Blog of Tom Pavlik
This was my first trip to Peru. It was primarily a birding trip but I am interested in all wildlife. I signed up through Kolibri Expeditions:
http://www.kolibriexpeditions.com/
Two other gentlemen from New York were on the trip as well and I had a great time with them. I recommend Kolibri Expeditions. Gunnar did a great job of taking care of us and there was no "nickel and dime" extra costs. When we ate at restaurants everything was taken care of and no reasonable restrictions. Our guide, Alex, is the best I've ever had.
This was, by far, the most physically demanding trip I've ever been on. Not only were there several very early mornings but we hiked several miles a day - either through the jungle (which is NOT flat) or at 13,000 feet in the high Andes. As with any trip like this get an understanding of what the expectations will be. The reward was 401 species of birds in eight days.
Itinerary:
Friday April 10 - Arrive Lima.
Saturday April 11 - Flight to Puerto Maldonado, one hour drive to Laberinto then 4 1/2 hour boat ride up the river to Los Amigos research station in the Amazon jungle.
Sunday April 12 - Los Amigos research station
Monday April 13 - Los Amigos research station
Tuesday April 14 - Los Amigos research station
Wednesday April 15 - Boat back to Laberinto, car to Puerto Maldonado. Fly to Cusco then evening train to Aguas Calientes near Machu Picchu.
Thursday April 16 - Bird Aguas Calientes in the morning then visit Machu Picchu. Return to Ollantaytambo via afternoon train.
Friday April 17- Bird Abra Malaga in the morning and fly to Lima in PM
Saturday April 18 - Pelagic canceled so we birded the coast south of Lima.
Click on any picture to enlarge.
Day 1 - Arrive Los Amigos Research Station
Our driver picked me up at my hotel in Lima at 5:30am. It was off to the airport at Lima for our flight to Puerto Maldonado in the southeast part of the county. We arrived without issue but had to wait for our guide who was coming on a flight from Cusco. We wandered around the parking area of the airport and picked up a few species of birds. Man, was it hot. The temp was already around 90.
After our guide arrived we had about an hour drive to Lamberinto where we got on a boat and headed up the Madre de Dios river. It was a 4 1/2 hour boat ride but we didn't mind because we finally got to do some decent birding. The bigger birds were obvious and easy to find like macaws, parrots and a few raptors. There were also a number of shorebirds and herons along the banks of the river.
We arrived at the Los Amigos Research Station around dusk.
Dusk in the Amazon
Our ever helpful guide, Alex, slung my roller bag over his should and proceeded up the 232 steps to the research station grounds.
Day 2 - Hiking Los Amigos Research Station
I enjoyed listening to the Tawny-breasted Screech Owl, Tropical Screech Owl and the Oscellated Poorwill during the night. In spite of them I slept well. I was up at 5:30am for a 6:00am breakfast.
The research station area is clearly rustic. Needless to say it was hot and humid. There was all the water you wanted and we had juices at meals. Nothing was cold - except my shower! No complaints - a cool shower was nice once or twice a day. In spite of the few creature comforts they did have satellite internet access and we were able to stay in touch with loved ones back home.
It got light early here and dark early. Soon after breakfast we were on our first hike. We wore rubber boots (wellies) on most hikes. The jungle is wet and muddy in many areas. As expected we saw a good variety of birds - antbirds, macaws, parrots, tanagers (few), woodpeckers, woodcreepers and several other families. I also got to see my first Emperor Tamarin Monkey which I really wanted to see.
Emperor Tamarin Monkey
Hiking in the afternoon was more of the same type of habitat. We had a very successful day with 105 species of birds.
Day 3 - Los Amigos Research Station
This day we hiked a very muddy trail as we were up close to our knees in mud. I thought I was going to lose my boots a few times. Kinda fun though. We eventually got to an opening where we could see down to a small flooded area (beginning of an Oxbow Lake?) as well as being at canopy level across the way. This really gave us an open view of the jungle. Man - we were out there!!!
In the afternoon we hiked to an Oxbow Lake and got to canoe around the lake. This was pretty cool and gave us access to another group of birds including the odd looking Hoatzin. Also along the edges of the lake we saw Greater Ani, Red-capped Cardinal and sleeping Ladder-tailed Nightjars. We arrived back at the research station and were greeted with another simple but filling meal. Everything taste better in the jungle.
My home in the jungle
Day 4 - Los Amigos Research Station
After breakfast I decided to hang back and explore on my own. Again, Alex was the greatest guide but after several days of identifying every bird and call, I wanted some time to myself. I went at a slower pace and took photos of a few birds (difficult in the jungle) and butterflies. I have to admit, it was a strange feeling being a couple miles from the station by myself in the middle of the jungle. For better or worse, no Jaguar sightings.
Bluish-fronted Jacamar
Sara Longwing Butterfly
I rejoined the group for the afternoon hike. We were off to see the 20 foot Anaconda that has been hanging out at a lake. Unfortunately, our hopes were dashed as it started to cloud up and we eventually got a shower with gusty winds. The anaconda will only be out to sun itself and that wasn't going to be the case here. We waited out the rain and then headed to the radio tower. I was excited to get here and climb the 180 foot tower and give an above canopy view of things. I started up the steel rungs and decided this wasn't for me. Ten years ago and without the slippery rungs from the rain, I would have done it.
Misc photos from the jungle.
Many-banded Daggerwing
Saddleback Tamarin
Day 5 - Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and Boats)
We had a bit of an early start as we needed to end the day at Aguas Calientes - the gateway to Machu Picchu. An early breakfast and on the boat back up the river by 6:00am. The boat ride was about an hour quicker since we were going downstream. At Lamberinto we got our ride back to the airport at Puerto Maldonado. We got our flight to Cusco with no problems and another driver to pick us up there. Outside of Cusco there is a good birding spot at Huacarpay Lake and the surrounding area. It was nice to get back to nice temperatures too!! We not only managed some nice waterfowl like Speckled Teal, Puna Teal and Yellow-billed Pintail and some shorebirds but Andean Gulls were present and a very nice look at Black-chested Buzzard Eagle.
We stopped for a nice lunch outside of Cusco where I got to enjoy my first Inca Kola.
Enjoying an Inca Cola
We needed to make our way to Ollantaytambo. This is where you board the train to get to Aguas Calientes to take the bus to get to Macchu Picchu! Confused? We checked in at the hotel in Ollantaytambo were we would be staying the following night. The idea is that you don't want to take anything on the train that you don't need. We boarded the train around 8:30pm and got to Aguas Calientes around 10:30pm. We checked in at the hotel to find that they had one less room than they promised so it got cozy for the three of us in one room for the evening.
Day 6 - Machu Picchu
The wake-up call came way too early - 4:45am. However, there was coffee in the lobby of our rather nice hotel and I was in the swing of things about two cups later. By 5:30am it was starting to get light and we birded the popular destination along the railroad tracks. Actually, we followed a road for a little while but a bulk of it was along the tracks.
Birding the Tracks at Aguas Calientes
This area was good for tanagers and flycatchers - a big difference from the antbirds and woodcreepers we encountered in the jungle.
We headed back into town and boarded the bus for Machu Picchu. It was a quick 10-15 minute bus ride. The ruins were great but I was taken back a little by how commercialized it was. There were several hundred people milling around the ruins. Aguas Calientes in not cheap, then they get you for the bus ride then they get you for an entrance fee into the ruins. That aside, it was still quite fabulous. To think of how this was created so long ago and the surrounding mountains were beautiful.
Machu Picchu
Alex did a great job of explaining several details of the ruins, the people, what the different rooms were for and general information about the time and culture. Being at a high elevation and doing a lot of walking I was beat by the end of our time there. We got on a bus back to Aguas Calientes, had a nice lunch and did a little more birding outside of town. We got a mid-afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo and checked into our hotel. We had a little time before dinner so I headed to an internet cafe to see what was going on in the world.
Day 7 - Abra Malaga
Ok - so by now I'm feeling my age -- too much exercise and too little sleep. We were to get up at 3:15am (not a typo) and headed to Abra Malaga which is about a 2 hour drive. We arrived at a nearby spot a few ticks after 5:00am and semi-slept in the car until it started getting light. I couldn't sleep for wondering why I couldn't have slept in a bed these extra 20 precious minutes. Not to mention it wasn't a degree over 20F and I'm sure I'm seeing snow capped mountains across the valley - nearly eye level. We were somewhere around the 11,000 ft level in the great Andes Mountains.
Once it started getting light and Alex announced it was time to get out and start birding that was all put behind us. Another completely different habitat meant another groups of bird possibilities. It didn't take long before a chip here and a chirp there lead us to some awesome birds: Blue-backed Conebill, Citrine Warbler, Bar-winged Cinclodes, Pearled Treerunner and much more of the same.
The highest peak in the area is known as Mt. Veronica.
It was finally time for a little breakfast. Our luxury table was set! Instant coffee never tasted so good.
After breakfast we headed to Abra Malaga which wasn't too far away. I knew we had some hiking to do and I knew it would be a challenge at this elevation. Hang on.... are we still going up? Yes! At about 13,000 feet and oxygen at about 1 part per trillion we started our hike. It was worth it. Fortunately, only the beginning was a slight incline. We covered the pass and started our decent. Again - a whole new set of birds. The main attraction here is the Royal Cinclodes (sin-clo-dees). Unfortunately, we missed that one but came up with multitudes of others -- not the least of which was an Andean Condor. Not only one but three soaring over one of the peaks.
My new friends and I just over the pass at Abra Malaga
We crossed back and forth down the mountain and eventually came to a wide valley. We headed down the valley and came across several birds including Andean Flicker, Puna Ground-Tyrant, Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant and a variety of others. By the time we got near the end there were more trees and these held more birds including Amethyst-throated Sunangel and the coolest of all: Tufted Tit-Tyrant.
After our hike it was time to head back to Cusco and get our flight back to Lima. We made the flight with no problem. However, at some point during our one-hour flight Lima decided to get fogged in. Not good! We ended up landing at a military base. There were now six planes in front of us getting refueled. This took several hours and we finally headed to the runway a little after midnight. We got to Lima where our driver got us to our hotel and I got into bed about 1:45am. Our next day (well really the same day at this point) we were schedule to be in the lobby at 5:30am. I told our driver I wasn't going to be making the pelagic. I could count my hours of sleep over the last 3 days one on hand. I've tried pelagics before with little sleep and the results weren't good. Regardless, Gunnar was calling me in my room at 5:45am and convinced me to come along.
We got to the marina and out to our boat only to find the boat had just one motor. Gunnar decided to cancel the trip (rightfully so) and I was wondering why I got out of bed for this. I trusted him when he said you don't want to be out in the ocean in the Humbolt current with only one motor.
Gunnar quickly moved to plan B which was to bird the coast south of Lima. We had guides that knew the area well and turned out to be every bit as productive as a pelagic. Somehow, I managed to find my second wind and enjoyed another great day of birding. We stopped by one of the city parks in Lima. There is a local population of dark morph Vermilion Flycatcher.
Along the coast we had many of the same birds we would have had on the pelagic including Inca Tern, Red-legged and Guanay Cormorants, Great Grebe and several gulls including Band-tailed, Gray, Gray-headed, Kelp and Laughing. One of my favorite birds of the day was a Peruvian Thick-knee.
Peruvian Thick-Knee
Inca Tern
Band-tailed (Belcher's) Gull
In addition to the 401 species of birds, I had the following mammals:
Squirrel Monkey
Dusky Titi Monkey
Tamarin Emporer Monkey
Brown Capuchin Monkey
Saddle-backed Tamarin Monkey
White-lipped Picari
Amazon Dwarf Squirrel
Red Squirrel
Guinea Pig
I won't list all birds but some of the more notable ones were:
Humbolt Penguin
Peruvian Booby
Andean Condor
Black-chested Buzzard Eagle
Mountain Caracara
Collared Forest-Falcon
Blackish Oystercatcher
Peruvian Thick-Knee
Andean Lapwing
Inca Tern
17 species of Parrots/Macaws
Pavonine Cuckoo
Ocellated Poorwill
Ladder-tailed Nightjar
21 species of hummingbirds
Pavonine Quetzal
Highland Motmot
10 species of woodpecker
21 species of ovenbirds (woodcreepers and allies)
Fiery-capped Manakin
Black-faced Cotinga
48 species of tyrant flycatchers
Purplish Jay
40 species of tanagers and allies
12 endemics
