Birding Málaga High Pass Cusco 3D/2N

In the universe of birds, the Birders almost mostly want to see, the endemic birds of one country they visit, Peru is a country with an impressive number of endemic birds and we have some places that gather a high number of endemic species like is the case of Malaga high pass, one of the famous places in Peru where endemic birds are found that are really restricted to small spaces and also whit them are endangered ones whom share these small spaces. In Malaga high pass, we can find many of these birds such as: Rusty-Fronted Canastero (endemic), White-Tuffted Sumbean (endemic), Chestnut-Breasted Mountain-Finch (endemic), Creamy-Crested Spinetail (endemic), Bearded Mountaineer (endemic), in this first day we will have the chance to see the Royal Cinclodes too.

The route to see the Royal Cinclodes is tough because you must walk at high altitude above sea level (over 4000 mt / 13123 ft), but on that route the birds you seen are more restricted to the flanks of the snow-capped Veronica mountain and only It would be possible to see them at that altitude where we’ll see others spices too like: White Browed Tit-Spinetail (endemic) local in Polylepis synopsis (type of tree), over the way will be possible to observe others common spices of bird of the highland, we have the Ash-Breasted Tit-Tyrant, Tawny Tit-Spinetail, Giant Conebill, Paramo Pipit, Andean Hillstar, Blue-mantel Thornbill, Peruvian Sierra-Finch, Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch, Plumbeous Sierra-Finch, Puna Tapaculo, etc.

At the end of this trekking route, we will continue our birding along the main route to Quillambamba whit strategy stops in the way until we reach Ipal Ecolodge where will spend our night.

Ipal ecolodge is a very attractive destination for bird watching, within its circuits you can observe birds that are habitants in cloud forest, it circuits offer us the possibility to see mixed flocks formed with the purpose of searching for food successfully and reducing the possibility of being preyed on we can find: Barred Becard, Black-and-white Becard, Streaked Xenops, Flame-faced Tanager, Blue-and-black Tanager, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Sclater’s Tyrannulet, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Golden-collared Honeycreeper , Slaty-capped Tyrannulet, Chivi Vireo, Long-tailed Sylph, Speckled Hummingbird, Bronzy Inca, Rufous-booted Racket-tail, etc.

One of the birds that is quite coveted in this area is the fantastic hummingbird called Swallow-tailed Hummingbird, which in Peru has a small distribution range which makes it interesting to see it on this tour. And from the surroundings of the lodge, you can see more frequent birds such as the Blue Dacnis, Blue-tailed Emerald, For-tailed Woodnymph, Spectackled Chachalaca, Blue-necked Tanager, Palm Tanager, etc.

Today we will do some intense birding in this place looking for the ones most restricted to this area and attentive to any unusual surprises.

Today we have to return to Cusco city, we will have our breakfast early to be able to leave in direction to eastern flank of the Vilcanota mountain range where we can add new species to our list of birds seen.

This is also an area where mixed flocks of birds of different species are frequently found following one direction in search of food and without separating from the group due to survival strategy; We can possibly see the following species:

Mountain Wren, Inca Wren (endemic), Marcapata Spinetail (endemic), Unstreaked Tit-Tyrant, (endemic), Parodi’s Hemispingus (endemic) and Cuzco Brush-finch; we will also probably have a variety of birds such as: Andean tanagers, all of them are associated with mixes species flocks on the canopies of this humid montane, the most common are: Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Blue-and-black Tanager, Rust-and-yellow Tanager, etc.

Other interesting group found mostly in low dense vegetation stream edge, bamboo thickets are the Antpittas, they are one of the most difficult birds for watching even when they are close to you for example: Red-and-white Antpitta (endemic), Urubamba Antpitta.

And one of most conspicuous is the Sword-billed Hummingbird for that impressive long beak and another species of hummingbird: Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Sapphire-vented Pufflet, Amethyst-throated Sunangel, Citrine Warbler, Black-throated Tody-Tyrant), White-rumped Hawk, Doublé-toothed Kite, White-Throated Hawk, (rare) Sharp Shinned Hawk, Variable Hawk, etc.

And in the afternoon late we arrive to Cusco