In Search of the Marvelous Spatuletail: June 28-30, 2009

Easily the world's most fanciful hummingbird, the Marvelous Spatuletail must be the top target bird in northern Peru, and birding tours in this region sell out regularly by headlining the shockingly baroque adult male. Unfortunately, adult males can be maddeningly difficult to see because of a variety of factors, including the species' limited range, habitat loss, and an apparently low male to female ratio at hummingbird feeders. Still, with a few day's time and plenty of patience, it's almost a sure thing to see this incredible bird for yourself, bobbing and swaying extravagantly, as if it were three birds instead of one. Despite her busy research schedule, Aimee and I were able to fit in short visits to three sites in which the Marvelous Spatuletail is frequently seen, giving us a decent chance of at least witnessing an adult male.

The most obvious of the three sites is the Marvelous Spatuletail Interpretive Center, which is located about ten minutes by mototaxi from the modest town of Florida on the shores of Lake Pomacochas. Sponsored by a slew of international conservation organizations, the center boasts a modest patch of montane scrub and woodland, an informative museum, and a vast network of hummingbird feeders, only a few of which are visited sporadically by the Marvelous Spatuletail. Most impressive though is the recent but extensive reforestation effort in which tens of thousands of trees have been planted on site in the hopes of expanding the habitat within the property of the reserve. Birders should find accommodation in the town of Florida to be extremely comfortable in comparison with most of northern Peru, as Puerto Pumas, a relatively posh hotel, provides excellent rooms and service as well as decent birding in the bountiful gardens.

After arriving at Puerto Pumas in the mid-afternoon, Aimee and I rushed out to the Interpretive Center in hopes of landing our target bird of the trip. We spent the last few hours of the day obsessing around a particular group of feeders that the manager claimed was the most likely to bear the famous hummingbird. Activity was disappointingly low, although several female Marvelous Spatuletails showed briefly before being chased away by aggressive Sparkling Violetears and Chestnut-Breasted Coronets. Before leaving the site, Aimee chatted with the manager, collecting information for the new LP guide while I pouted near the reforested area, where the feeders were abuzz with common high Andean hummingbirds. Dipping on the bird here shouldn't have come as a surprise as Rudy and his group had waited three hours for one measly glimpse of an adult male.

Fortunately, we had a lead on another site nearby for tomorrow morning. One of the managers at the interpretive center, Santos Montenegro, has some property on a hill overlooking Lake Pomacochas with a reliable lek on site. Although he's pretty difficult to track down as there is no cell phone coverage in the area, the manager at Puerto Pumas was familiar with the site and assured us that an early morning visit wouldn't be a problem, even if Santos wasn't there. Sure enough, we showed up before dawn at his house the next morning, and his young daughter led us up the hill towards the lek. Passing through some open fields and woodland, we then arrived at sunrise in an unassuming, scrubby open area. After we had stood around expectantly for a while, the girl finally pointed out the clump of stunted trees where two adult male Marvelous Spatuletails were seen displaying.

Before you get the wrong idea, I need to remind you that these are lightening-fast hummingbirds, not stolid cotingas, and the viewing conditions at the lek were difficult as the birds zipped in and out of deep cover, chasing each other off every few seconds. In fact, Aimee didn't get much of a look at the two males at all as she was still winded from our rapid ascent to the site. I quickly gave up any hope myself of capturing a passable photograph of the birds, and had to be content with binocular-less views of the two males sparring in the air or recovering deep within the shrubby tree. Still, the sight was awesome, and after a few partial looks I was able to put the pieces together to form a coherent picture of the male: glittering green gorget, bright blue front, bold black ventral stripe over a white belly, and the incredibly long, plastic tails feathers, the two ending in purple-sheened spatulas almost as big as the bird itself. Here's Greg Homel's incredible video of the males displaying at the same site, which will take any birder's breath away.

Since Aimee never really locked onto the birds like I was fortunate enough to, I tried not to play up the event too much, hoping instead that we'd get a chance to wax eloquent about them together at the third known site in the Utcumbamba Valley. The town of Leymebamba is famous not for its hummingbirds, but for the neighboring museum which houses over two hundred mummies found nearby at the Lake of the Condors. Just across the road from the museum is Kentikafe, a new hostal and café set amidst good montane scrub and woodland habitat. Two dozen hummingbird feeders attract a number of fine birds, including the Purple-Throated Sunangel, Rainbow Starfrontlet, and of course the Marvelous Spatuletail. After an interesting visit to the museum, we hung around the gardens of the café for several hours, enjoying at dusk amazing views of two adult males visiting a pair of feeders just a few meters away. Again the low light, and my hesitancy to use flash, prohibited meaningful photography, but Aimee and I still had unbeatable views as the males spun their tails overhead and side to side as they approached the feeders. Visitors to the area will soon be able to stay in lovely rooms at Kentikafe, which is a no-brainer in comparison to the accommodation available in town.

Finally, while you're on the trail of the Marvelous Spatuletail, you would be remiss to skip a visit to Kuelap, an up-and-coming archaeological site often celebrated as the next Machu Pichu. These massive, mysterious ruins are set atop a spectacular ridge outside of Chachapoyas, which is a sizable tourist hub and an attractive colonial city in its own right. Now overgrown with bromeliad-laden trees, the walled city merits a full day to explore and mull over the various hypotheses about its ancient use and construction. Who knows? There's a remote chance you might even encounter the hummingbird here among the ruins.

Abra Patricia, Peru: June 26-27, 2009

A new private reserve cum birding lodge strategically located near several of northern Peru's endemic bird areas, Abra Patricia is one of the most important and desirable birding sites in South America, offering unparalleled access to subtropical, montane, and ridgetop forest in the northeastern Peruvian Andes. Located near the highest point of one of Peru's most famous birding roads, the lodge serves as a multi-day base for birding groups in northern Peru that roam the area in search of fabulous endemic species, several of which the reserve itself boasts, including, most famously, the Long-Whiskered Owlet. Independent birders with deep pockets are also welcome, and Aimee and I spent two productive days in Abra Patricia itself, birding the new trails as well as the upper part of the road.

Typically birders in northern Peru have their own transport, as deforestation in the region has been pretty extreme and good habitat is usually difficult and time-consuming to reach. Given that I was merely tagging along while Aimee researched the area for a chapter in the new edition of Lonely Planet Peru, birding where and when I could, we covered much of this hallowed birding circuit using a series of cheap, inefficient, and sometimes dangerous modes of transport, including local buses, shared taxis, and even motorcycles. This meant that we had no meaningful opportunity to bird the forested road connecting Abra Patricia with Moyobamba, a small city in the foothills, as we ascended to the reserve in one long day from Tarapoto. Speeding past kilometers of gorgeous subtropical forest in a shared taxi with the stereo blasting was a real bummer, especially when we passed by the unique stunted cloud forest at a slightly higher altitude. Next time, I kept telling myself.

Lodging at the reserve is comfortable, if a little cold, and the service and food are outstanding. Several enthusiastic guides are available to accompany birders, although you're free to roam the trails yourself, and they're quite forthcoming with information about bird territories and stake outs. I spent much of my visit on the two principal trails, the Grallaria and Monkey Trails, but also birded the road from a few different lookouts. Of course, the grounds of the lodge make for great birding as well; I chased several mixed flocks around the various paths as the birds moved quickly but openly about the regenerating montane woodland. There are several hummingbird feeder stations as well, but the most exciting addition is that of an observation tower currently under construction. When it's complete at several stories high, birders should have unobstructed access to the dense montane forest canopy, weather permitting of course.

We found out quickly that weather is a critical issue at Abra Patricia, as it rained on and off for most of the first day, pouring especially hard mid-afternoon. We encountered some good birds just after dawn on the Monkey Trail though, including the Long-Tailed Antbird, Black-Throated Tody-Tyrant, Variable Antshrike, Stripe-Headed Brush-Finch, and Golden-Browed Chat-Tyrant. Supposedly, this trail passes through the territory of a White-Faced Nunbird, and the WINGS birding group that was there had had great views the previous day using playback (I opted not to bring any audio equipment on this trip). Overhearing them review their list the night before, I judged the nunbird to have been by far their best bird of the day.

Next on the Grallaria Trail, I pulled up short at a fruiting tree off in the distance, noting some movement inside the crown. As I watched a group of White-Eared Solitaires forage actively in the branches, several other species dropped by, including the Green-and-Black Fruiteater and Emerald Toucanet. My heart practically stopped when the unmistakable Chestnut-Crested Cotinga flew into the tree from right nearby, flashing its absurdly rufous throat and neck in the sun. This large, stunning, arboreal cotinga is rare and very local, known only from a few sites in Ecuador, where I've always missed it. The bird foraged for a minute or so, flew off, and then came back for about another minute. Camera in hand, I must have waited for it for several hours to return to the same tree during the course of the next two days, but it never did.

Before lunch we waited out a rain squall in a shelter near the parking lot while a mixed flock circled about, including the ubiquitous Blue-Capped Tanager, the lovely Yellow-Throated Tanager, and the endemic Yellow-Scarfed Tanager. Abra Patricia is probably the easiest site to observe this fine endemic tanager, as well as the endemic Lulu's Tody-Tyrant and Ochre-Fronted Antpitta, both of which we would pick up on the following morning. After lunch, I spent some time at the hummingbird feeders while Aimee took a break; eight species were in attendance, most spectacularly the Emerald-Bellied Puffleg, which I've yet to encounter in Ecuador, where it is quite rare. Long-Tailed Sylph, Collared Inca, and White-Bellied Woodstar were also abundant at the feeders.

The weather cleared in the late afternoon, and I birded the road a bit where one of the guides had seen a large mono-specific flock of Red-Hooded Tanagers that morning. I spent a half hour with a mixed flock containing the Yellow-Throated Tanager, which I tried to enjoy for as long as possible knowing how difficult it is in Ecuador. Aimee came down to join me before dusk as we watched a group of Sickle-Winged Guans come to roost in a large tree near the road. That night the WINGS group tried for the Long-Whiskered Owlet, as I'm sure everyone does who visits the reserve; they dipped on it, as well as on the Cinnamon-Throated Screech-Owl early next morning, probably due to the rainy weather. Without audio equipment or even a spotlight, it was pointless for me to try for owls myself.

On the other hand, Aimee and I had excellent luck the next morning, enjoying a pair of Lulu's Tody-Tyrants foraging in the roadside scrub before locating a pair of Ochre-Fronted Antpittas at the stake out on the other side of the road near the entrance to the reserve. This endemic grallaricula species has distinct black-streaked underparts, easily observed in the field, and an ochre-colored face, which was a little difficult to distinguish from below in the poor light. Like all tiny antpittas, the birds were located up in the undergrowth several meters off the ground, and we heard one make its distinct high-pitched call a few times. I have to admit that we were pretty lucky to see them without using playback, but sometimes a lot of patience and a little local knowledge will do the trick. For me now, that's four grallaricula species down and four to go.

With a handful of endemics and a slew of good birds seen in just a day and a half, Aimee and I decided to cut our stay short at the reserve and move on in search of the Marvelous Spatuletail. Before leaving, we encountered recently arrived Rudy Gelis and his birding group in the dining hall. The owner of Pluma Verde Tours, Rudy is an exuberant ornithologist based in northeastern Ecuador at Yanayacu Reserve, and we've played basketball against each other several times in Quito (he's extremely tall and skillful). He'd been on the road for over a month with six clients and they'd been cleaning up in the region, having seen over 500 species already. We swapped information about the Ochre-Fronted Antpitta and Marvelous Spatuletail, which they had seen the previous day, and then were on our way.

Notable birds seen: Sickle-Winged Guan, Emerald-Bellied Puffleg, Long-Tailed Sylph, Bronzy Inca, Green Violetear, Emerald Toucanet, Strong-Billed Woodcreeper, Pearled Treerunner, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Long-Tailed Antbird, Ochre-Fronted Antpitta, Green-and-Black Fruiteater, Chestnut-Crested Cotinga, Lulu's Tody-Tyrant, Black-Throated Tody-Tyrant, Golden-Browed Chat-Tyrant, Pale-Edged Flycatcher, Streak-Necked Flycatcher, White-Eared Solitaire, Russet-Crowned Warbler, Bluish Flowerpiercer, Grass-Green Tanager, Yellow-Throated Tanager, Yellow-Scarfed Tanager, Flame-Faced Tanager, Silver-Backed Tanager, Olivaceous Siskin.