February 26, 2024 As dawn broke, Laura, Moises and I slowly cruised along a quiet watercourse. The dawn chorus was active and included species like Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Zimmer's Woodcreeper and Black-tailed Antbird, but I stayed focused on the treeline, hoping that a curassow-shaped bird would appear.  The dawn chorus quieted as the sun rose above the horizon. Early morning is the best time to find the curassow, and we were running out of time.  Domain of the Wattled Curassow - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru And there it was! It was the bright red bill that first caught my attention and 0.05 seconds later, my brain registered that I was staring at a female Wattled Curassow. Wattled Curassow - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru But it was better than I had imagined - the female was accompanied by a tiny chick! For a few magical minutes we watched the duo in their element.  Wattled Curassow chick - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Wattled Curassow chick - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Wattled Curassows are closely associated with these rivers in the western Amazon basin and that has led to their downfall. The rivers are the highways, and curassows have a lot of meat. But in a few areas like here, hunting of the curassows does not occur and encounters with this secretive species are possible. The curassows like feeding on the fruits of mahogany trees that line the watercourses, and that is likely what this female was on the hunt for.  Wattled Currasow - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru We were on cloud nine after such an epic start to the day! I was pleased that I even managed some mostly in-focus photos with my broken lens.  For the next few hours we cruised around by boat, checking out different waterways in search of some of our target birds. We were successful with Black-tailed Antbird and Short-tailed Parrot.  Black-tailed Antbird - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Short-tailed Parrot - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru It was a very birdy morning and we cleared the hundred species mark before returning to the lodge for breakfast.  Bluish-fronted Jacamar - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Black-tailed Tityra - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Proboscis Bat (Rhynchonycteris nasa) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru After breakfast, we searched by boat for some of the few remaining target birds I had in mind such as Purple-throated Cotinga, Gray-eyed Greenlet and Wing-barred Seedeater, but were unsuccessful.  Unidentified katydid - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru We were also on the lookout for Dusky-billed Parrotlets, a potential lifer for Laura and a new photographed bird for me. Moises claimed sightings on a few occasions, but each time my photos revealed that they were the more expected Riparian Parrotlets.  Band-tailed Antbird - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru At one point during the afternoon we entered an area of higher ground where there was a small walking trail. After spending most of the day in a boat it felt great to feel the earth beneath our boots, even though this meant that we were accompanied by a swarm of mosquitoes. Amazonian Trogon - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Methona confusa - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru We found several groups of Eastern Pygmy Marmosets, one of the smallest species of monkey! Eastern Pygmy Marmoset (Cebuella niveiventris) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Eastern Pygmy Marmoset (Cebuella niveiventris) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Our guide, Moises had a stake-out for Nancy Ma's Night-Monkey (Aotus nancymai) that was visible from the main watercourse.  Nancy Ma's Night-Monkey (Aotus nancymai) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru During the mid-afternoon, Moises took us down a channel choked with vegetation to look for some herps. We kept a close eye on the vegetation until Laura spotted the first snake, as she is known to do! Giant Parrot Snake (Leptophis ahaetulla nigromarginatus) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru While we have seen this widespread species before, this was a new subspecies for us. The extensive black markings between the scales are quite distinctive.  Giant Parrot Snake (Leptophis ahaetulla nigromarginatus) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Even better than the parrot snake was this next species: a Northern Caiman Lizard (Dracaena guianensis)! I have wanted to see this huge species of lizard for many years but had never gotten lucky. As the name suggests, particularly large individuals somewhat resemble caimans, and they share similar aquatic habitats. Caiman lizards feed on snails, fish, amphibians and other creatures that they find underwater.  Northern Caiman Lizard (Dracaena guianensis) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Northern Caiman Lizard (Dracaena guianensis) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru As the sun set, we found ourselves slowly paddling in a different wetland after another unsuccessful Purple-throated Cotinga search. We enjoyed watching a pair of Yellow-chinned Spinetails. This species is widespread in South America but is fairly localized in Peru.  Yellow-chinned Spinetail - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru You would be hard-pressed to find an activity that Laura likes more than a night-hike in the tropics, and tonight's walk was a good one. We only stayed out for a short while but came away with some nice sightings, including several snakes! Smoky Jungle Frog (Leptodactylus pentadactylus) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Ancylometes sp. - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Unidentified net-casting spider (family Deinopidae) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Crowned False Boa (Pseudoboa coronata) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Pierella hortona - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Leptodactylus sp. - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Sais rosalia - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Garden Tree Boa (Corallus hortulana) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru I think my favourite sighting of the walk was this Slender Opossum (Marmosops sp.). It was extremely confiding and didn't mind my close approach for photos.  Slender Opossum (Marmoseps sp.) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Though they may resemble a rodent to some (Moises confidently identified it as an "Amazonian Mouse", whatever that is), these are actually a tiny genus of neotropical opossums, meaning that they are a marsupial. Slender opossums typically live in the viny, dense understory where they search for insects, arachnids, flowers and fruit.  Slender Opossum (Marmoseps sp.) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru My final post from Peru will include our last couple of days at Muyuna Lodge.

February 24, 2024 Just outside of the city of Iquitos lies an expansive area containing white-sand forest. The particular forest types that grow on white sand are somewhat uncommon in the Amazon, yet the stunted tree growth provides quite the contrast to "typical" Amazonian rainforest. Over the years quite a few unusual bird species have been found in this white-sand forest outside of Iquitos. Indeed, it was only a few decades ago that a strange gnatcatcher was discovered with canopy flocks here; in 2005, the Iquitos Gnatcatcher was formally described as a new species to science, though some taxonomies consider it a subspecies of the Guianan Gnatcatcher. So far, the Iquitos Gnatcatcher has only been found within the Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve.  Laura and I wanted to put in a proper search for the gnatcatcher as well as other specialties of this forest type which includes Ancient Antwren, Mishana Tyrannulet, Allpahuayo Antbird, Brown-banded Puffbird, Brown Nunlet and Zimmer's Tody-Tyrant. We enlisted the assistance of German Coisffman whom we had met a few days earlier at ExplorNapo Lodge. Initially we were prepared to visit on our own, but we decided to enlist German's help because the trail system here can be confusing (and we had no intel), and because he knew of some good areas for the Iquitos Gnatcatcher. Even still, we went in with fairly low expectations of finding the gnatcatcher. It can be extremely tricky and most birders miss it. Ideally we would have had three days at RN Allpahuayo-Mishana, but that was not possible given our itinerary and so one day would have to do.  We arranged for a taxi to drop us off at the entrance and wait while we birded, before bringing us back to Iquitos later in the afternoon. It was a dark, overcast morning with the threat of rain looming in the air and the dawn chorus was muted. We walked in from the road and after fifteen minutes reached the guardhouse where we would pay our fee.  We first tried a side trail that entered the forest near the guardhouse. Despite the gloomy conditions we found some interesting species, including two vocal Brown Nunbirds that we eventually tracked down for some good views. This was the first time seeing this species for Laura and I.  Brown Nunlet - RN Allpahuayo-Mishana, Loreto, Peru A little while later, we tracked down another one of our big targets, the Ancient Antwren. This is another recently described species which is only found in a few areas of white-sand forest in northern Peru, including RN Allpahuayo-Mishana. It is a canopy species that often travels with mixed flocks. Photos were difficult as it was backlit and flitting in the canopy, plus I was dealing with a lens that was unable to autofocus.  Ancient Antwren - RN Allpahuayo-Mishana, Loreto, Peru It was around this time that the rain began to fall in earnest and so we backtracked to the guardhouse. We settled up the entrance fee and then waited out the rain which was now coming down in buckets. It took about an hour, but it finally passed us by. I was anxious to get back on the trail system as it was now mid-morning. However, I was optimistic that the birds would be more active after the rain.  For the rest of the day, German, Laura and I walked slowly along the main entrance trail as well as on various side-trails that cut off of it. German took us to several areas where he had seen the gnatcatcher in the past. We listened carefully for mixed flocks, as this is the best way to cross paths with the gnatcatcher. Some of the mixed flocks were productive and we found a Mishana Tyrannulet in one of them, another target down. But overall the birding was fairly slow and we failed with the gnatcatcher.  Some of the trails hadn't been cleared in some time and we had to scramble around a few large tree-falls.  RN Allpahuayo-Mishana, Loreto, Peru We ventured into an area that often produces Allpahuayo Antbirds, another range-restricted species that we were on the hunt for. We gave it our best shot, but they refused to respond to the tape. The forest was strangely quiet for most of the day.  Waved Woodpecker - RN Allpahuayo-Mishana, Loreto, Peru We found a pair of vocal Brown-banded Puffbrds and tracked one down for photos. This is a species we had only seen before in white-sand forest in Colombia and I was thrilled to photograph it for the first time, even if the photos were pretty poor given the low light, the lack of autofocus, and the puffbirds' penchant for perching in the canopy.  Brown-banded Puffbird - RN Allpahuayo-Mishana, Loreto, Peru We picked up a few more nice sightings throughout the day including a pair of Rufous-backed Stipplethroats and a Striolated Manakin.  Striolated Manakin - RN Allpahuayo-Mishana, Loreto, Peru We managed to cobble together 71 bird species for the eBird list but struck out with the big target, the Iquitos Gnatcatcher, as well as the Allpahuayo Antbird, so it was hard not to be a little disappointed with our visit to RN Allpahuayo-Mishana. Still, it was neat to explore the forest types of the reserve and it was nice to get to know German as well.  That evening Laura and I prepped for the final leg of our Peru trip. In the morning, we had plans to visit Muyuna Lodge for three nights to search for Wattled Curassows and several other specialists of the varzea forest found there.  February 25, 2024 When planning the Amazonian leg of our trip, we strategically picked three lodges to give us a great chance at a wide diversity of species. For the last three nights of our trip we would be at Muyuna Lodge, situated at a low point along the south side of the Amazon where the forest floods each year. Since we were still near the beginning of the rainy season, there was dry land, though our rubber boots were necessary and most of our birding was still done by boat.  Because Muyuna Lodge is located south of the Amazon River, some of the bird species would be new to us. A river as massive as the Amazon can provide a significant barrier for birds, especially for non-migratory forest dwellers like antbirds and puffbirds. The Saturnine Antshrike, for example, is only found south of the river and would be new to us. Same with the Blue-cheeked Jacamar and Rufous-necked Puffbird. Some of my other targets were varzea (flooded forest) specialists, such as Short-tailed Parrot and Varzea Thrush.  However, the main reason we were visiting Muyuna Lodge was for the Wattled Curassow. This endangered species has been nearly hunted to extinction - seemingly a difficult task in the vast Amazon basin. But this is a species that is usually found close to the rivers, and the rivers act as highways for humans. Muyuna Lodge and the surrounding forest is a bit of a sanctuary for the curassows, as the value of the birds as something other than a food source has now been realized. Birders travel here from around the world for a chance to see them.  A driver working for Muyuna transported us out of Iquitos to the docks at San Joaquin de Omaguas. From there, it was only a 45 minute boat trip across the wide Amazon River and down a tributary called the Yanayacu River.  Laura and I were eager to see what we could find, though our guide, Moises wasn't too interested in walking in the forest right after lunch. Our forced siesta concluded around three and the three of us went for a walk in the forest behind the lodge. This area floods annually but for now it could still be traversed with rubber boots.  Female Wire-tailed Manakin - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru We rustled up a nice variety of species including our first Saturnine Antshrike with a mixed flock, though we had no luck with the jacamar or puffbird. Ant-things were well-represented and I was pleased to photograph these Plumbeous Antbirds.  Plumbeous Antbirds - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Plumbeous Antbirds - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Moises pointed out this sleeping Yellow-crowned Toró peering out of its roosting hole. These nocturnal spiny rats are typically found in flooded Amazonian forest. Yellow-crowned Toró (Isothrix bistriata) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Laura came through with a snake, as she often does. This time it was a huge South American Sipo remaining motionless on a tree buttress. These diurnal hunters have excellent eyesight.  South American Sipo (Chironius multiventris) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru South American Sipo (Chironius multiventris) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Perhaps it was looking for one of these: Blue-lipped Tree Lizard (Plica umbra) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Before returning to the lodge, Moises pointed out a tree with several tiny Eastern Pygmy Marmosets clinging to the side. It was too dark for good photos, but we would have more chances with these diminutive primates in the coming days.  After dinner, we headed out by boat for some spot-lighting along the waterways. Overall it was pretty slow, and Moises was only willing to stay out for an hour.  Common Pauraque - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru One highlight was this gorgeous Garden Tree Boa (Corallus hortulana) hanging out next to the river. What a beaut! Garden Tree Boa (Corallus hortulana) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Garden Tree Boa (Corallus hortulana) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Before calling it a night, I quickly checked my moth trap that I had strung up behind the lodge. There were just a few species present, continuing the befuddling trend of not finding any moths in the Amazon. Maybe it is better later in the rainy season? Crinodes besckei - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Unidentified prominent moth (family Notodontidae) - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Anticla antica - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Trichromia sp. - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru Enyo ocypete - Muyuna Lodge, Loreto, Peru In the morning, we would commence our first search for the Wattled Curassow. Stay tuned.

February 20, 2024 A Great Potoo was the first bird I heard this morning shortly after my alarm went off at 5:00 AM. It was going to be a good day.  At dinner the previous night Luis, Laura and I had come up with a plan for our full day at Explorama Lodge. We would begin by taking the boat downriver to a small channel leaving the Amazon River called Cocha Bondi. The birding can be dynamic here at dawn and it would give us a good chance at several of my target species before breakfast, including Red-and-white Spinetail, Pearly-breasted Conebill and Brownish Elaenia. As the first hints of daylight appeared in the night sky, we loaded ourselves into the boat.  There is something about being on an Amazonian watercourse at dawn. The mist rising off the river, the sky lightening as the sun is getting ready to peak over the horizon. The incredible dawn chorus of birds, while parrots and macaws fly high over the river to their feeding ground. Everything seems so alive and vibrant. Our morning at Cocha Bondi was amazing and in less than two hours we tallied over fifty bird species including all three of my targets and much more.  Red-and-white Spinetail - Cocha Bondi, Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru We found two singing Brownish Elaenias in mid-aged cecropias around the wetland. Though far from the most iconic Amazonian bird, it can be a tricky one to find and so I was happy with the great views we had.   Brownish Elaenia - Cocha Bondi, Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru The Pearly-breasted Conebill is also a specialist of mid-aged cecropias, and we found a small flock at one point. Pearly-breasted Conebill - Cocha Bondi, Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru Of course there was so much else to see in a habitat like this at dawn. Laura spotted a Sungrebe sneaking through the water hyacinth. Sungrebes are not closely related to grebes and they do not like the sun. Sungrebes are one of three bird species in the family Heliornithidae, the others being the Masked Finfoot (of Asia) and the African Finfoot (of, you guessed it, Africa).  Sungrebe - Cocha Bondi, Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru Black-capped Donocobius was a common species in the riverside vegetation. I never tire of these ridiculous birds which are the only species in the family Donacobiidae.  Black-capped Donacobius - Cocha Bondi, Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru Spinetails were quite vocal. We noted Red-and-white, Plain-crowned, and Dark-breasted.  Dark-breasted Spinetail - Cocha Bondi, Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru Dark-breasted Spinetail - Cocha Bondi, Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru We spent a few minutes on shore here and quickly turned up a few more bird species, including this Castelnau's Antshrike. This is yet another river island specialist, but one that we had seen previously in Ecuador.  Castelnau's Antshrike - Cocha Bondi, Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru We found a pair of Plain-breasted Piculets here as well, improving on our sighting from yesterday afternoon.  Plain-breasted Piculet - Cocha Bondi, Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru It had been a very productive morning, and we headed back to the lodge for a well-earned breakfast. Following that, it was time to walk around the trail system at Explorama. Maybe our luck with the Orange-eyed Flatbill would improve this time.  Apioscelis sp. - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru The birding was slow as the dawn chorus had long-since concluded and we also had to deal with annoying mosquitoes. However, being from Canada (home to the world's worst mosquitoes!) this was not much more than a minor nuisance. We spent almost three hours on the trails and came away with some great sightings.  Taygetis thamyra - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Our rarest find was a pair of Lunulated Antbirds which we first heard and then eventually saw well since they came right in to the tape. This was a species that I was not at all expecting, as there are only a few records on eBird for the area and it is generally scarce across its limited range.  Lunulated Antbird - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru It was around this point that I began having camera issues. I noticed that my camera stopped being able to focus on a subject. The focus would just zoom in and out and the camera was unable to "lock on". I figured it must be caused by the excessive humidity here, as I have had humidity create issues in the past.  Continuing on, we later found a Lanceolated Monklet at an area where the forest transitions from varzea (seasonally flooded forest) to terra firme (upland forest). This is a rare species that we had only seen once before so we were pretty happy with the encounter. I am a big fan of puffbirds, and this is one of the smallest, cutest puffbirds out there. Unfortunately, it stayed high in the tree and, combined with having to use manual focus, my photos did not turn out very well.  Lanceolated Monklet - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru We also found a few gorgeous Red-backed Poison Frogs along the trail. This beautiful species is only found in a small region of Amazonia in northern Peru.  Red-backed Poison Frog (Ranitomeya reticulata) - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru We returned to the lodge for lunch followed by a siesta, while I also tried to sort out my camera issues. Despite placing the camera and lens in the sun (which helped remove some visible moisture from the camera), I was unable to resolve the focusing issues. For the rest of the trip, I was stuck having to manual focus. This is nearly impossible with wildlife photography since a subject has to be sitting still, and even then there is no guarantee that you can tweak the focus perfectly for a sharp photo. I decided that I would worry less about photography from here on out and just try to appreciate everything through the binoculars. Later, upon returning back to Canada, it was determined that a particular motor in the lens had failed. Fortunately, it was still covered under warranty. As I write this a year later, I haven't had the same issue since it was fixed.  Laura, Luis and I met at 2:30 PM for our afternoon excursion. We returned to Isla Yanamono to try again for the Ash-breasted Antbird. This time we were successful and we even got one to sit still on a branch for a few minutes. I even managed a sharp(ish) photo with the manual focus! Ash-breasted Antbird - Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru We visited a different corner of the island that had mainly grasses and low shrubs, as well as an area cleared for agriculture. We connected with another river island specialty here, the Lesser Hornero.  Lesser Hornero - Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru The birds were very active here and we found a few other neat species, including Olive-spotted Hummingbird, Lesser Wagtail-Tyrant, Spotted Tody-Flycatcher, Orange-backed Troupial, White-headed Marsh-Tyrant and a wintering Alder Flycatcher.  Olive-spotted Hummingbird - Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru Lesser Wagtail-Tyrant - Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru Laura noticed this Greater Hatchet-faced Tree Frog resting in the shoreline vegetation, a new species for us.  Greater Hatchet-faced Tree Frog (Sphaenorhynchus lacteus) - Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru That evening, after a delicious dinner, we headed out by boat down a small channel near the lodge in search of herps and whatever else we could find.  Right off the bat we found our first snake for the Amazonian portion of the trip, a Brown Sipo sleeping in the trees above the boat. I may have given our boatman a heart attack when I grabbed the snake! Evidently not many of their birding guests do that... Brown Sipo (Chironius fuscus) - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru We also found this unlikely duo: an American Pygmy Kingfisher with a moth (genus Gorgone).  American Pygmy Kingfisher and Gorgone sp. - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru The rest of the boat trip was a bit slow sightings-wise, but we found several roosting birds including Varzea Schiffornis, Green Ibis, Gray-cowled Wood-Rail, Lesser Kiskadee and Gray-headed Tanager.  Laura and I still had some energy after the boat trip and so we headed out on the main trail with our flashlights (after confirming with Luis that we could go out on our own). We couldn't turn up any other snakes but we found several frogs, lizards and insects, as well as a Brown-eared Woolly Opossum high up in the canopy that I noticed due to its eye-shine.  Unidentified mantis (family Liturgusidae) - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Typophyllum sp. - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Amazon Sheep Frog (Hamptophryne boliviana) - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Brown-eared Anole (Anolis fuscoauratus) - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Ferenta stolliana - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Brown-eared Woolly Opossum (Caluromys lanatus) - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Before heading off to bed, I quickly checked my moth trap which I had set up near our room. Unfortunately there were almost no insects on the sheet. For some reason I have a really hard time attracting moths in the Amazonian lowlands, while in the foothills moths are super abundant. I'm not really sure why! Molippa sp. - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Argyrosticta ditissima - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Samea sp. - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru February 21, 2024 Our final morning at Explorama Lodge. Though we had done quite well with birds and had found nearly every river island specialty that can be found in this region, we were still missing the Orange-eyed Flatbill. This would likely be our last shot at it, and so that was the goal for the morning. As the dawn chorus began, we headed out on foot.  Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru And the third time was the charm! We finally had a response from an Orange-eyed Flatbill and after a tense minute it came into view. As you can see from my photo, this is possibly the most beautiful bird in the entire Amazon basin.  Orange-eyed Flatbill - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru OK maybe not, but I was still thrilled to have finally found this scarce species! The rest of the walk was fairly slow birding but we turned up a few species including White-eared Jacamar, Slate-colored Hawk, Chestnut Woodpecker and Pale-legged Hornero. We returned to the lodge for breakfast, packed up our room, and by 9 AM we took the boat downriver towards ExplorNapo Lodge. That will be the subject of my next blog post.

February 18, 2024 (continued)     Where I last left off, Laura and I had just completed our sixteen-day loop through the mountains and deserts of northern Peru with the rental car. We dropped the vehicle off at the airport with no issues and boarded our flight. We were heading to the Amazon.  There are no direct flights from Chiclayo to Iquitos and so we had a layover in Quito before our connection to Iquitos. Finally, against the dark night sky, the lights of Iquitos appeared out of the plane windows. Around half a million people live here, making Iquitos the largest city in the world that is not connected by road to other cities. The only way in or out is to fly or take a boat.  Slender-billed Kite - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru We took a tuk-tuk from the airport to the hotel located downtown. We bought some cold drinks, had an amazing cold shower, and settled in for the evening. It had been a long travel day and sleep came quickly. February 19, 2024 In the past when Laura and I have visited the Amazon, we have more or less tried to do things on a budget. Field stations are one way to do this, and in southern Peru we spent five nights at Los Amigos Biological Station. Here in the Iquitos area I had trouble finding affordable destinations like Los Amigos that still gave us the chances at my target bird species. And so we decided to splurge on several ecolodges that cater to birders. For the first four nights we would split our time between two lodges (Explorama Lodge and ExplorNapo Lodge) which are run by the same organization. Then we would return to Iquitos for a couple of nights and we would finish the trip with three nights at Muyuna Lodge. I picked these lodges strategically as they are situated in different regions with different species. Explorama is found on the north bank of the Amazon River, ExplorNapo is located on the Napo River, and Muyuna is situated south of the Amazon. Needless to say I was pretty pumped for what the next week had in store! We were picked up by a representative from Explorama and taken to their office located on the waterfront where we paid for our stay and met our guide for the next five days and four nights, Luis Mayanchi del Aguila. Back when we originally booked our stay, we requested a guide that specializes in birdwatching. This can be hit or miss in our experience but we really lucked out this time. Luis is a phenomenal birder and he knows locations for many of the rare or localized species in the region. His English was excellent and he was quite personable; we really enjoyed our time with him. I would specifically ask for Luis if you book a stay at Explorama or ExplorNapo.  By 9 AM we had sorted out all of the necessary paperwork and loaded our gear into the boat. And we were off! As our boat maneuvered from the channel to the main river, Laura and I realized that this was the very first time we had been on the Amazon River proper.  First time on the Amazon River! Osprey - Iquitos, Loreto, Peru Luis and I had discussed my target species back at the office and so he had come up with a plan for our stay. Many of my targets are river island specialties, and several of them could be found between Iquitos and Explorama Lodge. These birding stops helped to break up the 1.5 hour boat trip to the lodge, and it gave us a chance for some morning birding before the heat of the day really sunk in.   Within the Amazon basin there are a handful of bird species that specialize on the ephemeral habitats located on river islands. Because these rivers are so dynamic and move so much water, over time they shift the courses of their flows and this allows sandy islands to pop up. Eventually, low grasses and other vegetation takes hold. Given enough time, the islands will be colonized with various shrubs and eventually, cecropia stands and other tree species. Various bird species can be found on islands that contain specific vegetation communities. These birds are somewhat nomadic, moving around to breed in their preferred habitat and then leaving once the vegetation community changes due to plant succession.  We stopped at our first island and put our rubber boots to good use as the high river levels meant that the island was covered with shallow water. As we sloshed around we tried to avoid touching too much vegetation due to all the ants on all the branches. Even though it was barely 10 AM, the sun was really beating down on us and I was drenched with sweat within minutes. Welcome to the Amazon! Tromping across an Amazonian river island, Loreto, Peru Luis picked this island as it provided good habitat for Riverside Tyrants, one of the trickier river island species here. His intel paid off as we found a pair relatively easily! Riverside Tyrant - river island east of Iquitos, Loreto, Peru We found a few other target birds relatively quickly, including our first Parker's Spinetails, White-bellied Spinetails and Black-and-white Antbirds. That was easy! Parker's Spinetail - river island east of Iquitos, Loreto, Peru White-bellied Spinetail - river island east of Iquitos, Loreto, Peru Black-and-white Antbird - river island east of Iquitos, Loreto, Peru Our next stop was along the south side of the Amazon where Luis had a stakeout for the localized Black-tailed Antbird. The ground was dry here and the forest more mature. Though it was now 11:30 in the morning, bird activity was still reasonably good and we quickly tallied species like Tui Parakeet, White-shouldered Antbird and Black-spotted Bare-eye.  Tui Parakeet - Amazon River east of Iquitos, Loreto, Peru Though the Black-tailed Antbirds sang back to the tape, they refused to come in and so we left without having seen them. This is one of the tougher riverine species here, but Black-tailed Antbirds are more common at Muyuna Lodge so I wasn't too concerned. We would catch up with them there.  On our walk back to the boat we found a pair of Leaden Antwrens next to the trail, another one of my targets.  Leaden Antwren (male) - Amazon River east of Iquitos, Loreto, Peru We continued towards the lodge and pulled up to the dock at 12:40 PM, just in time for lunch. To our surprise, Laura and I were the only visitors! No complaints here. Our room was relatively simple but it included mosquito netting around the bed and a fan, both necessities here in the Amazon.  Catoblepia berecynthia - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Though most of my target birds are searched for on the various river islands, several of them can be found around the lodge on the trail system. The main one for me was the Orange-eyed Flatbill, a drab flycatcher that is found in low densities in flooded forest and which has a limited range in western Amazonia.  After lunch, Laura and I had a brief siesta before convening with Luis at 2:30 PM for an afternoon hike to the river followed by a visit of the massive river island due south of us. As expected the birding was a little slow at this hour and we couldn't turn up any Orange-eyed Flatbills around the lodge. But there is always life to be found here in the most biodiverse region of the planet and I photographed several lizards, butterflies, and a pair of adorable Red-mantle Saddle-back Tamarins (one had just caught a huge katydid!). Birds included a Green-and-rufous Kingfisher, a photogenic Dull-capped Attila and a Slender-billed Kite.   Bridled Forest Gecko (Gonotodes humeralis) - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Red-mantle Saddle-back Tamarin (Saguinus lagonotus) - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Dull-capped Attila - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Dull-capped Attila - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Glassy-winged Skipper (Xenophanes tryxus) - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru Slender-billed Kite - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru We watched dark gray storm clouds approaching from the east as we boated across the Amazon. Hopefully the impending storm would hold off long enough for us to get some birding in!  The cooler air and light breeze caused by the heavy overcast conditions was very welcome as we began hiking along a flooded trail on the river island. Right away we saw dozens of White-winged Parakeets around a small clearing - a common species, but a lifer for us. It was difficult to obtain good views other than in flight as they seemed to vanish when landing in the tops of trees.  Other birds, such as this Bare-necked Fruitcrow, were more photogenic. Bare-necked Fruitcrow - Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru We had several target birds here in the flooded forest including Plain-breasted Piculet and Zimmer's Woodcreeper. There was also a small chance of Pale-billed Hornero which is one of the trickiest river island species in northern Peru.  Our walk was highly successful and we quickly connected with a curious Zimmer's Woodcreeper. The views were incredible! Zimmer's Woodcreeper - Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru A few minutes later, I noticed a streak of rufous across the trail. It landed deep in the forest and through a gap in the vegetation I re-found the bird. A Pale-billed Hornero! I frantically got Laura on it and we spent the next couple of minutes soaking in the views. Photos were difficult as it did not stay still for long and the forest understory was quite dark, but I was thrilled with the experience anyways.  Pale-billed Hornero - Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru Pale-billed Horneros are basically endemic to the Amazon of northern Peru and so is a top target for all visiting birders here. I really expected to have to work to see one so it was pretty incredible having such good views on our first day! The Pale-billed Hornero prefers the understory of flooded forest close to rivers, whicle most other hornero species are limited to open habitats.  Pale-billed Hornero - Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru Shortly after, a Leaden Antwren came in to my tape and we also had top-tier views of him, improving on the looks we had of the pair earlier in the day.  Leaden Antwren (male) - Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru Our luck continued as we walked back out to the river and our waiting boat. A few more minutes in the clearing produced a pair of Plain-breasted Piculets. Another range-restricted specialty in the bag.  Plain-breasted Piculet - Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru Plain-breasted Piculets - Isla Yanamono, Loreto, Peru Luis directed the boatman to a different side of the island where he often sees Ash-breasted Antbirds. This species prefers mature cecropia forest on river islands. Though one responded to the tape, we were unsuccessful with luring it in. And so we called it a day and boated back across the river to the lodge, making it back in time before the rain hit.  After dinner, Laura, Luis and I went on a walk around the lodge property in search of herps. We struck out on snakes but found a few frogs. Birds were fairly vocal at dusk and included Bartlett's Tinamou, Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl, Great Potoo and others. It had been a fantastic day!  Common Big-headed Frog (Oreobates quixensis) - Explorama Lodge, Loreto, Peru