Hi ,

I am very excited as I have a lot of news for you. I have to apologize up front that this will be a very long newsletter. If you don't have time to read it now, you should save it for later. 

But before you do, please mark in your calendar my Facebook LIVE presentation about Birding in Peru at 8 AM on tomorrow morning Dec 4, Peru time. (-5H GMT). You'll find it on Asian Bird Fair's Facebook page. 

In this newsletter. 

Ready? Let's dive into it. 

Birding Peru during COVID.

I started thinking about a Condor watching project in the Santa Eulalia canyon some 17-18 years ago. We started using Huachupampa village as our base back then after a day's birding in Santa Eulalia canyon and as a stepping stone for the next day's ascent to the Polylepis forest for White-cheeked Cotinga and the Diademed Sandpiper-Plover. This way we avoided to waste a lot of time driving to a hotel lower down in the valley back and forth.

Although we approached the former mayor regarding a conservation/eco tourism project together several years ago, nothing came of it. 

It is a bit ironic that it should take a pandemic to get me focused enough to re-launch the project. The reward offered by MINSETUR (Tourism Ministry) for novel projects helped my motivation. I finally managed to get hold of the community president and a representative from the municipality so we could make a third party agreement, and on this agreement I presented the project to MINSETUR. 

 

Guess what? Our project was selected and we have just received the funding to be working on this for the next couple of months. There will be a hide, and a feeding station for the condors. We shall provide services both for domestic and international visitors. 
 

The project is explained in Spanish in this video with English subtitles. Check it out and let me know your thoughts. 

Here is some more Condors from our last trip. They come really close. 

Finally, a video with some soothing Satie Piano Music. Enjoy.

I am very pleased to receive news that Susan Myers - legendary guide for Wings and expert on the avifauna of Borneo, Vietnam and Japan, as well as other South East Asian destinations is coming to Peru to volunteer on the Satipo road project for a month. 

So what is the Satipo road project?  
The community at Calabaza on the Satipo road has a building that was meant to become a lodge. However, there is a lack of resources and marketing skills, and in spite of having been around for about 10 years, there is not much improvement in these regards. I decided to actively do something about it. 
Satipo road will never be on the main birding circuit if there is not a decent place to stay. 

Now, Kolibri Expeditions is making an agreement with the community to run and improve the hostel and make it birder friendly with feeders for hummingbirds, tanagers, and antpittas. For this purpose we have commenced a fundraiser. Consider making a donations or perhaps do like Susan - volunteer for a minimum of two weeks. CHECK OUT ON THIS WEBPAGE. 

There are room for two volunteers simultaneously. The tasks include taking part in building improvements such as room dividers in the main building, setting up the feeders and locate the best places for this, complete the bird survey, survey other things (Susan is very keen on Herps for instance), take lots of photos to share on Social Media on a daily basis as part of the marketing strategies (there is WIFI in the village), train local guides and teach English, as well as guiding any visitors  
 

The fee of $30-40 covers the cost for food and lodging, and gives our guide Juan Julca a small income while he breaks in the volunteers. 

 

Juan Julca just came back from 6 days in the area. He took measurements of the building to plan the separation of four rooms with two beds each and set up the first hummingbird feeders. 

In only a few days already five species of hummingbirds visited: Collared Inca, Amethyst-throated Sunangel, Lesser Violetear, Sparkling Violetear and Sword-billed Hummingbird. 

Here is a Collared Inca visiting the homemade feeder that Juan put up. 

 

And some additional birds photographed by Juan near the project surroundings last week.
 

They are Flame-faced Tanager, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Speckle-faced (aka Plum-crowned Parrot) and Rufous-chested Tanager.

 

In order to finance the project we shall run extremely good value short trips to Satipo road every week Monday - Friday until end of March. 

The trip is very suitable for those who just want a quick get-away in the midst of the pandemic. It can be complemented with birding around Lima for Inca Tern and Diademed Sandpiper-Plover for example, or you may want to join to Northern Peru.
Susan Myers and myself will be on the one that starts on Dec 15 (on a Tuesday-Saturday schedule) as I am taking Susan to the project area. There are four spaces available for this pilot trip for just $999. 

During the 5 days we also stop and bird at Hacienda Armorique mentioned above for Cloud-Forest Screech-Owl and Cerulean-capped Manakin and we also make a stop for White-bellied Cinclodes on our way back. 

 

I know most people are reluctant to travel during the Christmas holidays as it is a time for families to get together. 
But there are also a large chunk of people who are alone, and for them Christmas becomes a nightmare and a time of year to get away. That is easier said than done during COVID, though.  Northern Peru in this regard is a perfect destination. 

 

Our scheduled trip Dec 22-31 is running in spite that some lodges are still closed. We have two clients booked and we are looking for 1-3 more people to be able to offer the best price for everyone. Don't worry about lodges being closed. We shall still see all the birds. 

The best thing for you is that price will be cheaper. With just one more price is $2770, and with three more people the price comes down to $2270. No surcharge for single room when these are available.
Cost for flights, drinks and entrance fees are not included.
Hope to see you on this tour. 

North Peru exploratory and lifer chase!

Pete Shen and Jules Eden liked Peru so much so they are coming back to see the rest and chase down some lifers missed on previous trips in Peru. Pete did a private trip many years ago and missed a lot. Jules did a Birdquest trip three years ago, for which we were the agent, but was unlucky with Long-whiskered Owlet and Scarlet-banded Barbet among others and I am working on my Peru list standing at 1667 to try to add a few more at the beginning of the year 2021. There are several for me in the Tumbes region and Huancabamba/Tabaconas área. 
It shall be a great crowd to travel with if you are in an exploratory mood. 

With Pete we'll first explore Tumbes and Huancabamba around Jan 6-16 or so, then Jules join at Abra Patricia to do 9 days of hard core birding to go for species, apart from the Owlet and Barbet, such as Ash-throated Antwren, Undescribed ssp of Bicolored Antvireo, White-winged Tapaculo, Purple-breasted Cotinga, Jet Manakin, Yellow-throated and White-throated Spadebill. 
 

Let me know if you want to join this exploratory for a good price.

 

Did you ever take a non-birding spouse/friend on a birding trip?
Yesterday, I sent out a newsletter to those who had not seen my previous newsletter and asking this same question. I am sure you have some stories to tell me when you took a non-birder birding. There is very often not a happy ending.  Feel free to share your stories with me regardless.  
 

The reason I ask, is that I have come up with the idea that I believe is the perfect kind of trip where birders and non birders unite and where hard core birders and complete newbies bird together.

If you had asked me 20 years ago, I would have said it is not possible, (I had my own disastrous experiences too), but after interviewing experienced birders and guiding people who had never birded before, I think I have come up with a recipe that works also for non-birders.
After all, it is great to experience things together, and sometimes it feels a bit sad not to be able to share some of the glorious moments with the one you love. 
​​​​​​​
The key features are:

If you missed my 15-minute video presentation where I explain this new model and give a lots of examples of tours you can do, here it is again. This model of tours I call 7 Wonders Birding Tours - Bucket List Birding.  

It is worth sharing with a non-birders or new birders to show that there are things you can do together. 

Machu Picchu Deluxe Birding

Chatting away with Jules Eden on the recent trip, he decided to join the exploratory with Pete to pick up the few things he had missed in the North, and then stay on in Peru and do something together with his lovely Romanian wife, Angela. 
OK, Angela has been on birding trips before with Jules. She likes nice hotels and not too much hassle.

So the perfect trip for the two of them is our Deluxe Birding trip to Machu Picchu, which also include a large number of endemic birds that Jules is after. 

Maybe you want to join with your non-birding spouse/friend? You'd be surprised to learn how many endemic species you can get in this short time.

If you want to learn more about the history of Machu Picchu as well as the birding, check my Birding Machu Picchu blogpost. It makes for a nice and easy read to share with your friends - birders and non-birders alike. 

 

Rainforest Program. 
Jules also wants to see Black-faced Cotinga, Purus Jacamar and White-chinned Jacamar, plus a number of SE Peru specialities while here with Angela, so I am setting up a 5-7 day rainforest program after the Machu Picchu program. Exact details are not yet determined, but if you are interested in this combo let me know. It will likely be the Amigos Lodge that we visit during this trip. 

 

 ​​​The 7 Wonders Birding tour to Egypt and Petra is receiving some attention. It is likely it will run. Jam-packed with Egyptology with expert local guides and birds. Nile cruise included. 
There are a few options I am considering. One option is to delay the tour some 4-5 days due to the fact that Japan is closed for foreign visitors. The other thing I am considering is making 5 days for the Petra extension rather than just three days also to include the Dead Sea with Dead Sea Sparrow, and a visit to the re-introduced wild reproducing Arabian Oryx population. Such an iconic mammal!

 

We are now in the quarterfinals. In game #3 it is Rufous-crested Coquette vs Booted Racket-tail. Tough one. Both occur in Peru!
Vote here. 

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter. Please send me comments on the content. I read every email I get.

 

Looking forward to this weekend with my wife in her hometown Piura. It is somewhat like a mini-holiday. 

P.S. There will be plenty of trips added to Kolibri Expeditions's and 7 Wonders Birding's calendars for later in 2021 and 2022 in the next few weeks. If you have any particular trip in mind let me know. This COVID thing can't go on forever and there are MORE BIRDS out there.