Explorations of an Ecologist: A Month In Northern Peru, Part 11: Fundo Alto Nieva (February 12

February 12, 2024 (continued)

We found an area to park in the little village of Fundo Alto Nieva and completed the short, five-minute walk in to the reserve. This particular site has become famous in recent years as a place where the enigmatic Long-whiskered Owlet can be observed, while it is also home to a few other highly-desirable range-restricted species, such as the Royal Sunangel, Bar-winged Wood-Wren and Cinnamon-breasted Tody-Tyrant. Though staying at Fundo Alto Neiva is not exactly inexpensive, it is a lot more affordable than the Owlet Lodge which is the only other place where birders have traditionally searched for the owlet.

Laura and I had coordinated our visit ahead of time with Carlos Calle Quispe, a local birder who arranges visits here. We were met at the reserve by Wilmer Montenegro who would be our guide here, as well as his family. Wilmer was easy-going, friendly and knew his birds very well, and we really enjoyed our time here at the reserve. He spoke nice and slowly which made it easier for Laura and I to understand his Spanish.

Royal Sunangel - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

The facilities at Fundo Alto Nieva are basic but functional. The cabin in which we stayed was comfortable and included everything we needed, including a hot shower and mosquito netting around the beds. The electricity was turned on whenever we returned from the field, and internet was available each evening in the dining hall building.

Our main priority was to search for the Long-whiskered Owlet and we figured that we had a reasonable shot at this species in our two nights here. That first evening, Wilmer took us along a trail that heads up into good quality forest. The bird song was quiet on the walk in; only Andean Thrushes and Spotted Barbtails had their voices pierce through the din of the bubbling creek and cicadas. I had been keeping an eye on the developing clouds throughout the afternoon and luck was on our side as the rain was holding off, for now. As dusk approached, anticipation was high. Finally, at 6:44 PM, a muffled hoot announced the presence of an owlet! Minutes later and I spotted the culprit tucked in on a mossy branch. I made sure to fire off a bunch of photos and it was a personal milestone bird; my 4000th species photographed.

Long-whiskered Owlet - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

We watched the Long-whiskered Owlet for a few minutes until it flew off into the night. This bizarre little owl with long facial whiskers was discovered by LSU researchers in 1976 when they mist-netted one, but it remained an enigma until the early 2000s. In recent years, more individuals have been found and now it can be seen somewhat regularly in the Abra Patricia area. Wilmer keeps tabs on a couple individuals in the cloud forests here at Fundo Alto Nieva.

Oressinoma typhla - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

My excitement over seeing the owlet was only matched by my relief, especially since the rains began soon after we observed it. Rain is not uncommon here and there was a chance that we would be rained out both nights. Luck was on our side.

February 13, 2024

The rains continued through the night and by dawn, it was still spitting out. Regardless, we met up with Wilmer to walk into the forest and to search for two species of antpittas. Putting our umbrellas to good use, we set up at the first spot where the Rusty-tinged Antpitta is regularly fed worms. We didn't have to wait long as it was eager to get its breakfast.

Rusty-tinged Antpitta - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

We then moved down the trail to the area where the Ochre-fronted Antpittas are fed. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, the Ochre-fronted remained heard-only. We tried at another area but were skunked there, too. Such is birding.

We walked back towards the cabins as there was a slight gap in the weather. We tried playing tapes for the Bar-winged Wood-Wren and Cinnamon-vented Tody-Tyrant in the stunted forest, but nothing responded. At least the break in the weather meant that we could find a few species, even if they weren't our main targets.

Mottle-cheeked Tyrannulet - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Peruvian Racket-tail - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

However, the rains soon returned with greater urgency. Birding was hopeless in these conditions and so Laura and I retreated to our cabin to catch up on some sleep. It wasn't until the early afternoon that the rain abated and we could leave the cabin again. The rest was well-needed, anyways.

Forest trails at Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Though we were frustrated that we had lost most of our only full day here to poor weather, we weren't going to let that stop us. Laura and I checked in with Wilmer and he was cool with us birding the trails on our own, and so we headed out. As nice as it had been to catch up on sleep, it felt great to be back in a beautiful forest and not cooped up in a cabin.

Forest trails at Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Unidentified - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

During periods where the birding was slow, I focused on the abundance of bright, colourful plants including a nice variety of orchids.

Trichopilia sp. - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Epidendrum nocturnum - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Maxillaria amesiana - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Ronnbergia veitchii

A smooth, linear, silvery-blue shape caught my eye in a flooded section of the trail. A caecilian!

Caecilians are poorly-known amphibians that spend most of their lives underground. They belong to the order Gymnophiona, one of three orders of amphibians along with Caudata (salamanders) and Anura (frogs and toads). Due to their fossorial habits they are rarely seen at the surface, and so much remains unknown about their ecology and diversity. This was only the fourth caecilian that I had seen in the wild.

Like all amphibians, caecilians have semipermeable skin that is susceptible to toxins. Laura and I did not have any sunscreen or bug repellent on our hands, and we also made sure to keep our hands wet when we picked it up.

Caecilians have shovel-shaped snouts and almost non-existent eyes, both being adaptations to a life underground. They eat mainly insect larvae and earthworms, with rows of sharp teeth helping to control their prey.

Caecilia sp. - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Laura and I certainly had a little extra pep in our step after the caecilian success. And our day seemed to have turned around. The birds became more active and we quickly succeeded with two of our main target species, the Bar-winged Wood-Wren and the Cinnamon-breasted Tody-Tyrant. Both of these birds inhabit stunted cloud forest on the east slope of the Andes; the same habitat and elevation preferred by the Long-whiskered Owlet. Unfortunately, the tody-tyrant slipped away before we could obtain proper views and photos.

Bar-winged Wood-Wren - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Next on the agenda was another stake-out of the hummingbird feeders, located a short walk from the cabins. Royal Sunangels come to the feeders at certain times of the year and we were hopeful, since some photographers had photographed a male here two days earlier. Our previous visits to the hummingbird feeders had not been successful, but the third time was the charm!

Royal Cinclodes - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

We were treated to amazing encounters with both the male (above) and female (below) Royal Sunangel. What a gorgeous species.

Royal Cinclodes - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

We reconvened with Wilmer and informed him of our success so far. Since we wanted to improve on our tody-tyrant experience, he took us back along the trail to try once again. This time, we were in luck and we enjoyed unobstructed views of one for a little bit, until it shot off into the dense understory, never to the seen again.

Cinnamon-vented Tody-Tyrant - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

That evening, after setting up my moth trap beside the cabin, I set off with Laura and Wilmer into the forest. Our target species this evening was the Cinnamon Screech-Owl, another montane species that would be a lifer for Laura (I had heard this species previously in Colombia). Unfortunately, despite the good listening conditions, we struck out.

Our walk was still productive as we found a few interesting insects, frogs and even an unidentified rodent. I did not have my macro lens with me so you will have to excuse the photo quality.

Neotropical Leaf Katydid sp. - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Unidentified treefrog - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Unidentified rodent - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Laura and I slept well and awoke to a beautiful morning. It was still rather overcast, but at least there was no rain! We joined Wilmer for another antpitta hunt as the Ochre-fronted still eluded us.

Rusty-tinged Antpitta - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Once again, the Rusty-fronted eagerly bounced onto its log to slurp up a few worms. But the Ochre-fronted did not; we didn't even hear it vocalize this time.

Rusty-tinged Antpitta - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

We headed back to the cabins to pack up and leave Fundo Alto Nieva behind. One last surprise was waiting for us; a massive Hercules beetle! This particular species is Dynastes lichyi, a species limited to the Andes.

Dynastes lichyi - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Hercules beetles are the longest beetles in the world, and one of the largest flying insects. Neither Laura nor I had seen one before.

Dynastes lichyi - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Despite the heavy rain, our visit was a success and we loved our stay at Fundo Alto Nieva. We will just have to return one day for the Ochre-fronted Antpitta.

But before I finish this post, I wanted to touch on the moths at Fundo Alto Nieva. On both nights, I set up my moth trap under the overhang of one of the cabins (in case of rain). During the second night, I had enough battery power to keep the light on all night.

Moth mayhem - Fundo Alto Nieva, Amazonas, Peru

Rainy, mountainous areas always seem to produce the best mothing conditions and so I had high hopes for Fundo Alto Nieva. But the results blew me away - it was insane how many moths appeared! So many of them were fancy silkworm moths and sphinxes as well.