Sacred Valley and Laguna de Huarcapay

When moving from Ollantaytambo to Cusco, we stopped at Sacred Garden (see last post) to see hummingbirds before visiting Laguna de Huarcapay.

Here are some views along the way.

More farming terraces.

Fun story- When we were planning this trip, I used the Wander app on Oculus to get a feel for Calca, as this was a town we considered staying in for a month. The app lets you "walk" down roads where a Google car has driven and photographed with 360 tools. When I walked the main street thru Calca, I found this enormous puma statue. Later when we drove thru Calca and I spotted the statue, it was a little sureal seeing it in real life. It's a cool app. I like to use it to give friends a tour of places we've been, or see how landscapes have changed over time. Calca is featured in the photo above and below.

A dog lying in the street with no cares.

 Finally we arrived at Laguna de Huarcapay, where we spotted a musical group filming a music video with wild flamingos for a backdrop. After they left we circled back around to get closer to the pink beauties.

The road that circles the laguna rises in elevation and platforms along the road allow for sweeping view. It's winter here in early September, so the water level is quite low. During the rainy season, the lake fills up.

I did some good birding from here, but most of the birds were too distant for great photos.

Now it was time to head back to Cusco to rest and prepare for our trip to the AMAZON jungle!

Birding Peru's Sacred Valley

 There are two locations in Peru's Sacred Valley known for their birds that come to their feeders. It was a short ride from Ollantaytambo to Ensifera Camp (Santuario de Colibries on Google maps) located in Urubamba at 10,500ft elevation. They supplied laminated mats to aid in identification.

Journey enjoyed watching the hummingbirds and photographing them. She took these two photos! 

Sparkling Violetear sporting a cap of yellow pollen (left)   Tyrian Metaltail (right)

Violetears are named after the purple-blue feathers on their head they raise when agitated.

The endemic Chestnut-breasted Mountain-finch can be found here. (Above) The Sword-billed Hummingbird is another big attraction. Daddy saw it, but sadly I did not. (I've seen it in Ecuador though, which is all that kept me from melting into a pile of tears.) Tyrian Metaltail (below)

I was thrilled to spot a Giant Hummingbird, yes, that's it's actual name. At 8" it's the largest hummingbird in the world. I saw one earlier in the week at Tambomachay, but it was raining, so I couldn't get a great photo. They are easy to tell apart by their size and tan color.

Both Green-tailed and Black-tailed Trainbearers were seen.

Spotted a Golden-billed Saltator in the bushes.

They offer camping here on the property and will even supply everything but your food. I wish we could have spent the night and had time to walk the trails. We enjoyed our visit!

A few days later, on our move from Ollantaytambo to Cusco, we took the scenic route stopping at Sacred Garden and Laguna de Huarcapay. Sacred Garden, near San Salvador, is the other spot known for hummingbirds, and specifically the Bearded Mountaineer, which is what I was most hoping to see.

We came here seeking the Bearded Mountaineer. This endemic bird is only found between 8,800-12,800ft elevation. It didn't take long till I spotted it's distinctive tail, black with white edges, flittering from flower to flower. It came to rest on a nearby plant!

Cute bird. And THEN it turned its head, and BAM! Check out that rainbow beard!

Success! 

Man, it's so satisfying to not only find a bird you're seeking, but to get that one photo that you're really hoping for! We saw many of the same hummingbirds here as we had seen at Ensifera, but I did get more great looks at Trainbearers and Giant Hummingbirds.

I also spotted Black-backed Grosbeaks and a Blue-and-yellow Tanager!

While we were birding, a farmer was plowing his fields in the distance.

Satisfied with our visit, we continued on to Laguna de Huarcapay, where we spotted a musical group filming a music video with flamingos as a backdrop.