Pelagics

by Gunnar Engblom September 11, 2009 5

Fiji Petrel photographed

Fiji Petrel. The Tubenose project. Copyright: Hadoram Shirihai

This is fantastic news. The Fiji Petrel has been seen and photographed off Gau Island, in the Fiji archipelago. A press release a couple of hours ago from Birdlife International reveals many details, such as the species is known only from one specimen collected in1855. That is 154 years ago. Alright, the article admits that there been a few reports of birds landing on the roofs on houses on Gau island that possbly were this species. But without photos or specimens, it is hard to be sure.

The article also describes the very interesting chumming method used:

The main ingredients of chum? Fish offal cut into small pieces and mixed with very dense fish oil, to which water was added and then frozen in 10-kg blocks. The chum was prepared a few weeks ahead by volunteers from the BirdLife Affiliate in Fiji, NatureFiji-MareqetiViti, the official BirdLife Species Guardian for Fiji Petrel.

Frozen chum blocks persist for up to one-and-a-half hours, creating a pungent and constant oil slick, which attracts petrels from some miles away. On the second day, the first Fiji Petrel appeared, approaching the chum slick from downwind, slowly zigzagging over the slick, and suddenly changing direction to drop onto a small floating morsel.

Expedition for Fiji Petrel in 2008

Hadoram Shirihai, the expedition leader and main author of the forth-coming Tubenose guide and Tony Pym a veteran seabird expert and bird guide are no newbies in the area. Already last year 2008 I received an email on the Seabirds Newsgroup on June 27 reading the following.

THE FIJI PETREL EXPEDITION

Now only one place left!

The chance to maybe see Fiji Petrel; never reliably recorded at sea to date. We have the right boat, tons of chum aboard (literally), and good/honest/reliable seabird companions to share with!! We need just one more pair of good eyes.

We sail from Suva, Fiji on the 16 July, returning 26 July. There’ll be other stuff too, like Collared and Tahiti Petrels to look out for (and who knows what else!)

If you’re interested get in touch now with Hadoram Shirihai for more info…

Look forward to seeing you on board
Tony Pym

Tempting! Very tempting!

But the trip did not end well. In another email on August 8, 2008 to the Seabirds News group Tony Pym writes:

The Fiji Petrel Expedition 2008

Gau Island in Fiji Archipelago

This year’s mission to try and observe the Fiji Petrel at sea unfortunately had to be aborted after three days due to mechanical problems with the boat. Two chumming sessions on the journey to Gau, the island where birds have been grounded in the past, produced four Kermadec Petrels (only the second record for Fiji waters), a White-necked Petrel (though possibly a Vanuatu Petrel), 20+ Tahiti Petrels, four Collared Petrels and one probable, though brief, Providence Petrel. Of special note was a small ‘Cookilaria-sized’ dark petrel seen by three of the team, which flew under the Kermadec’s giving a direct size comparison.

On the second day at sea we chummed some 16 miles southeast of Gau. Two Polynesian Storm-petrels (the first confirmed in the Fiji and Samoa biogeographical region for 132 years) were observed plus two more Kermadecs. Tahiti Petrels numbered about 16 over a three-hour period and two Collared Petrels were distant. Once more, a small dark petrel was seen momentarily, only to fly into the sun’s glare.

Following the boat’s technical problems the group decided to fly to Taveuni in the Fiji Islands and try for seabirds there (and the endemic landbirds in any spare time). We could charter only a high-speed sports boat and chummed the first day 18 miles offshore and the second day at the Vuna seamount. The highlight was a White-bellied Storm-petrel (a species never reliably confirmed from Fiji waters) on the first day and three Gould’s Petrels on the second. Day totals were 50+ Tahiti Petrels, one Collared Petrel on the first day and 30+ Tahiti Petrels on the second – on our return to the quay at dusk we had a gathering of an additional 50+ Tahiti Petrels, waiting to return to their breeding burrows ashore.

So the expedition for Fiji Petrel had to be aborted after the second day due to engine malfunction. The members of the team must have felt very heart-broken, especially those that had chipped in at the very end. Nevertheless, some good birds were seen. The small all dark “Cookilaria” sized dark petrel could have been the Fiji Petrel which is remarkably small. I wonder what the team-members think of this bird in hind-sight.

Fiji Petrel. The Tubenose project. Photo: Hadoram Shirihai

2009 and a new expedition in 2010.

The present successful expedition was carried out in May 2009 and the results are being published in Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club (The first observations of Fiji Petrel Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi at sea: off Gau Island, Fiji, in May 2009 Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl. 129:129-148). Only 8 birds were seen in 11 days, which indicates that the species is extremely rare and deserves its Critically Threatened status. Since molt patterns and tentative age was observed, predictions can be made when to best search for the species at land. Finding the breeding areas is the most important step for its conservation. A new expedition to find the breeding area is planned in 2010.

Interview with Tony Pym and Hadoram Shirihai

I have had the pleasure of meeting with both Tony Pym and Hadoram Shirihai. Although, I can’t say I know them well, still well enough to feel comfortable to send off some questions. I hope to get answers by tomorrow to follow up on this teaser. Stay tuned!. Read the interview here.

by Gunnar Engblom May 7, 2009 1

Blog Carnival: Carnival of the Blue 24

The blog carnival of the oceans

Finally, a blog carnival that brings some traffic to the participants. Carnival of the Blue is published once every month. I participated for the first time with my blog, being one of the many carnivals I submitted to recently. This issue is hosted by Monterey Bay Aquarium, which I suspect get quite a bit of traffic.
My posts have gotten many hits from this carnival. I have not even promoted it myself yet.

There are 25 quality postings in this issue. I am amazed to the quality and will come back and read more of them later. Check this one for example: Sharks are mean, but doplhins are cute, right?. Particularly, read the long interesting discussion afterwards. Now jump over to read all the other stuff on Carnival of the blue 24.

by Gunnar Engblom April 11, 2009 40

11 must-see birds in Peru for everyone!

Why birds?

Birdwatching is a specialized hobby. The birdwatchers aim to see hundreds of birds during a holiday in Peru. However, there are certain birds that transcend to more normal tourists. Some birds that you don’t have to be a birdwatcher to appreciate. Those birds that will leave an impact on anyone who lays eyes on them. These kinds of birds become banner species and tourist attractions and could be decisive to turn a non-birder into a birder. They are also important for conserving habitat and supporting local small scale businesses which often give direct revenue to local communities. I hereby present the 11 most important birds in Peru as tourism attractions.

Condor

Emblematic bird of the Andes. 100.000 people travel yearly to Colca Canyon near Arequipa to see the mighty Condor. Kolibri Expeditions have found a good viable population in Santa Eulalia canyon only 3 hours from Lima, which also is a good place to see this majestic bird. You’d be surprised to learn that most tourists that come to Peru, those that do not visit Colca or Santa Eulalia Canyon, will not see a condor in spite it being such a tremendously important symbol of Peru and the Andes. The closest they will get is hearing “Condor pasa” – the Peruvian song Simon and Garfunkel made world famous. At every little coffee shop to every fine restaurant in Cusco you will hear it played with panpipes and charrango. You cannot avoid it – not escape it!
Strangely enough Peru has yet to raise the awareness of the importance of the species for eco-tourism in other rural areas. As such it may become an important cash cow for communities. This would change the present situation in many places where the species is persecuted and seriously threatened.

Macaw-lick

There are two major macaw-licks in SE Peru where these giant parrots descend on sunny clay river cliffs to ingest the clay with thousands of other parrots. The best one that attracts 5 species of macaws is situated in the Tambopata area near Tambopata Research Center. There is extremely important Macaw research going on here and you can help as a participant volunteer. See Tambopata Macaw Project. The other important one is downriver from Manu at Blanquillo near in vicinity of several lodges.

Andean Cock-of-the-Rock

Wow! Exclamation mark is necessary! This surreal member of the Cotinga family has a wide distribution from Venezuela to Bolivia. It is one of the most colorful birds of the Andes. The males gather in “lek” – displays – where the perform ritual dances and make noisy grunts and shrieks. In many places leks have become tourism attractions. The most famous is perhaps next to Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, but there are several places in Central and Northern Peru where leks also can be seen. Locally, it has become good incentives to conserve forest. Since the cock-of-the-rock is also un-officially national bird of Peru kids all over the country learn to appreciate it. Only five years ago, when traveling in Central Peru inquiring where I could see it, I was directed to the zoo or a man that allegedly had stuffed ones for sale! Things have changed now.

Inca Tern

Its coral red bill and feet, and yellow and white waxy mustache on a slaty blackish body makes the Inca Tern the most beautiful Tern of the world. This specialty of the Humboldt Current is not difficult to see in large numbers. In many places it can be approached for a photograph. A spectacular event on the Lima pelagics is when the fish scrap leftover that is used to attract seabirds at the high sea is thrown out after the boat and up to a thousand Inca Terns come in to the stern.

Hummingbird feeders

Peru has yet to develop more places with hummingbird feeders, but the ones available are truly spectacular. My favorites are the following.

Amazonia Lodge at the bottom of Manu road, with specialties such as the rare Rufous-crested Coquette, Koepcke’s Hermit and Gould’s Jewelfront and another dozen of more common hummers such as White-necked Jacobin, Blue Emerald, Gray-breasted Sabrewing and Black-eared Fairy come to the garden with feeders and blue vervain in front of the ample porch of the main building..

Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel the luxurious hotel with precious subtropical gardens decorated with orchids and bromeliads at the foot of Machu Picchu next to Aguas Calientes village. The hotel also have dozens of well maintained hummingbird feeders spread out in the compound open only to its guests. The specialties include Gould’s Inca, White-bellied Hummingbird, Long-tailed Sylph, Chestnut-breasted Coronet and Booted Racket-tail.

Cock-of the-Rock Lodge on the Manu road, has a open veranda dining room looking out to the garden where tanagers are fed and Blue Vervain and feeders attract the hummingbirds. The specialties include Violet-fronted Brilliant, Many-spotted Hummingbird, Wire-crested Thorn-tail, Booted Racket-tail and many more.

Marvelous Spatuletail

If I should choose just one hummingbird species in Peru this would be the one. It is the most spectacular Hummingbird in Peru. The male has long streamers ending in blue rackets. It may not yet be a large tourist attraction since it occurs only in Amazonas department and a bit off the beaten track for most general tourists coming to Peru, but it is certainly on the birdwatcher’s radar on the Northern Birding Circuit and the principle attraction. Kolibri Expeditions has initiated a project here together with local farmer Santos Montenegro obtaining funds through our clients allowing Santos to buy some land from his neighbors. The idea is to turn the small reserve to a Hummingbird information center.

Chilean Flamingo

Flamingos are big tourist attractions all over the world, and the Chilean Flamingo in Peru is not an exception, especially since legend has that the flamingos San Martin saw in Paracas before leading the liberation from Spain, inspired to the design of the Peruvian flag. There is not a person in Peru, that is not familiar with this story. Unfortunately, many flamingo colonies are well off the beaten track, except that of wintering flamingos still present at the Paracas bay. One may hope however those remote flamingo colonies could be integrated in sustainable tourism packages and this way supply income to local communities at the same time protecting the colonies. The practice common is the past to scare the colony to take flight for a photograph, is fortunately no longer carried out. It seems to me that Peruvian awareness for the well being of the natural attractions has increased in recent years.

Hoatzin.

Without being a particularly rare bird, the Hoatzin inhabits lake sides. It prehistoric looks, similar to the Archaeopteryx and the fact that the young have claws in the wings, make it a tantalizing. The hisses it makes add to its pre-historic image. It occurs in colonies and is mostly not hunted because its meat is smelly and not good. It has constantly bad breath as its digest is completely leaves which are fermented in the crop. Hoatzin can be seen in many places in the Amazon. Most photogenic perhaps at Amazonia Lodge.

Humboldt Penguin

Paracas has been the traditional place where many tourists come in contact with the species for the first time while visiting the sea-lion colonies at Ballestas Islands. In recent years however trips have been arranged to sea-lion colony at Islas Palomino from Callao, Lima, where also the Penguins occur and this is a time effective alternative to Paracas. Recent studies show that Humboldt Penguins are very sensitive to disturbance – much more so – than its close relative Magellanic Penguin that occurs in Patagonia and with colonies that attracts tens of thousands of visitors. Fortunately, there are no colonies in Peru that are accessible to tourists to walk around in. The large colony at Punta San Juan near Nazca is closed to the public.

Other places where one can see Humboldt Penguin include Pucusana and the new San Fernando reserve close to Nazca.

Torrent Duck

A highly dimorphic beautiful duck specialized living its life in streaming water and fascinating to watch. One of the best place to see them is at Aguas Calientes below Machu Picchu. In fact, they can often be seen looking out the window from the train to Machu Picchu.

Waved Albatross

In spite of being a bird breeding on the Galapagos, practically all individuals of the species will spend considerable time in Peruvian Waters in its lifetime when not breeding. The pelagic birdwatching and whale-watching trips from Lima has made it possible for larger numbers of people to see an albatross at relative ease. Waved Albatross is critically threatened due to high adult mortality in recent years. In spite of being one of the smaller albatrosses, with 2.30m wingspan it is still impressive and a highlight for anyone venturing to sea to see it.

This article was brought to you by Kolibri Expeditions. Kolibri Expeditions runs tours everywhere in Peru and can take you to all these birds, providing a full-fledged birding holiday or a holiday to culture and nature on a more general level.

Photos by license of creative commons: Ogwen (Condor), Species snob (Chilean Flamingo), Olliethebastard (Hoatzin), and Inca Tern close up by Suneko

Special thanks to Tim Ryan of The faraway, nearby blog, for letting me use his Macaw pictures from Tambopata. All other pictures by Gunnar Engblom and Alex Duran (Rufous-crested Coquette and Torrent Duck). GE´s and AD´s pictures may be used under creative commons license. Link and acknowledge this page. Thanks.

by Gunnar Engblom March 21, 2009 0

I’ve got Parkinson’s – but I feel good. Pelagic from Tumbes

Two lifers and one Peru-tick on Tumbes pelagic.

No disease, but I knew I was going to see something good on this pelagic, as it was only the second one ever organized. The last trip organized in July 2008 has several good species that I have accounted for in a previous blog-post.

This trip was completely different. The sea was completely calm. In fact. it was quiet and birdless at times since there was no wind, but when we saw birds they were very good ones. And we saw both Blue Whale (see picture above) and Bryde’s Whales, as well as some 15 Green Turtles. And my lifers? Parkinson’s Petrel and Flesh-footed Shearwater. The Sooty Tern, which I had previously seen on Tobago, was my Peru tick.

Birds included:

Black Storm-Petrel 1
Least Storm-Petrel 2
White-chinned Petrel 12
Parkinson’s Petrel 80
Flesh-footed Shearwater 5
Pink-footed Shearwater 1
Blue-footed Booby 100s
Peruvian Booby 100s
Peruvian Pelican 20
Brown Pelican 30
Swallow-tailed Gull 3
Elegant Tern 3
Gull-bill Tern 1
Sooty Tern 3 (Peru-tick)
Phalarope sp.

Flesh-footed Shearwater. Note slender bill. First time photographed in Peru.

Parkinson’s Petrel. We saw 80 of this species. Noticing they were about the same size as Flesh-footed Shearwater but much smaller than White-chinned Petrel which was also seen on the trip.

Finally, in spite that my pictures are rather poor (taken with a cheap Fuji 15x camera), they illustrate well the differences between Flesh-footed Shearwater and Parkinson’s Petrel (aka Black Petrel). But not as well as this extrordinary photo by Stever Arlow. Do visit his fine site Birders Playground and especially his photos of birds from New Zeeland.

Next pelagic organized by Kolibri Expeditions run on April 18 from Callao, Lima. The next pelagic in Tumbes is scheduled for Nov 8. More surprises then?

by Gunnar Engblom March 10, 2009 1

Birding Peru – video by Keith Blomerley, part 1

Birdwatching in Peru – videos.

Keith Blomerley just posted some videos he put together from the trip he did with Kolibri Expeditions in 2004 together with Simon Wotton, Richard Winspear and Guy Shorrock. The birdwatching included the area around Lima, pelagic and some birding around Pisco and Ayacucho. The majority however is filmed along Manu Road and down the Madre de Dios river to Manu Amazon Lodge (formerly know as Manu Camping Lodge). The final parts contain Machu Picchu and Ticlio/Marcopomacocha.

The film is split into 13 parts, each around 6 or 7 minutes long. Clicking the “more info” link at the top right of the page gives more details and a mention of all the species filmed. The clips are best watched in high quality by hitting the HQ button at the bottom of the video screen. I shall present the videos in 3 posts with the first four presented here.

Birding Pucusana and Puerto Viejo

In Pucusana the main birds were Peruvian Seaside Cinclodes, Inca Tern and Humboldt Penguin. The birdwatching at Puerto Viejo included Many-coloured Rush Tyrant, Grassland Yellow-Finch, Wren-like Rushbird, Peruvian Meadowlark, Pied-billed Grebe and Great Grebe.

Or click this page to come to the You Tube page Birdwatching Pucusana and Puerto Viejo, Peru

Birdwatching at Paracas and Ayacucho

First minutes covers the desert near Pucusana. The birding here gives Coastal Miner, Vermilion Flycatcher, Peruvian Thick-knee, Mountain Parakeet with a Hooded Siskin, and Croaking Ground-Dove. At Cañete valley there were Black-necked Woodpecker and Tropical Kingbird.
At Paracas National Reserve the filmed Turkey Vulture, Peruvian Booby, Humboldt penguin, South American Fur Seal, Sanderling and Western Sandpiper.

Finally, the areas around Ayacucho covers Rufous-naped Ground-Tyrant, female White-winged Black-Tyrant, Pale-tailed Canastero (huancavelicae ssp of creamy-breasted), Bar-winged Cinclodes, Taczanowski’s Ground-Tyrant, Bearded Mountaineer, Andean flicker, Shining Sunbeam, Black-tailed Trainbearer and White-tailed canastero (usheri ssp of Creamy-breasted Canastero). There is also two skippers included. If anyone knows the names of these let me know.

Here is the link directly to the You Tube page for part two. Birdwatching at Paracas and Ayacucho

Birdwatching at Lomas de Lachay, Paraiso and a Lima birding Pelagic

The birding at Lomas de Lachay gave Burrowing Owl, Least Seedsnipe, Croaking Ground-Dove, Mountain Parakeet, Oasis Hummingbird, Raimondi’s Yellow-Finch and Tawny-throated Dotterel.
Paraiso lagoon some 30km to the North commence with an Elegant Tern and Guy’s rescue of an immature Guanay Cormorant caught in fishing net, Chilean Flamingo and Snowy Plover.
Finally, the pelagic, one of the trip highlights, of the trip brings footage of Franklin’s gull, Grey Gull, White-chinned petrel, South American Tern, Sabine’s gull, Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, White-vented Storm-Petrel, Black Storm-Petrel, Markham’s Storm-Petrel and White-vented Storm-Petrel. Finally as we reach waters near shore on the way back Peruvian Pelican, Dusky Dolphins with a mix of Peruvian Boobies and Sooty Shearwaters.

For the direct You Tube link click Birding Lomas de Lachay, Paraiso and Lima Pelagic

Birding Palomino islands near Callao and Huacarpay lake in Cusco

The last part of this post contains the final stretch of the Pelagic trip, Huacarpay Lake and first bit of Manu road.
There is a large colony of Peruvian boobies South American Sea Lions at Palomino islands. Chucking the last bit of chum on the way back to port brings a Red-legged Cormorant and a mix of Peruvian Pelicans Kelp Gulls and Inca Terns.
At Huacarpay Lake there are Andean Coot and Common Gallinule, and a Greenish Yellow-Finch. Starting at the dry areas on the Manu road around Paucartambo with Creamy-crested Spinetail, Golden-billed Saltator, Chiguanco Thrush and White-winged Black-Tyrant. Once in the more humid temperate forest there are Great sapphirewing, Calling Diademed Tapaculo and Hooded Mountain-Tanager. In the elfin forest around Pillahuata, there are Broad-winged Hawk and Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Plush-capped Finch and Barred Fruiteater. Finally a very brief Red-and-White antpitta, Blackburnian Warbler and Masked Trogon.

The direct link to You Tube and this video by clicking Birdwatching Islas Palomino and Huarcapay, Cusco

by Gunnar Engblom March 4, 2009 4

Pelagic birding in Tumbes, Peru

Best shots of Pelagic birds from Kolibri Expeditions pioneering Tumbes Pelagic.

This pelagic ran on June 24, 2008 from Punta Sal in Tumbes department and was the first pelagic we arranged in Northern Peru. The result was very satisfying. Indeed it was so satisfying that I immediately re-wrote our North Peru itineraries to also include an optional Tumbes pelagic.

On the trip we documented 2 species previously not photographed in Peruvian waters – Galapagos Petrel and White-faced Storm-Petrel. The later a lifer for me and the former a Peru tick. On March 18, 2009 we shall run the second pelagic. We hope to be able to photograph additional species on this trip, that previously are not documented. See Kolibri Expeditions pelagic web-page for more info.

Above photo: Waved Albatross.

Elliot’s Storm-Petrel

Galapagos Petrel

White-faced Storm-Petrel

Pink-footed Shearwater

Swallow-tailed Gull

Immature Peruvian Booby

Cook’s Petrel

by Gunnar Engblom March 3, 2009 1

New Peru tour: birding and culture with non-birding spouse March 15-April 1.

There is more to a birding tour to Peru than just birds.

For once I am making an exception and blog about a future trip. This particular one includes birding and culture in a great fashion. Also read through the article you shall see that I am giving a fantastic last minute offer. And there are very cheap flights from Miami now. The itinerary is request for the middle of March, combining Northern and Southern Peru and features a pelagic, Chaparri, Machu Picchu and optionally the Amazonian rainforest. What more could you ask for? It is a “best of Peru tour”. The perfect trip to bring your non birding spouse as it gives beautiful scenery as well as many cultural attractions. The trip visits Tumbes, Piura and Chiclayo in the North. Cusco, Machu Pichu and Los Amigos biological Station in the South. Lima acts as a hub with a trip to see condors in Santa Eulalia canyon.

Highlight birding localities of the trip

Condor watching in Lima going up the impressive Santa Eulalia Canyon for an overnight stay. Also here Great Inca-Finch and Black-necked Flicker.
Birdwatching in Tumbes forest. Semi-dry Spanish moss clad deciduous forest with giant balsa trees with bright green bark and the many species of birds that are endemic for this region.
A pelagic tour from the lovely beach resort Punta Sal on which we apart from birds like Galapagos Petrel and Waved Albatross find Humpback Whale and Bottle-nosed and spinner Dolphins.
Later we visit Chaparri with the captive breeding program of re-introduced White-winged Guan and Spectacled Bear – as well as spectacular birds such as White-tailed Jay and Black-faced Ibis. Also it is a great place to watch Hummingbirds bathing in a nearby pond.
Bosque Pomac that holds the rare Peruvian Plantcutter and Rufous Flycatcher among the target bird species
Huacarpay lake in Cusco with many water birds as well as endemic species nearby, such as Bearded Mountaineer, Rusty-fronted Canastero and Streak-fronted Thornbird
Abra Malaga road – cloud forest. With endemics like Marcapata Spinetail, Scaled Metaltail, Red-and-White Antpitta, Cusco Brush-Finch, Parodi’s Hemispingus and spectacular birds such as Sword-billed Hummingbird, Golden-collared Tanager, Grass-Green Tanager, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager.
Abra Malaga road – Polylepis forest. With rare species such as Royal Cinclodes, Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant, Rust-crowned Tit-Spinetail, Tawny Tit-SPinetail, Puna Tapaculo, Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant, etc.
Abra Malaga road – dry slope. With endemics such as Creamy-crested Spinetail and White-tufted Sunbeam.
The cloud forest around Machu Picchu with Cock of the Rock, Torrent Duck, Highland Motmot, White-eared Solitaire, Masked Fruiteater, Inca Wren and Ocellated Piculet.
Optional full week at Amigos Research station gives good lodging in the rainforest and over 200 birds and 10 species of monkeys – usually….and maybe more. Electric light and WIFI internet access. Bring your computer to blog from here!

Cultural Highlights.

Did we just loose your spouse??? Call her/him back.

Here are the many cultural highlight and other attractions to the non birder.

Guided tour in Lima with visit the excellent Archeology museum. The Incas are only the tip of the iceberg.
Lima is the gourmet capital of South America. We shall enjoy some of the fine cuisine while here.
Relaxed stay on the beach of Punta Sal. You may work on the tan if you don’t like boats. Exquisite food.
Visit to the Lord of Sipan Museum in Lambayeque.
Visit to the pyramids of Tucume and the Tucume museum.
Charming Chaparri Eco Lodge
The Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman
The Inca ruins of Pisac
The Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo
The Inca ruins of Machu Picchu
Cusco town – is one main cultural attraction.

Scenery Highlights

Spectacular scenery and wholesome nature experiences

Santa Eulalia Cañon
Tumbes forest
Pacific ocean at Punta Sal
Chaparri Communal reserve
Machu Picchu
Sacred valley
Abra Malaga
The Amazon rainforest at Amigos research station close to Puerto Maldonado.

Day to day Peru program 18 days.

In the below program, flights, hotels, transport, food, excursions, guiding and entrance fees are included in the price. Airport taxes, drinks and tips are not included.

Price: Last minute offer for couples. 3000$ per person.

March 15. AM. City tour with Archeological museum. PM. Start of Condor program

March 16. Condor program in Santa Eulalia Canyon. Return to Lima and flight to Tumbes.

March 17. Tumbes program. Visit Tumbes forest AM. In afternoon transfer to Punta Sal.

March 18. Punta Sal Pelagic. PM transfer to Piura and birding Mangroves of Vice.

March 19. Visiting the Royal Tomb Museum of Lord of Sipan in Lambayeque. PM arrive to Chaparri.

March 20. Chaparri AM. Rest of morning at Bosque Pomac for Peruvian Plantcutter. PM at Tucume. Evening flight to Lima.

March 21. Start of Machu Picchu cultural birding program (program C) Early flight to Cusco. City tour. Sacsayhuaman, Cathedral, Coricancha in this order. Lunch. Departure to Pisac. Visit Huacarpay on the way. Overnight in Pisac. Charming town and charming small hotel.

March 22. Early visit to Pisac ruins. Birding walking down to Pisac town. Visit the Pisac market. Continue to Ollantaytambo. Visit the archeological site of Ollantaytambo in the PM. Night in Ollantaytambo at Hostal Muñay Tika.

March 23 Full day to Abra Malaga. We shall take evening train to Aguas Calientes. Night in Hostal Pachacutek.

March 24. Full day at the Machu Picchu ruins and birding in the cloude forest nearby.

March 25. Birding cloud forest around Aguas Calientes. In afternoon train and bus to Cusco. Hostal Emperador Plaza.

March 26. Morning in Cusco. Flight to Maldonado at 11.00 Birding near Puerto Maldonado. Hotel in PM.

March 27-April 1. Birds and monkeys at Amigos Research Center. Click on the link for more info.

Photos: License by Common Creative. Machu Picchu: Brian Snelson

by Gunnar Engblom July 7, 2008 1

Pelagic July 6, 2008 –

Pelagic birding in Lima

For once we had great sunshine on the pelagic in July. That is very unusual.

Chilean Skua

Chilean Skua. All together around 20 seen. This is certainly the highest number ever.

South Polar Skua

South Polar Skua. Two definite and maybe one more seen.

Band-tailed Gull

Band-tailed or Belcher’s Gull was common. Most birds this time of year had non-breeding plumage with dark hoods! This one did not. What a beautiful gull this is!

Salvin’s Albatross

Last week we saw for the first time ever on a Lima pelagic a Chatham Island Albatross. I believe this however is an adult Salvin’s. We id:ed it as such in the field due to the pale forehead. However, the bill does look a bit yellowish.

South American Tern

The above pictures are of two Sterna Terns. Are they South American Terns? Strange having this summer plumage this time of year. Certainly, they are not Arctic Terns with such massive bills. UPDATE: The experts mean they are South American Tern.

by Gunnar Engblom October 25, 2007 1

Pelagic on August 2, 2007

South American Tern in summer plumage in the winter!

In 2005 on a pelagic in July from Lima a dark gray bellied breeding plumage Sterna Tern was seen that was tentatively identified as Antarctic Tern, which would be a first for Peru. This one looks quite like the one we saw then, though I recall the bill was shorter than this. The posterior discussion on Birding Peru Yahoo-group confirmed this bird as South American Tern.

Sooty Shearwater identification

Short-tailed Shearwater? Unfortunately not. Scrutinizing the pictures and with comments from Birding Peru yahoo group it is noted that the dark black wedge from the “arm-pit” is a good field mark for Sooty Shearwater.

Sooty Shearwater with one Pink-footed Shearwater in the center.

Northern Giant Petrel new species for Peru

Northern Giant Petrel was recorded for the first time in Peru in 2002 on a Kolibri Expeditions pelagic. It is now a regular on our pelagics of July to September. This is the first time we found a bird that is not completely brown. Can this one be aged?

Here it is with a juvenile.

Buller’s Albatross

Buller’s Albatross I only found for the first time in July 2006. This year it has been seen on a number of pelagics in July-September. And even adults and subadults (such as this photo).