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watching the rainforest pass by. Some of our lodges featured generator-powered electricity but we also enjoyed many candlelight meals of tasty Peruvian cuisine, together with pisco sours and cold beer to add to the camaraderie of being in such a special place. Breakfast at the macaw clay-lick, catamarans rides on oxbow lakes, amazingly built canopy platforms, and well-maintained trails are all part of the Manu experience. Many of the forest birds are quite shy but surprises are always around every corner. Manu’s altitudinal transect ranging from the arid highlands down to the steamy lowlands around Puerto Maldonado ensured a steady procession of new birds for us as we explored the wonders of Peru’s department of Madre de Dios (mother of god). The tour began with dinner and a good night’s rest in Miraflores before returning to Lima’s new Jorge Chavez International for our flight to Cusco the following morning. Our flight over the Andes went smoothly and after picking up our bags we stepped out into the blinding light of Cusco and the air was thin and we were just soaking it all in. Once we arrived at nearby Huacarpay Lake, we stopped at our first patch of wild tobacco flowers that was not so good but we had our first Sharp-winged Teal (split from Speckled) and Yellow-billed Pintail as well as a Plumbeous Rail and a White-browed Chat- Tyrant perched on the fence. Then the morning revved up a gear when we found a flowering bush with a perched Bearded Mountaineer. Suddenly there were two male mountaineers in a mid-aerial clash and perching well enough for us to appreciate their indescribably iridescent beard-like gorgets. However, our next spot brought us down to earth with a drawn out battle to see several Rusty-fronted Canasteros who would not show at this particular spot. Not to worry as we were soon enjoying them dripping from the thorn scrub just around the bend. Here in the arid vegetation we also saw Blackchested Buzzard-Eagle, White-crested Elaenia, and Andean Flicker. In the reeds surrounding the lake we saw Wren-like Rushbird, Many-coloured Rush-Tyrant, and Yellow-winged Blackbird along with a flock of Grassland Yellow-Finches. After our pleasant picnic lunch overlooking the lake we enjoyed superb views of a pair of Streak-fronted Thornbirds resting and preening on a low branch. Then suddenly a courting pair of Aplomado Falcons appeared overhead to go with our good views of Barefaced Ground-Doves, Golden-billed Saltator and Blue-and-yellow Tanager. On and around the lake itself there were Andean Lapwings, Andean Gull, Slate-coloured Coots, Puna and Cinnamon Teals, Ruddy Duck, White-tufted Grebe and Puna Ibis. Both a Chilean Flamingo and White-cheeked Pintail were recorded which are both somewhat uncommon visitors to the lake. Afterwards we stopped in briefly at Tipón to have a look for mountain-finches but instead saw lots of Peruvian, Mourning, and Ash-breasted Sierra-Finches amidst this splendid Incan site. The next morning we left early after breakfast for the highlands taking a different route than usual to the Manu road due to road construction. Our journey took us through several Andean towns including the famous market town of Pisac. We were going to have to find a new site for the endemic Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch as our new route did not pass our usual stake-out. Thankfully our first stop in suitable looking habitat yielded a fine result rather quickly with all of us getting a good view of the handsome endemic mountain-finch. We continued to work our way up seeing Mountain Caracaras, Spot-winged Pigeons, and interesting furnariids such as Slender-billed Miner and Creamwinged Cinclodes (split from Bar-winged). However, probably our best sighting was a trio of Ornate Tinamous flushed from near the road which provided excellent views. Moving ever closer to Manu, we birded a series of isolated inter-Andean valleys where we saw the endemic Creamy-crested Spinetail and had our first taste of humid vegetation birds such as Mitred Parakeet and the lovely Crimson-mantled Woodpecker as we approached the east slope. Reaching the pass at Acjanaco (3560mts), we had lunch at the Sven Ericson monument where we were fortunate to have a Blackand-chestnut Eagle pass in close flight for an added bonus. Here we also saw Brown-backed Chat- Tyrant before walking the road down through the elfin vegetation. Great Thrush was common and we had good views of Hooded and Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanagers, and Moustached and Blackthroated Flowerpiercers. A Puna Thistletail was seen by some of our group and hummers included Chestnut-breasted Coronet and Violet-throated Starfrontlet. The most memorable bird of the afternoon by far was a very cooperative Yungas Pygmy-Owl which we were able to enjoy at length 2 <strong>Birdquest</strong>: The Manu 20011
perched near the road. We arrived in the late afternoon at our accommodation at the research station of Wayqecha, glad that we did not have to camp as in previous years. The next morning we started out pre-dawn with a walk near the station where after a bit of a wait we enticed a superb male Swallow-tailed Nightjar to rest on the path for prolonged views. As it got light we continued birding along the road where a group of Bolivian (Southern Mountain) Caciques was the highlight. After breakfast we continued birding along the station enjoying excellent sightings of Long-tailed Sylph, Tyrian Metaltail and Rufous-capped Thornbill. Then we walked down one of the station trails where activity was somewhat low due to the hot sun but nevertheless there were some quality birds here with Amethyst-throated Sunangel, Black-throated Tody-Tyrant, Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant, White-winged Black-Tyrant, Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant, Golden-browed Chat-Tyrant, White-collared Jay and Grass-green Tanager. We did our best to see a Red-and-white Antpitta but only a few of us managed to get a good view. It was still only mid-morning as we continued birding down the road through the upper temperate forest seeing Chestnut-collared and White-collared Swifts, Red-crested Cotinga and Barred Fruiteater. This upper section of the Manu road makes for very enjoyable birding as you walk along the road through good forest with trees covered in lots of epiphytes and luxurious ground cover fed by the numerous streams and waterfalls in an amazing landscape. A bit of cloud began to form which was good for mixed flock activity in which we found Pearled Treerunner, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Montane Woodcreeper, Sierran Elaenia, White-banded and White-throated Tyrannulets, Streak-necked Flycatcher, Superciliaried Hemispingus and Spectacled Redstart. We also had good luck with some star birds such as Grey-breasted Mountain- Toucan, Marcapata Spinetail, and Short-billed (Yellow-whiskered) Bush-Tanager. We ended up spending nearly the entire day concentrating on the upper temperate forest seeing Masked Trogon, Trilling Tapaculo, Inca, Handsome and Cinnamon Flycatchers, Mountain Wren, Glossy-black Thrush, Blue-capped, Golden-naped and Blue-and-black Tanagers, Chestnut-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Capped Conebill, Masked Flowerpiercer, Black-faced Brush-Finch, and Pale-legged Warbler. Other good specialty birds seen well included Fulvous Wren and Chestnut-bellied Mountain-Tanager. One of the day’s many highlights was watching a quite large (12 or more) family of South American Coati dash across the road. Just when we thought they had all crossed many seconds would pass and another would dart across as if each were nervously awaiting to go down in the line of fire. As we descended to Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge we still continued to pick up new species such as Whitecrowned Tapaculo, Gould’s Inca (split from Collared), Highland Motmot and Maroon-chested Chat- Tyrant, in what resulted in a very bird-filled day. Some of us had our first taste (or two) of Peru’s (Lima’s, actually) famous pisco sour tonight… The next morning we started out near Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge located at 1600 m/5200 ft elevation at the nearby hide which previously overlooked a very active lek of displaying Andean Cock-of-the- Rocks. It was obvious that last year’s landslide had taken away a huge swathe of forest here forcing the fittest of the males to move house. However, at least one male was still revisiting the original lek which allowed us to see just how frantic these guys are to attract a female! The lodge has been around since the late 90s when the conservation group that runs it converted their research station into the present lodge. The Rio Kosñipata runs just below creating a wide valley that stretches for many kilometres through which the road was built. As this area lies outside the park, thanks to the Cock-of-the-Rock’s conservation group’s land purchase, nearly the entire Rio Kosñipata valley was saved from destruction when it was formally made a private reserve. We spent most of the morning birding the lodge trails and garden where the feeders and flowers attracted Green Violetear, Booted Racket-tail, Violet-fronted Brilliant and Many-spotted Hummingbird. Highlights from our efforts along the trails included Olive Flycatcher, a very cooperative Slaty Gnateater and a likewise obliging Yungas Manakin. Other highlights from the Rio Kosñipata valley included Plumbeous Pigeon, Versicoloured Barbet, Streaked Xenops, Olive-backed and Montane Woodcreepers, Stripe-chested Antwren, Grey-mantled Wren, White-capped Dipper and Black-eared Hemispingus. The tanager flocks here are always good as long as it is not too sunny and thankfully we had an overcast day which made for regular sightings of Paradise, Orange-eared, Blue-necked, Beryl-spangled, Saffron- 3 <strong>Birdquest</strong>: The Manu 20011
Page 1: LEADER: MATT DENTON THE MANU 23 JUL
Page 5 and 6: eyed Vireo and Purplish Jay. Eventu
Page 7 and 8: the friaje seemed to fluctuate from
Page 9 and 10: us. The bus’s cold air certainly
Page 11 and 12: Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata: Nume
Page 13 and 14: Greater Yellow-headed Vulture Catha
Page 15 and 16: Common Gallinule (C Moorhen) Gallin
Page 17 and 18: Red-and-green Macaw Ara chloroptera
Page 19 and 20: NYCTIBIIDAE Great Potoo Nyctibius g
Page 21 and 22: Chestnut-breasted Coronet Boissonne
Page 23 and 24: Striolated Puffbird Nystalus striol
Page 25 and 26: White-winged Cinclodes Cinclodes at
Page 27 and 28: Montane Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes
Page 29 and 30: Black-faced Antbird Myrmoborus myot
Page 31 and 32: White-lored Tyrannulet Ornithion in
Page 33 and 34: Cinnamon Flycatcher Pyrrhomyias cin
Page 35 and 36: Band-tailed Manakin Pipra fasciicau
Page 37 and 38: White-eared Solitaire Entomodestes
Page 39 and 40: Swallow Tanager Tersina viridis (LO
Page 41 and 42: Black-backed Grosbeak Pheucticus au
Page 43 and 44: Tayra Eira barbara: A marauding ind
Page 45 and 46: More oxbow lake birds included Sung

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