After a good night’s sleep we were ready to go birding at 6
but it was still dark so had to settle for a coffee instead. A West Peruvian
Screech-Owl was heard but didn’t wish to be seen so we headed off around the
grounds for a short walk and saw Baird’s Flycatcher, Collared Antshrike,
White-tailed Jay, Peruvian Pygmy-Owl, Scarlet-backed Woodpecker and a rather
neat Grey-and-Gold Warbler.
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| Scarlet-backed Woodpecker |
After breakfast we went for a longer wander on the trails. Although
this was the dry side of Peru the weather was overcast and there was a light
drizzle but at least it kept the heat down and the bird activity up.
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| Amazilia Hummingbird |
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| Grey-and-White Tyrannulet |
Among the commoner birds we found Amazilia Hummingbird, White-edged
Oriole, Red-masked Parakeet, Collared Warbling-Finch and Grey-and-White
Tyrannulet. There were even a few mammals seen with Guayaquil Squirrel,
Collared Peccary and White-tailed Deer to add to the inquisitive Sechura Fox
that hung around the kitchen looking for scraps.
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| Guayaquil Squirrel |
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| Collared Peccary |
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| Sechura Fox |
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| White-tailed Deer |
A little later we passed a
rehabilitation centre which housed a couple of Spectacled Bears. Hopefully they’ll
be released back into the wild soon. At least these ones didn’t have a taste
for marmalade sandwiches!
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| Spectacled Bear |
The birding was excellent and a little further out we
encountered more specialities such as Necklaced Spinetail, Tumbes Tyrant and
the exquisite Elegant Crescentchest.
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| Elegant Crescentchest |
However the star bird is White-winged Guan
which was once thought to be extinct but later found here which is why this protected area was set up; we saw several.
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| White-winged Guan |
Other locally
distributed birds included White-headed Brushfinch, Tumbes Hummingbird, Tumbes
Sparrow and Pacific Parrotlet. Most of these birds only live in this arid area
of Northern Peru and Southern Ecuador.
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| Tumbes Hummingbird |
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| White-headed Brushfinch |
We also saw some restored rock art which
dated back to the time of the Incas.
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| Golden Grosbeak |
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| White-tailed Jay |
We went back to the lodge late morning for a rest
photographing birds at the feeder like Golden Grosbeak and White-tailed Jay and a look at a young
Boa.
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| Boa |
In the afternoon we returned to the reservoir but this time parked further
away and walked down towards the shore line. The flock of Black-faced Ibis was
still present and at least five Ospreys were sat around the water’s edge along
with three Cocoi Herons.
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| Black-faced Ibis |
In the water there were plenty of ducks with the
dominant species being White-cheeked Pintail with a few Cinnamon Teal and
Blue-winged Teal while several flocks of Comb Duck flew over.
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| Comb Duck |
Amongst the
egrets were two pink American Spoonbills and several Wood Storks. On the walk
back we ran into two small wader flocks, firstly Semipalmated Sandpiper then
Baird’s Sandpiper.
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| Baird’s Sandpiper |
We returned to the approach track towards dusk where flocks
of Lesser Nighthawks were flying around and a Striped Cuckoo was seen.
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| Striped Cuckoo |
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