After Colombia, Peru has the largest number of bird species in the world, numbering about 1800. That number includes 117 endemics, species which can be found nowhere else in the world, and 132 species of gorgeous tanagers, along with 127 species of hummingbirds. So although I’d been to Peru before (2003), the northern Andes and coastal plain still held a number of highly localized species that I hoped to see. Chief among those was what was touted as the world’s most spectacular hummingbird, the Marvelous Spatuletail. How could anyone not want to see something with such a name?! As it turned out, I was to see that “marvelous” bird, as well as splendid scenery and local folks with marvelously tall hats too – stay tuned!

I chose to fly in a day early, July 5, in order to rest and regroup before beginning the tour. Upon arrival, close to midnight, I was startled to find every employee in the airport and the Ramada Hotel wearing a face mask! These render the facial expressions of people wearing them totally inscrutable, and I couldn’t help but wonder who was being protected from whom? At any rate, there wasn’t the least hint of Swine Flu, and I enjoyed a fine night’s sleep and a lazy day studying up on the birds I hoped to see.

Our Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT) trip began in Lima, where we met Barry Walker (M.B.E. and British Consul in Cuzco), our local leader. We got to know one another over dinner before flying out at o’dark hundred the next morning (wake-up at 2:15!) to Chiclayo, north along the coast about 1 1/2 hours flight time. Here we rendezvoused with Steve Hilty, our VENT leader, renowned S. American guide, and author of the best field guides to both Venezuela and Colombia. I had birded with Steve on my first trip to Peru (Manu Wildlife Center all the way up to Cuzco and Machu Picchu), and was looking forward to enjoying his expertise, experience and wit once again.


Steve Hilty


Barry Walker

Peruvian Plantcutter


Pale-legged Hornero


Rufous Flycatcher


Long-tailed Mockingbird

 We set off immediately for the Batan Grande Reserve, where our crew set about arranging the first of our excellent, daily field breakfasts while we searched the arid coastal plain vegetation for the first of the area’s specialties. In no time at all, I was thrilled with my first sighting of a Peruvian Plantcutter, which popped up spontaneously in nearby shrubs. Yes, this bird does cut plants, eating tender buds and leaves by using its beak to snip them off. Pale-legged (Pacific) Horneros were scooting about as we sat down to eat in the midst of the bird-filled vegetation. Temperatures were pleasantly warm and Long-tailed Mockingbirds were sounding off all around us. Before the morning was over, I’d seen 10 life birds. What a lovely start to the trip!
After successful searches for Rufous Flycatcher and Tumbes Swallow, we traveled southeast through heavily over-grazed landscapes with rocky hills and on into huge sugarcane fields, with high mountains in the distance. Our destination was the Chaparri Ecolodge and Chaparri Reserve.


Dry scrub habitat below Chaparri Ecolodge


Chaparri Ecolodge main building


My room at the lodge


Cool & comfortable room at Chaparri

White-tailed Jay


Saffron Finch


Collared Antshrike (female)


A very relaxed Sechuran Fox

 The comfortable lodge, established by Heinz Plenge, Peru’s foremost wildlife photographer, is surrounded by excellent habitat, from lowland scrub to canyons and foothills. As we enjoyed our delicious lunch, we watched White-tailed Jays, Saffron Finches and other birds on the feeders by the covered patio. Scarlet-backed Woodpeckers and Collared Antshrikes popped up in the trees around us. A Sechuran Fox posed non-chalantly nearby.
Walking on the trails later in the afternoon, the beautiful Elegant Crescent-chest provided another lifer, and we discovered the rehab areas for Spectacled Bears, which are being rescued and ultimately returned to the wild, if possible. Some have to be kept in captivity due to injuries and/or old age (for instance, badly worn teeth won’t allow survival, in some cases). That evening we had super views of both Striped and West Peruvian Screech Owls not far from our rooms. I ended the day with 18 life birds, plus a number of interesting sub-species.


Spectacled Bear


Curious Spectacled Bear

White-winged Guan (the white usually only shows when in flight)


Indignant White-winged Guan

 Another surprising feature of the lodge was the abundance of White-winged Guans, which we found perched and flying even as we drove in! These birds are highly endangered, having been hunted almost to extinction – they clearly would make an ample meal for local families. At Chaparri Ecolodge, a captive breeding program has been very successful, and the released birds are now breeding in the wild and thriving under the protection of the reserve.
I awoke the next morning to the call of the W. Peruvian Screech Owl, having enjoyed a totally peaceful, rejuvenating night’s sleep. The morning was overcast, thus comfortably cool, as we set out along a rocky track to find more of the area’s specialties. Our fine local guide, Thomas, helped us see the unpredictably irruptive Sulphur-throated Finch, as well as the Tumbes Tyrant and Tumbes Hummingbird, both endemics.

We left after lunch, driving back through Chiclayo and encountering little traffic. A general transit strike had been threatened and we were on alert to the possibility of necessary changes to our route, but fortunately we encountered no problems. A long afternoon drive brought us to Olmos, and the Remanso Hotel. This was convenient for our next day’s destination, though a bit basic. I was thankful for the DEET-scented atmosphere in my room!


Common form of taxi transport in cities


Hotel Remanso room

Morning mists in Quebrada Limon


Canyon sides covered with flowering trees


Close-up of yellow flower


A scenic spot for lunch after a morning of birding in the canyon


Vermilion Flycatcher Perch


Our bus on a typical road below the foothills

 Quebrada Limon, known among birders as the White-winged Guan Canyon, is the usual destination for those hoping to see the birds in the wild, and indeed, we were treated to views a family group perched and in flight, with their white wing patches flashing overhead. The canyon itself is quite scenic, with yellow flowering trees adorning the steep sides. Several other life species awaited me there, and the overcast morning proved to be very productive. Our breakfast and lunch spot, next to a back-country cemetery, gave views of Vermilion Flycatchers perched on old wooden crosses.
Awakening again around 4AM, as was to be the norm, I packed up and we headed out for Abra Porculla, a relatively low pass in the Andes at around 6,000’. Our bacon and egg breakfast was warming as the morning temperatures were in the 60’s with overcast skies. Despite the overcast the scenery was still stunning.


View from the lowest pass over the Andes, Abra Porculla

Food for flowerpiercers


Grazing goats pass by our picnic site

 Though the habitat here was quite degraded due to grazing, the fringes of shrubs along the dirt track were full of great birds, such as Bay-crowned and White-winged Brush-finches and Chapman’s Antshrike. Rusty Flower-piercers went about earning their living by “stealing” nectar. They pierce the base of various wildflowers with their hooked bills, thus avoiding the pollen which would otherwise be spread to the benefit of the neighboring plants, a function performed quite well by hummingbirds, which sip nectar from the open flower end. Azara’s and Line-cheeked Spinetails “pip-squeaked” from the thick foliage. After a fine lunch of chicken & green-bean salad and custard apples for dessert (AKA Soursop/Cherimoya), we drove to Jaen under warm, sunny skies.
Outside of Jaen, we began to see the first of our Marañon River Valley specialties. This long (approx. 900 mi.) and wide river and its surrounding, relatively low, arid inter-montane valley serves as an effective bio-biographical barrier to Andean cloud-forest species, and has resulted in the evolution of several which are found only within its confines. The Marañon eventually joins the Ucayali River, to form the mighty Amazon. The Marañon Gnatcatcher, and Marañon Crescent-chest are just a few of the very range-restricted endemics to be found in the high Andean valley through which it flows.



Muddy Upper Maranon River

Rice paddies fill the valley below Andean foothills


Terraced rice paddies


Rice!


Ready for harvest


Harvesting & bagging rice, back-breaking work

 Jaen was our staging point for the next day’s birding, and our hotel, the Bosque de Jaen, was a welcome step up from the Remanso, with an inviting pool and shaded seating for enjoying a tiny bit of free time before dinner. The next day was perhaps the hottest of the trip, though we birded within a small canyon that was surprisingly green and loaded with Blue Morpho Butterflies, which flutter like sparkling sapphires through the trees and along the trails.

We were successful with our target birds, ate lunch under the only available patch of shade near the bus, and headed on, through lush, emerald-green rice paddies, in the heat of the afternoon. We stopped to search for birds and watched the harvest in progress nearby – back-breaking work for everyone involved. This side-valley and surrounding ones are all about rice. Large silos sit on the fringes of Jaen and rice is dried on concrete pads outside of large mills along the roads. In contrast to Asia, however, the roadsides aren’t clogged with meager shops and houses which block the views, so it’s more scenic here in many respects. Above the valley floor, though, the hills are parched and brown. Rice is served with almost every lunch and dinner, which I enjoy especially. Potatoes, however, are the original staple of the Andes.
The following day we drove through the Utcubamba Valley and up into the hills above, passing through Bagua Grande, where just weeks ago there had been violent protests over the government’s moves to lease 70%+ of the Amazonian lands belonging to native tribes to foreign corporations for gas, oil and agricultural uses. The local tribes had not been consulted as promised, and the resultant clashes with police ended with many dead and injured. The government later reversed some of its more controversial decisions, and all seemed calm as we passed through on the only road in the area, a vital link and jumping off spot for the northern Peruvian Amazon basin.


Our roads often traversed landslides

Entrance to the Spatuletail Reserve


Sparkling Violetear guarding "his" feeder


Marvelous Spatuletail & Sparkling Violetear share a feeder


Marvelous Spatuletail (photo taken of flier photo)

 At last we stopped at a special reserve for the Marvelous Spatuletail – and we were not disappointed! The feeders here were very busy, with the ornate male Spatuletails coming in to feed whenever the more aggressive Sparkling Violetear would allow them access. My photo doesn’t do justice to the Spatuletail, which is truly an “Oh WOW” bird, but you’ll get the idea I think. It’s impossible not to wonder how such plumage came to be!
To get the full impact of this little gem, please do visit this short but stunning video.

We spent a couple of hours here, mesmerized by the action at the feeders, with 10 species of hummers to be seen, and eventually moved on to a bit more birding near Pomacochas, before heading to our Hotel Puerto Pumas. This comfortable hotel is nick-named the “Ghost Hotel”, not only for the bizarre artwork which lines the halls, but especially for the Chachapoyan burial urn in the lobby, complete with mummified skeleton!


Typically strange "art" in the Ghost Hotel


Chachapoyan funerary vessel in the hotel lobby


The inside story!

View from Abra Patricia, 7500'


Owlet Lodge accommodations


A fine cluster of wild fuschia, abundant along cloud-forest roadsides


Scaled Fruiteater (male)


Gorgeous forest habitat, from the bridge at Aguas Verdes


Sun & cloud view, heading back up to the pass

 Weird décor, to say the least, though there were Green-tailed Train-bearers and other good birds to be seen in the rather disheveled gardens. (We ended up seeing 40 species of hummingbirds on this trip). Our crew cooked dinner that night in the hotel kitchen, a delicious cream of asparagus soup and beef curry with rice (of course). We were, as you may have gathered, very well fed throughout!

Next stop was the Owlet Lodge, reached at the top of Abra Patricia Pass (7600’), where we enjoyed some spectacular tanager flocks (as many as 13 brilliantly colored species in one tree!), and the roadside foliage was cloud-forest lush. We also birded down the other side of the pass to 4200’. Here I spied a pair of Scaled Fruiteaters, perched placidly by the roadside and quietly feeding on small fruits. As you can see, they were cooperative and posed nicely for photos.
Royal Sunangel (male)

Utcubamba Valley


Utcubamba River rapids

 Though the Ochre-fronted and every other Antpitta refused to allow any views, calling from exceedingly dense underbrush, we had great luck with the Cinnamon Screech-Owl, which is scarce and found locally only from Colombia to northern Peru. This required a dark, wet, muddy, rocky hike down a steep stream bed, but was well worth the effort! We returned to the lodge for a late dinner, planning for more owling the following morning at 4:30. Alas, I awoke to a downpour, and decided that no self-respecting owl would allow itself to be seen in such conditions, so I rolled over and went back to sleep, a rare event on a birding trip!

By breakfast time, 6:30, the rains had stopped and we were able to bird the grounds, feeders and one trail before packing up to head out, reluctantly on my part! Our day was spent backtracking to Pedro Ruiz, and then along the length of the narrow, scenic Utcubamba Valley. The river, a tributary of the Marañon, was high and turbid, with some impressive rapids, while the steep slopes above were covered with xeric vegetation such as terrestrial bromeliads and cacti. Along the river there were small, farmed patches with adobe/mud brick homes. The phrase “dirt-poor” sprang to mind.

We spied a Fasciated Tiger-heron, somehow managing to fish in the mocha-brown waters, and stopped at a small, charmingly rustic inn along the river to see a pair of Koepcke’s Screech-Owls on their day roost. Seeing any owl in the daytime always seems to me to be a special gift. The Peruvian Pygmy-Owl was also a daytime sighting.


Fasciated Tiger-heron


Koepcke's Screech-Owls


Peruvian Pygmy-Owl

Lavender bromeliad seen in the Utcubamba Valley


Heliconias in the garden at Hacienda Chillo


Butterfly


Hibiscus Species


Tiny native orchid

 The trees along the river were decorated with a unique, lilac-colored bromeliad, and the gardens of the inn contained thriving Heliconias and other native plants. Butterflies were enjoying the show of vivid blooms.
Later that day we passed the ruins of a Chachapoyan settlement, built into the hillside. The original buildings of wood and thatch would have risen above the foundations. The Chachapoyas, or “Warriors of the Clouds”, were an Andean people who resisted the Incas, but were nevertheless conquered by them shortly before the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Peru in the 16th century.


Chachapoyan ruins on the hillside, only the foundations remain


Some have geometric designs

Leymebamba towers & church


Courtyard at La Casona de Leymebamba


Full cold weather gear near Abra Barro Negro, 10,000'+

 We arrived in the small Andean town of Leymebamba just at dark, as the celebrations of the festival of the Virgen del Carmen were under way. An informal brass band was playing in the banner-strewn square and a fireworks display was soon to be unleashed. Stone towers flank a tiny church on the plaza des armas, and local residents were clearly enjoying the celebrations. Our hotel, La Casona de Leymebamba, was owned and staffed by a welcoming local family, whose rambling two-storied home had been converted to simple but adequate rooms. Though it was a noisy evening, our dinner in the courtyard was home-cooked and yummy, and I fell into bed having laid out my entire set of warm clothing for high-altitude birding the next morning.
Our breakfast at 9,000’ was not as chilling as I’d expected, though my 5 top and 3 bottom layers felt awfully good! Banana pancakes and coca tea were welcome at that altitude. We birded this day below the Abra Barro Negro (“Black mud Pass”, 10,200+), and the following day up to the pass itself.


White-bellied Woodstar (male)

Rainbow Starfrontlet - the irridescence only shows when head-on

 A Gray-breasted Mountain Toucan gave great views above the road, though it was a difficult photo in the glare of mid-morning.
A highlight of the area was our stop at the lovely home of Adriana von Hagen, a friend of Barry’s, whose hummingbird feeders gave terrific views, once again, of the Marvelous Spatuletail and other hummers. My favorite was the Rainbow Starfrontlet, which obligingly flashed his entire spectrum of iridescent colors as he fed facing us. The plates in our field guides simply couldn’t do justice to that display! (This is another must-see link!) The Spatuletail, too, put on a display, raising his deep blue spatules above his head as if in salute. (If you haven’t looked at the video link listed earlier, you need to do so now!) The fact that this little hummer can maneuver his outrageously long, unlikely tail feathers at will is amazing to me. Though I did not go, a few in our group visited the new local museum across the street and reported that it was excellent. Guess I’ll have to go back one day – and it’s always good to have a reason to return.


Simple home above Pedro Ruiz


Mud "brick" construction

Young cattle, young cowherds


Rosy cheeks & rubber boots

 Traveling through the Andes and upper Marañon Valley over the next day or two I noted the simple houses, all of mud bricks and beams, some with metal roofs, others thatched. Some were very basic, just logs with mud daubed in between, though people were generally friendly, and their smiles were truly illuminating.
These youngsters were rosy-cheeked from their rugged life – little cowherds tending little calves.


Cactus-clad hillsides above Balsas
(a far fancier house than most!)


Plowing the rocky hills with oxen

A long & winding road
coming up from the Maranon Valley

 I saw an occasional Paso Fino horse, often with a tall-hatted rider (more below), and there were many pretty wild-flowers along the roadsides. Remnants of cloud and montane forest remain, though much has been cleared for cultivation of potatoes, lima beans, corn and other staple crops, as well as grazing. Cattle seem to be kept mostly for dairy purposes, perhaps one or two for a small farm. Horses and mules were much in use.

Leaving Leymebamba, we drove down to the Marañon Valley along the winding, narrow dirt road. I had awakened to a room temperature of 58°, but the valley floor, reached several hours later, was definitely hot! Our target birds in the valley, the Marañon Thrush and Peruvian Pigeon, were relatively easy to spot, though required a bit of tromping through mango orchards in the heat of the day, and after lunch we began the long climb up and out towards Celendin. Mountainsides immediately above the valley floor were loaded with cacti.

Farther up, I watched as a steeply sloping field was plowed with oxen, and noted more corn being grown on this side vs. potatoes on the other. Other local foods include quinoa and the seeds of wild blue Lupins, with meat being consumed only on special occasions. The afternoon was spent with a few birding stops, and a last look back towards the valley and spectacular views of the serpentine road we had followed all day.


Andean valley, a long way down!


Cloud-forest farm


Small farm plots creep up the mountainsides

Celendin Cathedral

 Celendin is a much larger, busier Andean town than Leymebamba, with a grand, pale blue Cathedral dominating one side of the large, even noisier main square. I was able to call Bill, after several tries at various “locutorios” (small storefronts with phone and internet access for a price). In the end, the cost was only about 20¢, far less expensive than calling from a hotel (and that had not been possible at all in Leymebamba or at the Owlet Lodge).
Our final full day brought birding stops at several high elevation spots, approximately 10,500 to 11,000’, with a few remaining lifers for me. The Black-crested Tit-tyrants put on an especially good show, their spiky, floppy crests giving them a clown-hatted look.

Scenic views again abounded, as we drove down towards Cajamarca and once again into a broad, green valley.


Market day is winding down - hats are important!


Returning from market

Colorful Cajamarcan rider


Laguna Seca Hotel - steam from thermal baths


My monster tub at Laguna Seca

 Here we saw the characteristic tall hats being worn by both men and women, especially at the market-day gatherings, and notably on this local horsewoman. These marvelous, tall hats are uniquely made in Cajamarca and are clearly worn with pride. Perhaps there is a penchant for exaggeration here – both in hummingbird plumage and local dress!
Our final hotel proved to be truly luxurious, and I enjoyed a long, relaxing soak in my huge sunken tub. The Laguna Seca grounds are studded with thermal pools, for which it is famous. Dinner was festive and delicious, and included, per our request, a taste of guinea pig, which is a readily available source of animal protein in the Andes. Fortunately, it was cut into bite-sized pieces. It tastes like chicken, of course!


You ate what???


Early morning hand milking in the fields


Just been milked

Milk doesn't get much fresher than this!


Tyrian Metaltail


Cambayo Necropolis, 3500 years old

 Cajamarca is known for its dairy products, and we watched as the cows were being hand-milked in the fields along the road.
Barry stationed us in a very small side canyon where we shivered a bit in the early morning shade, but as the sun began to reach us we were rewarded with fine views of a couple of male Gray-bellied Comets, yet another highly localized, endemic hummingbird. We also had lingering scope views of a Tyrian Metaltail. Though this was not a new hummingbird for me, it was a treat to have the chance to really study and enjoy it.


Tombs, cut into the softer stone,
are long since opened & looted


Cordillera Blanca peeks out from the clouds
- next trip to Peru?


 We later explored up a road previously untraveled by Barry, and discovered an area of hillside tombs, the Camboyo Necropolis, estimated to be 3500 yrs. old.
A late afternoon flight to Lima and we were once again back at the airport Ramada for a farewell dinner. En route, I spied the snow-capped peaks of the Cordillera Blanca, another area yet to be explored for lots of endemics. Ah, but that’s another trip…


I made use of my day-room to shower and change before heading across the street for my 12:20AM flight to Atlanta. Thankfully, I was upgraded at the last minute, so was able to sleep for a few hours before the drive home from Atlanta.

My second trip to Peru had proven to be lots of fun in all respects, not the least of which was a good group of birders, fine leaders and logistics too. It was loaded with great birds, scenery, food and people. The Andes continue to call to me, and I expect my next visit to Peru will be equally full of marvels!