Extra ordinary program over Christmas and New Year.
Please refer to the more detailed text in the program below. Here is only an outline.
Day 0. Thursday. Dec 24. Tarapoto.
Flight 20.10 (LAN). Hotel Cumbaza. Dinner not included. If you can, we recommend to you try to make the flight already on Dec 24, so you also can do some birding on the morning of Christmas day at the dry scrub of Juan Guerra.
Day 1. Fri Dec 25. Tarapoto-Moyobamba.
Those staying in Tarapoto the previous night will start birding at Juan Guerra. When the rest arrive with the 8.45 AM flight to Tarapoto (Peruvian) arriving 10 AM we shall look for Kopecke's Hermit and Gould's Jewelfront and others on the other side of the tunnel until 1 pm or so before we travel to Moyobamba. Night at Wakanqi.
Day 2. Sat. Dec 26. Moyobamba-Nueva Cajamarca
At Waqanki we shall encounter many hummingbirds including Rufous-crested Coquette. Later we bird the Moyobamba-Rioja plain. Night Hotel Continental, Nueva Cajamarca.
Day 3. Sun. Dec 27. Aguas Verdes-Abra Patricia.
In the mornign at Aguas Verdes will check the feeding station of Cinereous and Little Tinamou, Rufous-breasted Wood-Quail y and Orange-billed Sparrow , as well as the feeders with hmmingbirds such as Green-fronted and Blue-fronted Lancebill and Black-breasted Brilliant. In the evening we shall make our first try for Long-wiskered Owlet. Night at the Owlet Lodge
Day 4. Mon Dec 28. Abra Patrica. Owlet Lodge
All day at Owlet Lodge and surroundings searching for Royal Sunangel, Bar-winged Wood-Wren, Lulu´s Tody-Tyrant, Cinnamon-breasted Toty-Tyrant, Ochre-fronted Antpitta and many more. At night we shall search for the Owlet again or Cinnamon Screech.Owl.
Day 5. Tue Dec 29. Abra Patricia-Pomacochas.
We continue to Pomacochas for a session with Marvelous Spatuletail and perhaps a trek for Pale-billed Antpitta. Hotel: Puerto Pumas
Day 6. Wed Dec 30. Pomacochas-Jaen.
Adding a detour to Jaen hopefully will bring, Marañon Crescentchest, Marañon Spinetail, Marañon Slaty-Antshrike, Chinchipe Spinetail, and perhaps the Marañon subspecies of the Peruvian Screech-Owl. Night Hotel Prims, Jaen.
Day 7. Thu Dec 31. Jaen-Leimebamba
Additional birding in Jaen in the morning and then travel along Utcubamba river to Leimebamba checking for birds on the way such as Peruvian Pigeon, Speckle-chested Piculet, Buff-breasted Tanager. Night in Leimebamba.
Day 8. Fri. Jan 1. Leimebamba.
Hummingbirds such as Purple-throated Sunangel and Rainbow Starfrontlet at Kenticafe. Night in, Leimebamba.
Day 9. Sat Jan 2. Leimebamba-Cajamarca
Very early start and drive over Abra Barro Negro to Cajamarca making several stops on the way for birds such as Yellow-faced Parroltet, Chestnut-backed Thornbird, Buff-bridled Inca-FInch and Gray-winged Inca-Finch. Hotel in Cajamarca.
Day 10. Sun Jan 3. Cajamarca-Chiclayo. (Possible to fly to Lima midday from Cajamarca or late from Chiclayo)
Search for Great Spinetail in the morning - or Gray-bellied Comet. Continue to Chclayo, via Unicolored Tapaculo and Peruvian Plantcutter. Stay in Chiclayo, to continue with our special Piura-Tumbes combo for a week, or fly to Lima.
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Regular program north Peru birdwatching program
Day 0. Evening arrival to Tarapoto.
Some arriving from North Peru 2 others flying in from Lima 20.10 arriving 21.30. Night in Hotel Cumbaza.
Day 1. BirdingTarapoto-Yurimaguas road. Purplish Euphonia and Dotted Tanager.
Birding the road to Yurimaguas gives many birds from the upper tropical zone. Here are special birds such as Dotted Tanager, Purplish Euphonia, Koepckes Hermit and Blackish Pewee.
In the afternoon we shall transfer to Moyobamba via a deep ravine en route that apart from a roosting colony of White-eyed Parakeet, holds cave dwelling Oilbirds and White-collared Swift. The arrival of 100s of Swifts in the late afternoon is impressive, as is the buildup by the oilbirds to do an evening fly-out. Night in Moyobamba.
Day 2. Quebrada Mishkyacu and Yacumama
This is an exiting new site near Moyobamba. Birds here include: Northern Chestnut-tailed (Zimmer's) Antbird, Mishana Tyrannulet, Roraiman Flycatcher, Short-tailed Antthrush, Black-and-White Tody-Flycatcher, Chestnut-throated Spinetail, Red-shouldered Tanager, Cinereous-breasted spinetail, Milky-rumped Manakin, possibly Black Manakin, Fiery-throated and Scarlet-breasted Fruiteaters.
In the afternoon we shall bird the savanna and gallery forest near Rioja at Yacumama with possible birds such as Russet-crowned Crake, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, YellowTyrannulet, Buckley's Forest-Falcon, Dark-breasted Spinetail, Roraiman Flycatcher and many more. Night in Gran Bombonaje, Rioja.
Day 3 Aguas Verdes-Afluentes and Abra Patricia Lodge.
In spite that we birded this area on the Piura-Tarapoto section (North Peru 2), there are still many birds to be seen. This time we shall concentrate to work trails to try to get some the rarer birds in the Abra Patricia area. There is also an other endemic monkey that occurs here: the Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey - which we shall pay special attention to.
We shall make additional effort to find Long-whiskered Owlet on this section. Here follows a list of birds mentioned in the Tumbes-Tarapoto program that are possible again. At Afluentes-Aguas Verdes there are Ecuadorian Piedtail, Napo Sabrewing, Black-mandibled Toucan, Versicolored Barbet, Golden-headed and Crested Quetzal, Speckle-chested Piculet, Equatorial Graytail, Foothill and Ash-throated Antwren, Ecuadorian Tyrannulet, Cock of the Rock, Umbrellabird, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, Gray-mantled Wren and Vermilion Tanager. At the stunted forests over 2000m we find Long-whiskered Owlet (with lots of luck) Royal Sunangel, Ochre-fronted Antpitta, Rusty-tinged and Rusty-breasted Antpittas, Peruvian Rufous-vented Tapaculo, Rufous-headed Pygmy Tyrant, Lulu's Tody-Tyrant, Cinnamon-breasted Tody-Tyrant, Yellow-scarfed, White-capped Tanager, Metallic-green Tanagers, White-collared Jay, Bar-winged Wood-Wren and many more. All nights at Abra Patricia Lodge.
Day 4-5. Abra Patricia
We shall make additional effort to find Long-whiskered Owlet on this section. Night at Abra Patricia Lodge.
Day 6. Abra Patricia-Pomacochas
Another morning at birding around Abra Patricia before leaving for Pomacochas. Those that have still not seen Marvelous Spatuletail and those that want to have a second chance photographing it will try at private reserve for the species commenced by Kolibri Expeditions. Those that did the Tumbes-Tarapoto program as well may want to continue birding a trail at Abra Patricia Lodge and have the vehicle pick them up at mid-morning.
Day7. Pomacochas-Leimebamba.
Great temperate forest birding can be done near Leimebamba. Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan and Northern Mountain Cacique are common and there are good chances to spot Andean Condors. There are some excellent feeders than can be visited near Leimebamba. NIght birding for Koepcke's Screech-Owl
Night in Leimebamba.
Day 8. Leimebamba- Celendin
Note that it is possible to do a 6 day horse supported trek from Leimebamba into fantastic temperate forest to sample birds like Yellow-browed Toucanet, Pale-billed Antpitta, Large-footed Tapaculo, Pardusco, Rufous-browed Hemispingus, Golden-backed Mountain-Tanager and many more. Let us know if this is a something which you would like us to set up. The trek is also very good for orchids.
Near the Abra Barro Negro pass we will look for Russet-mantled Softtail, Peruvian Thistletail (likely split from White-chinned Thistletail), Coppery Metaltail, intermedius form of Blackish Tapaculo (probably also a good species) are possible.
Travelling through Balsas we shall look out for flocks of Yellow-faced Parrotlet and Peruvian Pigeon. If time permits we shall stop El Limon on the way to Celendin, where we have the chance to clear up on the endemics of the region, such as Buff-bellied Tanager, Grey-winged Inca-Finch, Greater Spinetail, Chestnut-backed Thornbird, Marañon Thrush. Night in Celendin.
Day 9. Celendin-Cajamarca.
If needed be, we shall return to El Limon the next morning. In the slopes above Celendin Jelski's Chat-Tyrant is often seen. On the way to Cajamarca we shall look out for "Cajamarca" Rufous Antpitta and White-tailed Shrike-Tyrant, Plain-tailed Warbling-Finch, Rufous-eared Brush-Finch and Black-crested Tit-Tyrant. In the afternoon we shall look for for Gray-bellied Comet in the Sangal valley. Other birds in this area include White-winged Cinclodes, the cajabambae race of Rusty-crowned Tit-Spinetail, Giant Hummingbird and Black-tailed Trainbearer. Flight to Lima leaves in the late afternoon.
Some people will continue with Huamachuco for the Purple-backed Sunbeam extension.
