November 13-22, 2024 with Jesse Fagan & Doug Hitchcox
I was excited to lead this tour for the Maine Audubon group. I had already guided two previous tours for you all (to Costa Rica and Guatemala) and enjoyed the experience a lot. I am super glad we pulled this one off in a bit of short notice. It was a fun group, and it meant so much to me to show you my adopted country.
The tour started in Lima, the capital of Peru and I will admit, not the most beautiful city in the world. However, what it lacks in color it makes up for in coastal birding and food. Most of you took advantage of a few extra days pre- or post-tour to experience this. Peruvian Pelicans and ceviche were on the menu here. As a group, we quickly boarded our flight to Cusco the next morning and landed at 11,220 feet (Cusco is one of the highest cities in the world). Outside the small airport we met our local guide, Raziel or “Ra,” and headed to our first birding spot, Huacarpay Lake. Historically speaking, the entire Cusco Valley would have been a large highland marsh. Very little of this remains now, but you can still see the vestiges of it at Huacarpay. We birded around the lake for a couple of hours, ringed with native cattails and marshes, and enjoyed the blue skies and striking mountains dotted with ancient Inca ruins. Our first new birds here were soaring Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Yellow-winged Blackbirds, Plumbeous Rail, and the endemic, Rusty-fronted Canastero. We were just setting up our picnic lunch when a Bearded Mountaineer made a brief visit to the yellow-flowering tobacco plant! We left Huacarpay after midday and continued along the Urubamba River for several hours, eventually dropping into the Sacred Valley and the cliff faces rose up along beside us. It’s a beautiful valley linked along the road by several small towns like Pisac and Urubamba (same name as the river), where local street vendors sell cuy al palo (guinea pig on a stick), chicha (traditional corn beer), and chicharones (large pieces of fried pork skin). We made a couple of birding stops, picking up White-winged Cincloides and a pair of Torrent Ducks, before arriving to our pleasant hotel in the village of Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is the jumping off point for visits to Machu Picchu. We spent the remaining late afternoon birding the lovely grounds of the hotel where a Bearded Mountaineer guarded over its hot poker flowers, and a Peruvian Pygmy-Owl tooted from the tall eucalyptus trees. A great end to a first full day in Peru.
Early the next morning we boarded the train for Aguas Calientes. This is a very scenic trip that takes you further down the Urubamba River, dropping several thousand feet, and counting Torrent Ducks and dippers along the way. Once we arrived, we wasted little time to board a bus and head up to the ruins. Machu Picchu is one of the most spectacular man-made historical sites in the world. Situated at nearly 9,000 feet, it is surrounded by the jagged peaks of the Andes, and this year it was draped in cloud-cover and fog, which evaporated and reappeared at different times. The whole experience was quite dynamic. We had an informative tour of the ruins, spending most of the morning listening to Ra’s explanation of the site, examining the impressive stonework, and taking lots of photos. We didn’t do much birding up there, but a rare Cliff Swallow was a nice surprise. We lunched at the top before heading down to our very comfortable hotel, Inkaterra. The next day we were out pre-dawn with our packed picnic lunch for the Mandor Valley. We stopped along the Urubamba River for Torrent Ducks, dippers, flocks of Mitred Parakeets, and a pair of Fasciated Tiger-Herons. From the river, we detoured along the train tracks and began our several mile hike along the Mandor Valley. The cliffs once again rose up steeply on both sides and we could just barely make out Machu Picchu at the top. The birding here was excellent. We had flocks and flocks with new birds and funny names like Capped Conebill, Oleaginous Hemispingus, and Versicolored Barbet. We spent all day here and returned to our hotel totally exhausted, but content on a satisfying day of birding. Pisco sours all-around!
After two nights in Aguas Calientes, we reluctantly headed back to Ollantaytambo and the second half of our adventure: Abra Malaga. We spent three days exploring the pass called Abra Malaga. The first day we focused on the drier west slope, where the habitat is mostly scrubby forest on the lower portions and paramo bunch grass at higher elevations. There are a bunch of specialists including endemics here, and we saw many, like White-tufted Sunbeam, Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch, Cream-winged Cincloides, and Creamy-crested Spinetail, one of my favorites. We also got to visit with Maxima, who has been living in this part of the Andes all her life. In the last few years, with the help of her family and dogs (don’t forget about Winchester), they have built a small trout farm and restaurant, and it was fun visiting with her and enjoying her warm potatoes. The second full day we crossed over the pass and descended towards Quillabamba, onto the humid east slope, where the habitat is montane forest. We had a good morning with at least one large mixed-species flock which had us sorting through a bunch of birds: White-throated and White-banded tyrannulets, Marcapata Spinetail, Plushcap, and Parodi’s Hemispingus, among others. The weather was not in our favor today, but we made the most of it. Finally, on our last day we pushed towards 15,000 feet, visiting a small patch of Polylepis forest. The morning again started off clear, but conditions began to deteriorate as we climbed up. We took our time, breathing deeply, making small gains before resting again. Despite the fog and spitting rain, the view was spectacular at the ridge as the valley dropped off way below us and the Andes climbed again sharply on the far side, and Cerro Veronica, at least most of her, coming in and out of view. The only sound was the distant wind through the valley. As we made our way back, we had a flurry of bird activity picking up White-browed Tit-Spinetail and Junin Canestero, both endemic to Peru. As we all reconvened for hot chocolate and coffee in the small café at the pass, we smiled and laughed, taking a bunch of selfies and group photos, while remembering a week that flew by all too quickly.
Our final morning in Cusco, we spent visiting the capital of the Inca empire. We started with a tour of the Qorikancha, the Incan Temple of the Sun, and continued across the bustling Plaza de Armas ending with a visit to an alpaca textile shop. It was a fun morning and a nice way to cap off the tour. Thanks again to the Maine Audubon Society, Doug Hitchcox, and this fabulous group for another trip with Field Guides. We really appreciate your support, and I look forward to the next one. All the best in 2025 and beyond. Good birding.
CRITTER LIST:
Brazilian Guinea Pig (Cavia aperea) = At least one was seen in the marsh at Huacarpay Lake. Another was on Doug’s dinner plate.
Neotropical Otter (Lontra longicaudis) = We saw one briefly surfacing in the Urubamba River.
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/316714
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/abm24pTRIPLIST.pdf
Jesse Fagan (aka Motmot) from Quito, Ecuador