Jungle Day 3: We took a short ride to Pico de Hoz, a place known for hummingbirds and the possibility of seeing a King Vulture! Right away we were delighted by all the hummingbirds coming to feeders. Journey and Asher found little feeders they could hold in their hand and for the next hour held still while hummingbirds landed on their hands to drink the nectar! What a cool experience!
Rufous-breasted Hermit feeding from Journey's hand! This is a bird I didn't identify until just now! Lifer!
Sapphire-spangled Emerald ( below)
We enjoyed a lovely breakfast on the deck. It was hard to focus on eating with so many fabulous birds just a few feet away!
To add to the excitement, these adorable squirrel monkeys came to eat bananas!
After breakfast, we went for a guided hike in search of a Crake.
Check out this massive termite nest!
Long-tailed Tyrant and a KING VULTURE! Yes!!!
And we were successful at finding the shy Rufous-sided Crake! So cute!
There are some fantastic places to relax and enjoy the view here. We found a swing overlooking the river and a high point to take in the vista.
Journey and I spent more time on the deck watching hummingbirds and monkeys while Asher and Daddy walked down to the river to go fishing. I was shocked to hear how many he caught! Our guide bundled up his fish and served them to us for lunch!
Spix's Guan
Next we went to nearby Inkamazonia, where we saw many of the same birds, but a few special, new ones. A coquette was flitting about from flower to flower and I was so focused that a few minutes after it moved on, I thought I had hallucinated a toucan. But then someone pointed behind me and there it was! This one was rescued as a young bird and has imprinted on humans, so not considered wild at this point.
The Rufous-breasted Coquette (above). White-bearded Hermit (below)
The not-so-wild White-throated Toucan.
We spotted a Titi monkey here.
And some beautiful tanagers came for the plantains.
A beautiful orchid at Inkamazonia.
Time to head back to our place for lunch before a river swim.
The town of Pillcopata along Manu Road. We stayed at Guadalupe Lodge, a 30 minute drive off a dirt road from here.
Check out the fish Asher caught! After this delicious lunch I birded the property while everyone else rested before going for a dip in the river.
Our guide spotted this Buff-rumped Warbler while we were eating on the raised, covered deck. Bluish-fronted Jacamar below.
Our guide was surprised when I showed him these photos later. I guess this Yellow-billed Nunbird is not a common bird to find at this location.
I watched this Fawn-breasted Tanager catching food for quite a while.
Time to cool off in the river for a bit! This river is a very short walk from our cabin.
We crossed this bridge to return to our room.
We changed and relaxed a bit until dark and then we did one of our favorite things, a night hike!
