I needed to finally get up a post of all the birds I shot photos of while in Peru from April 16-29. Our route was Cusco-Manu National Park-Machu Picchu. It was an awesome time and Manu is probably the most diverse place you can visit for birds in the world. In a very small area there are over 1000 species of birds. The overall numbers of birds aren't large, but almost every single bird you see is a different species than before. Flocks of tanagers are all mixed, so it's very tricky to shoot photos because you really have to single out the one you're looking for. Here's a chronological view of my trip with my wife...
First birds encountered going over the Andes at about 14,000ft were these Mountain Caracara's-
Adult on the left, other 2 are juveniles
Cloud Forest view, we spent one night here in the cloud forest and the very popular Manu Road. If you're just going for birding, you could easily spend a week here and log tons of species. We did an evening hike and an early morning hike and saw so much.
Long-tailed Sylph
Female Booted-racket Tail
White-collared Jay...stunning bird
Mountain Cacique
Blue-capped Tanager
Only view and only photo I shot of this...Blue-banded Toucanet
Blue-crowned Motmot on the road
In Ecuador when we went in 2009, we had to wake up at 3:30am, drive an hour, hike 1.5 miles in the pitch dark to get a 10 minute view of the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. Here on the Manu Road, you just pull up at 2pm and they're all over the place. It's kind of crazy. It was actually hard and weird to walk away from them, even though I shot about 150-200 photos, I still felt like "man, I can't believe we're just going to bail now".
Speckled Hummingbird
Yellow-throated Flycatcher
I was real excited to have a chance to see Paradise Tanagers. Like I said, the mixed flocks of birds make it real tough to find anything specific, so I only got about 1-2 minutes at dawn until this guy got away. Maybe a max of 7 photos tops taken.
Masked Tityra
Black-goggled Tanager
Golden-headed Quetzal, I just couldn't get away from hanging moss, branches and all that to get a full shot. Had to sacrifice the tail to get the head.
Violet-fronted Brilliant
Long-tailed Tyrant
Russet-backed Oropendola
Roadside Hawk looking like a statue
Black-capped Donacobius
Crested Oropendola
Red-capped Cardinals
The ever present Hoatzin
Striated Heron with fish, I wasn't aware that they stab their fish through the body, not just catch them.
Juvenile Purple Gallinule
We saw this Spix's Guan on the trail, it barely cared about us.
A few birds were seen at night on hikes.
Black-spotted Bare Eye
Fasciated Tiger Heron
The first clay lick we went to was directly in front of the morning sun, with fog. It was real rough to shoot photos at. No color popping out at all.
Here's a mix of Chestnut Fronted Macaws and Blue-headed Parrots
Macaw Cluster of mixed Species
Emerald Toucanet
Ringed Kingfisher
Pouring rain and driving wind but I managed 1 shot of a Jabiru
I'm not 100% on this ID, but Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo? At night, kind of tough.
Capped Heron with what looked like a tadpole meal
Green Ibis
Crimson-crested Woodpecker
Wattled Jacana
White-winged Swallows
The 2nd Clay Lick was much better for lighting and comfortability factor. Very cool.
Red and Green Macaws
Striated Heron
Red and Green Macaws at the lick. They load up on clay to supplement their diet because of a lack of minerals and also to combat poisons in the seeds they eat during the dry season
We did have 2 Scarlet Macaws join the Red and Green party as well, here's one of them
Purus Jacamar
Bad shot of an Orange-backed Troupial
Black-fronted Nunbird
Only shot I managed of White-throated Toucans from way far away
Masked Crimson Tanager
A great find overall, there's a bird in the photo...find it.
A closer view reveals a Great Potoo
Yellow-rumped Cacique
The canopy Platform that was about 600ft high, such an amazing view and easy bird spotting from up here.
That was all for Manu, but I did manage a few birds when we were in Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu
Blue-gray Tanager
Thick-billed Euphonia
Hepatic Tanager
Dusky Green Oropendola
Green Violet-ear Hummingbird
Chestnut-breasted Coronets
I spotted these birds outside of our window in our hotel just before taking a nap, but I had to bolt up and start shooting when I saw the color, amazing.
Blue-necked Tanagers
It was an awesome trip. I do wish I wouldn't have had to do Manu as part of a tour, but if I ever go back I'm going to try to do 2-3 days on the Manu Road and then 4-5 more at the first lodge we went to, skipping the rest of the boat tour.
Peru/Madre De Dios/Manu birds...lots of photos
Moderator: Scott Waters
Re: Peru/Madre De Dios/Manu birds...lots of photos
Thank you so much for sharing these. It is interesting to see variants of species I am familiar with here.
Re: Peru/Madre De Dios/Manu birds...lots of photos
Hunter-MX wrote:Thank you so much for sharing these. It is interesting to see variants of species I am familiar with here.
No problem, thanks for checking them out.
How many of these make their way north to you?
Re: Peru/Madre De Dios/Manu birds...lots of photos
Excellent post. That looked like a trip of a lifetime.
Glenn
Glenn
Re: Peru/Madre De Dios/Manu birds...lots of photos
Holy cow...where to start??
Amazing post, amazing photos.
I started to have a mental list of things I wanted to comment on, but it just got too long. Awesome top to bottom.
I'm guessing you meant to post a photo of the potoo?
Amazing post, amazing photos.
I started to have a mental list of things I wanted to comment on, but it just got too long. Awesome top to bottom.
This is some species of Crake, not a gallinule.Rothdigga wrote:Juvenile Purple Gallinule
I see it, I see it!!A great find overall, there's a bird in the photo...find it.
I'm guessing you meant to post a photo of the potoo?
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Re: Peru/Madre De Dios/Manu birds...lots of photos
Same here. Absolutely awesome. And the fact that most of the pix are not NatGeo quality really took me along on the trip with you. Thank you very much!Amazing post, amazing photos. I started to have a mental list of things I wanted to comment on, but it just got too long. Awesome top to bottom.
Re: Peru/Madre De Dios/Manu birds...lots of photos
ChrisH,
I knew you would like the photos. I believe your old avatar was a green Jay, right? I missed Purple Jay's, Violaceous Jays and a few others while down there (heard but not seen).
This was the Potoo photo I meant to put up...I'll correct it, but good eye catching that Tanager. Hard to find that red in that sea of green! Ha.
I'll lean on your expertise with the Crake. Our guide said it was a juvenile of this adult that was in the tree
I knew you would like the photos. I believe your old avatar was a green Jay, right? I missed Purple Jay's, Violaceous Jays and a few others while down there (heard but not seen).
This was the Potoo photo I meant to put up...I'll correct it, but good eye catching that Tanager. Hard to find that red in that sea of green! Ha.
I'll lean on your expertise with the Crake. Our guide said it was a juvenile of this adult that was in the tree
Re: Peru/Madre De Dios/Manu birds...lots of photos
Actually, that PUGA in your photo looks like a juvenile to me.
Your Crake looks like either a Rufous-sided or a White-throated Crake. I can't see the underside well enough to tell. If you made me choose, I would say White-throated.
Your Crake looks like either a Rufous-sided or a White-throated Crake. I can't see the underside well enough to tell. If you made me choose, I would say White-throated.
Re: Peru/Madre De Dios/Manu birds...lots of photos
Tremendously productive adventure! Beautiful stuff, great job
Re: Peru/Madre De Dios/Manu birds...lots of photos
Birds - they're good fried or roasted, right?
But this post reminds me of the magic of the tropics; the magic of a flash of colour that takes your breath away. That stops you in your tracks while your mind tries to untangle what you saw. That makes you hold your breath lest you frighten away this unbelievable creature. Thank you.
But this post reminds me of the magic of the tropics; the magic of a flash of colour that takes your breath away. That stops you in your tracks while your mind tries to untangle what you saw. That makes you hold your breath lest you frighten away this unbelievable creature. Thank you.