Birding Carpish with Golden-backed Mountain Tanager and Junin Grebe.
Day 0.
We recommend an easy day in Lima this morning such as Pantanos de Villa and Pucusana or if you want something more intense such as a day trip to Santa Eulalia Canyon. Very comfortable night bus to Huanuco leaving Lima at 10 PM - this way we get a gradual aclimatization over the next five days. There is a flight service to Huanuco also but it leaves mid-morning and you thus lose a birding day and need to add a hotel night in Huanuco. Let us know if this is your preferred option.
Day 1.
Birding at the Carpish Tunnel in the morning for Unstreaked Tit-Tyrant, Tchudis Tapaculo, Gray-browed (Stripe-headed) Brush-Finch, Rufous Spinetail, Peruvian Wren, Yellow-scarfed Tanager, Golden-plumed Parakeet, Scaly-naped Parrot, Mountain Cacique and hopefully Chestnut Antpitta and Rufous-browed Hemispingus. Night in Huanuco.
Day 2.
Early 3AM start for Bosque Unchog. Key species is naturally Golden-backed Mountain-Tanager. Pardusco is usually easy. Rufous-browed Hemispingus is time consuming and Bay-vented Cotinga rare but very conspicuous when perched.
Other birds include Coppery Metaltail, Neblina and Large-footed Tapaculo, Plenge´s Thistletail, Many-striped and Line-fronted Canastero, Paramo Seedeater, White-collared Jay, Rufous (Obscure) Antpitta (ssp obscura warrants species recognition) and Brown-flanked Tanager. Night in Huanuco
Day 3.
Paty trail in the morning slowly to add species like Peruvian Tyrannulet Masked and Band-tailed Fruiteater, Masked Saltator, Drab Hemispingus, White-eared Solitaire,Grey-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Inca Flycatcher, Bay and Chestnut Antpittas, Buff-browed Foliage-Gleaner, Orange-breasted Falcon, Chestnut-breasted Wren,Long-tailed Antbird, etc. Rest of the day birding the Carpish area.
Day 4.
If necessary we shall do another 3 AM start for a repeat visit at Bosque Unchog. Perhaps we missed one of the keybirds and would like to give it another shot. At 10 AM we break and start heading towards Junin.
We shall be birding the dry scrub for Rufous-backed Inca-Finch and Brown-flanked Tanager and then continue to Junin lake, via a stop at the Polylepis forests at Quichas for Stripe-headed Antpitta, Giant Conebill, Baron´s Spinetail, Thick-billed Siskin and Striated Earthcreeper if time permits. Night in basic hotel in Junin.
Day 5.
First we make a try for Junin Rail, and then we continue to make a short boat tour on the lake for the critically endangered Junin Grebe. As we drive back Junin Town we shall be looking for Dark-winged and Common Miner before we continue towards Ticlio for White-bellied Cinclodes, Diademed Plover, Rufous-bellied and Gray-breasted Seedsnipes and Black-breasted Hillstar. We shalll be arriving in Lima at around 8-9 pm. Please schedule flights after 11 pm if you fly out internationally or stay another day in Lima.