Machu Picchu, the famed lost city of the Incas, which is probably the most wonderful, mystical, and photogenic spot on Planet Earth. It was discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. The walls of the canyon of the Urubamba River, which is situated about 2,000 feet below, are almost vertical. Huayna Picchu, the mountain in back of the ruins (whose peak is not visible here), rises over 1,000 feet above the ruins. Jacqueline and I somehow managed to climb it and live to tell the tale...

A Rufous-collared sparrow, which can be found in just about any kind of habitat in Peru, from desert lowlands to lush sierra highlands.

An American oystercatcher, on the beach at Ventanilla, about 15 miles north of Lima.

Snowy egret, at the Pantanos de Villa. In 2002 a major controversy erupted when the municipal government shut down the adjacent pasta factory owned by Lucchetti, a Chilean corporation which allegedly bribed Peruvian officials to get a permit to build in a protected wetland area.

Great egret, at the Pantanos de Villa.

Cactus flower, in a lush garden oasis in the town of Ventanilla.