PERU: Andes to Amazon ~ Day 12
Meet Our Team
NEWS & UPDATES
Stay up-to-date with new tours, special offers and exciting news. We'll also share some hints and tips for travel, photography and birding. We will NEVER share nor sell your information!
Dec 1, 2009 | by Kevin Loughlin
After our Morning flight to Cusco began the four hour drive to the town of Ollantaytambo, named for the ruins pictured above.
The scenic drive through the Andes offered vistas of snow-capped mountains and volcanoes bordered by farm fields of potatoes and other veggies.
Alpacas feeding in gardens were a common sight, as were llamas. These were photographed at our lunch stop and were a popular subject for all the diners.
Even more common was the Chiguanco Thrush, a rather plain bird. They can be seen at mid to upper elevations in any open area.
Arriving at Hotel Pakaritampu, we found the gardens full of flowers… and birds. Especially hummingbirds!
Our first hummer was this plain, little White-bellied Hummingbird. Its pale undertail differentiates it from the similar, but much less common, Green-and-White Hummingbird, which has an all dark undertail with the white vent.
Green-tailed Trainbearers are always a welcome site.
We had several that were very cooperative!
This Giant Hummingbird had golden pollen at the bas of its bill. These huge (8 inches) hummingbirds fly more like a swift than a typical hummingbird.
My favorite hummer of the whole tip, the Bearded Mountaineer, posed for many images. A spectacular bird, in this image it appears to be wearing a fur coat!
The Bearded Mountaineer’s most spectacular feature was its forked, black-and-white tail!
Coming up next… Machu Picchu!