by Marie and Craig Johnson, Barbara Peterson

Craig Johnson, Marie West-Johnson, Barbara Peterson – Just birders who love to travel the world to see unusual and endemic birds in many diverse habitats, meet new people, and experience new cultures.   

Northern Peru is home to colorful tanagers and hummingbirds, along with many endemic birds.  We stayed at Waqanki Lodge where fruiting trees and beautiful landscaped gardens attracted tanagers and hummingbirds.  We also visited an easily accessible crevice with roosting oilbirds.  Oilbirds are the ONLY nocturnal frugivore bird in the world.  

The centerpiece of our trip was our four night stay at the Owlet Lodge located in the Abra Patricia Reserve.  This is a priority site for the critically endangered Long-whiskered Owlet.  The Rusty-tinged and Chestnut Antpittas can also be coaxed into view at this lodge.  The flying jewel here is the Marvelous Spatula-tail, an extraordinary hummingbird with a range restricted to a single Andean Valley near the Huembo Interpretation Center.