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Trip Reports
Lima June 2000
February 12, 2004
David Lange

Extract from a trip report on http://www.surfbirds.com/mb/Trip%20Reports/media/peru/Peru.html
Here there are also some excellent photographs from the Kolibri Expedition trip. Look at White-bellied Cinclodes, Grey-breasted Seedsnipe, Diademed Sandpiper-Plover

Introduction

We did a three-week trip to Peru concentrating on the Manu area with a few days near Lima. Our trip leaders were Paul Donahue and Teresa Wood who have spent many years in Peru. Three of us (Patty, Winty and myself) flew from Boston to Miami. There we met Paul and Teresa who had arrived in Miami several days before. Barbara, our sixth starting member, was from Florida. Over the next week, four others (Linda, Irene, Bob and Ted) joined our group on various days. We took a night flight to Lima arriving in the dark.

Paul and Teresa can be contacted through: http://www.nemaine.com/treetopexplorations/bio.html

The first three days of our trip were close to Lima concentrating on a number of endemics. We discussed doing the driving ourselves but that would have required renting two cars as six would be doing this part of the trip. We decided to go with Kolibri Expeditions for transportation and guide which worked very well. They have a large Dodge Ram van with good ground clearance and suspension which was needed on roads we travelled. Our guide, Goyo, knew just where to stop for our targeted birds and our driver, Juvinal, knows the roads well and is an ace driver in Lima. Although it cost a bit more, we had a much better birding experience and certainly more time with the birds.

Kolibri expeditions can be contacted through: kolibriexp@telefonica.net.pe
http://www.kolibriexpeditions.com 

..................................................

On our last day we took an early flight to Lima where we had the better part of the day available before an evening flight returning to the U.S. We used this time to return to the Santa Eulalia valley with Kolibri Expeditions for an afternoon of birding.

June 3rd, Lomas de Lachay and Pantanes de Villa

Goyo and Juvinal picked us up at the airport and we headed north in the fog to Lomas de Lachay, a nature preserve, a little over an hour away. We arrived at a spot to look for Cactus Canastero shortly after dawn and worked our way up an arroyo finding one about a kilometer away. We picked up Oasis Hummingbird and Grayish Miner before breakfast as well. Then back to the main highway and on to the nature preserve visitor center where the specialty was Thick-billed Miner, where we found two were working around the deer pin. Also around the visitor center, we saw Peruvian Meadowlark, Croaking Ground-Dove, and Short-tailed Field-Tyrant. On the way out, we stopped for a walk across the dry plain to find Least Seedsnipe.

Then back to Lima and on to Pantanos de Villa on the southwest side of Lima along the coast. Over 20 Peruvian Thick-knees highlighted our arrival. We drove to the far side of Pantanos de Villa to some rush lined ponds next to the beach. After watching Peruvian Pelicans and Boobys, Guanay Cormorants, Gray, Band-tailed, Kelp and Gray-headed Gulls, and Inca Terns for several minutes we turned our attention to the ponds. Winty and I had great views of a couple of Many-colored Rush-Tyrants and Winty got great photos as well. Lots of waterbirds including White-tufted, Great and Pied-billed Grebes, 7 species of herons, Puna Ibis, White-cheeked Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, and Plumbeous Rail. By this time it was starting to get dark so into Miraflores for the night.

June 4th, Santa Eulalia valley and Marcapomacocha

Up early and ready to go at the appointed time of 4:30 am, but part of the group forgot about the time zone change so we finally left nearly an hour later than planned. We headed east out of Lima on the central highway to Chosica, then left to Santa Eulalia and on up the valley.

 

After we had enough light to see things well, a woodpecker flew up to a perch which turned out to be a Black-necked Woodpecker. Whow, what a nice way to start the morning. We spent about half an hour in the area picking up Scrub Blackbird, Cinereous Conebill, and Collared Warbling-Finch. After passing through a small tunnel a few birds flew up next to the road and we started hiking along the road. Peruvian Sheartails were numerous in this area and we also had Sparkling Violet-ear, Giant Hummingbird, Andean Swift, Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, Band-tailed Seedeater, and Great Inca-Finch.

Our original plan was to continue up the valley and camp out at about 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and then continue on to Marcapomacocha the following day for Diademed Sandpiper-plover and White-bellied Cinclodes. But a landslide blocked the road so we had to go back to Chosica and then continue on the cental highway to reach Marcapomacocha. Our time was up on the Santa Eulalia valley so we turned around just before the San Pedro bridge, had a late breakfast and started down. We returned to the Santa Eulalia valley on the last day of our trip with the other members of our group.

By the late afternoon we reached the spot to look for the Diademed Sandpiper-Plover. Goyo had the Diademed Sandpiper-plover within a few minutes and only 150 yards (m) from the van but we were at 15,000 feet (4500 m) so we took it easy getting to them. After half an hour or so we moved on going down in elevation to find a camping spot at lower elevation. Just after dark and at 13,000 feet (3900 m) we ended up camping out on the road. It was a cold night for us with temperatures getting down close to freezing.

In the afternoon we also picked up Andean Goose, Mountain Caracara, Gray-breasted Seedsnipe, Dark-winged Miner, Plain-capped and White-fronted Ground-tyrants, and Peruvian, Plumbeous, Ash-breasted, and Band-tailed Sierra-Finches.

June 5th, Marcapomacocha

Up with the dawn with some birding around our campsite. A pair of
Rusty-crowned Tit-Spinetails were carrying food to a nest hole in the road bank a short distance away from our campsite. After breakfast and putting away our gear; we continued birding the area coming up Plain-breasted Earthcreeper, Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant, and a Torrent Duck. We continued down the valley to a spot where we could look for White-cheeked Cotinga far up the slope above us. Fortunately for us, a pair of White-cheeked Cotingas popped up just as we getting out of the van saving us a hard scramble up a steep slope. A good birdy spot so we spent a good half hour before turning around and returning to Lima. More time and light than the day before; so we slowed up passing several ponds along the way picking up Silvery Grebe, Crested Duck, and Giant Coot.

We stopped at the road junction where we were to look to for White-bellied Cinclodes. Goyo pointed to a stone hut a quarter mile (400 m) away saying we would find the cinclodes near it. We gave Goyo one of the walkie-talkies and he started out with Patty, Barbara, and myself slowly following. We were back up to 15,000 feet (4500 m) and the others decided to rest in the van. A few minutes later and a hundred yards (m) from the van Barbara pointed to a bird on the ground; presto, it was a White-bellied Cinclodes.

We aroused the group in the van and everyone getting excellent views. The cinclodes moved to within a few feet of the road with a total of three of them. Time to push on to a lower altitude and back to Lima before it was too late. A little before we reached the main road we stopped to look for Black-breasted Hillstar which took a little longer.

New birds for the day included Andean Condor, Black-winged Ground-Dove, Andean Flicker, Streak-throated Canastero, D´Orbigny´s Chat-Tyrant, Puna Ground-Tyrant, Brown-bellied Swallow, Black Siskin, and White-winged Diuca-Finch.

June 24th, flight from Cusco to Lima, Santa Eulalia valley

We had an early flight from Cusco to Lima where we put our luggage in storage as we had an evening flight back to the states. We had rest of the day to bird and we had arranged to have Gunnar Engblom (Kolibri Expeditions) take us back to the Santa Eulalia valley. Half of our group was not with us the first time and we would try to go higher. Gunnar´s van was not available so he arranged a small school bus for us although the seating certainly not the best for those of us over 6 feet.

We went up the Santa Eulalia valley not stopping until we reached the spot we had the Black-necked Woodpeckers nearly three weeks ago. We waited around several minutes but no woodpeckers. Just as we were getting into the bus, we heard one call and the pair came into view. Then up beyond the San Pedro bridge for more birding picking up Harris´ Hawk, Tropical Pewee, Rufous-chested Tanager, Rusty-bellied Brush-Finch, and Golden-bellied Grosbeak. The highlight was a Peruvian Pygmy-Owl perched out in the open about 60 feet (20 m) from the road. A second one was less than a kilometer away. The rest of the group was able to see most of the goodies we saw on the first trip. Time to head back to Lima and home.
 



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