Local bird guide - Aguas Calientes (1 Viewer)

[West End Birder]

Hi

Does anyone know of a local birdguide here that would be happy to take my wife and I birdwatching on 3rd September 2020?

I am not desperate to see millions of species, but am desperate to see a Cock-of-the Rock if at all possible.

Thanks in advance - if of use we are staying at El Mapi Hotel

Regards

Rob

 

[Steve Lister]

About 20 years ago but I saw Cock-of-the-Rock by walking alongside the railway tracks not too far out of the village/town. Obviously they may be long gone, but somebody might have seen them more recently.

Steve

 

[West End Birder]

Thank you - is there a particular time of day (I believe morning better because of lekking)?

 

[opisska]

Are you only going to Aguas while in Peru? There are many other CotR sites, so if you continue to be desperate after your Aguas visit, you can try some others. We went to one near Oxapampa and saw them reliably and easily - that's almost on the other end of Peru, but I guess other people would now other sites. It's a relatively widespread bird

 

[Steve Lister]

Thank you - is there a particular time of day (I believe morning better because of lekking)?

I saw them in the evening, and also one of the spectacular nightjars on the way back.

 

[West End Birder]

@opisska - we are travelling all over Peru but most of the time it is doing the tourist stuff. We have one day at Aguas Calientes and another near Lake Titicaca (I think!) - not sure if they are there as well.

Later on we are in Puno, so again if anyone knows a local guide please let me know - many thanks

@Steve - thanks for that

 

[opisska]

@opisska - we are travelling all over Peru but most of the time it is doing the tourist stuff. We have one day at Aguas Calientes and another near Lake Titicaca (I think!) - not sure if they are there as well.

Later on we are in Puno, so again if anyone knows a local guide please let me know - many thanks

@Steve - thanks for that

Titicaca is way too high for Cocks, so then Aguas is your best shot indeed

 

[West End Birder]

I had a look on ebird and as you say Lake Titicaca is no good, but AC seems to have sightings all around, so fingers crossed

 

[Steve Lister]

The first time I went to Peru was on a general tourist tour with Journey Latin America back in 1999. Also crept into northern Chile and Bolivia. It was amazing how many birds we saw while travelling. around hotels and at 'sites', plus the trip included a boat out to the Ballestas Islands and one on lake Titicaca. Free days in Arequipa, Cusco and La Paz allowed us to get taxis to some very nice areas too.

Steve

 

[James Lowther]

There are plenty of birds on the Peruvian tourist trail. But, Aguas Calientes/ Machu Picchu is pretty much unique in that it is an eastern slope humid montane forest site. The overwhelming majority of tourist spots are high Andean, dry valley or Pacific slope. This means there are lots of birds at AC/MP that you won’t see elsewhere (including COTR)
Cheers
James

 

[opisska]

A slight aside on Peru in general. We have spent a month there and we found that it's basically two countries in one. The "Gringo Trail" (Cuzco, MP, Titicaca, Arequipa/Colca, Nazca, Paracas) is strikingly different from the rest. We sortof expected that and thus spent most of the time in "the rest" but the cultural shock after finally entering the other side of the mirror in Paracas was striking. The "normal" Peru is friendly, open, chatty, dirt cheap and fantastically welcoming, while the Gringo trail is one big theater optimized to milk as much money from a gringo as humanely possible. I have never been to Cuzco, MP, Nazca or Titicaca, but everyone who ever has confirms that it's like that and so I think Paracas was way enough of this for me ... It's actually quite difficult for me to understand why do people do this to themselves and continue visiting these touristy areas.

 

[James Lowther]

I think you are massively overstating the case there Jan, Cuzco for example is a nice town. Lake Titicaca/ Arequipa/ Colca canyon all nice spots also. Machu Picchu is very busy with tourists of course and a bit of a circus (but an incredible site with good birds) and I’m sure there are quieter and more relaxed spots to visit off the beaten track but the tourist areas definitely not as bad as you’re making out, unless you are super misanthropic.
Cheers
James

 

[mjh73]

A slight aside on Peru in general. We have spent a month there and we found that it's basically two countries in one. The "Gringo Trail" (Cuzco, MP, Titicaca, Arequipa/Colca, Nazca, Paracas) is strikingly different from the rest. We sortof expected that and thus spent most of the time in "the rest" but the cultural shock after finally entering the other side of the mirror in Paracas was striking. The "normal" Peru is friendly, open, chatty, dirt cheap and fantastically welcoming, while the Gringo trail is one big theater optimized to milk as much money from a gringo as humanely possible. I have never been to Cuzco, MP, Nazca or Titicaca, but everyone who ever has confirms that it's like that and so I think Paracas was way enough of this for me ... It's actually quite difficult for me to understand why do people do this to themselves and continue visiting these touristy areas.

If visitors have the money, and are willing to spend it in a comfortable touristy area all power to them. Not everyone wants to sleep in a hammock in the rain forest and forage for mushrooms for a fortnight!

 

[West End Birder]

That made me laugh!

 

[Iceberg slim]

Be polite to the Guard on the Entrance to the Inkaterra hotel, Agues Caliente, had superb views of COTR last june

 

[Steve Lister]

Be polite to the Guard on the Entrance to the Inkaterra hotel, Agues Caliente, had superb views of COTR last june

Excellent garden for hummingbirds too - stayed there on my second Peru tour.

Steve