THE
MANU BIOSPHERE RESERVE
LOWLAND RAINFORESTS AND MACAW LICK
15 Days
YEAR 2001 FIXED
DEPARTURE dates to be announced
The Manu Biosphere Reserve has the highest diversity of life on Earth
and is one of the most important conservation units in the world. The
beauty of this trip is the variety of habitats visited in untouched
Amazon rainforest where Monkeys abound
and Giant Otters still exist in the ox-bow lakes.
A trip to Manu is a trip to one of the worlds great wilderness areas
where wildlife is still plentiful and nearly 1000 species of birds have
been recorded. No birding in
cut-over forest on this trip!
August 2nd : Arriving in Lima we
transfer to our hotel in Lima. If time permits there is an optional excursion to
bird the wetlands of Villa marshes or the agricultural areas south of Lima in
search of some species typical to the arid littoral. Night in Lima
August 3rd : Early morning
flight to Cusco and we head out south of town with a picnic lunch to
Huacarpay lakes. Here we will see a variety of high Andean waterfowl and
wetland associated birds. We will be specifically on the lookout for
Wren-like Rushbird and Many-colored Rush-tyrant, Puna Ibis and Andean
White-winged Negrito. Raptors we may see include Aplomado Falcon,
Cinereous Harrier, Red-backed Hawk and Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle. Two
birds we will look for in the arid scrub around the lake are the endemic Rufous-fronted
Canastero and Streak-fronted Thornbird. We should find the pretty , endemic
Bearded Mountaineer feeding in the tree tabacco with Giant Hummingbird.
In the late afternoon we'll return to Cusco for the night.
August 4th : Morning light
aircraft flight to the airstrip at Boca Manu We’ll will head down the Alto
Madre de Dios river in our motorized canoes for two hours to the
comfortable Manu Wildlife Centre, jointly owned by Manu Expeditions and
the Selva Sur conservation group. This lodge facility is designed to take
visitors, but there are always biologists here conducting scientific research,
often ornithologists. On the river journey , we will have the opportunity
to see some of the typical riverside species such as Pied Lapwing, Collared
Plover , Orinoco Goose, Large-billed and Yellow-billed Tern.
Fly-overs will include many species of Macaws and Parrots, and this is our
opportunity for some Bird of Prey observations. We plan to arrive at
the Manu Wildlife Centre in time for lunch . Night Manu Wildlife Centre.
Aug 5th – 12th :
Eight full days based at the Manu Wildlife Centre , situated just
upriver from the Blanquillo Macaw Lick. There will be the opportunity on one
morning to visit the Macaw lick and observe the spectacle of hundreds of
Parrots and Macaws at close quarters from our floating blinds. Here we will see
the beautiful Orange-cheeked Parrrot , and sometimes the newly described
Amazonian Parrotlet participates at the lick. The rest of the time
will be spent birding the extensive trail systems which have
been designed to visit different forest types. The area around
this lodge has the most forest types of anywhere in the Manu area , and thus the
highest bio-diversity - which means the most species of birds. Large
stands of Bamboo hold many local and much sought after species, and coupled with
the extensive Varzea, Tierra Firme and Mature Transitional Floodplain Forest
this means a mind-boggling variety of birdlife. Although investigation on birds
is in it's early stages we expect this lodge area to hold more species of birds
than anywhere else in the world and the bird list is already 530+ Some of
the more interesting and unusual species we will be searching for in the Bamboo
include - Rufous-headed Woodpecker, Manu Antbird ( common here), Flammulated
Bamboo-tyrant, White-cheeked Tody-flycatcher, Brown-rumped Foliage-gleaner,
Large-headed and Dusky-tailed Flatbills, Peruvian Recurvebill, Dusky-cheeked and
Brown-rumped Foliage-gleaners, Ihring's and Ornate Antwren, White-lined Antbird,
Striated Antbird and more. We will certainly look for one of the 5
singing Rufous-fronted Antthrushes we have located on territory here. Some of
the scarcer forest species we will be on the lookout for that we have seen here
previously include : Bartlett's Tinamou, Razor-billed Currasow,
Pale-winged Trumpeter, Sunbittern, Pavonine Quetzal, Purus Jacamar,
Striolated Puffbird, Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Cream-colored Woodpecker, Ocellated
Woodcreeper, Colared Puffbird, Ruddy Spinetail, Plain Softail, Striped
Woodhaunter, Sclater's Antwren, Banded Antbird, Ash-throated Gnateater,
White-throated Antbird, Black-spotted Bare-eye, Black-faced Cotinga,
Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, White-bellied tody-tyrant, Royal Flycatcher, Musician
Wren, Pale-eyed Blackbird, Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak to name but a few. We will
also visit Ox-bow lakes in the area where we will see lakeside birds including
Hoatzin, Sungrebe, Agami Heron, Greater Large-billed Seed-finch, Silverd Antbird,
Rufous-sided Crake, Gray-breasted Crake and we may be lucky and see one of the
two Giant Otter families that live in the area. Night birding may
produce Long-tailed, Great and Gray Potoos, Amazonian Pygmy Owl,
Spectacled Owl, Ocellated Poorwill, amongst others. A visit to the large
mammal lick here , apart from attracting Tapirs, Peccaries and maybe a Jaguar,
also attracts Guans and Currasows. All nights at the Manu Wildlife Centre.
Aug 13th : Early start for
the airstrip at Boca Manu (2.5 hours upriver), and our last
look at early morning Parrot flocks and riverside birds. Our spectacular
light aircraft flight over the Andes takes about 45 minutes and we should be in
Cusco by midday. The afternoon is free for sightseeeing, shopping or just
relaxing in this beautiful city. Night in Cusco,
Aug 14th : We leave Cusco
early in the morning for the 4.5 hour train journey to Machu-Picchu.
From the train we will certainly see Torrent Ducks and White-capped Dipper on
the Urubamba River and get closer looks as we leave the train. Arriving at
the ruins , birding takes a back seat for once as we are taken on a guided tour
of this mystical archeological complex. White-tipped Swifts will be flying
overhead. After lunch we will look for Inca Wren which is quite common in the
bamboo around the ruins and then descend into the Urubamba gorge for late
afternoon birding. Night in Aguas Calientes
July 15th : All morning birding
the railway track along the Urubamba River. In the remnant cloud forest we will
be looking specifically for Sclaters and Bolivian Tyrranulets, Silver-backed
Tanager, Pale-eyed Thrush, Oleaginous Hemispingus and Capped
Conebill. Mixed flocks contain many species of Tanager and the endemic Green and
White Hummingbird is common here. After a late lunch, we return on the
tourist train to the historic town of Ollantaytambo and on to Urubamba or Cusco
for the night.
July 16th : Morning
flight to Lima and connecting
international flights. day rooms at our
hotel in Miraflores if required. Additional birding excursions near
Lima can be arranged for those who wish if international flights
are not until the evening.
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