I have mentioned previously on this blog how Laura and I had a dilemma when planning ten weeks in Peru. Do we go all out, covering off the entire country north to south? Or do we take things a little slower so that we could avoid a ton of really long drives and overnight buses, and spend a little bit of extra time at some of the locales? In the end, we opted for the latter and we avoided all travel in northern Peru. Hopefully, we will return to this beautiful country in the future to explore the northern third, but for this trip we focused on the central and southern portions. Of course, it goes without saying that one can spend a lifetime in Peru and only scratch the surface from an ecological point of view.
The furthest north that we planned to visit was a gorgeous national park that features the tallest mountain peaks in Peru. Parque Nacional Huascarán comprises most of the mountain range called the Cordillera Blanca. The park is around 150 km long and averages 25 km in width, and it is famous for its aquamarine lakes, snow-capped peaks and mountaineering activities.
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| Parque Nacional Huascarán, Ancash, Peru |
The birding in Huascarán can also be incredible. While species diversity above 4000m is not very high, here it is a matter of quality over quantity. Vast groves of Polylepis forest can be reached along bumpy gravel roads, and this rare ecosystem is home to unique species like the White-cheeked Cotinga, Giant Conebill and Plain-tailed Warbling Finch. Some of the other birds that we hoped to eye up included the Green-headed Hillstar, Ancash Tapaculo, Pale-tailed Canastero and Tit-like Dacnis, to name a few. We booked four nights in a hotel in the town of Caraz. It came equipped with a kitchen and proved to be an excellent base for our explorations in Huascarán.
August 4, 2022
Today had mostly been a write off as we navigated the "highway" from Huánuco to Huallanca. Due to unforeseen construction delays - virtually the entire stretch of road was being worked on by various crews - it took us all day to drive this stretch. Most of it was unpaved as well. But we found a cheap hotel in Huallanca that also served excellent trucha frita (whole fried trout), a fitting end to the day.
We christened our rental car with the name "Pardusco" after this drive. Meaning brownish in Spanish, Pardusco is also the common name for a tanager that is endemic to the eastern Andes of Peru, a species that we had recently observed at Bosque Unchog. This photo was taken along the "highway".
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| Pardusco |
August 5, 2022
Our first stop on the morning of August 5 was a nearby lake called Laguna Contaycocha. The air was chilly at the elevation of 3900m but the birds were active.
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| Laguna Contaycocha, Ancash, Peru |
One could not help but notice the large numbers of Giant Coots. Some were busily repairing nests, while others were preoccupied with feeding their young, still in that awkward phase.
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| Giant Coot - Laguna Contaycocha, Ancash, Peru |
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| Miniature Giant Coot - Laguna Contaycocha, Ancash, Peru |
Flocks of waterfowl included quite a few Andean Ducks, some at close range and looking sharp.
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| Andean Duck - Laguna Contaycocha, Ancash, Peru |
We heard our first Ancash Tapaculo, spotted a White-browed Chat-Tyrant, and listened to a very close Stripe-headed Antpitta that did not want to come out and play. We also found our first Tit-like Dacnis (a female), which was a sign of things to come. This species is abundant in certain sectors of Huascarán.
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| Tit-like Dacnis - Laguna Contaycocha, Ancash, Peru |
We drove for most of the morning to reach Parque Nacional Huascarán. At one point, we turned off the highway at a rough mountain road; this track is the southernmost pass through the Cordillera Blanca. We considered driving the entire road, from the eastern side through the mountains to Laguna Patococha on the western side. However, given the remoteness of the area, the quality of the road (or lack thereof), the nonexistent cell service and the battery issues that we had had with the Toyota, we thought better of this decision. The scenery was beautiful in the small stretch that we did explore, however.
By lunchtime, we had driven around the bottom end of the Cordillera Blanca and had began to head north along the western flank. We reached the opposite side of the mountain road we had considered driving earlier, and turned eastwards. We payed our entrance fee to the indigenous group that allows access to this road and completed the 10 kilometre or so journey to Laguna Patococha. It was beautiful.
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| Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
Silvery Grebes and various ducks dotted the water's surface, while Puna Ibises and Chilean Flamingos probed the shallows. Somewhere off in the distance, the raucous vocalizations of Andean Lapwings caught our ears. Laura and I even ruined the beautiful montane scene by indulging in a selfie or two...
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| Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
After a quick snack, we went for a stroll around the edge of the lake. One of our target birds was present - the Green-headed Hillstar. We watched a male feeding on the bright yellow flowers of a cactus, the only nectar source we could find in this chilly environment.
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| Green-headed Hillstar - Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
The Green-headed Hillstar has a relatively small range in the high Andes of northern and central Peru. Like all hillstars they are quite an attractive hummingbird, especially when the emeral gorget catches the light just so!
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| Green-headed Hillstar - Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
It is incredible that hummingbirds can survive at these extreme altitudes where the temperatures drop below freezing each and every night. They have evolved with their environment and rely on the few nectar sources around, such as the yellow-flowered cactus which I have identified as Oroya borchersii. Like the hillstar, the cactus also has a rather small global range in north and central Peru.
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| Oroya borchersii - Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
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| Oroya borchersii - Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
Our visit to Laguna Patococha was a prudent choice, since it was the only site where we observed the Green-headed Hillstar.
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| Green-headed Hillstar - Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
One of the iconic plants of this region of the Andes is an incredible bromeliad called Queen of the Andes (Puya raimondii). This endangered species is the largest bromeliad in the world with inflorescences reaching over 15 m in height! We saw some mature individuals off in the distance, but we were unable to approach them closely since we wanted to avoid entering the park and paying the fee. Instead, we settled for several young individuals and a deceased one.
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| Queen Of The Andes (Puya raimondii) - Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
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| Queen Of The Andes (Puya raimondii) - Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
Did I mention how the scenery at Laguna Patococha was just incredible?
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| Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
Laura and I completed our walk around the lake, observing a few additional birds: Taczanowski's and Puna Ground-Tyrants, a Short-billed Pipit and numerous Streak-throated Canasteros.
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| Taczanowski's Ground-Tyrant - Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
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| Streak-throated Canastero - Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
The Silvery Grebes were looking particularly photogenic as we rounded the last part of the lake.
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| Silvery Grebe - Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
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| Silvery Grebe - Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
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| Silvery Grebe - Laguna Patococha, Ancash, Peru |
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