Bosque de Pomac is a reserve where birdwatchers go to see two famous Tumbesian endemics, the Peruvian Plantcutter and the Rufous Flycatcher. It also has some lovely huge algorrobo trees, but the wildlife really needs the understory of caper shrubs. We got there rather later than the typical birdwatchers (apparently they show up at daylight and can look for these guys all day). We found the plantcutter in about 5 minutes (it has a very strange raspy call). The caper bushes were in fruit so it was probably mating season. We saw the flycatcher within another half an hour. And a Pygmy Owl on the way out!

Chachapoyas is near the cloud forests in Amazonas province. There are several archaeological sites nearby (Kuelap is the most famous), and patches of cloud forest jungle. There are some tours which focus on birding in this area of northern Peru.

Huembo and Abra Patricia are two of the places along this route, with several outfits running tours/ Huembo is the place for the Marvelous Spatuletail.

http://www.conservationbirding.org/n...inginperu.html

Nice job as usual with the report =D>

The pics I found most fascinating were of the different colored ears of corn, and the guinea pig pen.

And the blue-headed parrots...wow, I've never seen those before.

I love the story of 'Canopy Girl' :) Good for her!

Thanks mlgb. Great info.

I recall seeing someone else's Peru photos and noting the corn. A very picturesque starchy vegetable! Corn and guinea pigs were at the same place.

Glad you liked Canopy Girl, Femi!

BTW I loooooved Chaparri, spent two nights there (not on tour). The first night I was the only "guest" and the second night it was the owner's son and his friend. We visited the bear enclosures two mornings for feedings, also got to see some young foxes being released. We did spot a large "venado" in the wild, as well as a boa that my guide caught near the stream. There are lots of habituated foxes, collared peccaries, and white-winged guans that hang around the dining area. I didn't go on the extended overnight hikes, but we went on shorter hikes and saw maybe 60 new birds for me. The endemic birds are not flashy and colorful, other than a few such as the white jay and of course the guans.

Extended overnight hikes, now that has my attention!

60 birds for you-congrats!

mlgb, thanks for the Chaparri information. I'll be visiting there next August.

How many nights would you recommend for a stay? We will be visiting the bear enclosures, however we won't be doing any overnight treks or rough terrain walking.


Thanks,


Pol

I did two nights and thought it was about right for someone with a moderate interest in birdwatching. We did some modest hiking uphill (to see the condor enclosure), the bears are also uphill. But those are not especially difficult hikes. There are other level trails and you can see a lot just hanging around the different lodge buildings. Probably 40 of the 60 species were seen in the first 24 hours.

Bring insect repellent and a good flashlight and/or headlamp, the lodge runs on solar so you're asked to conserve power. They do have recharge stations in the morning. The food was homestyle Peruvian and really quite good.

Three of the community guides are trained in birdwatching, they primarily speak Spanish but know the common English names. When you reserve through the website there should be space to lust your interests so they match you with the right guide.

To LIST your interests... Darn iPod keypad!

Thanks for this, I'll probably book 3 nights with the first being a late afternoon arrival.

Regards,


Pol

For anyone interested in Amazonia Expeditions, which operates Tahuayo Lodge, I suggest contacting them directly, not though the above website which appears to be a travel agency operated by this Ash person.

You can call Dr. Beaver directly in Flordia, where he is most of the year, with any questions.

www.perujungle.com is the direct website.

Thanks mlgb, it isn't a travel agency but a free tool to contact official tour operators. Messages go to exactly the same place!

Anyway, make sure people are aware that there is a new website that started up called Tahuayo Lodge expeditions who are simply parasitising the Tahuayo Lodge name and this is causing Paul a bit of a headache. The only tourist lodge in the Tahuayo is the Tahuayo Lodge - Perujungle.com. Happy travels!