BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR TO NORTHERN PERU

Morning flight to the city of Tarapoto.
Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel, where we will have lunch.
Afternoon visit to Cordillera Escalera Reserve, looking to photograph for birds like Ivory- billed Aracari, Dotted Tanager, Carmiol’s Tanager, Golden Tanager, Bay-headed Tanager, Paradise Tanager, and more.
Overnight at hotel La Patarashca***.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Morning visit to Koepcke’s Hermit Conservation Center, a private reserve created to protect the endemic hummingbird Koepcke’s Hermit. The bird is easy to see at the feeders inside the reserve along with other hummingbirds like Gould’s Brilliant, Black-throated Brilliant, Black-throated Mango, and more. A walk on the trails near the hummingbird feeders can produce Pale-tailed Barbthroat, Golden-headed Manakin, White-plumed Antbird, and probably a Long-tailed Potoo that has been seen roosting in the area several times per year.
We can make several stops along the road looking for special birds like Plumbeous Euphonia, Lemon-throated Barbet, or Scarlet-crowned Barbet.
Overnight at hotel La Patarashca***.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner.

This morning we will drive for about 2 hours to the city of Moyobamba.
After checking in at the hotel we will visit the Waqanki hummingbird feeders, where the usual visitors are Black-throated Hermit, White-necked Jacobin, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, White-chinned Sapphire, the fantastic Rufous-crested Coquette, and another 20 species. The forest around the feeders can also produce Tataupa Tinamou, Green-backed Trogon; mixed flocks of tanagers with Paradise, Black-bellied, Blue-necked, Guira, Golden, and many other tanagers; Short-tailed Pygmy-Tyrant and Mishana Tyrannulet are also possible.
In the afternoon we will make a short hike to visit a lek of Band-tailed Manakin. Several species of tanagers are also possible in this area.
Overnight at hotel Altavista***.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Early morning visit to Punta de Tahuishco, some 5 minutes from the hotel. The place is good to photograph Blue-headed Parrot, Lettered Aracari, Yellow-browed Tody-flycatcher, Pale-breasted Thrush, Blue-necked Tanager, and more.
Then we will go to Morro de Calzada, where we will try to photograph Fiery-capped Manakin, Ringed Kingfisher, White-shouldered Tanager, White-eyed Parakeet, Lafresnaye’s Piculet, Cobalt-winged Parakeet, Swallow Tanager, Chestnut-eared Aracari, and many more.
Rest of the day exploring the rice fields of the Mayo valley looking for birds like Pale-eyed Blackbird, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Rufous-fronted Thornbird, Chestnut-bellied Seedfinch, Red-capped Cardinal, Spotted Rail, Paint-billed Crake, and more.
Overnight at hotel Altavista***.

Meals: Picnic breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner

Early departure towards the mountains of Abra Patricia. We will make a couple of stops along the road to try to photograph the Andean-Cock-of-the-Rock.
Another important stop along the road is the “Arena Blanca Reserve”, where the hummingbird feeders attract Reddish Hermit, Blue-fronted Lancebill, Black-throated Brilliant, Rufous-crested Coquette, Blue-tailed Emerald, Wire-crested Thorntail, Many-spotted Hummingbird, and another 15 more species of hummingbirds. The Tinamou feeders are usually visited by Cinereous and Little Tinamous, along with Rufous-breasted Woodquail and Orange billed Sparrow. Other interesting birds in the area are Huallaga (Black-bellied) Tanager, Northern Chestnut-tailed Antbird, Peruvian Antwarbler, Dark-breasted and Cinereous-breasted Spinetails, and flocks of Tanagers.
Another important stop is before the town of El Afluente, a good spot to look for White-winged Tanager, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, the fantastic Andean Cock-of-the Rock, and a myriad of other tanagers, woodcreepers, antbirds, woodpeckers, flycatchers and more.
We also will make a brief stop at La Llanteria hummingbird feeding station for Green Hermit, Booted Racket-tail, and Ecuadorian Piedtail.
We will arrive to the Abra Patricia Owlet Lodge before it gets dark.
Overnight at Abra Patricia Owlet Lodge.

Meals: Picnic breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner.

In the gardens of the lodge you will have ample time to seat comfortably and enjoy the myriad of hummingbirds coming to the feeders: Green Violetear, Long-tailed Sylph, Speckled Hummingbird, White-bellied Woodstar, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Collared Inca, and many more.
In the afternoon we can walk around the parking lot, looking for Lulu’s (Johnson’s) Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-Scarfed Tanager, Grass-green Tanager, Black-throated Tody-tyrant, Rufous Spinetail, Drab Hemispingus, and many more.
Overnight at Abra Patricia Owlet Lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

This morning we will try our chances at the antpitta feeding station, where the regular visitor is Chestnut Antpitta, a rare endemic bird of these mountains. Not far is the Rusty-tinged Antpitta feeding station, the only place where we will have some chances to see this secretive bird.
Then we will walk the “Grallaria trail” that starts in the upper part of the lodge and goes down the hill for about two and a half hours. The trail goes through humid mountain forest where birds like Sharpe’s Wren, Chestnut-crested Cotinga, Bicolored Antvireo, White-fronted Nunbird, Golden-headed Quetzal, are quite common.
In the afternoon we can drive down the mountains for another chance to photograph the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock.
Overnight at Abra Patricia Owlet Lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Today we spend the morning at the hummingbird feeders and the trails around the main house at Fundo Alto Nieva. Usual visitors to the feeders are Amethyst-throated Sunangel, Royal Sunangel, Booted Racket-tail, Greenish Puffleg, Rufous-vented Whitetip, and White-tailed Hillstar. The trails around the main house in Alto Nieva are good to look for Rufous-vented Tapaculo, Yellow-throated Tanager, Bar-winged and Grey-breasted Wood-wrens, and the rare Cinnamon-breasted Tody-tyrant.
We will drive back to the Owlet Lodge for lunch.
In the afternoon we will drive back down the road again to look for mixed species flocks with Flame-faced Tanager, Metallic-green Tanager, Blue-browed Tanager, Beryl-spangled Tanager, and more. White-capped Tanagers might also be in the area.
Then we will enter Fundo Alto Nieva again, this time for a visit to the Ochre-fronted Antpitta feeding station. Before hiking back to the car, we will spend a couple of hours looking for the legendary Long-whiskered Owlet. Since this is a very rare bird, we should keep our expectations low for this bird.
Overnight at Abra Patricia Owlet Lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Morning walk the along the “Tino trail” looking for birds like Masked Trogon, Yungas Pygmy-Owl, Variable Antshrike, White-backed Fire-eye, and flocks of tanagers with Golden-naped, Beryl-spangled, Saffron-crowned and Flame-faced Tanagers. More difficult to find, but yet possible, are mammals like Yellow-tailed Wooly-Monkey, Kinkajou, and Andean Night-Monkey.
Afternoon at leisure.
Overnight at Abra Patricia Owlet Lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Morning transfer to Huembo for the Marvelous Spatuletail hummingbird. Others hummingbirds attending the feeders here are Andean Emerald, Brown Violetear, White-bellied Hummingbird, Purple-throated Woodstar, Purple-throated Sunangel, White-bellied Woodstar. The forest inside the reserve is good for Black-billed (Southern Emerald) Toucanet, Speckled-faced Parrot, Speckled-chested Piculet, White-sided Flowerpiercer, Silvery Tanager, and many others.
The Rio Chido road (about 15 minutes from Huembo) is good for Black-crested Warbler, Peruvian Citrine Warbler, Sickled-winged Guan, Lacrimose-mountain Tanager, Pale-eyed Thrush, and many more.
Overnight at Huembo Lodge.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch., dinner.

Morning at the hummingbird feeders again for more chances to get good pictures of the Marvelous Spatuletail.
By mid-morning we will drive for about 4 hours to the town of Jaén. After a late lunch you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Lima.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch.