Richard: Great opportunity! You have 5 days but how much budget? What
major habitats would you like to sample in this, arguably the most
ecologically diverse country on the planet?

Since you'll be seeing the Humboldt Current specialties anyway, it seems,
you're thinking primarily of landbirding? If money's not a huge problem,
your highest species/dollar bang for the buck route would likely be to fly
straight from Lima (airport is in Callao actually) to Cusco, from there
have booked in advance a 3 night/4 day stay at one of the excellent lodges
in or near Manu National Park = among the very best undisturbed primary
lowland rainforest habitats in Amazonia, very accessible from Cusco (45
min. spectacular flight over the east flank of the Andes), at or near
world record biodiversity for various taxa. Various operators including
Manu Expeditions, Manu Lodge or InkaNatura. All these have options to
sample the montane and cloud forest areas as well. I've been to lodges
operated by the latter two and had fantastic experiences (Jaguar, Tapir,
all the large birds (currasow, macaws, raptors, etc.), as I'm sure some
other Tweets will confirm. Check out various options at
http://www.inkanatura.com/

You could also fly out to Iquitos area for some good lowland forest
lodges, but it's farther (= more expensive) from Lima and you don't have
the huge added bonus of Inka architecture and the whole indigenous culture
of the Cusco area.

Or you could head due east from Lima in a rental car and do an Andean
transect, including a lot of specialties like Diademed Sandpiper-Plover,
the big Cinclodes (White-bellied?).

It's a wonderful, huge, rugged, spectacular landscape and country. *Many*
opportunities.

I can send you more precise information if you want.

Enjoy!

Tom L.

************************************
Tom Love *
Assoc. Professor of Anthropology *
Linfield College *
McMinnville, Oregon 97128 *
email: tlove at linfield.edu *
tel: (503) 434-2504 *
fax: (503) 434-2566 *
*
45N, 123W *
************************************

On Thu, 17 Jun 1999 Pterodroma at aol.com wrote:

> Hi 'tweets' -- I will be making a brief 5-day port-o-call in Callao, PERU in
> early to mid-November. Does anyone have any experiences, recommendations,
> and suggestions for a 'hot must visit' target destination during this short
> dolphin/seabird research cruise pit stop? Additional port-o-calls on this
> long cruise (July-December) include Hawaii, Costa Rica, and Panama in
> addition to various scattered remote island stops (Cocos, Clipperton, etc).
> I'm a-ok and familiar with those areas, but will be delighted to entertain
> any thoughts and comments anyone might wish to share. BTW, Mike Force and I
> will be sailing, working, and birding together on this one.
>
> For Peru,
> (1) Where would you go?
> (2) Recommended bird guides? Clements' NEW Peru guide won't be available
> until Fall 1999 unfortunately.
> (3) The Spring 1999 ABA "Birder's Catalogue" lists birders shared 'Foreign
> Field Notes' including a collection for 'Peru, Ecuador, Galapagos' for $7.05.
> Has anyone ever used these and/or would you recommend them?
> (4) Any other comment or useful things I might want or need to know?
>
> Thanks. --Richard
>
> Richard Rowlett (Pterodroma at aol.com)
> Bellevue (Eastgate), WA
>