Today began the first day of my first organized birding
tour. I woke up at 4:30 to be ready in the lobby for breakfast at 5. After a
plate of fruit and some coffee, we (myself and a woman from Los Angeles) were
off to Yanacocha with our guide, Jose, and driver, Hugo.
When I first tried to bird Yanacocha in March, I made it
about an hour before becoming drenched. Today, we were graced with incredibly
blue skies until early afternoon. On the road to the reserve, I grabbed a picture
of a Southern
Yellow Grosbeak, which I had actually seen before in fleeting glimpses,
but had never bothered to identify. As I was setting up the tripod, a number of
birds were called including lifers like Black-chested Mountain Tanager, but
for these I was only able to grab a quick look while they flew farther
up-mountain.
Properly ready to bird, the first hummingbird was a Shining
Sunbeam. We then encountered a mixed flock of Masked Flowerpiercer and Glossy
Flowerpiercer, followed by Supercilliated
Hemispingus. Jose recognized the
call of an Ocellated Tapaculo, which did not allow a sustained look, but
clearly revealed its dazzling collection of spots. A Stripe-headed Brushfinch
also made an appearance as we hoped for another shot at the Tapaculo. Coming
around a corner, a female Barred Fruiteater was perched
beautifully.
Around this time, I was starting to feel three cups of
coffee assault my bladder. I let Jose go ahead and I dipped down a side trail
with thoughts of finding a rarity, but mostly thinking about how good it would
feel to pee. Midstream, the endemic Black-chested Puffleg appeared and
calmly perched. I pushed as hard as my muscles would allow and ran back to grab
the camera. After a good set of shots, the bird flew away and I called to Jose
to confirm my suspicions. We were almost 90% sure we had the Black-chested and
returned to the trail hoping for another look. After a few minutes, he
reappeared, his violet vent and neck glistening.
More hummingbirds followed as we moved along the trail and
toward the hummingbird feeders, notably Tyrian Metaltail. We also came
across White-tailed Tyrannulet. At the feeders, we were treated to Buff-winged
Starfrontlet, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Sapphire-vented Puffleg, Golden-chested Puffbird, Great Sapphirewing,
and Mountain Velvetbreast.
Our attention to hummingbirds was momentarily disrupted by
Jose, who coaxed an exceptionally curious juvenile Rufous Antpitta from the
forest understory. At some points, the antpitta was so close that I could not focus
the lens, passing between my legs as I struggled to keep the tripod from
falling over.
The walk back netted the male Barred Fruiteater, Scarlet-breasted Mountain Tanager,
Blue-winged Mountain Tanager and Hooded Mountain Tanager, along with a
flock of Rufous Wren. After a well-deserved lunch, we got to watch one
of the most bizarre spectacles. The ranger whistled a random tune and tossed
pieces of worm to Tawny Antpitta who seemed as well trained as any dog.
On the ride to Tandayapa Lodge, our base for the trip, we
stopped on numerous occasions either to walk a promising stretch of road or to
track down an interesting sound. This yielded many good species including: Plain-tailed
Wren, Azara’s Spinetail, Spectacled Whitestart, White-tailed
Tyrannulet, Slate-collared Redstart, White-capped
Dipper, Slaty-backed Chat-Tyrant, Capped Conebill, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock,
Sickle-winged Guan, Montane Woodcreeper, Turquoise Jay, Plushcap (no picture). Arriving at
the Lodge, the feeders were alive as usual, but I was able to add a Green-crowned
Brilliant to the list of new hummingbirds.
23 Lifers
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