Short stop in Bolivia after Peru -December 9-11

PHOTOS TO COME...still having trouble with uploading them here

After my time in Peru I took a midday flight from Cusco to La Paz in Bolivia on Avianca (the only flight this airline didn’t change on me). This portion of the trip down south would be a short one with just a couple days of birding followed by an evening flight back to Lima and then a red eye from Lima to Boston via Miami…at least that was the plan. My main targets on this short stop would be two more new warbler species, Yungas Warbler and Brown capped Redstart. The Brown capped Redstart would be the toughest of the two to get and was far from a guarantee in the area I would be in. I had never been to Bolivia before so another new country for birds for me. My cold symptoms almost had me cancel this portion of the trip but I decided to press on.

After my flight I arrived in La Paz and had to navigate through the visa on arrival process. There was lots of conflicting information on line as far as what was needed and how the process worked. I thankfully had everything in order (copies of my passport, return flight info, hotel location and name, who I would be meeting, yellow fever vaccination, bank statement and work information and of course $160…the true reason for the visa). I met up with the guide and we started the drive through the horrible traffic that is La Paz. Eventually we made it out of the city and started up into the mountains with a dinner break on the way that produced a few species downslope from the restaurant. We then continued the drive and arrived not long before the sun went down. Now for the lodging, a place called Casa Cunyii. It was rustic to say the least and despite my reaching out to the owner of the trip company before hand to make sure I had a private room when we arrived all three of us would be in one room. I mentioned this to the guide and he thought the original intention was that they would stay at a cabin just downhill from me but the cabin has a leaking roof. The guide then generously offered to move two mattresses into a small kitchen area next door so I did indeed end up with a private room. I’m sure they appreciated it too as my cold symptoms got worse at night and they would have dealt with me blowing my nose all night. There was no WiFi and no regular power to the place with the only power available coming from a battery pack that once it ran out we were out of power.  

After another restless night due to my cold I was up around five to a cloud free sky and we were able to enjoy a breakfast outside before taking a walk along the infamous ‘road of death’ which ran right past our cabin. It is a seldom used road now as a new and much safer road replaced it about twenty years ago. It is a narrow dirt road that was the main transport route before the new road was built and it got its name from the large number of people killed in traffic accidents over the years. Now it is a great birding spot as there is little traffic and the road is easily walked. As we stated our walk one of the first species we saw and heard were a few Yungas Warblers, one of my two targets. The birds were quite active and vocalizing a lot so I got some good recordings and a few decent photos…I got better photos of them on the return trip up the road later in the morning. We ran across other species along the way with a lot of activity with 44 species tallied over approximately three hours along the road. Among them were several species new to me (and even a new one for the guide). 

Once we finished up along the road of death we drive up the mountain to several different locations in search of Brown capped Redstart. We did a lot of walking and had to dodge on and off rain showers and we mainly succeeded in that endeavor before getting caught in a downpour at the end of the day and getting soaked. The various stops produced a variety of species with some areas being fairly active and others being quiet. 

After getting soaked we started the drive back down the road of death to our cabin and that is when more adventures ensued. After a stop along the way the guide could not get his truck started. As we wee still several kilometers from our cabin it was not a good situation. Everything he tried failed and we ended up coasting down the road with stops along the way to try to figure out the vehicle issue. All was not lost as one of our stops had a nice mixed species flock that provided more species for the trip. We finally made it to the cabin and after I had a hot shower we had a late dinner outside. The guide arranged for a backup ride and a mechanic to arrive the following morning. With no truck available until around 10AM, the next morning of birding would have to be done around the area of the cabin only. 

After waking up early at 3:40 I could not get back to sleep so tossed and turned until it was light enough out to see as our battery power ran out overnight so no lights beyond flashlights would work. I got packed up and prepared for the morning of birding before leaving for the airport. We enjoyed another breakfast outside and the guide was actually able to get his truck running again so we quickly packed up and started the final drive up the road of death. We added a few species along the way before arriving near the top and birding a side road that we tried multiple times before but always got rained out on (it was the spot we got soaked at the day before). This time the rain held off and we enjoyed a few mixed flocks over the course of a couple hours as well as great views of the mountains. Around ten the spare truck arrived with a mechanic and at this point the clouds moved in and cut visibility down but the rain mainly held off for us. With the mechanic looking at the truck the extra guide and the new driver took me to a few other spots further up the road before we would have to head to our lunch spot or a final meal before the long journey home. The main guide would meet us for lunch and at that point determine who would bring me to the airport. Although the visibility was poor at times one of the side roads turned up my last main target of the trip with a way to brief view of a Brown capped Redstart. It was with a mixed flock and showed only for a few seconds and was silent so no photo or recording, which bummed me out but I was happy to finally get it after so much effort. We then stopped for lunch and met back up with the main guide and decided the back up truck would be more dependable to get me to the airport. We made the drive without too much incident besides fighting traffic in La Paz and I even added a couple more species along the way. I had a ticket with BOA airlines, which is a Bolivian based carrier and my flight got delayed multiple times so the entire trip back became a chore to say the least with days spent in various airports before finally arriving home exhausted. I’ll spare you the details but I was never happier to finally be home.

The political situation in Bolivia looks to be headed down the same path that Venezuela followed years ago with politicians squandering the riches of the country and being so corrupt they sink the economy leading to rampant inflation. The lines just to get fuel were incredible. The poverty of the place was obvious and the political situation is not improving the lives of the citizens any time soon. There have been protests and other political unrest and I sadly think it will only get worse. It is really a shame as it is a beautiful country with a lot of biodiversity that will suffer for years without some major change. I was certainly nervous about going but figured if the political situation gets worse it would no longer be possible to get down there. 

Overall for the trip I had 106 species in Bolivia with 29 of those being life birds. With these I now have a total count of 2156 species ever.

Trip to Peru December 2-9

PHOTOS TO COME SOON...having an issue with uploading photos here for now.  The linked eBird lists have some great photos.

I made a trip down to Peru and then Bolivia in early December with the primary focus being on finding a few more range restricted warblers (the Bolivia portion of trip is covered in another post). Although the five target species of warblers were the main focus I also found a multitude of other species along the way which is not surprising given the biodiversity of the area and the fact I have never been to either area before (I did step briefly into Peru at the border with Ecuador during my trip to southern Ecuador in 2021...part 1 and part 2). Trying to get this trip organized took me a couple years and lots of correspondence to various tour companies. I finally went with kolibri expeditions as it was the only company that had access to guides in both countries and actually returned messages. The trials and tribulations leading up to the tour continued until I left with lots of flight changes (Don’t ever use Avianca Airlines…horrible customer service and massive changes to flights with no compensation or notice...their idiocy cost me several hundred dollars on their useless tickets plus hundreds more for new flights). The tour had many moving parts with multiple flights on multiple airlines over several days.  

Many colored Rush Tyrant, Laguna Muyna, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

Plumbeous Rail, Laguna Muyna, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

Laguna Muyna, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

Tyrian Metaltail, Wayqecha Cloud Forest Biological Station, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

Shining Sunbeam, Wayqecha Cloud Forest Biological Station, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

Andean Guan, Wayqecha Cloud Forest Biological Station, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

Leymebamba Antpitta, PN Manu--Trocha Erickson, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

Pale legged Warbler, Carretera a Manú--Túneles Pillahuata, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

Blue banded Toucanet, Carretera a Manú--Túneles Pillahuata, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Carretera a Manú--Rocotal Medio, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 3, 2024

I flew out of Boston on December 2nd to Miami and then onto Lima, where I spent the night at a hotel at the airport before a morning flight out to Cusco where I met my guide for the Peru part of the trip. I arrived a bit after nine and then caught up with the guide and driver and we started the very long drive to Cock of the Rock Lodge with a number of birding stops along the way. Our first stop was to a wetland area known as Laguna Muyna and this spot started wracking up new life birds for me including some waterfowl, Plumbeous Rail, Wren like Rushbird and Many colored Rush Tyrant. More stops along the way produced more birds and more lifers for me including such varied species as Chestnut breasted Mountain Finch, Bearded Mountaineer, White browned Chat Tyrant and Tit like Dacnis. The roads got progressively more winding and I was getting more and more hungry and this led to me getting the worst case of motion sickness I have had in a long time. Usually I have no trouble with it but this ride was brutal. A late lunch stop at Wayqecha Lodge around two gave me a needed break from the drive and some badly needed nourishment. The stop also added three more new species for me. After a little poking around the lodge we continued the drive to Cock of the Rock Lodge with a few more stops along the way. Highlights on these stops including a Leymebamba Antpitta coming into get worms put out for it, Blue banded Toucanet, my first target warbler species of the trip with Pale legged Warbler and an Andean Potoo. We finally arrived at the lodge around six and there was still enough light to get a few birds before dark settled in for the night. There is only limited power at the lodge with power available to charge phones, batteries, etc for three hours (6-9pm) using batteries charged up by solar during the day. The rooms have no power overnight besides two small battery lights that charge during the day by solar. It was a good day for birds with a total of 83 species to start my stay in Peru. A total of thirty of these species were life birds for me. 

Two banded Warbler, Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

Many spotted Hummingbird, Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

Monkey, Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

Silver beaked Tanager, Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

Metaltail butterfly sp, Puente Quita Calzones, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

Paradise Tanager, Carretera a Manú--Tanager Corner a Thousand-meter Bridge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024 

Wire crested Thorntail, Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

Cuzco Warbler, Carretera a Manú--Thousand-meter Bridge a Chontachacra, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

Bluish fronted Jacamar, Carretera a Manu, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

Blue headed Macaw, Carretera a Manu, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

Sapphire spangled Emerald, Bamboo Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 4, 2024

Butterfly species, Cock of the Rock Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

After a number of thunderstorms overnight I awoke to overcast conditions and some light rain that unfortunately picked up as more thunderstorms rolled in. I had some good luck early on when I found a pair of Two banded Warblers before the guide was even up and got some marginal photos of the birds. The rain picked up and didn’t stop until around ten so we didn’t get going elsewhere until later than planned. Although a bit slow overall at the lodge I still added a number of lifers as I watched the hummingbird and fruit feeders. A troop of monkeys also arrived to add some excitement to the morning with one figuring out how to get to one of the hummingbird feeders and drinking it down. We finally headed out along the Manu Road around 10:30 and made a few stops and turned up a nice mixed flock and a number of other birds scattered around. We came back to the lodge for a late lunch and then went even further down the road and had more good luck with a number of active spots with a good mix of birds including my third target warblers species (Cuzco Warbler) making an appearance. Tough to get photos as they stayed hidden most of the time, occasionally popping out very briefly. Another stop further down the road produced nine lifers! Our final stop before heading back to the lodge was a stop at Bamboo Lodge which produced a couple more lifer. It started raining a bit as we drove back to the lodge and the rain then picked up from there with more thunderstorms. By the end of the I had 89 species total with 29 of those being life birds (including two species of warblers)

Plumbeous Pigeon, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

Lyre tailed Nightjar, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

Three striped Warbler, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

Deep Blue Flowerpiercer, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

Speckled Chachalaca, Cock of the Rock Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

Andean Cock of the Rock, Cock of the Rock Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 5, 2024

After another rainy, thunderstorm filled night I was out on my own a bit before breakfast with the main goal being to get some better photos of Two banded Warblers and I successful in that quest. It stayed rain free during my time before breakfast around the lodge thankfully. After breakfast we headed up the road and into some rain almost immediately. We made a stop in the fog and light rain not far above the lodge and had a mixed flock that turned up some new birds but the best waited until the end. Just as we were about to leave the guide and I both noticed a bird pop up on a bare branch. At first glance it resembled a Summer Tanager but something was off about it. The build was similar but different and the bill was more yellow/pinkish in color. The bird stayed in view for a total of around ten seconds before dropping down out of sight, never to be seen again despite a lot of effort. Although the looks were short, they were long enough to get the field marks for what appeared to be a very rare tanager, the Inti Tanager. This tanager was only recently described to since in 2021. It breeds in small range in Bolivia and then in the non breeding season disperses to a few areas of western Peru. Really wish I got a photo of it but I had to be content with just a look at it. We then worked our way further up in elevation and the rain increased which kept activity overall low and even kept us stuck in the vehicle as it was just raining too hard at times. The mixed flocks we did find held a number of new species for me and I’m sure we missed some due to the weather. In the mid afternoon we headed to a nearby Andean Cock Of The Rock lek and we were not disappointed with multiple males present and displaying. I had seen the species before in Ecuador but it is not a species you can really get tired of seeing. After about 45 minutes at the lek we did more roadside birding as we made our way back to the lodge. The light rain returned intermittently as we walked down the hill, turning up an occasional group of birds. We made it back to the lodge for dinner and were rewarded with an owl to end the day when a Rufescent Screech Owl called. The day ended with a total of 87 species with a lucky 13 of those being lifers.

Olive backed Woodcreeper, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 6, 2024

Masked Trogon, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 6, 2024

Common Chlorospingus, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 6, 2024

Black streaked Puffbird, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 6, 2024

Mountain Cacique, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 6, 2024

Golden headed Quetzal, Carretera a Manú--Túneles Pillahuata, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 6, 2024

Pearled Treerunner, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 6, 2024

Barred Fruiteater, Carretera a Manú, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 6, 2024

Wayqecha Cloud Forest Biological Station, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 6, 2024

Navigating a recent landslide, Wayqecha Cloud Forest Biological Station, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 6, 2024

After a final night at Cock of the Rock Lodge we had an early breakfast and then started the less than comfortable, twisting ride back up the mountains toward our destination for the day at Wayqecha Lodge (a location we stopped at for lunch a few days prior). We broke up the trip with lots of roadside birding and the weather gods mainly kept the rain away. We had a lot of the same species early on as we were hitting the same areas we had been on previous days. Nonetheless there were still some new birds for me…the tropics always produce even when visiting the same spot several times. We had lunch on the road and eventually arrived at the lodge a little after two. I checked out the feeders a little and then got settled in the room. The guide then came by and suggested a walk down one of the trails. Although it was a bit wet and slippery in spots and the overall density of birds was somewhat low I added multiple life birds for the effort. We walked for over two and a half hours and almost made it to the end of the trail where the driver was going to pick us up and a recent landslide had taken out the trail. After a little bit of work we made it across, which was a good thing as it was already getting close to dark and retracing our route would have been pure hell. I ended the day with a total of 103 species with 15 life birds. 

Gray breasted Mountain Toucan, Wayqecha Cloud Forest Birding Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 7, 2024

Urubamba Antpitta, Wayqecha Cloud Forest Birding Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 7, 2024

Tyrian Metaltail, Wayqecha Cloud Forest Birding Lodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 7, 2024

Puna Thistletail, CU-113, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 7, 2024

Plain colored Seedeaters, CU-113, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 7, 2024

White tufted Sunbeam, PE 28B, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 7, 2024

Andean Goose, Abra Malaga pass, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 7, 2024

White banded Tyrannulet, Abra Malaga upper temperate forest, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 7, 2024

Cuzco Brushfinch, PE 28B, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 7, 2024

Barred Becard, PE 28B, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 7, 2024

Golden collared Tanager, PE 28B, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 7, 2024

Thick billed Euphonia, Ipal Ecolodge, Cuzco, Peru, Dec 7, 2024

On Saturday the 7th we began our day trying to see another antpitta that comes in close for photos, this time it would be a Urubamba Antpitta. Just as we were about to make a short walk to the spot the guides heard a Gray breasted Mountain Toucan and eventually it showed well. We then walked to the spot for the antpitta and after a bit of waiting and wondering if it would show it provided a fine performance. After breakfast we started the extremely long and tiring drive to our next destination, Opal Lodge. This involved driving down the mountain range we were on and crossing over to another range and then down the other side to a new lowland area. We made a few stops along the way but most of the day was driving. The stops we did make were productive and I added a few new species thanks mainly to getting to some higher habitats. The highest point we reached was a pass through the Andes (Abra Malaga pass) that topped us out at 4100+ meters with snow covered mountains with glaciers hovering above us. We had to contend with a little rain and lots of clouds but it didn’t dampen our birding too much. We finally arrived at our lodging for the night around five and checked in to the Ipal Ecolodge. It was not what I was hoping for and was more rustic than I prefer with no windows and just screens on the rather basic cabins. Bugs and critters could get in everywhere and it was not a restful night of sleep. The day ended with a total of 60 species with 12 lifers…not a huge amount of diversity compared to some other days but the higher elevation areas we visited are not nearly as diverse as lower elevations. 

My final full day in Peru found us up early after a very restless night in the rustic setting. It rained again overnight and that continued into the morning. I also started developing symptoms of a cold (the guide got a cold our first full day of birding and I had avoided catching it until Sunday). After checking out the birds coming to the feeders on site and having a breakfast we made a drive to a location where a family has set up feeders and is becoming known as a great spot for a variety of species including lots of tanagers and hummingbirds coming in close and allowing great photo opportunities. The place did not disappoint and we stayed for four hours! It was really amazing to see so many great birds up close. We were going to go for a walk around the property but as soon as we headed out it started to rain and we got wet, again. We quickly returned to the covered area (the second floor to the families house) and continued to observe from there. I took hundreds of pictures of a variety of birds. We finally left the spot around 12:30 to drive a few hours to our last lodging of the trip in the town of Ollantaytambo. (It’s a busy town as it is the jump off point for the train to Machu Picchu). We picked up a few birds as he went back up over the pass through the Andes but the weather was bad with rain and wind. We finally arrived at our lodging before dinner and I took a long, hot shower to warm up. After dinner we discussed plans for the next day with my flight departing to Bolivia around noon. Initially we were going to bird for perhaps an hour or so and get to the airport around 9 but the guide decided we didn’t have the time so Sunday would be the last day of birding for me in Peru. On the morning of the 9th we were supposed to have breakfast at the hotel and then depart around seven for a two hour drive. Instead they decided to leave when we were suppose to have breakfast and we had a bagged breakfast to go so I ended up at the airport at 8:30AM. My cold symptoms had worsened and I contemplated canceling the trip to Bolivia and heading home early but decided to go through with it. 

My totals for the trip to Peru included 285 species in total with 112 life birds.  To show you the diversity in the tropics I saw more species in several days in Peru then I saw for the entire year in the US (285 species vs 283 species)