Birding Peru: Manu Road Photography Tour - 5 Days

A brief birding stop at Huacarpay Lake, specifically to look for the endemic Bearded Mountaineer. We continue over the highlands, and look for Andean Goose, Andean Lapwing, Mountain Caracara and Andean Flicker The Manu Road drops into the Amazon cutting through amazing habitats of cloud forest, ranging in altitude from 3,600m to 600m. In the afternoon we visit a Cock-of-the-Rock lek for some bird photography and spend the night at Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge

The morning at the feeders at the Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge until lunch.

The veranda at Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge has a number of hummingbird feeders and plants that attract hummingbirds, and also fruit tables for tanagers making it one of the best places in Peru for bird photography and hummingbird photography in particular. Some hummingbirds include Violet-fronted Brilliant, Many-spotted Hummingbirds, Speckled Hummingbird, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Wire- crested Thorntail, Wedge-billed Hummingbird and with some luck, Buff-tipped Sicklebill. Among the tanagers there are Golden Tanager, Blue-necked Tanager and Paradise Tanagers often showing.

It is not unusual to see Brown Capuchin Monkey, Woolly Monkey, Tayra and Brown Agouti at Cock of the Rock Lodge.

The trail below the lodge is a good one to search for Yungas Manakin, Cerulean-capped Manakin, Slaty Gnateater, and Rufous-breasted Antthrush.

In the afternoon we travel to Villa Carmen, where there is good bamboo. Species like Bamboo Antshrike, Pavonine Cuckoo, Dot-winged Antwren and Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Ornate Antwren and, Bamboo Antshrike, Manu Antbird, Yellow-billed Nunbird, Pheasant Cuckoo, Large-headed Flatbill and White-cheeked Tody-Tyrant can be seen here. Additional species we shall be looking for here include Peruvian Recurvebill, Rufous-headed Woodpecker, White-cheeked Tody-Flycatcher, Flammulated Bamboo-Tyrant, Large-headed Flatbill and many more.

Night Villa Carmen.

Apart from the birds mentioned above, VIlla Carmen now has an Amazonian Antpitta coming to a feeding station, as well as a feeding station for Black-capped Tinamou, and other tinamous. There is also a small pond good for photographing Hoatzin and Sunbittern.

Mammals include Red Howler Monkey, Saddle-backed Tamarins and Squirrel Monkeys and Night Monkey.

We shall make an excursion to the small oxbow-lake of Machu Wasi to get closer to some waterbirds such as Horned Screamer, Pale-eyed Blackbird, Black-capped Donacobious and with some luck Sungrebe and Rufous-sided Crake.

Capibaras are often seen in the lake.

In 2020 there was a Harpy Eagle nest down the road, but in 2021 we have not heard of any reports.

Should it appear again, we shall likely make small changes in the itinerary to accomodate for a visit (and a small fee to the community and Harpy guardians)

En route to Cocha Machu Wasi there are two excellent feeding stations for hummingbirds (entrance fee paid on the spot - around US$ 10).

An enormous variety of hummingbirds can be seen such as Gould’s Jewelfront, Koepcke’s Hermit, Rufous-crested Coquette, Wire-crested and Black-breasted Thorntail, White-tipped Sicklebill, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Grey-breasted Sabrewing and many tanagers such as Magpie Tanager and Masked Crimson-Tanager.

Night at Villa Carmen

After the morning's birding on the trails of Villa Carmen, we continue via Cock-of-the- Rock Lodge to the Wayqecha Cloud Forest Biological Station (2,900m) in the temperate cloud forest zone. We are closer to Cusco from here, and it will ensure that we have plenty time to reach Cusco, the following day, in case anyone has a late afternoon or evening flight. ..

The journey between Cock-the-Rock-Lodge and Wayqecha has often rewarded us with sightings of Andean Potoo.

At Wayqecha we’ll look for Swallow-tailed Nightjar at dusk.

Wayqecha is managed by the conservation NGO ACCA. The cabins are comfortable and spacious. Departure from Wayqecha will be around 9.00 to allow for a few stops en-route. We’ll be at Cusco airport for a flight around 5:00 or 6:00 pm. The area near Wayqecha is very good for Red-and-White Antpitta and Rufous-capped Thornbill. 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.

On the way to Cusco, if time permits we may visit a highland lake above San Salvador, where there are Giant Coot and Crested Duck. Lower down, and going into the Sacred Valley, we look for the endemic Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch and Bearded Mountaineer.

This trip is good to combine with our Machu Picchu and Abra Malaga 5 day program or our short North Peru trip with Marvelous Spatuletail combined with some day tours in Lima.