Peru III - Cusco and boating down the Madre de Dios

The National Bird of Peru - Andean Cock-of-the-Rock

After deciding to explore Machu Picchu and indulge in bird watching, our next task was to find a bird guide who could also show us the cultural sites. Our search led us to Habitats Peru Travel (https://habitatsperu.com/) and Doris Valencia, one of the owners. With years of birding experience, Doris is one of the best bird guides in Peru. She designed and set up our entire trip, tailoring it to our interests.

Cusco

We had a four-day stay in Cusco to rest from hiking and traveling. Cusco is a large city, but it feels like a village. It is easier to see the size from the night photo.

There are many quaint side streets that walkers can enjoy.

The Incas were master stonemasons who achieved perfectly cut stones that fit together so precisely without mortar that even a knife blade could not be inserted between them.

The precision of Inca stonework is awe-inspiring, seen in structures like the Sacsayhuamán fortress near Cusco, Peru. Their craftsmanship involved using harder stones to shape and fit stone blocks seamlessly together. This stonework's durability and seismic resilience have withstood earthquakes. However, the Spanish colonialists dismantled many Inca structures, taking the stones to build their cathedrals and other buildings in Cusco.

'For the Incas, Cusco was not just a city; it was revered as the center or the 'Navel of the Universe.' This sacred designation reflected their belief that Cusco was the epicenter of their world, both spiritually and geographically. Above is the Cathedral and Museum, built atop a significant Inca wall that represents the navel of the universe.

The Cathedrals above and below were built by the Spanish using stones from Inca buildings.

Amazon and birds galore

On this part of the trip, we began driving from Cusco along the Manu Road and departed after a boat trip and birding along the Madre de Dios River, ending at Boca Colorado.

Our first stop was for Hummingbirds at the Jardin de Colibries at Mirador Pico De Hoz. We went to three different hummingbird gardens: one in the Sacred Valley, one

listed above and one off the Manu road.

Manu National Park

Entrance station at the top of the Manu Road.

We are at the top of Manu Park with Doris. Below is the beautiful view we had from our lodge at the Wayquecha Research Station.

It was a short distance to the Wayquecha Biological Research Station, where scientists monitor the Spectacled Andean Bear population. That evening, we joined the staff for a fascinating presentation about their research and the challenges of tracking these animals in such rugged terrain. We learned that the bears are primarily herbivorous, feeding mostly on plants—including the soft cores of various bromeliad species that grow high in the trees.

The birds we saw at this elevation (3000m) included the Barred Fruit Eater (top) and the Muisca Ant Pitta, a rare bird to see, enticed into the open by offering it some worms.


After many bird sightings, including a Hooded Mountain Tanager on the institute's land, we traveled down the road to the next bird stop.

Our next night would be at Cock of the Rock Lodge. That was going to be exciting, but there were lots of birds to see on the way. We saw two species of Quetzals on the way. The first was a Golden-headed Quetzal, and the second was 

We saw a beautiful Blue-banded Tucanet, and then resting on a cliff was a Lyre-Tailed Nightjar, almost invisible behind rocks and vegetation.

Close to the CoR lodge, we saw a beautiful Versicolor Barbet on a Sarcopia tree.

Lunch with a tablecloth was along the road at a small shelter made for rest stops. 

Next stop was Cock of the Rock Lodge, and a Cock of the Rock. Such a silly-looking bird. It was fun to watch it hop from one branch to the next, trying to attract a female.

Then a slew of amazing tanagers: 1) Golden, 2)Blue-necked, 3) Silver-beaked, 4) Paradise, 5) Saffron-crowned, 6) Yellow-bellied, and 7) Magpie Tanager.

Let's have a break from Tanagers and look at a group of Brown Woolly monkeys that were trying to jump across the road. They left the baby to jump on his own, and it was pretty dramatic as he fell through the trees after landing. But he was safe.

A small brown Capuchin monkey was part of a group moving through the bamboo near the CoR Lodge.

The humming Birds in Peru are numerous. In Manu, they are called Magic birds. Here are a few: 1) Rufous-booted Raquet-tail, 2) Spot-breasted, 3) Violet-fronted,  4) Wire-crested Thorntail, 

This larva above is not identified as yet, but most likely belongs to a moth species. 
The beautiful 88 Butterfly or Diaethria clymena is one of nearly 4000 species of butterflies in Peru.

Moving on, we drove from the Cock of the Rock area and headed to a night at a research station called Manu Biolodge. This one specializes in Entomology and DNA analysis, optimizing biodiversity research. There are beautiful cabins at this lodge open to the outside with just a screen for a window. The cabins face a lake surrounded by wetlands that have many birds and dragonflies.

There were many birds here, but a few were the Hoatzin, Great Potoo, Band-tailed Manakin, and the Black-backed Tody Flycatcher. 

From the Biolodge, we went to the river, where we would board a boat and travel on the Madre de Dios River.

A signboard near the docks was a good warning and clearly stated that one should not interact with any of the uncontactables.

The boat had to move cautiously because many trees were floating and some were barely visible, submerged. Still, our boatman was skilled, and we moved fairly fast.

We passed one clay lick where two Howler Monkeys were getting their daily vitamins.

After 4 hours of travel on the river, we arrived at Tambo Blanquillo Lodge. There was a map inside the lodge showing all the places we would visit. It was exciting.

Early the next morning, before sunrise, we got back on the boat for a trip to the Blanquillo claylick.

We were set up for a long wait with comfortable chairs and a yummy breakfast from our lodge.

Our first visitors were the Blue-headed Parrots mixed with Orange-cheeked Parrots.

Followed by the Red and Green Macaws.

After a long morning of Macaws, we returned to our lodge. It was a wonderful lodge to return to with small cabins and great food.

After lunch, we prepared for an afternoon on a small lake called Cocha Camungo. A pontoon boat with attached chairs was parked at a dock waiting for us.

Also waiting for us was a Black Caiman, one of the Amazon's apex predators.

Another predator of fish, at least, is the Giant River Otter or River Wolf. It was very territorial and tried to keep us away by showing its big teeth.

The bird of the day was the Horned Screamer, which has a slender "horn" on the top of the head.

After another wonderful night at Tambo Blanquillo Lodge, we went to the tallest tree in the jungle, where a platform had been inexplicably erected.

The view was amazing, and the climb up was daunting but worth it.

The impossible part of the platform was the sweat bees that constantly went into your nose, mouth, and any other exposed part of your skin.

There were some amazing insects, but for me, the most extraordinary was this long damselfly called Mecistogaster linearis and a clearwing butterfly called Haetera piera.

We had to leave at some point. It was hard to go back. 

We ended our trip at a gold mining area called Colorado-Puquiri. It was like the wild west, and the destruction was hard to see after the beautiful forest. Illegal mining in the Colorado-Puquiri area has cleared thousands of acres of rainforest, leaving behind deforested land and mercury-contaminated water. 

Best not to end the trip with a dismal photo. Instead, let's have a lovely sunset on the Madre de Dios.