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After about three months of travelling the end of my stay in South-America was near. After three weeks in the Amazon the plan was to spend another week in the Peruvian Andes and after that I would take a flight home. A visit to the Peruvian Andes of course also meant a visit to thé touristhotspot in South-America: Macchu Picchu!
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu was a nice experience, but after that it really was time for a bird that I had been looking forward to for my entire trip: the Andean Cock of the Rock!
The Andean Cock of the Rock a very special bird that looks peculiar because of the feathers on his head make it so that his beak is barely visible. The males of this species court the females near a so called lek. There it’s possible to encounter multiple Cock of the Rocks that all try to win the attention of the females. Near the small village Quellomayo, not so far from Machu Picchu, is such a lek and that’s where I went.
Accompanied by a local guide who knew the place well we walked early in the morning through the beautiful cloudforest of the Peruvian Andes. At a certain point we heard the call of the Cock of the Rocks: they were still there! Carefully we follow the path and then suddenly I see one perching! That one is in the bag, but now some photos! I spent the next two hours photographing the Cock of the Rocks. Very patiently I approached them and that got rewarded when a couple of birds perched closeby. It was a great experience, right in the middle of courting Cock of the Rocks in the high Andes.
In the end I got home with a nice series of photo’s!
This was without a doubt the most beautiful bird of the trip: saved the best for last! In about a week I’ll be home and then in three weeks to the other side of the world: Sabah on Borneo!
Have a look at the links below to see more from my travels through South-America:
Click here for my encounters with the Puma’s of Torres del Paine!
I also met a pair of South-American Grey Foxes in Torres del Paine, click here for the pictures.
Have a look here for Giant Otters!
For the various monkeys of Tambopata see here.
Have a look here for a photo report of Barba Azul Nature Reserve: home to the critically endangered Blue-throated Macaw and so much more!
Have a look at the various attractive birds of Patagonia here.
See here for a photo report of the extraordinary Inca Tern.
Immerse yourself in the birds of the Amazon at a clay lick.
See here more landscape pictures from beautiful Patagonia.
Read about my experience with a solar eclipse in Chile.
And have a look at the amazing starry skies of the high Andes.
See here for a trip report.
