Tweeters:

Herewith are some notes about a recent six week trip to Peru and Chile. I
decided to post this for a couple of reasons. Several years ago I met a
couple of ladies from Illinois who had just returned from birding in Chile and
what they told me made all the difference for me in taking this trip. Also
while traveling I met more Americans from the Seattle area than any other
place in North America by far, and I figure some Tweetsters might be
contemplating a trip to this part of the Bird Continent.

I spent quite a bit of time in and around the old Inca capital of Cusco. Lots
of tourists though it is the low season during our winter. I got the
impression Peru is really opening up for tourism now as it is much safer than
a couple of years ago. There are plenty of travel agencies in Cusco who will
take you on a general one week tour of Manu Nat. Park, but the guy for birders
to see here is Barry Walker. He runs Expediciones Manu as well as the Cross
Keys Pub. A very pleasant fellow and a highly competent bird guide. Before
leaving home I'd seen him on the telly with Michael Palin who was doing his
Full Circle trip. Exp. Manu's e-mail address is:
manuexpe+ at amauta.rcp.net.pe.

If you're not hooked up with a guide service travel in Manu can be difficult
and expensive. I took the one day trip over the Andes with a tour group who
dropped me off along the Alto Madre de Dios River, from where I made my way to
the Amazonia Lodge for a five day stay. I was the only guest for that time,
mostly because the rainy season had commenced, but also because the birds are
less responsive and visible during this season. Of course I saw some great
stuff anyway. The habitat here where the foothills to the Andes begins is
wonderful. Three different mornings the owner of the lodge and I saw fresh
jaguar tracks on the trail just behind the lodge. We're talking major
indicator species, no? This was a way upriver from the macaw licks and all
along the Manu and Madre de Dios Rivers, but it was an exciting place to be.
I've been in different tropical rainforests throughout the Americas, and this
was the best habitat I've seen.

I'll spare you the story of how I got back over the rain soaked mountains to
Cusco. Although I haven't been to Tambopata Reserve further down the Madre de
Dios, from what I've learned I think this is an excellent choice for the
independent traveler. It's not hard to get a flight from Cusco to Puerto
Maldonado, from where you take a boat to the lodge at the Tambopata Research
Center. The October '97 issue of Birding has a good article on this area.

I spent a week birding with other North Americans on a tributary of the Amazon
out of Iquitos in northeastern Peru. All of the forest around Iquitos has
been badly hacked, and even where we were a couple of hundred miles downriver
from the city, you had to do some hiking away from whatever water system you
arrived by to see something like a primary forest. But although the habitat
didn't look near as good to my eyes as Manu, I saw more birds here. The
negative seasonal effect was certainly less pronounced. A highlight was the
Orange-breasted Falcon which was studied at leisure. Another highlight was
meeting and birding with Howard and Thais Armstrong of Samish Island, who are
in the middle of a two year (or whatever) world tour. They can tell you a
story or two.

Lauca National Park at the northern tip of Chile was a trip highlight for me.
The altiplano is over 14,000 feet high here, and the nearby snow-clad
volcanoes are over 20,000 feet. Studying three species of flamingos in this
most striking and beautiful landscape is a memorable experience. Birds were
plentiful and easily seen, in major contrast to the forested areas I had been
in. Vicunas were plentiful also. Lauca is a good place to look for the
strange Diademed Sandpiper-Plover, and with the help of a guide I got good
looks. Barbara Knapton (I believe that's her last name) runs AltoAndino Tours
from her home in the village of Putre, which at 10,000 feet is a gateway to
the park. She is originally from Hoquiam by way of Kodiak Island, and
occasionally advertises in the ABA newsletter Winging It. There is no phone
service in Putre, so she doesn't have e-mail. I stayed in Putre for several
days, where there was the rather pleasant diversion of a family of Aplomado
Falcons. The first time I saw them I got very close to an adult with my video
camera, and later learning they are not rare there didn't diminish the
excitement.

Another highlight in Chile was Torres del Paine National Park at the southern
end of the country. Exceptionally striking mountain scenery, numerous
condors, lots of backpackers from all over. The gateway city for this park is
Punta Arenas, which is on the Straits of Magellan. I had a guide lined up to
take me across the straits for southern pelagics, Magellanic Plover, etc, but
a combination of snafu's got the better of that trip. This did save me money,
as things around Punta Arenas are not cheap. By this I mean a little more
expensive than North America, and much more than Peru. I got the impression
of a growing awareness in Chile of the importance of birding to the tourist
industry. Steve Howell and his partner Sophie Webb have been working on a new
Chilean field guide for five years now, and Al Jaramillo is working on one
also, so the appearance of these books will be a major boost.

So if you're thinking about a trip to this part of the world I want to
encourage you. In southern Peru alone there is incredible scenery, striking
diversity of habitats, fascinating ruins, good infrastructure for tourists,
and in Manu perhaps the best place for birds on the planet.

Mark Houston
Spokane