Boat trip to Ballestas Islands

So we are continuing our journey through Peru and have reached Paracas on the Pacific Coast. Here we took a two hour boat trip to Las Ballestas. The boat set off from Paracas Pier at 8am and was back by 10am but cost us only 30 soles per person plus port and national park entry.Continue reading “Boat trip to Ballestas Islands”

Birding from Huaraz, Peru

So this post is going to be a bit different from my usual post. Put simply, there will be no good bird photos in this post as I was primarily hiking in this region so didn’t carry my heavy camera! All the photos in this post were taken with an iPhone. We have just takenContinue reading “Birding from Huaraz, Peru”

Birding Mindo, Ecuador, Part 2

Day3 – Reserva Amagusa Following our first two days in Mindo, we had something special planned for our third day. We set off early planning a full day in the more distant Reserva Amagusa and the Guayabillas Road. Arriving at the reserve it was raining and we were grateful for the cover of the lodgeContinue reading “Birding Mindo, Ecuador, Part 2”

Birding Mindo, Ecuador, Part 1

So we have arrived in our 10th country of this epic birdwatching adventure – Ecuador. Due to the political and security uncertainty here we have restricted ourselves to a short trip of just over a week with one birding stop in Mindo. Here we secured the help of Danny of Mindo Birding (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsAppContinue reading “Birding Mindo, Ecuador, Part 1”

Looking for Spectacled Bear around Bogota

Before leaving Colombia we had one free day in the Capital Bogota. There were a few birds we could see in this part of the country plus we had a chance of finding the bear species that Children’s favourite Paddington is based on – the Spectacled (or Andean) Bear. We had to go for it.Continue reading “Looking for Spectacled Bear around Bogota”

Birding the Central Andes Part 3

If I wanted to design the perfect country for birding what features would I include? Well I would give it two separate coastlines on different major oceans. Then throw in a dramatic narrowing choke point for migration between two continents. It would need to have a portion of the largest rainforest (and richest ecosystem) onContinue reading “Birding the Central Andes Part 3”

Birding the Central Andes Part 2

In my previous post I shared about birding in the Cloud Forests of Otun Quimbaya and Rio Blanco. In this post we head to higher altitudes to explore Andean Forests and Paramo habitats. Day 3 – Hacienda El Bosque (High Andean Forest) This site was, and still is, an active farm but they are pro-activelyContinue reading “Birding the Central Andes Part 2”

Birding the Central Andes Part 1

Is Colombia the best country for birding in the world? I just think it might be! Certainly, it has been the best country of this trip so far and any country I have ever birded in for that matter. It has more species than any other country in the world (over 1,900). It has someContinue reading “Birding the Central Andes Part 1”

Birding Santa Marta Mountains

Carrying on our travel in Colombia we moved to Minca as the gateway to the legendary Santa Marta Mountains. Here we had booked three days with Cristian Manrique (Instagram Manrique Birding and WhatsApp +57 310 7364337). Cristian was recommended by Joel one of our best guides in Mexico and he was absolutely fantastic – greatContinue reading “Birding Santa Marta Mountains”

Birding Pipeline Road

Before I left home I had spent a happy few hours scanning ebird hotspots and looking at some of the places I might visit. A rash of red spots crossing the central Panama belt caught my attention and led me to investigate Pipeline Road. An area close to Panama City but rich in resident andContinue reading “Birding Pipeline Road”