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See this triplist in printable PDF format with media only on page 1.

Fabulous scope studies of the little-known Andean Potoo, here foraging by night atop a stump along the road, was one of the great highlights of our tour. (Photo by participant Dominic Sherony)

It seems our timing was not the best this year, as our birding efforts encountered a number of uncommon challenges--from a long dry spell in the highlands (where continuing efforts to pave the Kosnipata "Highway" resulted in dust, noise, detours, delays, and numerous landslides that have impacted roadside habitat) to a cold friaje in the lowlands/foothills (which brought rain, cold, and cloudy conditions for a couple of precious days). Birds were quieter than usual, with fewer species responding to playback than is normal on this route.

That said, we still saw a long list of fabulous birds and enjoyed some marvelous aesthetic and behavioral highlights during a short transect of one of the world's biologically richest regions. We sampled arid intermontane valleys near Cusco, the high puna zone to the easternmost pass at Acjanaco (3500m/11,500'), and then descended from treeline down the forested east slope to rainforest at the eastern base of the Andes at Amazonia Lodge (500m/1600').

Among our most memorable sightings were the following, in roughly taxonomic order:

--two different pairs of Black-faced Ibis in the high puna zone, the second with a fledgling that was constantly and insistently begging from one of its parents;

--a very responsive Blackish Rail that, after issuing its unbelievable duetting with its mate, emerged from the cattails and stood in view for a long time--an absolute show-off!

--a field full of 22 Tawny-throated Dotterels, elegant austral migrant shorebirds that were wintering in the plowed puna fields between Cusco and Acjanaco;

--limbs above the cocha literally weighted down with prehistoric-looking Hoatzins, lined up shoulder to shoulder, their shaggy crests splayed in various directions;

--a Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo (for one group) that materialized near a small group of army ants in the hill forest above Amazonia Lodge, standing still, its breast band showing, until it seemed to have vaporized--before we heard its rapid, excited bill-snapping across the trail!

--that big Band-bellied Owl that called, flew in, and sat for fabulous views near Cock-of-the-rock Lodge (CORL);

--great studies of three species of potoos: a day roosting Great on the Atalaya Ridge; a Common that flew in and uttered its evocative call by night; and comparisons of the rare Andean Potoo by night and by day at close range!

--37 species of tropical hummingbirds, many of them dazzling, from a rare Buff-tailed Sicklebill (for one group) and the scarce Gould's Jewelfront to the common but brilliant Golden-tailed Sapphires at the Amazonia vervain; from tiny Booted Rackettails, Rufous-crested Coquettes, Blue-tailed Emeralds, and Amethyst Woodstars to that 6" Giant Hummingbird, heaviest of all hummers, feeding at green-flowered Puyas;

--males of both Golden-headed and Crested quetzals at the same place, at the same time, one of them doing display flights!

--superb views of both Black-streaked Puffbird and Lanceolated Monklet for all and Striolated Puffbird for one group, all dramatic species that are easily overlooked;

--multiple views of striking Versicolored Barbets with mixed flocks at mid-montane levels;

--a marvelous pair of Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucans (handsomest of the mountain-toucans) that were calling and bill-clapping in the upper montane forest, rivaled only by a pair of big White-throated Toucans, one of which sat for leisurely scope views in the foothill forest of Atalaya Ridge;

--small flocks of Military and Scarlet macaws flying past against the forested foothills, in glorious morning sunlight;

--a male Slaty Gnateater that showed well for all in the dense understory, singing and calling spontaneously;

--that fabulous Amazonian Antpitta that sat in full view as we watched through our binocs and the scope!

--those cooperative Creamy-crested Spinetails, including the one at the pass at Acjanaco, at 3500m (11,500');

--among the flycatchers, the Ringed Antpipit, walking pipit-like on the forest floor, and the very confiding Cinnamon Flycatcher, which we saw repeatedly in open, road-edge situations at very close range;

--four male Andean Cocks-of-the-rock displaying right below us at their lek in the dawning light, complete with their moaning, fluttering, and bill-snapping sound effects;

--three colorful manakin males: Yungas for everyone, Band-tailed for one group, and Round-tailed for the other group;

--the multiple big mixed flocks, especially those with everything from antshrikes and antwrens, woodcreepers and foliage-gleaners, to dashing hordes of breathtakingly beautiful so-called "tanagers," from Paradise, Golden, and Orange-eared, to Yellow-throated, Golden-collared, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-, and White-winged Shrike-Tanagers. A behavioral highlight was watching a pair of what were probably Buckley's Forest-Falcons disperse a distant but very large tanager flock they targeted. And it's hard not to mention those amazingly flashy Masked Crimson Tanagers that are now regulars at the Hacienda Amazonia feeders.

Be sure to check out the annotations of raptors and hummingbirds carefully; there are a couple of nice surprises embedded there.

Beyond the birds, we had good studies of five species of primates (including Three-striped Night Monkeys and big troops of Common Woolly Monkeys) and an impressive herd of tooth-snapping White-lipped Peccaries.

The purpose of the annotations below is to help you fix many of our sightings in your memory; we know how hard it is to retain each of the many species that seem to come all at once, each with a four-word name. This was especially true for those in our group who were on their first birding trip to Peru. Browsing through the following will no doubt raise memories of many additional favorites, from a trip into an extensive and very rich wilderness. It was great fun sharing them all with you.

We thank our skillful and reliable drivers, Rene and Alejandro, and the staffs of our lodges, especially at Cock-of-the-rock Lodge and Amazonia Lodge, for taking such good care of us. Special thanks to Dominic Sherony and George Sims for the many photos that richly illustrate our triplist online (fieldguides.com/triplists/man13LIST). And thanks to you all for coming!

--Rose Ann (& Pepe)

KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Beyond the mammals listed above, there were a few we couldn't identify, including a medium-sized fruit-eating bat that was repeatedly foraging at cecropia fruits at the male Lyre-tailed Nightjar spot; and who knows how many species of small, insectivorous bats.

Outstanding among the herps was a big Spectacled Caiman that glided across the middle of the Amazonia Lodge cocha (and was seen by one group).

And, of course, there were numerous colorful butterflies and moths, most memorable among them being the fancy diurnal Urania moths, the brilliant Blue Morphos, and the big "Owl Eye" or Caligo butterflies.

We need another whole life to focus on all the "other critters" and plants of such a rich environment!

Totals for the tour: 433 bird taxa and 10 mammal taxa