Lima Birding Tours: 2-Day Santa Eulalia

Day 1 · 5:00 AM — Depart Lima

We leave Lima at first light and drive east into the Santa Eulalia canyon, reaching the first birding stops as the sun comes up. The lower valley's desert scrub and riverside willows are alive with activity in the cool early morning.

Lower canyon — willow forest & river

We work the riparian willow forest and the river for Black-necked Woodpecker, Peruvian Pygmy-Owl, Collared Warbling-Finch, Peruvian Sheartail and Blue-and-yellow Tanager, and scan the fast water for Torrent Duck and White-capped Dipper. These lower stops are also excellent for photography in the morning light.

Autisha — Great Inca-Finch & condors

Around the Autisha bridge we search the roadside scrub for the endemic Great Inca-Finch, one of the route's top targets, and watch the thermals for Andean Condor and Andean and White-collared Swifts. The dramatic gorge here is classic condor country.

Upper canyon — the hummingbird endemics

Climbing into the upper valley we reach the richest stretch for endemic hummingbirds — Bronze-tailed Comet and Black Metaltail — with Giant Hummingbird, Sparkling Violetear, Rusty-crowned Tit-Spinetail and Rusty-bellied Brush-Finch in the montane scrub. This is the Upper Santa Eulalia Valley, with its own downloadable checklist.

Late afternoon — Polylepis & overnight

In the late afternoon we reach the first patches of Polylepis (queñua) woodland, scanning the mossy canopy for the endemic White-cheeked Cotinga and the other Polylepis specialists. We spend the night in the Santa Eulalia Valley, ready for an early start into the high country.

Day 2 · dawn — into the high puna

We begin before dawn and climb steadily out of the valley onto the Central Highway, crossing 4,000 metres into the open puna at the gateway to the Junín National Reserve. The habitat changes completely — glacial lakes, cushion bogs and vast high grasslands.

Marcapomacocha — the bogs & lakes

On the Marcapomacocha bogs and lakes we search for the critically endangered White-bellied Cinclodes and the Diademed Sandpiper-Plover, with Dark-winged Miner, Junín Canastero, Black-breasted Hillstar, Olivaceous Thornbill, Puna Tinamou, Giant Coot and high-Andean waterfowl. Andean Condors and raptors are a regular sight over the ridges.

Ticlio pass & the descent to Lima

We work our way up to the Ticlio pass at nearly 4,800 metres for a final scan of the highest bogs before turning for home. We descend through the afternoon, arriving back in Lima in the evening after two of the most bird-rich days available from the capital.