Braden again.
We had been in Peru almost three weeks, and birding was on our minds. Okay sure, it had been on our minds the entire trip so far, but none of the things we’d done had been birding-oriented—we’d had a homestay in Cuzco, a weekend getaway to Pisac, a week journeying the Sacred
Probably the coolest ducks at Huarcapay, these Puna Teal glided effortlessly across the mountain lake. (Photo by Braden Collard)
Valley including Machu Picchu. Don’t get me wrong, we saw tons of great birds, including the national bird of Peru and quite possibly the most stunning bird in South America (see Post: “Washout at Machu Picchu”), but nothing on our schedule was designed to see birds. It just included them. So, as our time in Peru came to a close, we decided it was time to hire a guide and really see some birds.
At 5:30 a.m., we were picked up by our guide Juan Jose Salas Falcon and his stepfather from our hotel in Cuzco. We drove in the direction of the ruins of Sacsayhuaman (“Sexy Woman”), which we had visited about a week earlier. Our planned destination was Laguna de Huacarpay, which I had researched on ebird the night before. Thanks to recent lists, my dad and I had picked our target birds: Puna Ibis, Mountain Caracara, Aplomado Falcon, any kind of duck (only five species were common here) and the Many-colored Rush-Tyrant.
Just one of a trio we saw harassing a Variable Hawk, this Mountain Caracara was another Target Bird for the day. (Photo by Braden Collard)
We stopped at a few spots first to see some endemic landbirds (including the exotic-looking Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch) and get close to waterfowl, then arrived at the lake. At first glance, it resembled Lee Metcalf Wildlife Refuge, our local Montana go-to spot for waterfowl, but much, much bigger. Surrounding it were polluted neighborhoods, tall chain-link fences, and scrub-covered mountains.
We pulled to the side of the road shortly upon arriving and then trudged through the reeds to an observation tower where we got great looks at a solitary Chilean Flamingo feeding in the shallows. As we were heading back to the car, Juan Jose stopped us.
“Shhh! That rattle—it’s a rush-tyrant!”
We moved towards the sound, and I thought about what he had told us about this bird on the drive up. He said the locals had a story about how this bird had stolen all of the other tyrant’s colors. Suddenly, in response to Juan Jose’s playback, a small rainbow bird popped into view! The bird had a blue face, yellow body, green back and red rump—the entire rainbow displayed on one bird. It reminded me of the Common Yellowthroats we had back home: skulkers, but beautiful. Success! The day following this great sighting was amazing; we got every single target bird, along with more endemics and surprises we could wish for.
This Many-colored Rush-Tyrant was just one of the birds that made our day. (Photo by Braden Collard)
I am SO disappointed. I came here to read about Trump, the King of the Tyrants, and here I get some article about birds. Then I saw mention of rush tyrants, and I thought you would mention Rush Limbaugh, who can certainly sound like a tyrant, but still I was told only about birds. Very well written by the way!
We are very sorry to disappoint you, but are glad that you enjoyed the post. We will try to fulfill the promises of the titles better in the future!
🙂
Rich, Please leave Bob Dole out of any future disappointed diatribes. The poor guy got so much heat for being pissed when Bush lied about his record and he was perfectly appropriate I thought. Plus, he really impressed me when he did those TV commercials about erectile dysfunction meds with so much restrained humor.
You will always have Dick Cheney to pick on.
Hi Braden,
I’m really impressed with your writing.
I do have a little, tiny, eentsyweenie recommendation that is certain to increase readership, though. You might, perhaps, want to infuse a little son-to-father ribbing to spice things up. Maybe refer to his old age, his weak knees, the panting you noticed on a hike, that odd growth on his right elbow.
Personally, I especially enjoyed pointing out his Big Head to strangers when we were gallivanting around in public places — just to watch people try to sneak a peak at his skull anonymously. Your dad doesn’t have an especially large head but people… they can be impressionable. My favorite was this woman who walked past us, then silently mouthed the following words to her companion with an exaggerated face and big moonlike eyes, “That man’s head really is big, isn’t it?”
It’s not a bad idea either to refer to a thesaurus when ribbing, so you can use uncommon words like “gallivanting”. Oh, try referring to your dad as a “scallywag”. Not only is it an exceptional word, but it is more likely that he would refer to you, his son, as a scallywag. By flipping it and calling your dad a scallywag, you will change the brain chemistry is readers’ heads and they will start to feel pleasantly light-headed.
And finally, take this idea home with you. Can you imagine the fun you’d have if both you AND your sister started calling your dad a scallywag? Think of the fun you’d have at the ice cream shop in a long line. He might threaten you with never ever again visiting an ice cream shop, but get real, everyone knows how much your dad loves ice cream.
Well, you take care now, you hear? It’s too bad we live so far apart. We’d have fun teaming up on your dad. Does he still take naps? Lots and lots of naps?
Yes, he does take lots and lots of naps. I am a witness to that . . .
Scott, it’s people like you who cause unrest.
That tyrant is stunning. Sounds like a great adventure in the Peruvian highlands.
Braden, when it comes to giving your Old Man a hard time (great advice, Scott!), don’t forget his inability to distinguish a good cookie from a bad cookie. (I’ve told you a thousand times, Sneed, not all cookies are created equally. The mere presence of chocolate does not make a cookie great. It’s all about QUALITY, man!) Also, be sure to give him a hard time for rooting for a crappy NFL team from Minnesota every season, for no apparent reason that anyone has ever been able to discern. Oh, and you might want to needle him about his short, disastrous reign as Commander of the Botswana Air Force. (Has he ever told you about that, or is he too embarrassed? Let’s just say that Argentina prevailed, it wasn’t pretty, but at least it was over quickly.)
Bird on, duuuudes!
Beautifully written, Braden!