This was a fantastic visit to the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. It is amazing how the capacity of finding birds and animals in the wilderness gradually grows with the days from a numbed state to a more sharp sighting. As usual my first day at the Hotel was a busy day and I wasn´t focus on sightings, the second day I went to train my lacy eyes to wilderness and a couple of flycatchers and wild ducks make me remember my last visit when I saw a three year old Spectacled Bear just a couple of metres from us. I was with the interpreter leader (Dennis) and just twenty minutes after leaving the hotel, while we were evaluating new trails, I saw Dennis face with an expression I havent seen before. It was like saying give me the camera, dont talk and come to me at the same time and there she was; a small three year old bear, knowing her self as the daugther of the former king of the cloud forest deported to live her youth in the wilderness. Just after remembering that moment is when I knew that I was going to see something. During the next morning I get confirmation to my thoughts, cause I saw a Cock of the Rock flying just above from our heads. Speachless.
- Jaime Modonese | Ecotourism Department -

It was a very colorful activity, there many sounds around, and we went directly down the restaurant area, there we could see just in front of us the golden crowned flycatcher, and also the slate throated whitestart, he was going from one place to another, eating the moths on the lamps, it was really funny to see it having his first meat of the day. Then, when we were at the pond area it was just amazing, we could observe for many minutes the silver beaked tanager (male and female), the thick billed euphonia (male and female), the silver backed tanager, the spectacular Saffron crowned tanager, the blue and yellow tanager, the blue gray tanager, the hepatic tanager (male), the fawn breasted tanager and the blue necked tanager, we spent a lot of time there and the most amazing thing was that one bird appear after another. On the hummingbird area it wasn’t so active, we could spot the booted racket tail, lots of green and white, the chestnut breasted coronet, green violet ear and white bellied woodstart. We really had a great time, fortunately the guest enjoy making the tour exciting too.
- Bárbara Viera -

the tour started with the most amazing bird we could see: the” Cock of the Rock” (female), but after this nice ouverture it was more quiet, it was a normal day. We could observe the golden crowned flycatcher, the black phoebe, the southern house wren, the slate throated whitestart, the tropical kingbird, the saffron crowned flycatcher, the blue gray tanager, the thick billed euphonia (male and female), the mitred parakeet. It was a nice morning , we expected to see more birds but the other guides during the nature walk saw the blue gray tanager and the thick billed euphonia, and a female agouti and her cubs on the sacred rock, they were eating avocado, the cubs were aprox. 25 cms long, they were cute. Unfornately the thunder and the rain arrived, and we couldn’t see anything else.
- Bárbara Viera -

Initiating the Birdwatching by walking towards the main garden, where it was possible to observe several species of tanagers attracted by the bananas placed on some trees. We saw species such as: Silver-beaked Tanager (male and female), Palm Tanager, Thick-billed Euphonia (male and female), Blue-gray Tanager, Blue-necked Tanager, Beryl-spangled Tanager, Silver-backed Tanager (male and female), Southern House Wren, White-bellied Hummingbird, Chestnut-breasted Coronet Hummingbird. After that, we did not see many birds around that area, for that reason we changed for another place, when we were going into the Hotel's gardens we heard songs from a variety of birds around us, among which we saw: Rust-and-yellow Tanager, Tropical Parula, Tropical Kindbird, Cinnamon Flycatcher, Variable Antshrike(male), Streak-necked Flycatcher, Slate-throated Whitestart, Spectacled Whitestart, Azara’s Spinetail. I was forgetting to mention to the pair of male and female Torrent Ducks that they were in a display in the middle of a rock within the river. But during the Nature Walk at 09:00 surprised us the Road Side Hawk, it was perched in a branch of Cecropia tree to the other side of the river in front of the Tea House. Allowed we saw: Chestnut-breasted Coronet Hummingbird, Green Violetear, Green and white Hummingbird, White-bellied Woodstar (female), Andean Cock of the Rock ( juvenile male).
- Betzy Llerena -

The rain stopped and, at the same time, many birds appeared. Close to the restaurant, we saw a singing golden-crowned flycatcher looking at us, 2 slate-throated whitestarts, a black phoebe, a silver-beaked tanager and a white-throated tyrannulet. They were all in the same tree and they moved a lot. They almost gave us a headache with their movements. Around the pool, we found again a rich activity. Five blue-gray tanagers were sharing our banana baits with two saffron-crowned tanagers, a silver-beaked tanager, a plumbeous-crowned tyrannulet, a citrine warbler and a southern-house wren. After this, the place became more quiet, but not for long. Right after going around one room-house, another golden-crowned flycatcher appeared along with a slate-throated whitestart, a fawn breasted tanager, a black phoebe and a cinnamon flycatcher. We went also around the hummingbirds feeders. There were not so much species, but a lot of action. 3 chestnut-breasted coronets were trying to chase away a group of 5 white-bellied hummingbirds. Great fight! The rest trail was quiet and we decided to end this great tour to go eat our well-deserved breakfast.
- Patrick Bibeau -

During the Nature Walk, we saw something incredible: a specie of monkey into the area of the Hotel gardens. It’s so rare animal, that we were not able to identify it on the moment. We saw a dark brownish monkey approximated from 25 to 30 cm of height. We send the report of this event to our biologist, Carmen Soto. We were very exciting to know, a couple of days later, when she identify our monkey as a Squirrel Monkey. The last time it was seen around was by Mr. Enrique Vargas about two months ago. We had a lot of chance to see it.
- Betzy Llerena -

We had the chance to see a very rare event this morning. Around the restaurant, we saw two Highland Motmots very close from us. They were perched on a electric wire and we were able to see their shape and their bright colors very easily. Habitually, they are hard to see ; they hide themselves well in the green and dense vegetation of the cloud forest. Two very bright Tropical Kingbirds came perched themselves a little bit later on the same wire, very close from the immobile Motmots. Unfortunately, a big Faciated-Tiger Heron make this two birds flew away when he flew very close from them!.
- Patrick Bibeau -

Today was an amazing day, because different species of bird appeared in a flock. The Gray-hooded Bush Tanager was the most important of them, because it is very unusual. Since I am here it is my second time from the last year that I saw it. Then an agouti’s family (one mother plus two juvenals), partially hidden into the vegetation, ran among the group of visitors.
- Betzy Llerena -

It was not an as coldest day as yesterday. We saw some flocks of birds on the Hotel gardens. In the highest parts of the trees it was possible to hear diverse birds songs. Trying to find them on the forest we have been able to see the some interesting birds, like the pair of: Capped Conebilled, Blue Dacnis, Silver-backed Tanager and so forth. The Streak-necked Flycatcher appeared in front of our eye level on a Yanayargos Tree. It was sharing the food with this flock. Suddenly when we turned fast to observe something at the mountain, a great bird jumped and initiated its flight to the distance, yeah!!!! All of the members of the Bird Watching Tour group tried to focus the glance towards it, the Dusky-green Oropendola.
- Betzy Llerena -

During a Nature Walk, we started to hear a very loud sound over our head. I easily identify a pack of parrots. There are always very noisy. I was a little bit disappointed; the sound was far away from us. But quickly, the song of the parrots began to become more loud. They were coming in our direction. We looked up, in the giant avocado tree along the trail, and we got a clear vision of ten Speckle-Face Parrots trying to catch the fruits. Great, usually, we see the parrots flying over our head. We saw them in action this afternoon.
- Patrick Bibeau -

Today, I stop at the observatory as always to show the old ruins of Wiñay Wayna. And a young boy with sharp eyes saw a big bird in a tree with a long banded tail. It was the Squirrel Cuckoo, a bird usually very shy. But we got the chance to see it very well and for a very long time, even too long. The bird simply didn’t want to move at all. So, at the end, this impressive bird took all the attention of the guest and the ruins were ignored like the time before its rediscovery.
- Hilda Jimenez -

Flowerpiercers are found mostly in forest borders. It is a brownish bird observed around this place. That special bird has an average long bill and curved point beak. We were not sure which kind could be. Nearby the hummingbird's area showed itself again. It appeared perched on the Heliconia plant. That was the perfect instant to identify it. It was a nice surprise!!!! After long time, it is coming to the Hotel gardens. This is the Rusty Flowerpiercer (female).
- Betzy Llerena -

Two hours were enough to see the most impressive birds found here in the Sanctuary of Machu Picchu. I took my group to the beautiful ecological pathways of the trail as part of the nature walk and just in one of them, the amazing “Cock of the Rock”(male) showed in front of us, giving us a very good view from were we were, the bright colors of its feathers let us without a word, everyone was excited as well as me, I haven’t seen it in one month probably. After this incredible show we saw another outstanding bird here that is the Highland Motmot, there were like 3 of them, perching on the branches, they were very quiet, of course it was the perfect time to take pictures, flashes everywhere, the guest were amazed with them. Suddenly we saw a movement on the trees above us, some shadows up there and two Andean Guans were jumping on the branches, of course they didn’t stop moving but we could see them. Then, while getting closer to the Rocotal falls we saw the mischievous Agouti, running everywhere, once again it was a big surprise for us and nice to see it. It really was a great morning, I couldn’t ask more, it was just enough for one day, especially for the guest. I hope to see them all together the same day again.
- Bárbara Viera -

It was a really nice morning because we saw different animals around the hotel gardens. Yeah!!!! The most important among them was the Andean Cock of the Rock. The people of one of the groups had seen it along the Nature Walk near the Sacred Rock. At the same time, other group had observed close to that path a pair of agouties, they were eating avocado on the ground. Afterwards, walking slowly by the same area, just for the sounds we found a pair of Highland Motmot perched on the Pisonay tree. At noon, an unusual time to see birds and a big mixed flock of tanagers and flycatchers crossed above us. What incredible moment!!! Everybody was trying to identify them.
- Betzy Llerena -

During the first hours of the morning, we hear diverse bird songs. Every day is a great challenge to recognize them among the tree leaves because they are camouflaged inside them. Passing by the Lobby area, a Golden Olive Woodpecker was singing. So fast we were surprised for its marvelous colours!!!, then we tried to focus it!!!. And at the same time, a big mixed group of parakeet and parrots did a loud noise. They showed above the main garden. This is time they come for eating the Coral Flower. Soon all the hotel gardens will be covered with these flowers everywhere.
- Betzy Llerena -