Nature Done Wright

The Record did not have room for a sidebar I wrote about birding Machu Picchu, so thought I'd post it here.

Machu Picchu lies at the heart of a 80,000-acre historic sanctuary, which features lots of excellent birding and a respite from the rigors of high-altitude archeological sightseeing.

My wife and I enjoyed looking for birds along the Urubamba River gorge between the touristy town of Aguas Caliente and the start of the steep, winding road to the famed site.

Early one morning, we hired a knowledgeable local guide to help us find and identify the birds on a two-hour walk, and were rewarded with excellent looks at such birds as torrent duck, white-capped dipper,  black phoebe, silver-beaked tanager and Andean motmot, complete with crazy paddle-shaped tail feathers (pictured here).

We also invested in a handy paperback field guide called “The Birds of Machu Picchu — 86 Most Common Species,” which proved invaluable. By doing a little homework and familiarizing ourselves with some of the birds beforehand, we were able to appreciate and review our sightings.

(We got a used copy of the book in very good condition for $18 six months ago. The price has since doubled, but still worth the money.)

                                                               – Jim Wright