Oct 6: Meet-up and Travel to Paracas
People joining this day need be at Lima airport at 5:45 pm to coordinate with our driver. We leave right after 6pm when the group from Cusco arrives. En route to Paracas we’ll make a stop for recently split (from Band-Winger Nightjar) Tschudi’s Nightjar. Our driver will have food and drinks ready for us in the vehicle. We’ll catch up on some sleep too. Night in Zarcillo Paradise.
Oct 7: Pelagic From Paracas
Today we are joined by sea bird virtuoso Trevor Hardaker. His sharp eyes will undoubtedly be an asset. With a 5 am start we will get all the pelagic birding done before the wind sets in with Sooty Shearwater, Cape Petrel, Markham´s, Hornby´s, White-vented, Wilson´s (Fuegan) and Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrels. Swallow-tailed and Sabine´s Gulls. Waved, Gray-headed, Black-browed and Salvin´s Albatross. Peruvian Diving-Petrel, Chilean and South Polar Skuas and inner shore birds like Humboldt Penguin, Peruvian Pelican, Peruvian Booby, Blackish Oystercatcher, Inca Tern, Belcher's Gull, Surfbird, South American Tern, Guanay and Red-legged Cormorants.
Species included In the afternoon birding are Peruvian Tern, Peruvian Seaside Cinclodes, Peruvian Pipit and Tschudi's Nightjar. Also a number of water birds and shorebirds at Pantanos de Villa. We say goodbye to Trevor and welcome former Big Year record holder Noah Strycker who will be hosting together with Gunnar until Oct 24. Evening flight to Tumbes with LATAM at 19:08 hrs. Drive to border. Sleep in Huaquillas, Ecuador.
Oct 8: Cotrina - Campo Verde - El Caucho
We cross the Ecuador/Peru border pre-dawn to reach Cotrina on the Peruvian side. From here we walk a couple of kilometers to Campo Verde birding on the way and specifically looking out for Pallid Dove, Olivaceous Piculet and Purple-crowned Fairy. We continue hiking towards El Caucho some 17km hoping to pick up Rufous-headed Chachalaca, Barred Puffbird, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Pale-billed Aracari and White-whiskered Puffbird, Rufous-crowned Tody-Tyrant and Mantled Howler Monkeys.
It is also a good stretch for Crested Guan, Watkin's Antpitta, Ochre-bellied Dove and Western Slaty-Antshrike. At night we shall look for Mottled Owl and Spectacled Owl. Lodging in the research station at El Caucho.
Oct 9: El Caucho and Tumbes Mangroves
We will visit the areas of El Caucho this morning. We have seen displaying Pacific Royal Flycatcher and Grey-backed Hawk in the past. Higher up birds like Henna-hooded Foliage-Gleaner, Grey-breasted Flycatcher, Blackish-headed Spinetail and Rufous-headed Chachalaca occur. Other birds include Slaty Becard, Ecuadorian Trogon, Grey-necked Parakeet, Guayaquil Woodpecker, Saffron Siskin, Three-banded Warbler, Orange-crowned Euphonia, White-edged Oriole, White-tailed Jay, Scarlet-backed Woodpecker, Collared Antshrike and many more.
We leave this marvelous area and head to Tumbes again. In the afternoon we’ll make a visit to the mangroves, where we find species like White Ibis, Mangrove Black Hawk, Mangrove (Yellow) Warbler, Masked Water-Tyrant, Ruofus-necked Woodrail, Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Magnificent Frigatebird, Tricolored Heron, Brown Pelican, Great-tailed Grackle and many others. In the evening we shall transfer to the beach resort Los Organos.
Oct 10: Organos Pelagic - Canchaque - Huancabamba
In the morning we venture into the warmer waters off Los Organos for several species of seabirds that are more difficult further south. In the past we have seen Galapagos Petrel, Parkinson's Petrel, Flesh-footed Shearwater, Galapagos Shearwater, Cook's Petrel, Black Storm-Petrel, Red-billed Tropicbird, Brown, Nazca, Masked and Red-footed Booby. This time of year we sometimes get spectacular views of Humpback Whales.
We continue driving south making a short stop for Peruvian Plantcutter, Tumbes Tyrant, Rufous Flycatcher and Tumbes Swallow en route. In Piura, in the afternoon, we shall drop anyone who has only signed up for the Two Pelagics and Tumbes and have a flight to catch to Lima and pick up those who continue with the North Peru leg, Part 4.
