valley of the Incas
Day 6: (Friday, December 5) Abra Malaga
We'll head for the Polylepis woodland at Abra Malaga. We'll devote the
whole morning to explore this unique habitat. Possibilities include Line-fronted
Canastero, Ash-breasted Tit-tyrant (endemic), White-browed Tit-Spinetail
(endemic), Tawny Tit-Spinetail, Giant Conebill, Stripe-headed Antpitta, Andean
Tapaculo, Tit-like Dances, Blue-mantled Thornbill, Andean Condor, Thick-billed
Siskin, Junin Canastero (endemic) and more. Our major target bird here will be
the Royal Cinclodes, which we discovered here in the 80's. On the valley floor
we'll check a variety of Ground-tyrants and Sierra-finches. After a picnic lunch
we'll concentrate on some local endemics on the west side, including
Creamy-crested Spinetail, (endemic) Rusty-fronted Canastero, (endemic)
White-tufted Sunbeam (endemic) and Chestnut-breasted Mountain-finch (endemic).
Night in the Sacred Valley of the Incas
Day 7: (Saturday, December 6) Machu-Picchu
We leave early in the morning for the 2.5 hour train journey to
Machu-Picchu. From the train we will certainly see Torrent Ducks and
White-capped Dipper on the Urubamba River and get closer looks as we leave the
train. Arriving at the ruins, birding takes a back seat for once as we are taken
on a guided tour of this mystical archeological complex. White-tipped Swifts
will be flying overhead. After lunch we will look for Inca Wren, which is quite
common in the bamboo around the ruins and then descend into the Urubamba gorge
for late afternoon birding. Night in Aguas Calientes
Day 8: (Sunday, December 7) Urubamba River
All morning birding the railway track along the Urubamba River. In the
remnant cloud forest we will be looking specifically for Sclaters and Bolivian
Tyrranulets, Silver-backed Tanager, Pale-eyed Thrush, masked Fruiteater
(endemic), Black-streaked Puffbird, Oleaginous Hemispingus and Capped Conebill.
Mixed flocks contain many species of Tanager and the endemic Green and White
Hummingbird is common here. After a late lunch, we return on the tourist train
to the historic town of Cusco. Night in Cusco
Day 9: (Monday, December 8) Huacarpay Lakes The
Huacarpay Lakes are a magnet for waterbirds in this high, dry county.
Here we will see a variety of high Andean waterfowl including Puna, Speckled and
Cinnamon Teal, Yellow-billed Pintail, Andean Duck and other wetland associated
birds. White-winged Grebe and Andean coot will be here too. Depending on the
time of year migrant North American shorebirds (waders) may be present. We will
be specifically on the lookout for Wren-like Rushbird, Many-colored Rush-tyrant,
Yellow-winged Blackbird, Puna Ibis and Andean White-winged Negrito. Birds of
Prey we may see include Aplomado Falcon, Cinereous Harrier, Red-backed Hawk and
Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle. In the arid scrub around the lake we'll look for
the endemic Rufous-fronted Canastero and also Streak-fronted Thornbird. We
should find the pretty, endemic Bearded Mountaineer feeding in the tree tobacco
(Nicotiana sp.) with Giant Hummingbird and Trainbearers. Peruvian, Ash-breasted
and Mourning Sierra-Finches will be here with Greenish Yellow-finch and Blue and
Yellow Tanager. Night in Cusco
Day 10 (Tuesday, December 9) Cusco and Lima
We'll take the morning flight to Lima for our last day of birding. As
our international flights leave late in the evening, we'll make the most of our
day by visiting the nearby Pantanos de Villa (Villa Marshes) for Great Grebe,
May-colored Rush-Tyrant, Peruvian Thick-knee and much more. We'll also have the
chance to have the use of a hotel in Lima to clean up prior to our flights
tonight.
Due
to weather and other conditions, this itinerary is subject to change.