Adventures in Peru - Alan Peters
In his illustrated talk Alan will describe a trip taken in November 2019 visiting a range of wonderful habitats from the Pantanos de Villa marshes south of Lima to see Great Grebe, Cinnamon Teal, Black Skimmer and many other species amongst 1000’s of Franklin’s Gulls while squadrons of Peruvian Pelicans patrolled just offshore. Going out in a fishing boat to circle an uninhabited island to get up close and personal with Neotropic, Guanay and Red-legged Cormorants and a small numbers Humboldt Penguins.
Then he went east to the entrance of the Santa Eulalia valley with its endemic Black-necked Woodpeckers, travelling on narrow and spectacular roads high into the Andes seeing soaring Andean Condors, Giant Hummingbird and the wonderfully named Great Inca Finch.
Alan stayed at a truckers' stop at 9,500 feet ready for birding the Ticlio Pass at 15,750 feet for a group of high altitude specialist’s including Andean Goose, Andean Lapwing, Puna Snipe and the endemic and scarce White-bellied Cincolodes and best of all the magnificent Diademed Sandpiper-plover only found in desolate high altitude bog habitat.
The last section of the trip was at more comfortable altitudes as he spent time on the Pacific coast logging numerous tern, wader and gull species.
