Manu Road – A Third Time

This coming October I’ll be doing my annual Manu Tour, my third visit to this megadiversity hotspot in Peru.

I have no doubt that I’ll be seeing some new things here. Rarities such as Greater Scythebill are possible (and may yet remain only a possibility for decades to come, who knows), but even some more regular species have yet to make to the tour’s master list. After all, last year I led this tour on it’s 10th run for WINGS and added 31 species to the all-time master list, including this fantastic Pavonine Cuckoo.

This itinerary is full of interesting birds and cultural sights. On our way to our first night’s very nice lodging near Machu Picchu, we pass though market towns, offering roadside victuals such as roast guinea pig.

One of our target birds (though definitely missable) is Bearded Mountaineer, a hummingbird of grand size and fabulous colors.

This road is just as famous among butterfly watchers for its diversity. This gorgeous cloud-forest satyr, Corades sareba, took a liking to salts from our sweat.

Next week: more photos from the middle elevations of the Manu Road, between the dry interior valleys and the Amazonian lowlands.

Photo at top: In the mid-elevation wet forests we sometimes get lucky with Lanceolated Monklet, a tiny puffbird that sits still for long periods and makes little noise, making it very hard to find.