It was a sunny afternoon, the second day of our bird identification training with ornithologist Zepilli Renzo. The plan was to go on a birding excursion near the hotel. Therefore at 3:45 pm we began the outing at the Ecocentro. As we watched the trees supplied with bananas to attract different bird species, we noticed the arrival of a Blue-neck tanager, and a Palm Tanager (both common to the area). While taking a good look at them, a different colored bird that we initially had mistaken for a female Blue and yellow tanager, appeared. Renzo identified it as a Buff throated saltator! This was the first time anyone had seen the saltator at the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel hotel grounds, Renzo and all of us, Inkaterra Explorer Guides, took time to observe the bird details for future identification. Finally, once at the office we added the Buff throated saltator as a new bird specie for the hotel. Renzo later explained, using the Birds of Peru Field Guide, that this particular bird is usually found above 1750msnm on the canopy of fruit trees, as well as secondary forests. One more bird for Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel bird list!!!

On September 2nd, 2011, between 14h05 and 14h45, the Chilean couple, Mr. Williams Alex Muñoz Vargas and Mrs. Paula Martínez Godoy were having lunch at the main dining room when they observed something was shaking the branches of a tree right in front of the Chaskapata mountain. After a while they witnessed an amazing scenario, a female Andean bear were climbing up to the top of a tree looking for her favorite meal, bromelias.

On September 3rd, 2011, at 06h30, the Explorer Guides María del Carmen Camasa and Yanet Estrada were in the middle of the excursion "Birdwatching" when they sighted the same female Andean Bear from the day before and at the same spot. They were impressed to see how the female bear was climbing up and down the soaring and rocky mountain very skillfully in the search of food. In this opportunity the guests enjoyed sighting the bear for 20 minutes. At the end the female bear vanished in the rainforest's vegetation.

It was a cloudy day when the interpreter Hendrik Torres was returning to Ecocentro and suddenly spotted, perched on a utility pole next to the rooms 48 and 49, a very large bird (about 45cm in height) with the characteristics of a hawk. Hendrik went to the Ecocentro as quickly as possible to bring his camera and take some pictures with the help of another interpreter, Yashira Bejar. Fortunately the bird was still in the same place. The hawk stayed for about 15 minutes "posing" on the pole. While both interpreters took photos they also noticed that different species of birds began to sing in a nervous matter (constantly) and approached the hawk trying to scare it away. At the neginning the hawk could not be identified by Hendrik o Yashira, so they sent an email to Renzo Zepilli (an Inkaterra bird trainer) who immediately responded saying that it was a juvenil Broad-Winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) a boreal migrant (North Amercia) relatively common to the area in this time of year.

It was a foggy day when the Explorer Guide Hendrik Torres was going to the Eco-Center Office and saw on a lamp post, next to rooms 48 and 49, a very big bird of approximately 45 centimeter-height, with the characteristics of a hawk. The Explorer Guide ran to the Eco-Center to bring his camera and take some pictures. Together with Yashira Bejar, an Explorer Guide, they sighted the bird that stayed 15 minutes on the lamp post posing to the camera. They also observed different birds that were nervously singing and trying to frighten away the big bird. Since the Explorer Guides were confused about the characteristics of this bird, they decided to send an e-mail to Renzo Zepilli who answered right away and identified the bird. It was a young broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus) from North America, relatively common in this time of the year at the Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu.