HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021 ,

 

2020 was horrible. I know 2021 will be better.
The year 2020 is coming to an end and it has been a tough one.

 

In many parts of the world there the COVID situation is not good, but Peru remains open to visits if one has taken a PCR test prior to the flight and you are obliged to wear a facemask at all times.

 

It gives us some hope for economic recovery and there are a few trips confirmed in January and February that I am listing below, that you could join.  Peru has a lot of COVID protocols in place that we follow.

So if you live in areas where there are few active COVID cases, and you do not belong to one of risk groups then you could consider coming to Peru as we have some good offers between January to March. The risk of COVID while birding must be seen as quite low, and the situation in Peru is far better than in many other places. 

 

There are of course also some dark clouds looming and things could change on short notice. The situation in the UK is troublesome. Peru have suspended direct flights from Europe again because of this until Jan 6. 
Additionally, COVID numbers in December are higher than there were in November. There is no spike yet, but the situation is complicated in for example in Tumbes, Piura and Lambayeque with lack of ICU. 

 
As vaccines are rolled out people will feel safer traveling so hopefully by April in the best case scenario it will be business as usual. Meanwhile, we struggle best we can taking all possible precautions. Office is closed, and we work remotely. Groups are scarce and group size when trips happen is very small. 

In November myself, Juan Julca and driver Manuel Zamora travelled extensively in Central Peru. There were only two clients, but Jules Eden and Pete Shen loved Peru so much that they are coming back in January. Read Jules Central Peru trip report here. It is a fun read. Highly recommended. 
If you feel you are not in a risk group or live in very complicated area it is possible to join Jules or Pete for a large extension of their programs at a discounted price. 

In this newsletter.

Pete Shen, who was with us in Central Peru in November, is coming back to do three more weeks in Peru with me. The first 12 days is partly exploratory in areas where I personally can get some birds for my Peru list which at present stands at 1667 species. Therefore, I have given Pete a very good price. Should you want to join, the price for the first 12 days is $2200.
We shall visit Tumbes area where there are several species that just barely cross over from Ecuador, and where Pete will get birds like Ochre-bellied Dove, Blackish-headed Spinetail, Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaner, Rufous-necked Foliage-gleaner, Watkin's Antpitta and Black-and-White Tanager. Early January is the best time of year with the birds singing and easy to detect. Should you just want to do the Tumbes area the cost is $999. Here is the program. 

After Tumbes we continue to the Chinguela ridge near Huancabamba. There are always chance to pick up montane birds that are shared with southern Ecuador. The big prizes would be Masked Mountain-Tanager and Red-faced Parrot. 
More common are Bearded Guan, Chusquea Tapaculo, Paramo Tapaculo, Neblina Metaltail, Glowing Puffleg, Turquoise Jay and many more. 
We cross over to Tabaconas to make a small expedition to try to see Jocotoco Antpitta in Peru. 

Jules Eden was on a Birdquest tour to Northern Peru a few years ago, but missed some special birds such as Long-whiskered Owlet. Pete had also done parts of Northern Peru before there was a reliable site for the Owlet, so the second part of the Northern Peru itinerary Jan 15-19 when Jules meet up will focus on those endemics that are often missed. 
Susan Myers - legendary guide for WINGS in Eastern Asia is also joining this section. For her, everything will be new, so a side trip to get Marvelous Spatuletail will be arranged for Susan. 

We shall also make a visit to Jesus del Monte where Bar-winged Wood-Wren and Ash-throated Antwren are easy, and where we hope to connect with Purple-breasted Cotinga, one of the few sites in Peru where it is known from. 

It goes to show that this short tour could be perfect for anyone who did Northern Peru many years ago, and still in need of specialites that were difficult back then but now are more accessible. If more people join, we can also provide an additional guide for the birder who has not done North Peru previously and want to spend more time at the feeders. 

Our Scarlet-banded trip is magic. We continue to Tarapoto to make a visit at AKONABIKH where apart from the specials of Gould's Jewelfront and the endemic Koepcke's Hermit, there has been a Black-throated Brilliant hanging out the last few months. 
After this we travel south to Plataforma to catch up with the gaudy Scarlet-banded Barbet and newly described Cordillera Azul Antbird. Other birds we hope to connect with are Jet Manakin, Subtropical Pygmy-Owl, Gray-tailed Piha, Foothill Schiffornis and Yellow-throated and White-throated Spadebills.

We'll fly to Iquitos to explore Otorongo Lodge which I have not visited before, and therefore offered at a special price. Susan and Jules are joining me. Here we find an undescribed Herpsilochmus sp, Black-headed Antbird, Collared Gnatwren, Spotted and White-lored Antpittas, Helmeted Pygmy-Tyrant, Spotted Puffbird and Black-crested Antshrike. 

This is our bread and butter Iquitos birding trip which gives you the best of Iquitos in very short time. Some special birds we shall look for at Explornapo include Nocturnal Curassow, Dugand's Antwren, Band-tailed Cacique (Oropendola), Black-necked Red-Cotinga and Agami Heron. Many river island specialists and in the white-sand forest near Iquitos we look for Rufous and White-winged Potoo, Iquitos Gnatcatcher, Allpahuayo Antbird, Ancient Antwren, Mishana Tyrannulet, Pompadour Cotinga, Saffron-crested Tyrant-Manakin, Yellow-crowned Manakin, Zimmer's Tody-Tyrant and many more. Read more about the itinerary on our website.

The Yanayacu creek is the best area in South America for the endangered Wattled Curassow. Why? Because the locals are dedicated fishermen instead of hunters and now there is a increased awareness as it has become a birding mecca where it is relatively easy to see the Curassow. 

Other birds Jules and I will look for include Zimmer's Woodcreeper, Black-tailed Antbird as well as Short-tailed and Festive Parrots. Join us!

Between February 5-12 we shall explore Puerto Maldonado area and Amigos reserve. There are an immense number of special birds here including Black-faced Cotinga, Rufous-fronted Antthrush, Purus Jacamar, Blue-headed Macaw, Long-crested Pygmy-Tyrant and many more. We will also make an effort to see recently described Rufous Twistwing and Acre Tody-Tyrant.

I got the opportunity to make a talk on Asian Bird Fair's virtual presentations. My talk is about the best birding in Peru.  Check it out.

7 Wonders Birding program for 2021 is now planned. Bring your non birding spouse or friend on a dream trip of a lifetime. All our short itineraries can be extended if you wish. Here is the video again if you still don't understand what this Bucket List Birding concept is all about. 

We finally got the funding for the condor project near Lima in the beginning of December. It keeps our staff busy until May on minimum wage. We hope this will become a great source of income for the local community in the coming years, and it serves as practical environmental education. It is a truly spectacular area. 

In February we shall start building the hides for photography.

The project is explained in 5 minutes in Spanish in this video with English subtitles. 

Check Jules's Central Peru trip report again. He has a video linked that shows what Calabaza looks like right now. There are road and sewage workers occupying the building right now, so we can still not start making improvements in the lodging. However, as I told you in the last newsletter, Juan Julca went and stayed a week there and managed to get six species of hummingbirds come to the feeders. The place has potential. 
We shall continue offering Satipo road 5 day program for only $999 every Monday-Friday between January-March. Price is valid even if you are the only punter. 

Between Christmas and New Years we had set up various programs for Peruvians in different areas of Peru and had some of the best guides lined up. In spite of intensive marketing, we did not get a single trip running, which was very disappointing for us, the marketing agency that had a fantastic reach with the campaign (paid for by the condor project), the lodges we were to use and the guides that we had contracted.
Even though the programs were heavily discounted, and we had special rates for different areas, we could not convince the Peruvian market. The simplest explanation is that Peruvians have not yet learnt to value guided nature services with small groups. The interest was high, but the willingness to pay was small.  

Since we now have prepared these programs, and have local guides ready to guide you and made contacts with COVID approved vehicles, I thought we could offer these programs or variations of them to you. 

Between February and March we offer 5 days birding anywhere in Peru for $999 which include transport, guiding, lodging and food. 

Flights, entrance fees and lodge surcharges are not included.

 

Just reply to this email if you are interested in any of these programs, and we set up everything.

There needs to be at least two people signed up for the $999 price. Should you be alone there'd be a $80 surcharge per day. The moment you sign up for a program we would immediately market your program to try to get a few more people to the group.  Max group size is 6 people. It is unlikely under these circumstances we reach a group size of 6.    

One of our clients, Maria Hedrick, is extremely keen on hummingbirds. What she does not have a lot of is time. She has decided to do our 5 day Manu road program putting special attention on Hummingbirds. Maybe you want to join? 

 

She is considering May or July. Which would work best for you? She will also do a visit to the Rainbow Mountain, and to Abra Malaga while in Cusco and a day trip to Sta Eulalia Canyon for some Lima hummers. 

P.S. PromPeru is doing a marketing campaign on Blue Sky WildLife. If you have travelled with us in the past. PLEASE PLEASE  PRETTY PLEASE leave a nice review. It would be extremely helpful to show us in the top of the ranks. Thanks a lot!