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Endemics Fanatics

This trip will take us to one of the most important endemic bird areas of the world, which home on the Peruvian side, around 44 endemics. We will discover that the apparently-empty dry forests are crowded with extremely range-restricted birds, which are going to be our specialties during the trip, but of course we will find during our journey, more widespread species. We will begin the trip at the Chiclayo city beginning from the driest to the wettest portion of these enigmatic forests, only for fanatics.

Day 1
We will start at Chiclayo, from where early in the morning we will head to the Pomac forests, a mesquite (Prosopis) woodlands relict nearby, where we will look for the lowland Tumbesian endemics, including the very rare Peruvian Plantcutter and Rufous Flycatcher, both also Peruvian endemics. Other good birds include Black-faced Ibis (when the river is full), Tumbesian Tyrannulet and Tumbes Swallow, White-edged Oriole, Coastal Miner, Amazilia Hummingbird, Superciliated Wren, Cinereous Finch,  Necklaced Spinetail, Snowy-throated Kingbird (seasonal), Collared Antshrike and Gray-and-White Tyrannulet. At noon we will continue north to a hilly section of dry forests, where Drab Seedeater, Short-tailed Woodstar, Tumbes Hummingbird, Tumbes Tyrant, Sulphur-throated Finch and Tumbes Sparrow can be found. We will overnight at Olmos at El Remanso Hotel.

Day 2
In our second day we will visit the legendary foothill dry forests at Quebrada Frejolillo near Limón village, where our local guide Lino Rico will come with us for hike up into the canyon looking for White-winged Guan, a Cracid considered extinct for a hundred years and rediscovered in 1977. Here, other Tumbesian endemics await for us, like Guayaquil Woodpecker, Ecuadorian Piculet, Elegant Crescent-chest, White-tailed Jay, Red-masked Parakeet, Plumbeous-backed Thrush, Gray-and-gold Warbler, Baird’s Flycatcher and Pacific Elaenia. In the afternoon we will head more to the mountains, where we will look for the endemics Gray-breasted Flycatcher and Henna-hooded Foliage Gleaner. Night at El Remanso Hotel.

Day 3
Today our target will be the birds of the high altitude Tumbesian forests. For this we will head towards Abra Porculla, the Andean lowest pass, where in a side trail we will look for Rufous-necked Foliage-gleaner, Chapman's Antshrike, Black-cowled Saltator, Black-capped Sparrow, Piura Chat-Tyrant, Bay-crowned and White-winged and White-crowned Brush-Finches and Three-banded Warblers. At noon we will drive north the Piura town where we will spend the night.

Day 4
From Piura we will head by the pacific Ocean to the city of Tumbes, from where we will head east to a hilly branch of the Andes, the Cordillera de los Amotapes. Here we will delight for the next three days with more Tumbesian endemcis on the wettest part of the Peruvian Tumbesian area. On the entrance we will be delighted with the Slaty Becard, Tumbes Peewee, Ecuadorian Ground Dove, Tumbes Swift, Saffron Siskin and Blackish-headed Spinetail. We will overnight at the El Caucho Biological Station.

Day 5
Since the begging of the day we will be awaked by the calls of new Tumbesian endemics such as Ochre-bellied Dove, Pale-browed Tinamou and Watkin’s Antpitta, birds that we will look for. The day will continue among other birds, but our endemic search will not stop, looking for Ecuadorian Thrush, Sooty-crowned Flycatcher and Crimson-breasted Finch. Again we will overnight at the El Caucho Biological Station.

Day 6
Today we will hike to the more humid part of the Tumbesian forests, on the trail to Campo Verde, passing through Pozo del Pato. Here we will search for the endemics Rufous-headed Chachalaca, Pacific Royal Flycatcher, Gray-backed Hawk, Rufous-headed Chachalaca, Gray-cheeked Parakeet, Gray-headed Antbird, Pacific Royal Flycatcher and Pacific Fire-eye. On the way we will be picking up many other interesting birds and finally return to El Caucho Biological Station where we will overnight.

Day 7
Morning birding on the way back to Tumbes, where we will visit the surrounding mangroves for Bare-throated Tiger-heron and rufous-necked Wood-rail. Later we will take our flight to Lima.

CHECKLIST OF TUMBESIAN ENDEMICS OBSERVED DURING THIS TRIP

• Pale-browed Tinamou (Crypturellus transfasciatus)
• Rufous-headed Chachalaca (Ortalis erythroptera)
• White-winged Guan (Penelope albipennis)
• Grey-backed Hawk (Leucopternis occidentalis)
• Ecuadorian Ground-dove (Columbina buckleyi)
• Ochre-bellied Dove (Leptotila ochraceiventris)
• Red-masked Parakeet (Aratinga erythrogenys)
• Pacific Parrotlet (Forpus coelestis)
• Grey-cheeked Parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhoptera)
• Ecuadorian Trogon (Trogon mesurus)
• Scrub Nightjar (Caprimulgus anthonyi)
• Tumbes Swift (Chaetura ocypetes)
• Tumbes Hummingbird (Leucippus baeri)
• Short-tailed Woodstar (Myrmia micrura)
• Ecuadorian Piculet (Picumnus sclateri)
• Slaty Becard (Pachyramphus spodiurus)
• Peruvian Plantcutter (Phytotoma raimondii)
• Pacific Elaenia (Myiopagis subplacens)
• Grey-and-white Tyrannulet (Pseudelaenia leucospodia)
• Pacific Royal Flycatcher (Onychorhynchus occidentalis)
• Grey-breasted Flycatcher (Lathrotriccus griseipectus)
• Tumbes Tyrant (Tumbezia salvini)
• Piura Chat-tyrant (Ochthoeca piurae)
• Baird's Flycatcher (Myiodynastes bairdii)
• Rufous Flycatcher (Myiarchus semirufus)
• Sooty-crowned Flycatcher (Myiarchus phaeocephalus)
• Collared Antshrike (Sakesphorus bernardi)
• Chapman's Antshrike (Thamnophilus zarumae)
• Grey-headed Antbird (Myrmeciza griseiceps)
• Elegant Crescent-chest (Melanopareia elegans)
• Watkins's Antpitta (Grallaria watkinsi)
• Coastal Miner (Geositta peruviana)
• Surf Cinclodes (Cinclodes taczanowskii)
• Blackish-headed Spinetail (Synallaxis tithys)
• Necklaced Spinetail (Synallaxis stictothorax)
• Rufous-necked Foliage-gleaner (Syndactyla ruficollis)
• Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaner (Hylocryptus erythrocephalus)
• White-tailed Jay (Cyanocorax mystacalis)
• Superciliated Wren (Thryothorus superciliaris)
• Plumbeous-backed Thrush (Turdus reevei)
• Ecuadorian Thrush (Turdus maculirostris)
• Saffron Siskin (Carduelis siemiradzkii)
• Grey-and-gold Warbler (Basileuterus fraseri)
• Three-banded Warbler (Basileuterus trifasciatus)
• White-edged Oriole (Icterus graceannae)
• Tumbes Sparrow (Aimophila stolzmanni)
• Cinereous Finch (Piezorhina cinerea)
• Sulphur-throated Finch (Sicalis taczanowskii)
• Drab Seedeater (Sporophila simplex)
• Black-capped Sparrow (Arremon abeillei)
• Bay-crowned Brush-finch (Atlapetes seebohmi)
• White-headed Brush-finch (Atlapetes albiceps)
• Crimson-breasted Finch (Rhodospingus cruentus)
• Black-cowled Saltator (Saltator nigriceps)