Aug. 12

We leave Paris in the morning during the solar eclipse, and make a stop in Miami en route to our final destination, Lima. This city has a population of 8 million people.

Aug. 13

Early in the morning, we take a flight to Cuzco, and a russian helicopter bring us close to the Inca site of Machu Picchu . We follow the Urubamba river, and have our 1^st sighting of a torrent duck, a female with its orange plumage. We take a bus to the park entrance.

A few minutes after, we see the marvellous Inca site of Machu Picchu, hidden in the high mountains.

Despite the tiredness of the group, we thoroughly enjoy this wonderful sight, and we appreciate the flight of the blue and white swallows which are nesting inside the ruins.

We go back to Cuzco with the night train, with the crowd of local people and tourists.

Aug. 14

We have a flight from Cuzco to Puerto Maldonado, in the Amazon rainforest, where we can take a boat on the Bajo Tambopata river. Our final destination is Posadasa Amazonas : along the banks we can watch the anhinga, neotropical cormorants, roadside hawks, yellow-headed vultures, cocoi herons, muscovy ducks and anis.

Aug. 15

After a nice breakfast, we take a trail to climb up on to a metallic tower, from where we can watch at the tree canopy : we will watch a few birds : one black-tailed trogon, a few mealy parrots. A couple of red-necked woodpeckers are making a hole in a palm tree.

Aug. 16

We take the boat to reach the beautiful Très Chimbadas oxbow lake, which was formed from a former meandering river : the wind is strong and we have difficulty in watching animals in good conditions : we can see a giant otter’s family, our first hoatzins, a few striped bats hung on a tree log, and a masked-crimson tanager family.

Aug. 17

We take the boat to deeply enter the Tambopata reserve : our lodge is the TRC which is the Tambopata Research Center.

Scientists are following the macaw and parrot populations in this area, and they glean as much information as they can to build up a thorough report, in order to protect the biodiversity, including the ecotourism activity that brings money to the center.

We are welcomed by a couple of horned screamers, which are living on the river banks.

Aug. 18

This morning we take the boat in order to access the river bank from where we have a marvellous time: this is the world’s largest clay-lick, where thousands of parrots and macaws of 15 different species congregate daily.

The name of this place is the colpa, which is formed by the powerful river during the rainy season : the birds come each morning to eat the clay, before they can eat the acid seeds . It avoids problems with their stomachs.

Our guide tells us that there is also a ‘tapir colpa’, in a remote area of the forest.

Aug. 19

We are back on the river bank to watch the colpa again and its colorful birds : they are numerous this morning and we can identify : scarlet , red-and-green, chestnut-fronted, and red-bellied macaws, white-eyed, dusky-headed, orange-chicked, blue-headed, yellow-crowned and mealy parrots.

In the high trees we can also spot the Spix's guan and the common piping-guan.

In the afternoon, we take the trail near the colpa area, and meet great tinamou on the main trail.

From the hill we have a good overview of a screamer monkey family, a few macaws in flight, the white-crested elaenia, the colorful vermilion flycatcher, the lesser and great Kiskadees.

Aug. 20

Our flight to Puerto Maldonado is cancelled and we have a bonus morning at the colpa. In the afternoon, we take the boat, and watch a couple of King vultures, Amazon and ringed Kingfisher, cattle and snowy egrets.

Flight from PM to Cuzco. Our Canadian guide Regent welcomes us at the airport, and we take a truck to enter the mountain road , to our final destination, the Manu National park . We have a lunch stop, near a pool : we can see a few waterbirds, Inca lapwing, Andean and Franklin’s gull.

We arrive very late at Cock of the Rock lodge, after a 10 hours drive.

The lodge is located at 1600m, in the cloud forest, the temperature is cool, and there are no mosquitoes here, although there are bed nets in the rooms.

Aug. 21

We wake up at dawn to meet the blazing scarlet andean cock of the rocks, in their « lek » : each morning, just before the rising sun, the males meet together in chosen and prepared branches of the cloud forest ( the leaves were removed from the branches ), and they call for the females.

During the breakfast, we can see with pleasure , the hummingbirds eating at the feeder, and a few golden and silver-beaked tanagers, versicolored barbets ( male and female )

Aug. 22

This morning, we visit the lek, and the andean cocks of the rock seem to be more active, maybe a dozen males are present and three females.

After breakfast, we can watch a capuchin monkey family, and a young caoti .

Aug. 23

We take the truck to reach the Amazonia lodge, in a lower part of the amazonian forest . The bird list of this place is still the world’s longest !

Maybe in the future, the new Manu lodge could provide a longer list, as the diversity is higher . On the road, we make a stop, and can take a few pictures of the rare blue-headed macaw ; we see also the bat falcon, the swallow-tailed kite, the tropical kingbird, and a family of woolly monkeys.

Near the lodge itself, we can watch nesting and noisy russet-backed oropendolas and yellow-rumped caciques.

Aug. 24

We try to spot the only missing macaw, the military macaw, but without success . We take a forest trail, and see the short-tailed pygmy tyrant.

Near the lodge, we can watch a long-tailed potoo, maybe nesting.

In the evening, we can see a flock of sand-colored nighthawks on the sandy banks of the river ( their flight is pratincole-like ), and an ocellated poorwill on the trail.

Aug. 25

We make a small cruise on the river, and can spot the black phoebe, two fasciated tiger-herons, and one Amazon kingfisher.

Aug. 26

This morning is perfect for birding as it is cloudy, and the birds like the grey weather. We meet this morning the crested quetzal, the Inca jay, Azara’s spinetail, and a pair of swallow-tanagers.

Aug. 27

We go back to Lima via the mountain road : we pass a few high summits over 4000m : a few people have altitude sickness !

We can see a few mountain specialities, as mountain caracara, mountain sierra-finches.

Aug. 28

We visit the city of Lima : gold museum for some, and seashore for others.

I make this choice, and bring my scope to see some sea birds as elegant Inca tern, peruvian booby, and dominican gulls.

Aug. 29

We take our flight from Lima to Paris, and arrive in the morning.

Bird trip list :

1 . Great Tinamou ( Tinamus major ) / Grand Tinamou / TRC

2 . Cinerous Tinamou ( Crypturellus cinereus ) / Tinamou cendré / TRC

3 . Peruvian Booby ( Sula variegata ) / Fou varié / Lima

4 . Peruvian Pelican ( Pelecanus thagus ) / Pélican thage / Lima

5 . Neotropical Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax olivaceous ) / Cormoran vigua / Tambopata river + LIMA

6 . Anhinga ( Anhinga anhinga ) / Anhinga d'Amérique / Oxbow lake Tambopata + river

7 . White-necked Heron ( Ardea cocoi ) / Héron cocoi / Tambopata river

8 . Snowy Egret ( Egretta thula ) / Aigrette neigeuse / Tambopata river

9 . Great Egret ( Casmerodius albus ) / Grande Aigrette / Tambopata river

10 . Cattle Egret ( Bubulcus ibis ) / Héron garde-bœufs / Tambopata river

11 . Capped Heron ( Pilherodius pileatus ) / Héron coiffé / Tambopata river

12 . Fasciated Tiger-Heron ( Tigrisoma fasciatum ) / Onoré fascié / Manu river

13 . Andean Ibis ( Theristicus branickii ) / Ibis des Andes / Cuzco

14 . Horned Screamer ( Anhima cornuta ) / Kamichi cornu / Posadas Amazonia + Tambopata river

15 . Muscovy Duck ( Cairina moschata ) / Canard musqué / Tambopata river

16 . Torrent Duck ( Merganetta armata ) / Merganette des torrents / Machu Picchu

17 . Speckled Teal ( Anas flavirostris ) / Sarcelle tachetée / Huacarpay lake

18 . Cinnamon Teal ( Anas cyanoptera ) / Sarcelle cannelle / Huacarpay lake

19 . Yellow-billed Pintail ( Anas georgica ) / Canard à queue pointue / Huacarpay lake

20 . King Vulture ( Sarcoramphus papa ) / Sarcoramphe roi / Tambopata river (x2)

21 . Black Vulture ( Coragyps atratus ) / Urubu noir / Tambopata river

22 . Greater Yellow-headed Vulture ( Cathartes melambrotus ) / Grand Urubu / Tambopata river

23 . Swallow-tailed Kite ( Elanoides forficatus ) / Milan à queue fourchue / Atalaya

24 . Plumbeus Kite ( Ictinia plumbea ) / Milan bleuâtre / Tambopata river

25 . Gray Hawk ( Buteo nitidus ) / Buse grise / TRC

26 . Roadside Hawk ( Buteo magnirostris ) / Buse à gros bec / TRC + Am. lodge

27 . Osprey ( Pandion haliaetus ) / Balbuzard pêcheur / Tambopata river

28 . Black Caracara ( Daptrius ater ) / Caracara noir / Tambopata River

29 . Mountain Caracara ( Phalcoboenus megalopterus ) / Caracara montagnard / Pilcopata

30 . American Kestrel ( Falco sparverius ) / Crécerelle d'Amérique / Puerto-Maldonado

31 . Bat Falcon ( Falco rufigularis ) / Faucon des chauves-souris / Atalaya + oxbow lake P.A.

32 . Speckled Chachalaca ( Ortalis motmot ) / Ortalide motmot / Amazonia Lodge

33 . Spix's Guan ( Penelope jacquacu ) / Pénélope de Spix / TRC

34 . Common Piping-Guan ( Aburria pipile ) / Pénélope siffleuse / TRC

35 . Hoatzin ( Ophisthocomus hoatzin ) / Hoazin huppé / Oxbow lake Tambopata + A.Lodge

36 . Common Moorhen ( Gallina chloropus ) / Gallinule poule-d'eau / Huacarpay lake

37 . Andean Coot ( Fulica ardesiaca ) / Foulque ardoisée / Huacarpay lake

38 . Wattled Jacana ( Jacana jacana ) / Jacana noir / Oxbow lake Tambopata

39 . Andean Lapwing ( Vanellus cayanus ) / Vanneau de Cayenne / Huacarpay lake

40 . Solitary Sandpiper ( Tringa solitaria ) / Chevalier solitaire / Atalaya

41 . Spotted Sandpiper ( Actitis macularia ) / Chevalier grivelé / Oxbow lake Tambopata

42 . Large-billed Tern ( Phaetusa simplex ) / Sterne à gros bec / Tambopata River

43 . Yellow-billed Tern ( Sterna superciliaris ) / Sterne argentée / Tambopata River

44 . Inca Tern ( Larosterna inca ) / Sterne inca / Lima

45 . Kelp Gull ( Larus dominicanus ) / Goéland dominicain / Lima

46 . Andean Gull ( Larrus serranus ) / Mouette des Andes / Huacarpay lake

47 . Franklin's Gull ( Larus pipixcan ) / Mouette de Franklin / Huacarpay lake

48 . Black Skimmer ( Rynchops niger ) / Bec-en-ciseaux noir / Tambopata River

49 . Ruddy Pigeon ( Columba subvinacea ) / Pigeon vineux / Amazonia Lodge

50 . Croaking Ground Dove ( Columbina cruziana ) / Colombe à bec jaune / Lima

51 . Blue-and-yellow Macaw ( Ara ararauna ) / Ara bleu / TRC

52 . Scarlet Macaw ( Ara macao ) / Ara rouge / TRC

53 . Red-and-green Macaw ( Ara chloroptera ) / Ara chloroptère / TRC

54 . Chestnut-fronted Macaw ( Ara severa ) / Ara vert / TRC

55 . Blue-headed Macaw ( Ara couloni ) / Ara de Coulon / Atalaya

56 . Red-bellied Macaw ( Ara manilata ) / Ara macavouanne / TRC

57 . White-eyed Parakeet ( Aratinga leucophthalmus ) / Conure pavouane / TRC

58 . Dusky-headed Parakeet ( Aratinga weddellii ) / Conure de Weddell / TRC

59 . Cobalt-winged Parakeet ( Brotogeris cyanoptera ) / Toui de Deville / TRC

60 . Orange-chicked Parrot ( Pionopsitta barrabandi ) / Caïque de Barraband / TRC

61 . Blue-headed Parrot ( Pionus menstruus ) / Pione à tête bleue / TRC + Am. lodge

62 . Yellow-crowned Parrot ( Amazona ochrocephala ) / Amazone à front jaune / TRC

63 . Mealy Parrot ( Amazona farinosa ) / Amazone poudrée / TRC

64 . Squirrel Cuckoo ( Piaya cayana ) / Piaye écureuil / TRC

65 . Greater Ani ( Crotophaga major ) / Ani des palétuviers / Tambopata River

66 . Smooth-billed Ani ( Crotophaga ani ) / Ani à bec lisse / Amazonia Lodge

67 . Groove-billed Ani ( Crotophaga sulcirostris ) / Ani à bec cannelé / Tambopata River

68 . Long-tailed Potoo ( Nyctibius aethereus ) / Ibijau à longue queue / Amazonia Lodge

69 . Sand-colored Nighthawk ( Chordeiles rupestris ) / Engoulevent sable / Amazonia lodge Manu river

70 . Ocellated Poorwill ( Nyctiphrynus ocellatus ) / Engoulevent ocellé / Amazonia Lodge

71 . White-collared Swift ( Streptoprocne zonaris ) / Martinet à collier blanc / partout

72 . Short-tailed Swift ( Chaetura brachyura ) / Martinet polioure / Amazonia Lodge

73 . Fork-tailed Palm Swift ( Tachornis squamata ) / Martinet claudia / Amazonia Lodge

74 . Long-tailed Hermit ( Phaethornis superciliosus ) / Ermite à brins blancs / Posadas Amazonas

75 . White-necked Jacobin ( Florisuga mellivora ) / Colibri jacobin / Amazonia Lodge

76 . Violet-fronted Brilliant ( Heliodoxa leadbeateri ) / Brillant à front violet / Cock of the Rock lodge

77 . Crested Quetzal ( Pharomachrus antisianus ) / Quetzal antisien / Cock of the Rock lodge

78 . Black-tailed Trogon ( Trogon melanurus ) / Trogon à queue noire / TRC

79 . Ringed Kingfisher ( Megaceryle torquata ) / Martin-pêcheur à ventre roux / Tambopata River

80 . Amazon Kingfisher ( Chloroceryle amazona ) / Martin-pêcheur d'Amazonie / Tambopata River

81 . Green Kingfisher ( Chloroceryle americana ) / Martin-pêcheur vert / Tambopata River

82 . Blue Crowned Motmot ( Momotus momota ) / Motmot houtouc / TRC

83 . Highland Motmot ( Momotus aequatorialis ) / Motmot d'Équateur / Cock of the Rock lodge

84 . Chestnut Jacamar ( Galbalcyrhynchus purusianus ) / Jacamar roux / TRC

85 . Green-tailed Jacamar ( Galbula galbula ) / Jacamar vert / TRC

86 . Chesnut-capped Puffbird ( Bucco macrodactylus ) / Tamatia macrodactyle / Posadas Amazonia

87 . Blackish-fronted Nunbird ( Monasa nigrifrons ) / Barbacou unicolore / TRC + Pos.Amazonia

88 . Swallow-winged Puffbird ( Chelidoptera tenebrosa ) / Barbacou à croupion blanc / Cock of the Rock lodge

89 . Versicolored Barbet ( Eubucco versicolor ) / Cabézon élégant / Cock of the Rock lodge

90 . Chesnut-eared Aracari ( Pteroglossus castanotis ) / Araçari à oreillons roux / Posadas Amazonia

91 . Little Woodpecker ( Veniliornis passerinus ) / Pic passerin / TRC ( bamboo )

92 . Red-necked Woodpecker ( Campephilus rubricollis ) / Pic à cou rouge / Posadas Amazonia (x2)

93 . Andean Flicker ( Colaptes rupicola ) / Pic des rochers / Cock of the Rock lodge

94 . Plain-brown Woodcreeper ( Dendrocincla fuliginosa ) / Grimpar enfumé / TRC

95 . Strong-billed Woodcreeper ( Xiphocolaptes promeropirhynchus ) / Grimpar géant / Posadas Amazonia

96 . Azara's Spinetail ( Synallaxis azarae ) / Synallaxe d'Azara / Cock of the Rock lodge

97 . Yellow-chinned Spinetail ( Certhiaxis cinnamomea ) / Synallaxe à gorge jaune / TRC

98 . Plain Xenops ( Xenops minutus ) / Sittine brune / TRC

99 . Bluish-slate Antshrike ( Thamnomanes schistogynus ) / Batara bleu-gris / TRC

100 . Pygmy Antwren ( Myrmotherula brachyura ) / Myrmidon pygmée / TRC

101 . Plain-throated Antwren ( Myrmotherula hauxwelli ) / Myrmidon de Hauxwell / TRC

102 . White-flanked Antwren ( Myrmotherula axillaris ) / Myrmidon à flancs blancs / TRC

103 . Andean Cock-of-the-rock ( Rupicola peruviana ) / Coq-de-roche péruvien / Cock of the Rock lodge

104 . Cerulean-capped Manakin ( Pipra caeruleocapilla ) / Manakin céruléen / Cock of the Rock lodge

105 . Mottle-backed Elaenia ( Elaenia gigas ) / Élénie écaillée / TRC

106 . Short-tailed Pygmy-Tyrant ( Myiornis ecaudatus ) / Microtyran à queue courte / Amazonia Lodge

107 . Inca Flycatcher ( Leptopogon taczanowskii ) / Pipromorphe inca / Cock of the Rock lodge

108 . Smoke-colored Pewee ( Contopus fumigatus ) / Moucherolle bistré / Cock of the Rock lodge"

109 . Black Phoebe ( Sayornis nigricans ) / Moucherolle noir / Cock of the Rock lodge

110 . Vermilion Flycatcher ( Pyrocephalus rubinus ) / Moucherolle vermillon / TRC

111 . Long-tailed Tyrant ( Colonia colonus ) / Moucherolle à longs brins / TRC + Atalaya

112 . Dusky-capped Flycatcher ( Myiarchus tuberculifer ) / Tyran olivâtre / Cock of the Rock lodge

113 . Lesser Kiskadee ( Philohydor lictor ) / Tyran licteur / Tambopata River

114 . Great Kiskadee ( Pitangus sulphuratus ) / Tyran quiquivi / Tambopata River

115 . Social Flycatcher ( Myiozetetes similis ) / Tyran sociable / TRC

116 . Gray-capped Flycatcher ( Myiozetetes granadensis ) / Tyran à tête grise / Amazonia Lodge

117 . Tropical Kingbird ( Tyrannus melancholicus ) / Tyran mélancolique / Tambopata River

118 . White-winged Swallow ( Tachycineta albiventer ) / Hirondelle à ailes blanches / Tambopata River

119 . Blue-and-white Swallow ( Notiochelidon cyanoleuca ) / Hirondelle bleu et blanc / Machu Picchu

120 . Purplish Jay ( Cyanocorax cyanomelas ) / Geai bleu-noir / Amazonia Lodge

121 . Violaceous Jay ( Cyanocorax violaceus ) / Geai violacé / Amazonia Lodge

122 . Green Jay ( Cyanocorax yncas ) / Geai vert / Cock of the Rock lodge

123 . Thrush-like Wren ( Campylorhynchus turdinus ) / Troglodyte grivelé / Tambopata River

124 . Andean Solitaire ( Myadestes ralloides ) / Solitaire des Andes / Cock of the Rock lodge

125 . Chiguanco Trush ( Turdus chiguanco ) / Merle chiguanco / Cuzco

126 . Black-billed Thrush ( Turdus ignobilis ) / Merle à bec noir / Amazonia Lodge

127 . Dusky-green Oropendola ( Psarocolius atrovirens ) / Cassique olivâtre / Cock of the Rock lodge

128 . Russet-backed Oropendola ( Psarocolius angustifrons ) / Cassique roussâtre / Amazonia Lodge

129 . Olive Oropendola ( Gymnostinops bifasciatus ) / Cassique du Para / Amazonia Lodge

130 . Purple Honeycreeper ( Cyanerpes caeruleus ) / Guit-guit céruléen / Amazonia Lodge

131 . Blue Dacnis ( Dacnis cayana ) / Dacnis bleu / Amazonia Lodge

132 . Peruvian Sierra-Finch ( Phrygilus punensis ) / Phrygile du Pérou / Cuzco"

133 . Swallow-Tanager ( Tersina viridis ) / Tersine hirondelle / Cock of the Rock lodge

134 . Orange-bellied Euphonia ( Euphonia xanthogaster ) / Organiste à ventre orange / Cock of the Rock lodge

135 . Bronze-green Euphonia ( Euphonia mesochrysa ) / Organiste mordoré / Cock of the Rock lodge

136 . Safron-crowned Tanager ( Tangara xanthocephala ) / Calliste à tête dorée / Cock of the Rock lodge

137 . Golden Tanager ( Tangara arthus ) / Calliste doré / Cock of the Rock lodge

138 . Blue-gray Tanager ( Thraupis episcopus ) / Tangara évêque / TRC + Am.lodge + Cock ...

139 . Silver-beaked Tanager ( Ramphocelus carbo ) / Tangara à bec d'argent / TRC + Am.lodge + Cock ...

140 . Masked Crimson Tanager ( Ramphocelus nigrogularis ) / Tangara masqué / TRC

141 . White-shouldered Tanager ( Tachyphonus luctuosus ) / Tangara à épaulettes blanches / Amazonia Lodge

142 . Magpie Tanager ( Cissopis leveriana ) / Tangara pillurion / Cock of the Rock lodge + TRC

143 . Common Bush-Tanager ( Chlorospingus ophthalmicus ) / Tangara des buissons / Cock of the Rock lodge

144 . Olivaceous Siskin ( Carduelis olivacea ) / Chardonneret olivâtre / Cock of the Rock lodge

145 . Buff-throated Saltator ( Saltator maximus ) / Saltator des grands-bois / Cock of the Rock lodge

146 . Red-capped Cardinal ( Paroaria gularis ) / Paroare rougecap / Amazonia Lodge

147 . Lesser Seed-Finch ( Oryzoborus angolensis ) / Sporophile curio / Amazonia Lodge

148 . Pectoral Sparrow ( Arremon taciturnus ) / Tohi silencieux / Amazonia Lodge

149 . Yellow-browed Sparrow ( Ammodramus aurifrons ) / Bruant à front d'or / Cock of the Rock lodge

150 . Rufous-collared Sparrow ( Zonotrichia capensis ) / Bruant chingolo / Cuzco

151 . Yellow-crowned Redstart ( Myioborus flavivertex ) / Paruline à cimier jaune / Cock of the Rock lodge