Target Birding Places Peru Machupicchu – Abra Málaga – Soraypampa

The Manu National Park is a famous place for bird watchers because it has a record more than a thousand species of birds along its entire rout. This park is located in the south-eastern part of Peru and our tour begins early in the morning with pick-up from your hotel to head towards Acjanaco, where the Manu National Park entrance begins, will star here our birding and also from there we will descend to through different ecosystems of the cloud forest and on our way we will make strategic stops where we can have chance to see some species of birds such as: Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Grass-green Tanager, Golden-collared tanager, Masked Flowerpiercer, Cinnereous conebill, Hooded Mountain Tanager, there are also tyrants such as: Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant, White-banded Tyrannulet, White-throated tyrannulet, etc.

This cloud forest also frequently shows mixed flocks of birds that gather during the morning to begin searching for food in the different levels of the trees without to have competitions. These flocks of birds are made up of birds such as: Citrine Warbler, Superciliared Hemispingus, Black-capped Conebill Barred Becard, Band-Tailed Fruiteater, Barred Friuteater, Pearled treerunner, etc.

We will enjoy intense birding in this area and for our food we will stop somewhere where we can set up our table and enjoy our breakfast (picnic) and our lunch will also be picnic luch, after an exciting and intense birding, in the afternoon we will return to Cusco and we will arrive at approximately 7:30 or 8:00 pm where our services will end when we drop you off at your hotel.

We start early from Ollantaytambo and head for the Polylepis forest at Abra Malaga with its special inhabitants like the endangered Royal Cinclodes, White-wing Cinclodes, Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant and the White-browed Tit-Spinetail (endemic). We will also look for the Stripe-headed Antpitta that lives at a higher elevation than all other antpittas, while these are sometimes elusive, there are many other birds to see as well, including Tawny Tit-Spinetail, Puna Tapaculo, Blue-mantled Thornbill and Giant Conebill.

If time allows, we drive over the pass, and witness a complete change of habitat when entering the high cloud forest. Here we hope to encounter some good mixed flocks, compounds for: Parodi’s Hemispingus, Unstreaked Tit-Tyrant, White-browed Conebill, Tawny-rumped Tyrannulet, Tit-like Dacnis and many others. Undulated Antpittas are frequently heard calling, but are very hard to see, as are Diademed Tapaculos.

Hummingbirds to look for Saphire-vented Puffleg, Scaled Metaltail (uncommon and rectricted to the south of Perú), Rufous-capped Thornbill, Purple-backed Thornbill and Sword-billed Hummingbird. In the later afternoon, we return to our hotel in Ollantaytambo. On the way, we visit a place called “Peña Ruins”. This is the stakeout for the endemic White-tufted Sunbeam. Also, Creamy-crested Spinetail, Rusty-fronted Canastero, Black-backed Grosbeak and, with luck, Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch are possible here. Late afternoon returns to Ollantaytambo to hotel.

This is our last day early in the morning, we will travel to Mollepata; This valley has species that inhabit both dry forests and humid high-Andean valleys and is inhabited by two outstanding species that are named after a region where they were initially studied. Apurimac Spinetail, Apurimac Brush-finch.

We will have great chances to observe the following endemic species: Creamy Crested Spinetail, Vilcabamba Tapaculo, White-tufted Sunbeam, Creamy-breasted Canastero (pale tailed). Among the other bird species of today are: Tufted Tit-tyrant, Purple-backed Thornbill, Tawny-rumped Tyrannulet, White-banded Tyrannulet, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Bar-bellied Woodpecker, D’orbigny´s Chat-tyrant, Red-crested Cotinga, Creamy-winged Cinclode, Tit-like Dacnis, Andean Condor, Mountain Caracara, Variable Hawk and many others.

We will be back in Cusco in the late afternoon, to have a hotel.