April
23rd,
2018
Hot,
hazy and sunny day that clouds over mid-afternoon.
Up
at 5:30 a.m. again and after making sure my room is tidy and the bed
made, I set off in the semi-dark. Today will be the toughest yet with
steep roads but there will be new birds to see and incredible scenery
to explore. I pass the dam by the hydro-electric plant and am
delighted that progress up the initial steep zig zag road is easier
and quicker than I thought it would be. An early start has also meant
that it is is cooler as the Sun is yet to reach down here in the
valley, although I can see it's progress as the hills to the west
start to be bathed in sunlight.
As
the road climbs higher and higher the views get more spectacular. One
particular incredibly deep gorge would be a major tourist site if in
the UK. Here this magnificent gorge, carved by the river Eulalia, is
followed by another and another with beautiful valleys between them.
Variable
Hawks, American Kestrels and seedeaters I see as I cycle and push,
cycle and push. The Sun arrives at my level and immediately the heat
is on. A Miner is on the road ahead of me, scuttling along, I get
great views before it flies over the rocky edge and down the cliff
descending to the riverbed far below.
A Thick-billed Miner, a
brilliant bird to get I feel and so feel elated. I carry on pushing
and cycling, pushing and cycling. Greenish Yellow Finches
alight upon a cliff's rocky protrusions, another bird for the list.
The
rock layers are so distorted along sections of the road, incredibly
bent and twisted, what forces can do such?
Views
all the way along the road are magnificent and the Sun makes shadows
and changes of tone. Beautifully the road clings to cliff edges. I
had thought that The Manu Road would be the only one like this that I
would encounter. How wrong I am.
I
arrive after a couple of hours at a closed and boarded up cafe which
is beside an incredibly deep cleft in the rock. There is a short
bridge and standing here in a gale force wind emanating from far
below, I stand as around twenty Andean Swifts dash about at terrific
speeds.
Miles
pass, the road gets rougher, dustier and steeper. The valley gets
narrower and the feeling of claustrophobia makes me imagine falling
rocks. New birds appear and are photographed and watched.
Streak-throated Bush Tyrants chase each other by the river,
perching on twigs and branches. Andean Condors, eleven
of them, appear flying high over the ridge tops. A Black-bellied
Swallow flies around catching flies over the river. A Black
Metaltail is a new hummingbird.
Eventually
the afternoon reaches the moment when the shadows from the descending
Sun reach further than just the valley floor and it starts to get
cold. Rain starts to fall and I put up the tent but the rain quickly
stops. I decide to camp here and go birding for the last hour or so
of light. I find a superb, surely one of the best drakes anywhere,
male Torrent Duck, who is being followed everywhere by two
attendant female birds. I photograph and film them. Fabulous to watch
the females subservient displays towards the splendid male.
Green
Year list : 125 birds average new birds to list per day : 5.43
birds
Distance
cycled : 10.87 miles
elevation
up : 6,922 feet, down 4,324 feet
altitude
: 8,696 feet
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