PERU: Andes to Amazon ~ Day 14 (Conclusion)

This Variable Antshrike was one of our first birds of our final morning of birding. It was a beautiful morning for a walk — which started with a 2-mile bus ride up the road toward Machu Picchu. A small park sits between the mountain and the river and the activity was wonderful!

Feeding flocks moved through the trees all around us. This female Capped Conebill was among Red-eyed Vireos and several species of tanagers.

A pair of Ocellated Piculets, one of the smallest woodpeckers in the world, posed briefly before continuing their search for bugs.

When we came to an opening, we found a Smoke-colored Peewee sallying for insects. Our attention was quickly taken away by a brief visit of a White-eared Solitaire (of which I was not able to get a reasonable image).

Then a Collared Inca deep beyond the forest edge caught our attention as it fluttered from flower to flower. It never fully came out of the forest to get a better shot.

Along the river’s edge we found more great birds, including a Dull-colored Grassquit.

Blue-and-black Tanagers were among a small feeding flock that did not stay too long.

In the river we found a female Torrent Duck with a duckling. After a bit of preening she coaxed the youngster into the rapids to feed.

The male Torrent Duck joined the pair and they swam into the rapids and behind the rocks. After a bit, the male and duckling reappeared and the chick was coaxed back up onto the rocks.

To cap off the morning, a Capped Dipper hopped out of the rapids and onto the mossy rocks. We watched for a while, but then had to head off to catch the train back to Cusco.

Back in Cusco we said good-bye to our excellent local guide, Silverio Duri. We totaled 396 seen species and quite a few heard only. Sometimes those hills are just too steep to go looking for what’s singing!