The Peruvian Sierra-Finch is not a pretty bird. It lacks bright colors and bold distinguishing characteristics. It is a about as plain as a bird can get…rusty brown with a yellowish tint, with a grey hood, just a hint of darker grey around the eye, and chunky silverfish bill. It is also fairly common in its range on the higher, dryer, slopes of the Andes…and, despite its name, it is not even endemic to Peru. It’s range extends into neighboring Bolivia. It’s only claim to fame seems to be that it is the northern most example of the hooded Sierra-Finches…which are not finches at all, but members of the Tanager family. Still, I was happy to see a few foraging on the mountain side above our road-side stop on the highway from Cusco to Paucartambo on the first day of our Birding the Manu Road adventure with Amazon Journeys. If you are counting, that is 6 good birds at this one stop. Bearded Mountaineer Hummingbird, Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch, Band-tailed Seedeater, Creamy-crested Spinetail, and the seen-but-not-photographed Giant Hummingbird. Not bad for a single stop along a busy highway. And tomorrow I will be able to move on from this rest stop! Sony RX10iv at 600mm and 1200mm equivalents. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and assembled in FrameMagic.

The Creamy-crested Spinetail is a Peruvian endemic. We found this pair foraging in the brush at the same roadside stop as the pervious two birds, along the highway from Cusco to Paucartambo, high on the western dry slopes of the southern Andes in Peru. They were active and flighty, and hard to pin down for a photo, but interesting birds to watch. According to the Birds of Peru, they are locally fairly common in their range. These two are the only ones we saw on the trip, though they also inhabit Cloud Forest where we spent a lot more time than at this road side stop 🙂 Sony RX10iv at 1200mm equivalent (600mm optical plus 2x Clear Image Zoom). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr. With Amazon Journeys on the Birding the Manu Road Adventure.

Not the most exciting bird in the world, and widespread even in Peru, this is the Band-tailed Seedeater from the same roadside stop where we saw the Mountain Finch from yesterday’s post, on the highway from Cusco to Paucartambo, Peru. A little digital trickery here to show you two views of the same bird. Sony RX10iv at 1200mm equivalent (600mm optical plus 2x Clear Image Zoom). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr and a assembled in Pixomatic.

Along the west side of Haucarpay Lake east of Cusco, Peru, in the scrubby landscape between the town and lake, we discovered this Bare-faced Ground-Dove, a common bird of the area. It almost got away from me over a little rise in the ground. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr. I was on the Birding the Manu Road adventure with Amazon Journeys.

Sorry about the gap here, but I find it difficult to post while traveling with limited wifi. I have been in Peru for 10 days, on the Birding the Manu Road adventure with Amazon Journeys and then in Machu Picchu on an overnight from Cusco. I will post a catch up post featuring the images I managed to post from the road soon. For now, on our way out of Cusco on the first day, we stopped at Huacarpay Lake, a typical high altitude lake on the east slope of the Andes, in hopes of some water birds. Along the shore as we were leaving, we encountered a large and busy flock of Hooded Siskins feeding in brush in an empty lot. The Hooded Siskin is a lot like our American Goldfinch, in both looks and behavior. This shot shows both males and females. Sony RX10iv at 1200mm equivalent (600mm optical plus 2x Clear Image Zoom). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr.