Bird of Peru cover Sometimes I dream of South America and the adventures that still exist there. It seems to last continent for the adventure birder. A place where species are still be discovered and new birding areas revealed. Birding along an oxbow lake in Manu or finding Inca Wrens among the ruins of Machu Picchu are some the locales that I see through my mind’s eye. Peru seems like an inevitability in my life at some point. This country is a shining jewel in my personal birding world, my personal El Dorado. Alas, I have not been to Peru (yet), but I can come close to being there though Birds of Peru from Princeton University Press and a little use of my own imagination.

Birds of Peru pages I was lucky enough to receive a hard copy version of Birds of Peru (it is now available in soft cover and e-book versions now) from the great folks at Princeton University Press.  Given that Peru has ~1,800 known species, a rather condense format is warranted, otherwise we would end up lugging around a 25 pound tome through customs and into the jungle. A short summary contains the key identification points, habitat associations, voice, and a small, yet detailed range map is present on the left hand page. The habitat portion of each account is absolutely vital. Even with my limited Neotropical birding experience, I have quickly come to understand that the slightest changes in vegetative composition, elevation or slope aspect have profound consequences on the avian community. Birds of Peru goes to great pains to address these determinates of species presence.

Birds of Peru illustrations The illustrations are outstanding. That is the only way I can describe them. The detail and arrangement of the illustrations is done in the most effective way. The key identifications points really pop out at you when you look at the illustration after reading the text. This sets up a birder-muscle memory type of learning. Generally, I prefer images over illustrations, with many of illustrations coming off to cartoon-like for my tastes. But these illustrations are done in a very life-like manner as i have compare them to photographs of particular species.

One of the authors of Birds of Peru is Ted Parker, a name that rings like a legend in my mind. A wunderkind in every sense of the word, Ted Parker was blessed with the unique combination of the passion, intelligence, and amazingly perceptive senses. The one story that sums up the birder in Ted Parker is when he identified a potential new species from audio recording of a chaotic dawn chorus from Bolivia. The mystery bird turned out to be a new species of antwren, which is describe a year later. I cannot hardly comprehend the mind that can store all the details of songs, calls, ranges, habitats, and seasonality. I could lament that I wish had met him, but instead I chose to be thankful that we were lucky enough to have a Ted Parker among us for as long as we did and his contributions still have ongoing ripples of effect.

Although, I find Birds of Peru an extremely well executed field guide, I do have a bone to pick with the voice section of the accounts. I hate phonetic representations and mnemonics. Repeat, I hate them. I think that this guide would have have really benefitted from an accompanying CD/DVD of the most common songs and other vocalizations of the species covered in the book. I have a really hard time reading “ti-ti tew-tew-tee-teep” for the Black-throated Antbird and having any kind of real understanding of what those syllables sound like in the field. This is where a companion set of vocalizations would really help me out.

Overall, I have done nothing but consume Birds of Peru, trying to digest each species account and illustration. It is my Peru-situational bible of birding. I think that every birder should have as many bird guides as possible in their libraries as possible. It does not matter if you ever make a journey to the far-flung reaches of the Amazon Basin or the rarified air of the Andes. Each guide expands your knowledge and desire to bird even more. Birds of Peru will be a great addition to any birder’s library. You never know if buying this field guide is the gentle nudge that you need to purchase a plane ticket to Lima. I hope someday that my copy is battered and stained from an epic birding trip to Peru.

Peru Birding Tours from Wings

Later today, I will be cruising down the highway toward Dillon, Montana to observe the spring spectacle of Greater Sage-Grouse displaying on the lek. The booms and the raspy wing scraps combined with the orange inflated air sacs and ornate head plumes make for quite a show. The males strut and posture awaiting the selection of a female. With all this pageantry. I got to thinking about the grouse of the South America (well, they are actually waders, but they behave like grouse), the seedsnipe.

In Peru, there are 3 species of seedsnipe belonging to 3 different genuses; Least Seedsnipe, Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, and Gray-breasted Seedsnipe. I stand a reasonable chance at getting the Least Seedsnipe and outside odds at the other two.

The Least Seedsnipe inhabits grasslands and pasture throughout its range. Between 2000 and 4000 meters is the elevation range of the Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe. The Gray-breasted Seedsnipe is another bird of the temperate grasslands.

As I watch and appreciate the Greater Sage-Grouse, some corners of my mind will be occupied with the seedsnipes of Peru. In June, I will be going to Peru with Kolibri Expeditions. I encourage anyone who is interested to join me and Gunnar Engblom for this once in a lifetime adventure to the Manu region, one of the most bird species dense of the planet.

As my Peru trip looms closer, I realize that the trip is going to take a certain level of fitness to make it enjoyable. So, I have began to think about what I should do to get into the right shape for the 16,000 feet elevations of Peru. I decided that effective birding is most akin to hiking, so I have tailored a program based around a traditional hiking fitness program.

Remember, the key to training is slow but steady progress. There is no fun in draining yourself to the point of collapse. Remember that enjoyment is important, so it is alright to push your boundaries but do not go too far. Make sure to set measurable goals.

  • Start off by making small 1-3 miles hikes on regular intervals (1-2 times per week) with easy to moderate difficulty.
  • Steadily increase the length of your hikes until you are able to comfortably make a 9 miles.
  • At this stage, you are set to go on basic day hikes and you can train yourself in more challenging terrains and greater vertical gains.
  • From this point on, you should steadily increase your distance and the weight and size of your pack. With the proper training, you should be able to carry up to 25-30% of your body weight.
  • There is a big difference between hiking on flat terrain and having to deal with elevation changes. Steadily increase the number of vertical meters you gain on your day hikes.

In June, I will going to Peru with Kolibri Expeditions. I encourage anyone who is interested to join me and Gunnar Engblom for this once in a lifetime adventure.

Miners, motmots and tinamous…oh my. I have been dreaming more and more about birding Peru this coming June and July. Mirages of giant otters and Hoatzin dance in my head nightly. To satiate this tropical hungry, I have been consuming YouTube videos at an incredible rate. There are many fine videos from various birders as they have toured this wonderful country. It is invaluable to see the places that I am going to visit and the species I plan to observe. I think that seeing a creature in motion with audio is critical to solid identification.

The Best Peru Birding YouTube Channels and Videos

I cannot wait for my upcoming in June with Kolibri Expeditions and Gunnar Engblom. I will be visiting the Manu lowlands for 8 days, and hope to see a great number of the terrific species that live there. You can join me on this trip or book your own with Gunnar here.

Imagine the surprise of John O’Neill and Gary Graves of Louisiana State University when they mist-netted a strange little owl in the cloud forest of northern Peru in 1976. A strange, small creature with wispy feathers flaring out from its facial disk and peculiar amber eyes. Its legs were bare, and it lacked ear tufts. Bristles covered the base of its bill. The bird was obviously new to science, and it was so unique that it was placed in its own monotypic genus, Xenoglaux (strange owl). It was not seen again until 1978. It call wasn’t even recorded until 2002.

So, a strange little owl had only been observed 3 times, and then only with the assistance of mist nets. Guess what happened on January 24th of this year? An Israeli researcher named Shachar Alterman and Edin Fonseca, a local guide,  actually managed to capture images and video of a Long-whiskered Owlet without the aid of capture. For the first time a wild Long-whiskered Owlet was observed in its habitat. The video done with an illuminated bird and a bit shaky, but it is incredible to view this species.



Just another aspect of the Peru’s amazing natural world that makes my upcoming in June with Kolibri Expeditions and Gunnar Engblom even more exciting and enticing. I will be visiting the Manu lowlands for 8 days, and hope to see a great number of the terrific species that live there. I’m having dreams of Harpy Eagles, the famous macaw lick, and Giant Otters. You can join me on this trip or book your own with Gunnar here.

There is an amazing opportunity to win a free birding trip to Peru at http://bit.ly/8s830C…the word about this contest is being spread via social media such as Twitter and Facebook. This effort promotes eco-friendly tourism and a solid conservation message from Gunnar Engblom. I encourage everyone to give this opportunity a look.

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