Mountain Viscacha, N. Peru June 2008.
Black-necked Woodpecker.
Cactus desert slopes above Balsas in the Maranon Canyon - 2 species of inca-finch.
Grey-winged Inca-Finch near Hacienda El Limon 25 June 2008.
24 & 25 June.
Once again the weather was unkind in the cloud forests in the morning of 24 June. Early morning rain did not deter our intrepid small band of birders however as Russet-mantled Softtail, Red-crested Cotinga, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Sapphire-vented Puffleg and a couple of Plushcaps were all seen in the drizzle. Not bad for a sunny day, let alone a miserable damp morning!
Encouraged by our success we headed up into the Paramo where White-chinned Thistletail, Many-striped Canastero and best of all, at least 3 Coppery Metaltails (another Peruvian endemic) were all seen.
Time to get rid of the snorkel, flippers and poncho and head for a drier climate so we crossed the pass at Abra Barro Negro and started our decent into the Maranon. Slowly but surely the dense cloud and 'green' conditions gave we to a more arid landscape until we reached a stoney cactus desert setting. Huge stick constructions in the bushes revealed the presence of Chestnut-backed Thornbirds but for some reason they refused to show on the first afternoon despite responding (if rather weakly) to playback. One spot at about 1700m was productive though with the expected Buff-bridled Inca-Finch (above) alongside Grey-winged Inca-Finch.
Peruvian Pygmy -Owl, Balsas June 2008.
Maranon Thrush, Balsas June 2008.
Descending to Balsas and our camp (prepared for us in advance by a crew from Celendin) we found Peruvian Pigeons, Maranon Thrushes, Peruvian Pygmy-Owls and frustratingly only heard Yellow-faced Parrotlet near the banks of the Maranon. Camping near Balsas is always a rather pleasant affair - unpack, eat, drink, bird log, wash, brush teeth, sleep.
Next morning we woke early, took breakfast before heading back up the valley where we found a pair of confiding Yellow-faced Parrotlets (above) before crossing the Maranon into Cajamarca department and up the other side of the canyon towards Celendin. Plenty of Buff-bridled Inca-Finches, a few Grey-winged Inca-Finches, Yellow-tailed Orioles and Chestnut-backed Thornbird even showed well in the end.
