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Peru - Manu Road 20th August – 3rd September £2500 excluding international flights
with Ashley Banwell and expert local guides, max group size 8

Day 1 fly to Cusco, transfer to hotel and birding around Lake Hucapary

Day 2 early start to Manu Road overnight Wayquecha research station.
Our target species today will include Puna Hawk, Spot-winged Pigeon, Andean Flicker and Andean Lapwing. During the morning we shall check out the scrub near Paucartambo for the endemic Creamy-crested Spinetail as well as Tufted Tit-Tyrant, White-winged Black-Tyrant, Shining Sunbeam and Rust-and-Yellow Tanager, Puna Thistletail, Diademed Tapaculo and Scribble-tailed and Junin Canasteros.

Day 3-6 Manu Road overnight Cock of the Rock Lodge.

As we drive down towards Rocotal we shall be looking for target species which include the endemic Red and White Antpitta, White-throated Antpitta, Crimson-backed Woodpecker, Blue-banded Toucanet, White-eared and Andean Solitaires, Pearled Treerunner, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Golden-plumed Parakeet, Scaly-naped Parrot, Amethyst-throated Sunangel along with many others. We shall also be trying hard to tempt the rare Greater Scythebill into view. Around the lodge there are a number of good birds such as Lyre-tailed Nightjar, Rufescent Screech-Owl, Long-tailed Antbird, Dusky-Green Oropendula, Yungas Manakin, Black-throated Brilliant, Black-billed Treehunter, Orange-eared Tanager, Versicolored Barbet and Black-and-Chestnut and Solitary Eagles. Mixed species flock around the camp holds species like Yellow-rumped Antwren and Bolivian Tyrannulet. A nearby trail often treat us with Slaty Gnateater and Rufous-breasted Antthrush. Peruvian Piedtail has also been seen near the lodge but it is a tricky species. Other birds include Lemon-browed Flycatcher, Crested Quetzal, Uniform Antshrike and Golden-collared Tanager. Hummingbirds like Violet-fronted Brilliant, Many-spotted Hummingbird, Booted Raquet-tail and Wire-crested Thorntail can also be seen.
One of our maintargets here is a new species of tanager that lives in the bamboo. As we bird lower down the road towards Pilcopata at 1000m and look for specialties such as Amazonian Umbrellabird, Peruvian Piedtail, Cerulean-capped Manakin, Black-streaked Puffbird, Russet Antshrike, Lanceolated Monklet and Black-backed Tody-Flycatcher. The bamboo holds species like Ornate Antwren, Bamboo Antshrike and White-cheeked Tody-Tyrant. Along the road there are good bamboo patches near Quitacalzones bridge which contain the endemic and recently described Cinnamon-faced Tyrannulet, Chestnut-breasted Wren, Russet Antshrike, Chestnut-backed Antshrike and Rufous-webbed Brilliant.

Day 7-9 Amazonia Lodge

At Amazonia lodge the specialties include Koepcke´s Hermit, Rufous-vented Ground- Cuckoo, Black-spotted Bare-eye, Long-tailed Potoo, Amazonian and Thrush-like Antpitta, Red-billed Tyrannulet, Fiery-capped Manakin and many more. Special features at Amazonia Lodge include a good canopy tower up the ridge trail and the famous jeep-track, which is very good for crossing Tinamous (including Black-capped Tinamou).

Day 10 Manu Road overnight Cock of the Rock Lodge

One more day to target any species we have missed

Day 11 Cusco back to Lima

Day 12 Lomas de Lachay

After an early start from Lima you will be entering Lomas De Lachay reserve 105 km north of Lima. These coastal hills are an oasis in the desert which is seasonally covered in a fog-bank that provides water for annuals and xerophytic plants like cactus and agaves. Many very special birds can be seen such as Cactus Canastero, Thick-billed, Coastal and Grayish Miner, Raimondi´s Yellow-Finch, Least Seedsnipe, Collared Warbling-Finch, Tawny-throated Dotterel and many more species are possible at Lomas de Lachay

Day 13 Pelagic
possible species include: White-capped Albatross, Short-tailed Sheerwater,Brown Skua, Northern Giant Petrel Sooty Shearwater, Cape Petrel, Markham´s, Hornby´s, White-vented, Wilson´s and Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrels, Swallow-tailed and Sabine´s Gulls, Waved, Gray-headed, Black-browed and Salvin´s Albatrosse, Peruvian Diving-Petrel, Chilean and South Polar Skuas.

Day 14 Pantanos de Villa and Pucusana
Birds include Croaking Ground-Dove, West Peruvian Dove, Amazilia Hummingbird, Vermillion Flycatcher, Shiny Cowbird, Blue-gray Tanager, Pacific Parrotlet, Red-masked, Canary-winged and Scarlet-fronted Parakeets, Great Grebe, Least Bittern, Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, Wren-like Rush-bird, Plumbeous Rail, Peruvian Thickknee and Peruvian Meadowlark are among the more sought birds. Other marshloving birds are White-cheeked Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Little Blue Heron, Andean Duck, Grey-hooded Gull and in the lower grassy wet areas Grassland Yellow-Finch and Yellowish Pipit. At sea one may see Peruvian Pelican and Peruvian Boobies, some distant Inca Terns, as well as Band-tailed, Gray, Kelp and in the southern winter thousands of Franklin´s Gulls. The mudflats are good for visiting and resident waders Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer, both Yellowlegs, Least and Stilt Sandpipers and occationally Short-billed Dowitcher.

At Pucusana we should see Humboldt Penguin, Red-legged Cormorant, Inca Tern, Peruvian Seaside Cinclodes, Blackish Oystercatcher, Guanay Cormorant and Peruvian Pelican.