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Message: <blockquote data-quote="tom mckinney" data-source="post: 1621373" data-attributes="member: 2161">So where was I...Aguas CalientesEarlier this year I went to see a Glaucous-winged Gull in Cleveland near Cowpen Bewley, a place widely regarded as one of the worst places in the world. Even though I was only 30 miles away when the was bird found (and it then stayed around for another week or so) I didn’t see it because, despite being one of the first non-locals to get there, I fell in a ditch and got completely soaked up to my waist. When I pulled myself out, the group of birders watching me were laughing so hard that I decided I couldn’t take any more and went back to my sister-in-law’s in Newcastle and never went back, despite driving past again a day later. I was convinced that it was the worst place in the whole wide world and beyond.I was wrong. For there exists a place far beyond the Hithaiglin Mountains, through the vast sylvan forests of Fangorn, a place where no conscious creature should ever visit, a place fit for neither man nor beast. And when the wise sages of the Avorian and Nandorian Elven clans gathered many dawns ago, they decided that this place shall be known as Aguas Calientes or Machu Picchu Pueblo.Here are my top five reasons (there are many more) why this place is so terrible:1) money. Everything costs 500 times more here than anywhere else in Peru. Actually, I think it may be 500 times more expensive than just anywhere.2) the people. Vermin who exist only to get you into their restaurants and hotels or to sell you things that cost 500 times more than they do anywhere else.3) insects. I don’t know what they are, but when they bite they leave a blood blister with a stinging itch so deep under your skin that it feels more like a tumour.4) children. I have no problem with children, so long as they are kept far away from me at all times. In Aguas Calientes there are millions of children everywhere, all of them nurtured in tanks where Aldous Huxley’s vision of the future is made real: a soft voice is piped through to the infants’ brainwashing tanks repeatedly chanting “Give me a dollar.” 5) the buildings. Buildings are going up all over the place, many without planning permission. When the local government discover these new unplanned projects they simply halt the building, but - and this is my favourite bit - they don’t prevent the owners from still using them for their business. Brilliant! And so, you’ll be overjoyed to know, you can stay in a half built hotel and sleep soundly in the knowledge that should the town be wrecked by an earthquake or  landslide (a very real prospect) then at least you’ll die very quickly when an unsupported wall caves in on your skull.The best thing about Aguas Calientes is that you can get out of there very quickly and find yourself in some great places for birding.Walking along the train tracks heading towards Machu Picchu soon gets you into some fantastic habitat at around 2,000m altitude. The best thing is that the train tracks are along the side of the cliff face, and so the tree tops are at head height - so it’s like having miles of canopy walkway. Marvellous!The good birding starts just after the second tunnel (ignore the signs saying you’ll be prosecuted if you go through the tunnels, all the locals go through). Walking on the tracks is slow going, so if you’re pushed for time then you can walk along the road following the coach route to the sign for the “Jardin Botanico” (about 25 minute walk) and then walk up the ramp to the abandoned Puente Ruinas train station. The best birding starts from Puente Ruinas. It’s also useful to use the ramp back down to the road if you’re hanging about for Lyre-tailed Nightjar at dusk.Endemic Masked Fruiteater is regularly seen just past Puente Ruinas near where the lamposts stop. I had a pretty p1ss poor quality recording of the Fruiteater on my iPod, and I thought it would be hopeless for playback, but I just had a quick listen to remind myself of the song when suddenly a male sang back immediately and then flew in to just in front of us. Nice! Put in some time for it because it really is a very good looking bird. A definite trip highlight.Cock-of-the-Rock were hard work sat high up on the cliffs and very difficult to see, but we eventually had 2 males.Another highlight were the Lyre-tailed Nightjars. We hung around in the area beyond Puente Ruinas until dusk hoping for Stripe-faced Wood-Quail but were instead rewarded with two calling Lyre-tailed Nightjars. They were both calling really close to the tracks - a quick blast of iPod and a male was soon gliding just over our heads for a few minutes, occasionally landing in the trees. We watched it up until near pitch black and then lost it as it headed out into the valley - life is wonderful at times, even in Aguas Calientes.Around the righthand bend after Puente Ruinas is where the birding becomes quite excellent. We came across some big flocks full of tanagers and all the way along Sclater’s Tyrannulet (one of Valqui’s targets in his where to watch book) were pretty easy. Best tanagers were Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager (is that pretty rare here?), Fawn-breasted Tanager, Slaty Tanager (couldn’t blag one as a Cusco Brush-Finch - bollox!) and a very nice ‘inca’ Golden-naped Tanager. Also a Golden-olive Woodpecker and at least 3 Streaked Xenops in the mixed flocks. Endemic Green+white Hummingbirds are common.Aguas Calientes is definitely worth visiting. Anyway, you've got no choice if you want to go to Matthew Picchu.***Torrent Duck - commonAndean Guan - 4Fasciated Tiger-Heron - 1 on riverPuna Ibis  -common from trainMountain Caracara - 3 on way to OllantaytamboRoadside Hawk -1American Kestrel - 1Andean Gull - commonSpeckle-faced Parrot - 3+Mitred Parakeet - commonLyre-tailed Nightjar - 2. Just about the best thing in life. Mad for playback.Green-and-white Hummingbird - common. Probably had Many-spotted Hummingbird as well, but never checked them too hard.Speckled Hummingbird - 1Sparkling Violetear - commonGolden-olive Woodpecker - 1 in a mixed species flockAzara’s Spinetail - commonStreaked Xenops - 3 in a mixed species flockVariable Antshrike - 2 malesSclater’s Tyrannulet - commonStreak-necked Flycatcher - 3Cinnamon Flycatcher - 2Smoke-coloured Pewee - 4+Golden-crowned Flycatcher - 1Tropical Kingbird - commonBarred Becard - 1 male in a mixed species flockMASKED FRUITEATER - 1 male. 10/10 - a very, very, very nice bird.Andean Cock-of-the-Rock - 2 males. Bloody hard work seeing them!Red-eyed Vireo - 2Brown-capped Vireo - 2+Blue+white Swallow - commonGrey-breasted Wood-Wren - commonHouse Wren - commonAndean Solitaire - commonly heard, but seeing them can be a different matter altogether though!White-eared Solitaire - 1Glossy-black Thrush - 1 femSilver-beaked Tanager - pair. Is this at the very top of their altitude?Slaty Tanager - 2. Sadly couldn’t string them into Cusco Brush-Finch.Oleaginous Hemispingus - 2Fawn-breasted Tanager - 1 femBlue-capped Tanager - 1+Blue+yellow Tanager - 2+Blue+grey Tanager - common, including many white shouldered birds.Silver-backed Tanager - 4+Beryl-spangled Tanager - 2Golden-naped Tanager - 1 ssp ‘inca’Blue-necked Tanager - commonHepatic Tanager - 1 fem. Call identical to a Chaffinch ‘chup’Common Bush-Tanager - 1Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager - 1. Is this pretty rare here?Saffron-crowned Tanager - commonMasked Flowerpiercer - 1seedeater sp. - loads, but all fzzking females!Tropical Parula - 2Rufous-collared Sparrow - 2Slate-throated Redstart - commonSpectacled Redstart - 1Dusky-green Oropendola - commonHooded Siskin - common</blockquote>

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