Day 0. Arrival in Peru.
Night in Hotel in Miraflores Standard 3 star hotel.
Day 1. Bird photography in Lima. Inca Tern and Humboldt Penguin.
The main reason to include a day in Lima is, of course, the beautiful Inca Tern, which is best photographed at the scenic port of Pucusana some 60k south of Lima. This is also a good place to Red-legged Cormorant and Blackish Oystercatcher. We shall make a short boat trip to photograph Humboldt Penguin, Peruvian Pelican, Peruvian Booby.
Close to Pucusana, there is a good site for Peruvian Thickknee.
We shall also visit a wetland with many species of waterbirds such as White-cheeked Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Andean Coot, Great Grebe, American Oystercatcher, Killdeer, Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, Wren-like Rushbird, and many more. In the Southern hemisphere summer, there are thousands of Franklin’s Gulls present.
If time permits, we will visit a Lima park for species like Amazilia Hummingbird, Croaking Ground-Dove, West Peruvian Dove, Vermilion Flycatcher, Saffron Finch, Harris Hawk, and others.
In the late afternoon, we fly to Tarapoto.
Day 2. Tarapoto-Rioja. Birding ACONABIKH reserve. Gould's Jewelfront and Oilbird.
We travel to the ACONABIKH reserve on the Yurimaguas road. Here, we find a number of special hummingbirds such as Koepcke’s Hermit and Gould's Jewelfront. Many other hummingbirds are possible. Furthermore, after a 30-minute uphill hike, there is a lek of Golden-headed Manakin.
On the way back to Tarapoto, we will search for fruiting trees that sometimes attract the rare Dotted Tanager and Plumbeous Euphonia, and other tanagers.
Around noon, we continue towards Moyobamba. On the way, we shall stop to look at the Oilbirds at the Quiscarumi gorge. It is quite dark, so if you want pictures, you need a powerful long-range flash or max up the ISO.
Stops at some wetlands near Rioja can usually give us good photo opportunities of Black-capped Donacobius, Pale-eyed Blackbird, Black-billed Seed-Finch, and Limpkin with playback. There are no hides here.
We continue to Huembo to spend the night.
At night, those who wish may want to try to photograph the Long-whiskered Owlet with the use of playback. The trail is narrow and steep in places, so it will be difficult to bring a tripod.
Day 3. Photographing Hummingbirds at Huembo. Marvelous Spatuletail and Long-whiskered Owlet.
We spend most of the morning trying to get excellent shots of the Marvelous Spatultail and other hummingbirds such as Collared Inca, Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Sparkling Violet-ear, Long-tailed Sylph, White-bellied Woodstar, Andean Emerald, White-bellied Hummingbird and Bronzy Inca.
By noon, we will be ready to pack up and continue to Owlet Lodge.
The feeders here have Emerald-bellied Puffleg, Bronzy Inca, Violet-fronted Brilliant, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Long-tailed Sylph and Collared Inca. From the lookout, one may often see White-capped Tanager.
Before dinner, we will go to a new site close by for the Long-whiskered Owlet. A very short walk. Again, tripods may be difficult, but it is up to you.
Day 4. Abra Patricia and Fundo Alto Nieva photo shoot.
We shall be visiting various sites with feeders. In the area in the past, there have been worm feeders for Chestnut, Rusty-tinged, and Ochre-fronted Antpittas. The species available at any one time varies.
There are also several different feeder setups in this area. Specific targets include Royal Sunangel and Ecuadorian Piedtail.
The feeding flocks contain Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Blue-backed Conebill, Spectacled Whitestart, Pearled Treerunner, White-throated Tyrannulet, Blue-and-Black Tanager, and Metallic-green Tanager.
Day 5: Bird Photography at feeders and hides at Arena Blanca and drive to Moyobamba.
We start the morning in the new birding resource at Aguas Verdes called Arena Blanca. Here, there is a fantastic feeding station for Rufous-breasted Wood-Quail and Little and Cinereous Tinamou. Also Yellow-billed Sparrow comes to the grains provided at the feeding station. There is also an area set up for hummingbirds. The specialty here are Green-fronted and Blue-fronted Lancebills, as well as Wire-crested Thorntail and many others. The white-sand forest is very interesting with Northern Chestnut-tailed (Zimmer's) Antbird and Mishana Tyrannulet.
Seasonally, there are also tanagers coming to fruit feeders that will allow for good photography.
Later, we descend to Moyobamba to have lunch at Wakanki while we are watching the hummingbird feeders here. It is possible to count around 17 species in an hour or so. One of the best is the Rufous-crested Coquette.
Day 6. Photographing Crakes at Morro de Calzada and drive to Tarapoto.
There is a new resource near Morro del Calzada for crakes and rails that are being fed. Rufous-sided Crake readily comes out, sometimes Blackish Rail and Russet-crowned Crake. There are also a feeder for Saddle-backed Tamarins and Mayo River Titi-Monkey.
Nearby, we can try to lure out some rarer birds with playback for photography such as Zimmer's Antbird, Fiery-capped Manakin and the newly described Painted Manakin.
Around mid-morning, we end the time here shooting at feeders with Burnish-buff Tanager, Turquiose Tanager, Black-bellied Tanager, Purple-throated Euphonia, and with some luck Paradise Tanagers.
During mid-p,m we drive back to Tarapoto to check in to our flight to Lima and on to Cusco for an overnight stay.
Our hotel in Cuzco is near the Plaza de Armas, so you can walk around here to take night shots of the Cathedral, La Compania church, and the street life of the main square,
Day 7. Sword-billed Hummingbird at Ensifera Camp and Machu Picchu.
An early morning takes us to Laguna Huaypo for ducks, Chilean Flamingo, and many other birds. We often see Black-faced (Andean) Ibis near
We shall visit the hummingbird feeder set up at Ensifera Camp for Sword-billed Hummingbird, White-tufted Sunbeam, Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch and many others.
In the late morning, we take the train to Aguas Calientes for an afternoon visit to Machu Picchu. Note that tripods and long lenses are not allowed, so bird photography will be very limited. It is more to see Machu Picchu - the amazing world heritage site and the top attraction of the New 7 Wonders.
Night in the scenic Ollantaytambo village.
Day 8 Bird Photography on Manu Road Ollantaytambo to Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, via the Bearded Mountaineer on feeders.
We make a 5 AM start to get to San Salvador and the Sacred Garden Hummingbird feeders. The star bird here is the spectacular Bearded Mountaineer among with a large number of other hummingbirds, including both Green-tailed and Black-tailed Trainbearers.
Andean Tinamou also walks around near the garden, allowing for good shots.
The Manu Road drops into the Amazon, cutting through amazing habitats of cloud forest, ranging in altitude from 3,600m to 600m.
We will have lunch at the feeders of Wayqecha Lodge, hopefully also allowing for some shots of Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Black-faced Brushfinch, Goeldi's Inca, and many more.
We continue down the road through subtropical forests looking out for opportunities to photograph Golden-headed and Crested Quetzals and Andean Motmot.
In the late afternoon, we visit a Cock-of-the-Rock lek and spend the night at Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge
Day 9. Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge to the Villa Carmen.
The morning at the feeders at the Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge until lunch. In the afternoon, we travel to Amazonia Lodge.
The veranda at Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge has a number of hummingbird feeders and plants that attract hummingbirds, as well as fruit tables for tanagers. Some of these are Violet-fronted Brilliant, Many-spotted Hummingbirds, Speckled Hummingbird, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Wire-crested Thorntail, Wedge-billed Hummingbird, and with some luck, Buff-tipped Sicklebill and Peruvian Piedtail.
Also It is not unusual to see Brown Capuchin Monkey, Woolly Monkey, Tayra and Brown Agouti at Cock of the Rock Lodge
On the lower Manu road, there are a few new hummingbird feeding stations that are excellent. This afternoon we will be visiting one IncaAmazonia Gardens with an enormous variety of birds including many hummingbirds such as Gould’s Jewelfront, Koepcke’s Hermit, Rufous-crested Coquette, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Gray-breasted Sabrewing, White-tipped Sicklebill, Rufous-breasted Hermit and many fruiteating birds such as Green and Purple Honeycreeper, and Turquoise and Paradise Tanagers.
The last hours of the day we spend at Villa Carmen Lodge. Nearby, there is a fish pond that has Hoatzin, Snail Kite, and various Herons.
Day 10. Villa Carmen, Pico de Hoz and Machu Wasi Lake. Hoazin and King Vulture.
We start at the bird feeder resource Pico de Hoz, which, apart from the same hummingbirds as at the Inca Amazonia site, also has an Amazonian Antpitta being fed and a set-up for photographing King Vulture. We shall spend most of the morning here.
Later, we continue to Machu Wasi Lake, where the star bird is the Horned Screamer. We may get some shots from close range from the raft with free-hand photography. There is also a tower from where it should be possible with steadier shots, although at a larger range.
The afternoon we once more spend shooting birds at the Villa Carmen Lodge. One specific target to try to get with playback is the cute Black-backed Tody-Flycatcher.
At night, we shall try to photograph some owls near the lodge. Tropical Screech-Owl, Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl, and Black-and-White Owl are the ones that are more commonly encountered.
Day 11. Villa Carmen to Wayquecha. Black-capped Tinamou and Golden-collared Honeycreeper.
At the lodge, they have recently started feeding Tinamous. Little, Cinereous, Undulated, and the rare Black-capped Tinamou usually come to the feeder.
The rest of the morning is spent either on a trail through a stand of bamboo, which gives access to some of the more local specialities such as White-cheeked Tody-Flycatcher, Manu Antbird, Bamboo Antshrike, Goeldi's Antbird, White-lined Antbird, etc... or continue to better the shots of birds in the surroundings.
We shall continue to Wayqecha Lodge on the top of the Manu road in the afternoon, with a stop at feeders midway, which is good for Golden-collared Honeycreeper, Rufous-booted Rackettail, and Spotted, Beryl-Spangled, Blue-necked, and Saffron-crowned Tanagers.
The Wayqecha Cloud Forest Biological Station (2,900m) is in the temperate cloud forest zone. W
The journey between Cock-the-Rock-Lodge and Wayquecha has often rewarded us with sightings of Andean Potoo. At Wayqecha, we’ll also look for Swallow-tailed Nightjar at dusk.
Day 12. Wayqecha to Cusco: Urubamba Antpitta and Gould's Inca.
Wayqecha is managed by the conservation NGO ACCA. The cabins are comfortable and spacious. Urubamba Antpitta is being fed on the grounds. The area near Wayqecha is very good for Red-and-White Antpitta and Rufous-capped Thornbill. The hummingbird feeders attract Gould's Inca and many more. There are also often good Tanager flocks which sometimes pass at close range for good photo opportunities. The flocks include Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Masked Flowerpiercer, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Pearled Treerunner, and many more.
In the afternoon, we drive back to Cuzco. If time permits, we'd stop by Huacarpay Lake to sample some additional wetland birds before leaving those flying to Lima at the airport.
It is possible to add three days for a program with the famous clay lick in Tambopata. The clay lick attracts a large number of macaws and other parrots. Lots of other Amazonian birds can be sampled from the trails and, especially, from the impressive canopy tower.
Another addition could be a bird-photography excursion to the Santa Eulalia Canyon near Lima, which is particularly good for close up photography of condors. It is also good for a number of endemic and near endemic birds such as Great Inca-Finch, Peruvian Sheartail, Bronze-tailed Comet, Black Metaltail, Black-necked Woodpecker, Peruvian Pygmy-Owl, Rufous-breasted Warbling-Finch, Rusty-bellied Brush-Finch and many more.
Higher up in the same valley, you find White-cheeked Cotinga, White-bellied Cinclodes, Diademed Sandpiper-Plover, Puna Snipe, Andean Goose, Andean Lapwing, Black-breasted Hillstar, etc.
For birders, we usually spend two days in the valley. Serious bird photographers would be better off spending three days to have more time getting good shots. After all, there are no feeder set-ups here, so one has to have a lot of time and patience to approach the birds for close-ups.
