Central Peru-
Rare, Endangered, and Endemic Birds

8 Full Days of Birding

with
Tico Tours ^TM

Dates TBA for 2006-2007

Price: $1540; Single Supplement: $290

Includes: Accommodations, all meals, private transportation, bilingual naturalist guide (specialized on birdwatching),and all entrance fees.

For 8 Participants (+ Leader, Local guides where required and Driver)

Leader: Fabrice Schmitt

Expect: c350 species

ITINERARY

Day 1: Upon our arrival we will spend our first day in cloud forest at the Carpish tunnel. Depending on the weather and the bird activity, we could go in the evening to the Paty trail, another interesting place to bird. The expected species here are Grey-breasted Mountain-toucan, Bay Antpitta, Chestnut Antpitta, Unstreaked Tit-tyrant, Peruvian Wren, Brown-flanked Tanager, and Yellow-scarfed Tanager. We will look for the multi-species flocks of tanagers, flycatchers and hemispinguses.

It's also a very good place for hummers, including Mountain Velvetbreast, Purple-backed Thornbill, Violet-throated Starfrontlet and Amethyst-throated Sunangel.

Night in Huanuco

Day 2: An early wake up, in order to be on the Paty trail at the best time for birds! We will perhaps see, but surely hear, the Crested and the Golden-headed Quetzal. Others difficult to see, but easy to contact species here, are the Trilling and the Rufous-vented Tapaculo. For the eyes pleasure, we will have Rufous Spinetail, Pearles Treerunner, Streaked Tuftedcheek, White-eared Solitaire, Grass-green, Blue-capped, Lachrimose, Flame-faced and other tanagers! We will also have good chances to see the Masked Fruiteater and Masked Saltator, two very rare species.

After our birding breakfast, we will go down the mountain to Tingo Maria, birding some spots on the way for Andean Cock-of-the-rock or Fasciated Tiger-heron

The late evening will be spent in the "Cuevas de las Lechuzas" NP, where we should rapidly see the endemic Huallaga Tanager. Lots of beautiful species are presents in this park, and especially Blue-headed Macaw, Black-fronted Nunbird, Chestnut-eared Araçari, Great Antshrike, Fiery-capped Manakin, Magpie Tanager, Oriole Blackbird, etc. But the highlight is the Oilbird colony! At dusk, hundreds (about 2500 in one hour in September 2005) of these spectacular and fascinating birds will fly out of the cave where they have roosted for the day. The sight of these birds exiting the cave is absolutely unforgettable!

Night in Tingo Maria

Early morning near a little river, where Hoatzins are roost.  Here, we could also see water species like Capped Heron, Limpkin or Lesser Kiskadee.

Then we will go back to the "Cuevas de las Lechuzas" NP to add the species we missed the day before. After a good morning in this area, we will drive back to Huanuco, stopping in several good places and especially in Paty trail in late evening for night birds.

Night in Huanuco

Day 4 and 5: We will spend a couple of days in the elfin and cloud forest near the Unschog Mountains.  These forests are very well preserved, and lots of endemic and endangered species can be found here.  The weather conditions are often unfavourable (lot's of rain and fog), so we have to spend (at least) two days in the "Bosque Unschog" to see the most of these wonderful species. As there are no accommodations close of this place, we will have to camp. Endemics species expected here are Coppery Metaltail, Line-fronted Canastero, Plenge's Thistletail, "Fulvous" Antpitta (a very probable split of the Rufous Antpitta), Bay-vented Cotinga, Golden-backed Mountain-tanager, Rufous-browed Hemispingus, and Pardusco. Lot's of Andean species like Andean Snipe, Swallow-tailed Nightjar, Pearled Treerunner, Undulated Antpitta, and Brown-backed Chat-tyrant are easily seen here.

Night in Huanuco.

Day 6:Today will again wake very for our last visit of the Carpish tunnel and Paty trail area. The bird diversity in this cloud forest is very high, so we surely will add lots of new species. When the bird activity here slows down, we will drive to Junin. On the way, we will stop in a great Polylepis woodland, where we will look for Stripe-headed Antpitta, Giant Conebill, Rusty-crowned Tit-spinetail, or Green-headed Hillstar. One of our targets along the way will be the rare endemic Rufous-backed Inca-finch.

If we have time, we will bird the late evening on the shore of the beautiful Junin lake where thousands of ducks, coots, grebes, and flamingos breed.

Night in Junin

Day 7: The morning will be spent in a boat on the lake in search of the critically endangered Junin Grebe, a flightless bird only found on this lake. The total population of this grebe numbers less than 300 birds! During the boat trip, we will also others see lots of wetlands birds like Crested and Andean Duck, Andean Goose, Yellow-billed Pintail, Cinereous Harrier, Andean Gull, Andean Negrito, and others.

Going back to Lima, we will stop to the Ticlio bog, where the White-bellied Cinclodes, a very rare species (the known population is less than 100 birds) is easy to find. Other interesting species here are Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, Andean Ibis, and White-fronted Ground-tyrant.

Another wonderful species for this "rare birds day" will be the Diademed Sandpiper-plover, a very difficult to find species across all its range!

Night in San Juan de Iris.

Day 8:We will take our breakfast near a Polylepis woodland, where the rare and endangered White-cheeked Cotinga, as well as Black Metaltail, Giant Hummingbird, Canyon Canastero, and Striated Earthcreeper. We should also have great views on Andean Condor in this area.

Going down the Santa Eulalie valley, we will look for the very rare and endangered Rufous-breasted Warbling-finch, the endemic Great Inca-finch, and Black-necked Woodpecker, Peruvian Pygmy-owl, Bronze-tailed Comet, among others. Near the Santa Eulalia village, we will make our last stop, for common species like Oasis and Amazilia Hummingbird, Peruvian Sheartail, Long-tailed Mockingbird, and Scrub Blackbird.  These last few birds should bring our list to nearly 350 species in 8 days!

Night in Lima.

Day 9: After breakfast, we will be transported to the airport for the return trip home.