A Month In Northern Peru, Part 8: Pale-billed Antpittas In The Elfin Forest (February 10, 2024)

February 10, 2024

The Pale-billed Antpitta is a large, fancy-looking Grallaria antpitta only found in the high Andes of northern Peru. Because of its proclivity towards dense forest with an abundance of bamboo, there are few places where this species can be easily found. These sorts of forested habitats are not usually found close to roads or trails, since humans have already accessed those areas and cut down all of the trees and cleared out the bamboo. The best way to find this species in its limited range is to go on a long, arduous hike into the hills. If it is a difficult site for birders to reach, it is also a difficult site for other humans to access and clear vegetation from. 

Most birders who seek out this distinctive antpitta do so along a trail known as Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo. The beginning of this trail is easy to reach just outside of the town of Pomacochas which was our home base for two nights. I am not sure when this trail was constructed but presumably it has been in use for hundreds of years. It is the only access point for some of the homesteads and small communities far away from the roads in this corner of the Andes.  

Laura and I planned to spend the better part of the day on Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo. We prepared ourselves for a steep hike as the first stretch of trail gains over 400 metres of elevation. But after that, the trail more or less levels out. We packed ourselves plenty of food and water, put on our rubber boots, and began the climb just after dawn.

Cinnamon Flycatcher - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

We initially focused on making good time and didn't linger for very long on the lower slopes, other than to catch our breath, of course. While the antpittas used to reside in forest patches along this stretch, most of these areas had been cleared in recent years. Now, one has to go a lot higher to stand a good chance. 

Still, the birdsong at this early hour was tempting and we stopped for species like Buff-browed Foliage-gleaner, Andean Guan and Amethyst-throated Sunangel. 

Andean Guan - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

The steepest portion of trail was behind us after an hour and a half, and we explored at a more leisurely pace from here on out. We often stopped for some of the many interesting plants found trail-side. 

Cyrtochilum macranthum - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Passiflora sp. - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Fuschia sp. - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Early avian highlights included  two new ones for us: a vocal Rufous-backed Treehunter in a dense stand of bamboo and scrub that refused to come into view, and a Rusty-tinged Antpitta that sang from somewhere down the slope. 

We have seen Golden-plumed Parakeets before but one that was teed up on the top of a mossy tree was a worthwhile study. 

Golden-plumed Parakeet - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Our birding luck continued to improve when we reached a flat, muddy section of trail that passed through one of the more extensive forest tracts. 

Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Our first mixed flock materialized. In ten minutes our species list for the day doubled, as we observed birds like Drab Hemispingus, Black-capped Hemispingus, Hooded Mountain-Tanager and Citrine Warbler. Plain-tailed Wrens duetted from the dense bamboo, and several hummingbirds zoomed by. A feast for the senses. 

Cinnamon Flycatcher - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

We finally heard our first Pale-billed Antpitta in this area. And then, an incredible experience unfolded. A snippet of playback enticed the bird to approach us from down the hillside. I noticed some movement beside the trail and then the antpitta hopped up onto the trail, completely out in the open! I gestured to Laura to turn around and she slowly did, as the antpitta gave us face-melting views, completely unobscured. It only lasted for a few more seconds until he bounded off the trail, taking about five giant hops to do so. We were gobsmacked! I hadn't had time to think about photography, but the memory is seared in my mind, anyways. 

We would go on to hear several more Pale-billed Antpittas throughout the morning, but that was unfortunately the only one we would see. An unforgettable experience with a spectacular bird. 

Panyapedaliodes sp. - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

The birding, butterflying, botanizing and bugging was excellent as we ventured further along the path. The overcast conditions had remained, meaning that the day was relatively cool and the birds were active. We enjoyed watching a little group of White-collared Jays, hearing the various tapaculos and antpittas, and photographing the occasional trailside plant that captured our interest. 

White-collared Jay - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Passiflora cumblensis - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Eventually, the forest thinned out and became more scraggly, interspersed with sections of bunchgrass and low shrubs. It was beautiful, especially as the fog lifted over a distance ridge. 

Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

The birds were quieter here, and I focused more on searching for interesting plants and insects. 

Unidentified plant - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Plant life along Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru 

Astylus bonplandi - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Andean Red Bumble Bee (Bombus rubicundus) - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

I must confess that I am not very proficient at identifying lichens, but with the help of the iNaturalist community I was able to put a name to some of them. 

Family Baeomycetaceae - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

This one was particularly eye-catching and it is known as Cladonia lopezii. We have several Cladonia here in southern Ontario as well, including the well-known Reindeer Lichen and British Soldier Lichen. 

Cladonia lopezii - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

My iNaturalist observation of this Cladonia lopezii was chosen as iNaturalist's Observation Of The Day, and it was posted onto their social media accounts. Who knew that a lichen could be so popular? :)

Cladonia lopezii - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Laura and I reached a point where the trail began a long descent into a valley. As our stomachs were grumbling, we decided that this would be our lunch spot and the point where we would turn around. 

Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

As we snacked on our crackers, apples and sandwiches, a Coppery Metaltail perched prominently beside us. During a break in the fog I snagged a few photographs. 

Coppery Metaltail - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

As an aside, Laura and I may be some of the only tourists who have spent an extended period of time in Peru and have never visited Machu Picchu. As much as that site is world-famous for a reason, going to a tourist hotspot like that just isn't our scene. The amazing thing with being a birder is that by following the birds, we often end up at sites like Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo. Though it isn't much like Machu Picchu, it is an incredibly scenic trail that cuts through a swath of beautiful habitats with unforgettable vistas. We were able to find all kinds of interesting birds and other species here, and up to this point we hadn't run into a single person. These are the places that I love exploring; I'll take this over a tourist-filled archaeological site any day. 

Coppery Metaltail - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Unidentified wasp on Baccharis genistelloides - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

As we finished our lunch on the rock outcrop we heard some birds calling from the shrubby vegetation that sounded a lot like thistletails. It didn't take too much effort to coax one into view. 

White-chinned Thistletail - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

White-chinned Thistletails are limited to grassy, shrubby habitats at the treeline in the eastern Andes. They are very skulky and difficult to see well, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to photograph this individual. In true thistletail fashion, it dove for cover a few seconds after these photos. 

White-chinned Thistletail - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

The numerous Moustached Flowerpiercers were a little easier to observe. 

Moustached Flowerpiercer - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

We retraced our steps, stopping here and there for birds. We tried again for the Pale-billed Antpitta but were unable to coax another one into view, but we had a few more mixed flocks and found interesting species like Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager, Tawny-rumped Tyrannulet, Gray-browed Brushfinch and Blue-backed Conebill. A Yungas Pygmy-Owl tooted away from somewhere across a valley. 

Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Periodic moments of sunshine caused a few butterflies and moths to flit about beside the trail. 

Pedaliodes peruda - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Unidentified moth - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

As we neared the end of our hike, we came across some locals that were hiking out to the main road as well. They were quite interested in what we were doing and we explained how we were birdwatchers. We let the kids try out the binoculars which was a lot of fun for them. 

Birding with the locals - Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo, Amazonas, Peru

Laura and I really enjoyed our hike at Trocha Cresta de San Lorenzo; it was one of my favourite days during our Peru trip. Though the walk up the hill was a little tough, we would highly recommend this hike to anyone with an interest in birds or nature. It was incredible.