Milloc-Marcopomacocha
Some of Peru's best puna birding can be found in this area in the mountains high above Lima. The Milloc Valley has a Polylepis forest patch where perhaps the best bird of the area, White-cheeked Cotinga, can be found if we get there before 9 AM after which time they seem to disappear up into the mountains. For this reason we prefer to camp in this area as there are many good sites and it also gives a good chance for Band-winged Nightjar. This forest patch also holds Rusty-bellied Brush-Finch, Stripe-headed Antpitta, Black Metaltail and Rusty-crowned Tit-Spinetail and occasionally Canyon Canastero. White-tailed Shrike-Tyrant has been seen several times, always perched on the same rock, and may be reliable in the area. Moving up from the forest, the grassy areas have Junin Canastero, the rocky slopes are home to Striated Earthcreeper and Black Siskin while lakes still higher up hold Giant Coot and Silvery Grebe. Crossing a pass around 4,800 m, we enter the Marcopomacocha area, where there are many peat bogs to explore. The area is home to the enigmatic Diademed Sandpiper-Plover as well as the threatened endemic White-bellied Cinclodes, although this species seems to be disappearing from this site and is more easily found at the nearby Ticlio Pass. With a 4WD vehicle, it is possibly to enter a remote valley where Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe or even Puna Tinamou can be found. White-winged Diuca-Finches are common, and Olivaceous Thornbills are frequently seen engaged in their curious feeding habits, while Andean Condors are regular overhead. As well as the cinclodes, there are many other interesting furnarids in the area, including Dark-winged Miners, Plain-breasted Earthcreeper and several canasteros. Black-breasted Hillstar is fairly readily found on the road down to the central highway. There is an incredible diversity of ground-tyrants in the area, including migrants Black-fronted and White-browed, while White-fronted and Puna are among the residents.
Connecting
Sites
The Milloc Valley is a side valley off the Santa Eulalia Valley and a
typical beginning for a trip into Central Peru begins in the Santa Eulalia
then moves up the Milloc to Marcopomacocha. From Marcopomacocha, it is
about 3 hours to Lake Junin or 4 to Huancayo from where the Satipo Road
can be accessed. Marcopomacocha is about 3 hours from Lima and can be
visited as a day trip from the Peruvian capital.