It seemed fitting that one of the last Andean birds I would see on my descent to the flatter terrain of the Amazon would be the rufous-collared sparrow. It was a common bird in the parks around Cusco during most of my high altitude Peruvian vacation, so it wasn't a surprise I saw one at Abra Acjanaco's 11,400 feet elevation.
This mountain pass pitstop would mark the beginning of that day's descent through cloud forests to our overnight destination at Guadalupe Lodge close to the border of Manu National Park and its protected lowland jungle. This part of of the journey would mostly follow CU-113 or the Carretera Manu from the Andes to Atalaya, 90 km away at an altitude of 1,600 feet. This tiny port town would also serve as a launch site for the next day's excursion down the Alto Madre de Dios River, a tributary of the Amazon and the main route for visitors exploring the national park.
The entire adventure was provided by Wild Watch Peru, offering a comprehensive fully-escorted three-day rain forest tour from Cusco.
From alpine peaks to cloud forests, from secondary rain forests to tropical plantations, the almost 10,000 feet change in elevation assured a dizzying variety of birds. With our guide Ricardo's frequent stops and skillful identifications, we never had to leave the comfort of the gravel-packed road or, if there was rain, the cozy van. And if we missed a bird on the descent, two days later our return climb up the Andes gave us a second chance at finding him.
While it's possible to list the couple of dozen birds we saw along the road, it's virtually impossible to describe the fun and thrill of seeing so many new species. As a first time visitor to the Andes and the rain forest, I can say my love affair with South American birding has only just begun.
So I wasn't shocked to see the already-mention rufous-collared sparrow along with a type of common blackbird at the start of our ride down the mountain, or for that matter, an aptly-named Andean guan slightly lower in the thickening cloud forest. But not far from this game fowl we saw a white-collared jay and a brilliant Gould's Inca hummingbird; things were starting to get colorful on the eastern slope of the Andes.
At another stop even lower on the road were purplish jays and a montane woodcreeper. But the best was yet to come when we later saw a number of golden-headed quetzals and a male cock-of-the-rock (or gallito de las rocas), the latter being Peru's national bird. Both birds' brilliant colors sparkled like gems against the misty forest's canopy. Overhead near these sightings were a number of oropendolas; with their bright yellow tails, these colorful birds are in the same family as orioles.
Eventually the rugged and steep terrain flattened out and the moist cloud forest opened up into a plain of secondary rain forest and plantations. The area around the settlements of Patria and Pilcopata was cleared some time ago for raising cattle but is now more often used for growing tropical fruits and vegetables. In this buffer zone between protected forests and wetlands, there are many birds including smooth-billed anas and roadside hawks, not to mention several flycatchers that seemed to populate every diverse environment we'd seen that day. And in this area there are more and more eco-lodges for the many tourists that want to see the bird and animal life firsthand.
In Pilcopata we started to see macaws flying overhead, and the bumpy turn-off to Guadalupe Lodge, our home for two nights, brought us to more hummingbirds, oropendolas and jays, along with tanagers and parrots. Of course closer to the Alto Madre de Dios River at the end of this part of the Carretera Manu, near the port of Atalaya, we would meet a new world of water birds that included tiger and capped herons. But that would be another day and another adventure.
This mountain pass pitstop would mark the beginning of that day's descent through cloud forests to our overnight destination at Guadalupe Lodge close to the border of Manu National Park and its protected lowland jungle. This part of of the journey would mostly follow CU-113 or the Carretera Manu from the Andes to Atalaya, 90 km away at an altitude of 1,600 feet. This tiny port town would also serve as a launch site for the next day's excursion down the Alto Madre de Dios River, a tributary of the Amazon and the main route for visitors exploring the national park.
The entire adventure was provided by Wild Watch Peru, offering a comprehensive fully-escorted three-day rain forest tour from Cusco.
From alpine peaks to cloud forests, from secondary rain forests to tropical plantations, the almost 10,000 feet change in elevation assured a dizzying variety of birds. With our guide Ricardo's frequent stops and skillful identifications, we never had to leave the comfort of the gravel-packed road or, if there was rain, the cozy van. And if we missed a bird on the descent, two days later our return climb up the Andes gave us a second chance at finding him.
While it's possible to list the couple of dozen birds we saw along the road, it's virtually impossible to describe the fun and thrill of seeing so many new species. As a first time visitor to the Andes and the rain forest, I can say my love affair with South American birding has only just begun.
So I wasn't shocked to see the already-mention rufous-collared sparrow along with a type of common blackbird at the start of our ride down the mountain, or for that matter, an aptly-named Andean guan slightly lower in the thickening cloud forest. But not far from this game fowl we saw a white-collared jay and a brilliant Gould's Inca hummingbird; things were starting to get colorful on the eastern slope of the Andes.
At another stop even lower on the road were purplish jays and a montane woodcreeper. But the best was yet to come when we later saw a number of golden-headed quetzals and a male cock-of-the-rock (or gallito de las rocas), the latter being Peru's national bird. Both birds' brilliant colors sparkled like gems against the misty forest's canopy. Overhead near these sightings were a number of oropendolas; with their bright yellow tails, these colorful birds are in the same family as orioles.
Eventually the rugged and steep terrain flattened out and the moist cloud forest opened up into a plain of secondary rain forest and plantations. The area around the settlements of Patria and Pilcopata was cleared some time ago for raising cattle but is now more often used for growing tropical fruits and vegetables. In this buffer zone between protected forests and wetlands, there are many birds including smooth-billed anas and roadside hawks, not to mention several flycatchers that seemed to populate every diverse environment we'd seen that day. And in this area there are more and more eco-lodges for the many tourists that want to see the bird and animal life firsthand.
In Pilcopata we started to see macaws flying overhead, and the bumpy turn-off to Guadalupe Lodge, our home for two nights, brought us to more hummingbirds, oropendolas and jays, along with tanagers and parrots. Of course closer to the Alto Madre de Dios River at the end of this part of the Carretera Manu, near the port of Atalaya, we would meet a new world of water birds that included tiger and capped herons. But that would be another day and another adventure.
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| View from Abra Acjanaca and the start of our descent down the eastern slope of the Andes via the Carretera Manu. |
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| A type of common blackbird with red berry in its beak at Abra Acjanaco. |
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| Rufous-collared sparrow at Abra Acjanaco. |
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| Andean guan in the cloud forest. |
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| White-collared jay. |
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| Gould's Inca, a type of collared Inca hummingbird. |
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| Mirador Chontachaca, a viewpoint on the Carretera Manu, looking into a stream flowing into the greater Amazon basin. |
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| Bromeliad in a tree; it's a common food for the spectacled bear, aka the Andean bear, the only native bear to South America. Alas we didn't see any bears, monkeys or other native mammals. |
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| View of the Carretera Manu in the cloud forest. We made frequent stops and hikes along the road. |
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| Montane woodcreeper. |
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| One of a hundred waterfalls. |
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| One of three or four golden-headed quetzals sparkling in the forest. |
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| One of the many butterflies and moths along the road. |
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| Another of the many butterflies and moths along the road. |
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| An oropendola, possibly a dusky-green. |
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| A cock-of-the-rock or gallito de las rocas, Peru's national bird. It wasn't hard to locate his bright red color against the green forest. |
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| Patria, the first settlement we'd reach in the rain forest area. |
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| Roadside hawk, near Patria. |
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| View of the Andes from Patria. |
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| Pair of chestnut-fronted macaws near Pilcopata. |
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| Scarlet macaw in Pilcopata. Since it was alone and unwary of my approach, it might be a pet that's got some roaming privileges. |
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| Blue-and-gold macaw at Dos Loritos Animal Shelter near Pilcopata. This was a common bird in the skies above the local rain forest. |
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| Golden-tailed sapphire hummingbird at Guadalupe Lodge. |
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| Many-spotted hummingbird at Guadalupe Lodge. |
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| Oropendola, possibly russet-backed, at Guadalupe Lodge. |
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| Violaceous jay at Guadalupe Lodge. |
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| Fuzzy shot of a rufous-crested coquette hummingbird at Guadalupe Lodge. |
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| Silver-beaked tanager at Guadalupe Lodge. |
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| Flock of noisy parrots above Guadalupe Lodge. |
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| View of the Alto Madre de Dios River near Atalaya. It eventually flows into Boliva and merges with other rivers that meet the Amazon in Brazil. |
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