Birding Expedi
tions in Peru
Great Inca-Finch
White-bellied Cinclodes
White-cheeked Cotinga
Mountain Caracara
Peruvian Plantcutter
Silver Grebe
Junin Grebe
Peruvian Pelican
Trip
Basics
The Inca-Finches of
the genus Incaspiza are 5 species of boldly patterned denizens of
dry scrub, all endemic to western Peru. This trip aims to see all of these
local birds, while picking up an excellent selection of other rare species
on the way.
Days: 15
Combines With: Satipo Rd.
(8 Days)
Traveling Conditions: Mostly camping and basic hotels, food cooked in
the field or at small restaurants. Rough roads on several days, some long
drives but no night driving.
Itinerary
Day 1
We'll make an early start from Lima and head up the Santa Eulalia Valley.
Once we secure our first Incaspiza, the Great
Inca-Finch, we'll search for other the
many other birds of the area, including the very rare Rufous-breasted
Warbling-Finch, Bronze-tailed Comet, Peruvian Sheartail and Pied-crested
Tit-Tyrant. In the afternoon, we'll move further up the valley, looking
for Torrent Duck, White-capped Dipper and White-winged Cinclodes along the
river as well as endemics Black Metaltail and Rusty-crowned Tit-Spinetail
on the scrubby slopes. We'll camp for the night around 3200 m to
acclimatize to the elevation.
Day 2
We'll begin the day at a Polylepis forest where we should find the
local endemic White-cheeked Cotinga before we move up the Milloc Valley
enjoying some of the best puna birding in Peru as well as spectacular
mountain scenery. Some of the birds we'll hope to find are Giant Coot,
Striated Earthcreeper, Bright-rumped Yellow-Finch, Plumbeous Sierra-Finch
and White-winged Diuca-Finch. Around mid-day we'll arrive at
Marcopomacocha, home to the threatened White-bellied Cinclodes as well as
the enigmatic Diademed Sandpiper-Plover. Both of Peru's high-altitude
Seedsnipes, Grey-breasted and Rufous-bellied, can be found in the area, as
well as up to eight species of ground-tyrants and the stunning
Black-breasted Hillstar and Dark-winged Miner. We'll drive over Ticlio
Pass, home to the world's highest railroad, on the way to the town of
Junin for a night in a basic hotel.
Day 3
In the morning, we'll make a boat trip to see one of Peru's rarest birds,
the Junin Grebe. This flightless bird is confined to Lake Junin, and the
population is estimated to be around 130.
|
|
Other waterbirds will also be found, including Puna Teal, Yellow-billed Pintail, Chilean Flamingo and Andean Duck. Around the lake we'll look for Short-billed, Paramo and Correndera Pipits, Common Miner, Mountain Caracara and Cinereous Harrier. |
In the afternoon,
we'll drive towards Huánuco, stopping on the way for our second Incaspiza,
the rare Rufous-backed Inca-Finch.
As this is a difficult species, we'll plan for a second chance for it
later on in the trip. We'll spend the night in Huánuco.
Day 4
This will be a two-day journey towards Pataz, over rough roads through
very interesting birding country. Among the possibilities in the area are
Grey-bellied Comet, Great Spinetail, Kalinowski's Tinamou and White-tailed
Shrike-Tyrant. There is a good chance to find something very exciting
along this route. We'll camp for the nights.
Day 5
From Pataz, we'll make a hike up into some dry scrub for another chance at
Rufous-backed Inca-Finch,
as well as other birds such as the endemic Brown-flanked Tanager. We'll
then begin our journey towards Cajamarca, stopping to camp around Chagual
for the night.
Day 6
We'll start the day looking for Great Spinetail and Buff-bridled
Inca-Finch in the desert shrubbery before
moving on to look for Purple-backed Sunbeam. Other birds we'll look for on
the way include Yellow-faced Parrotlet, Peruvian Pigeon and Marañon
Thrush. We'll continue towards Cajamarca, camping for the night.
Day 7
We'll finish the drive to Cajamarca this day, looking for Grey-bellied
Comet and White-tailed Shrike-Tyrant along the way. We'll enjoy a night in
a comfortable hotel after a few days experiencing some of Peru's worst
roads, but also some of its best birding.
Day 8
We'll make an early start, and spend the morning concentrating on the most
threatened Incaspiza, the Grey-winged
Inca-Finch near Celendin. Other birds in
the area include Buff-bellied Tanager and Chestnut-backed Thornbird. We'll
spend the whole day in this interesting area, planning our time based on
our success with the Inca-Finch. We'll camp somewhere in the area,
planning for an additional morning around Hacienda El Limon if we need it.
Day 9
We'll cross the Marañon at Balsas and drive up to
the forest above Leimebamba, where we'll try for Russet-mantled Softtail
as well as Moustached Flowerpiercer, Curve-billed Tinamou and Sword-billed
Hummingbird among others. We'll drive on towards Pomacochas for the night,
birding along the way as time permits.
Day 10
We'll have an early morning chance for the startling "colibri con dos
colas" - the threatened endemic Marvelous Spatuletail before starting
our drive towards Bagua Chica. Other birds we could see before leaving
include White-rumped Hawk, Chestnut-breasted Coronet and the distinctive
local race of Rufous-capped Antshrike. In the afternoon, we'll have a good
chance of finding our last Incaspiza, the local Little
Inca-Finch as well as possibly Marañon
Spinetail and Marañon Crescentchest. We'll spend the night in a
comfortable hotel.
Day 11
We'll have an additional morning to secure Little
Inca-Finch before moving on towards
Olmos. On the way, we'll bird at Abra Porculla, where we may find
Chapman's Antshrike, Elegant Crescentchest, Grey-and-gold Warbler or even
Grey-headed Antbird or Ochre-bellied Dove. We'll spend the night in a
hotel in Olmos.
Day 12
In the morning, we'll travel with to Quedabra Limon to see
the very rare White-winged Guan as well as many Tumbesian specialties such
as Guayaquil Woodpecker and White-tailed Jay. Red-masked Parakeets and
Short-tailed Woodstar can also be found, and there's even a chance for
Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaner. We'll drive on to Rafan for the night.
Day 13
We'll spend the morning around Rafan, searching for the endangered
Peruvian Plantcutter and Rufous Flycatcher among many others. We'll also
visit Bosque Pomac hoping for Black-faced Ibis and Tumbes Swallow. Other
birds we may encounter this day include Collared Antshrike, Necklaced
Spinetail, Cinereous Finch and White-edged Oriole. For those needing to
fly out of Lima tonight, there are flights from Chiclayo, where the rest
of the group will spend the night.
Day 14
We'll drive south to Huarmey today, stopping for coastal birds along the
way. We may find a good selection of north-bound shorebirds as well as
Peruvian Thick-knee and White-tufted Grebe. Over the sea, we will hope for
Peruvian Boobies and Peruvian Pelicans.
Day 15
Today we'll complete the journey back to Lima, birding along the way.
Coastal marshes could produce Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant and Wren-like
Rushbird, while in the desert areas we may find Tawny-throated Dotterel
and Least Seedsnipe. We'll arrive in Lima in time for evening flights.
Hotel is not included this night.
Menu
