February 21, 2024 (continued) We sped down the Amazon and made a left at the confluence with the Napo River. The Napo had noticeably less flow, while we also realized that sandbars were also much more numerous, leading to the presence of many wading birds and terns. At around 10:45 AM we pulled up to the docks for the ExplorNapo Lodge. It was shaping up to be another hot day and the bird activity had mostly stopped.  Laura and I were shown to our room and after putting our bags away we grabbed our binoculars and birded a small mixed flock near our room that contained Paradise, Opal-crowned and Green-and-gold Tanagers.  I was looking forward to a new suite of birds here at ExplorNapo Lodge. Our previous few days had been spent at Explorama Lodge which is situated within flooded "varzea" forest, while ExplorNapo has quite a bit of upland, "terra firme" species. To the untrained eye the differences in plant species between these two forest classifications may not be that obvious, but they are, and they lead to unique bird communities as well.   There were around a dozen bird species regularly found at ExplorNapo that I had never seen before and we found one of the targets within half an hour of arriving. Luis, Laura and I had met up for a pre-lunch walk. Joining us was German Coisffman, an Iquitos-based birding guide who was staying at ExplorNapo with his client. I spotted the bird in question, a Purplish Jacamar, perched in the canopy next to the trail. This species is uncommon and thinly distributed in the western Amazon basin in northern Peru and Ecuador, as well as barely into southern Colombia and western Brazil. Purplish Jacamar - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru Laura has a knack for finding snakes and she came through once again. This time, it was a coiled Fer-de-lance, also known as a Common Lancehead, next to the trail that caught her eye.  Common Lancehead (Bothrops atrox) - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru We enjoyed a delicious lunch and short siesta and at 2:15 PM reconvened with Luis and the boatman for an afternoon of birding by boat.  Luis knows every channel leading off from the main Río Napo and we picked our way through flooded forest and took nearly invisible passages to a hidden series of connected oxbow lakes.  Paddling along a quiet Río Napo oxbow, Loreto, Peru My #1 target for the afternoon was Purple-throated Cotinga, a rare resident of the Amazon. Scanning the treetops along quiet waterways seems to be one of the most effective strategies for finding this species, but don't take my word for it because I've never seen one! Unfortunately, I was unable to reverse that trend as we struck out. Black-tailed Trogon - Río Napo oxbow, Loreto, Peru Although the cotinga eluded us, we came away with a nice diversity of bird species and I finished the excursion with 88 species on my eBird list. I particularly enjoyed watching a very cooperative Dot-backed Antbird foraging and singing in the swampy forest. Some of the other birds were new for my Peru list including Hooded Tanager, Cinnamon Attila, Yellow-browed Antbird and Black-chinned Antbird. Dot-backed Antbird - Río Napo oxbow, Loreto, Peru As dusk fell, we found ourselves staked out at a particular quiet oxbow where Luis has occasionally seen Zigzag Herons. These tiny, secretive herons are distributed across the Amazon but aren't very easy to find. I had heard one many years ago in the Ecuadorian Amazon but neither Laura nor I had ever seen one before. Anticipation was high as the sun set. While we waited, a Short-tailed Nighthawk emerged for a night of foraging for flying insects.  Río Napo oxbow, Loreto, Peru The Zigzag Heron was a no-show and so we headed back to the lodge. The final bird was a Sand-colored Nighthawk flying low over the Río Napo, its white wings appearing ghost-like in the beams of our flashlights.  Our day wasn't over just yet, however. After dinner we had plans to visit the famous Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies (ACTS) Field Station and its famous canopy walkway. This is an excellent site to look for the very secretive Nocturnal Curassow. We planned to do a search of the curassow, spend the night at the field station, and bird the canopy walkway the following morning.  By the light of the moon, we boated up a tributary, but due to low water levels the boat could only make it about half way to the field station and we had to walk the rest of the way. We dropped our bags off at the station and headed out for a magical visit to the canopy walkway. This Two-Toed Sloth was also interested in exploring the canopy walkway, and we followed her for a while until she found a suitable tree to detour along.  Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus didactylus) - ACTS Field Station/Canopy Tower, Loreto, Peru Above the trees yet under a canopy of stars, we watched the forest and listened to Crested Owls, Black-banded Owls, and at least three Tawny-bellied Screech-Owls. A Great Potoo sounded off and then we heard it - the distinctive low hoots of a Nocturnal Curassow.  Over the next couple of hours we followed the sounds of the curassow, led by Luis and another guide he had brought along specifically to help with the curassow search (I did not catch his name). The curassows stay high in the canopy and after a bout of calling, remain silent for an hour or more. This makes it extremely difficult to track them down as lots of patience is required. After several hours we called it quits without having seen the curassow. It was approaching midnight and we had a very early wakeup scheduled for the next morning. Actually laying eyes on a Nocturnal Curassow will have to wait until a different trip to the Amazon basin.  February 22, 2024 The rooms at the ACTS field station are very simple with thin mattresses and no fan. Due to the warm temperatures it took me quite a while to fall asleep so I was feeling pretty groggy when the alarm went off. One benefit of the poor sleep was that I was awake to listen to the Nocturnal Curassow hooting away every so often. A magical sound.   Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies (ACTS) Canopy Tower, Loreto, Peru The canopy walkway stretches for approximately 500 m through terra firme forest, with different viewing towers at various junctions. A morning session on a canopy walkway is always something we enjoy and so this was going to be a treat!  Paradise Jacamar - ACTS Field Station/Canopy Tower, Loreto, Peru Laura, Luis and I spent most of the morning on Tower 6, which is the highest tower with the best views over the forest. Quite a few interesting species passed through the canopy tree in which this tower was positioned, and we had amazing views of a Dugand's Antwren, which was a big target for us as it is a canopy dweller with a limited range in western Amazonia. Dugand's Antwren - ACTS Field Station/Canopy Tower, Loreto, Peru  Other birds seen well in "our" tree included Duida Woodcreeper, Paradise Jacamar, Yellow-throated Woodpecker and Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher.  Duida Woodcreeper - ACTS Field Station/Canopy Tower, Loreto, Peru Paradise Jacamar - ACTS Field Station/Canopy Tower, Loreto, Peru Laura and I had our best ever views of a Lanceolated Monklet early on, as it perched below eye-level just a few dozen meters from us.  Lanceolated Monklet - ACTS Field Station/Canopy Tower, Loreto, Peru Another highlight was finally hearing my first Amazonian Black-throated Trogon and managing a good recording of it. Laura spotted a Spangled Cotinga on an exposed snag, and we encountered quite a few parrot, woodpecker and toucan species.  Spangled Cotinga - ACTS Field Station/Canopy Tower, Loreto, Peru Other highlights included White-necked Puffbird, Chestnut-winged Hookbill, Amazonian Elaenia and Black-headed Parrot. Unfortunately, the lack of any fruiting trees really limited the tanager action and we struck out with both White-bellied Dacnis and Short-billed Honeycreeper, both of which can be seen here if you are lucky.  White-fronted Nunbird - ACTS Field Station/Canopy Tower, Loreto, Peru The big story from the canopy walkway was the shear number of sweat bees. Their numbers slowly built throughout the morning until we were swarmed by hundreds of them. Though they don't sting, they are rather annoying and very distracting!  As we were leaving the canopy walkway, I tried playing tape for Slate-colored Antbird as it was one of my target birds here. Surprisingly, I immediately had a response! Laura, Luis and I watched as a female Slate-colored Antbird snuck out of the undergrowth and looked around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. Despite the limitations of my broken camera lens, I was able to snap a couple of "record" photos. This is a scarce species of terra firme in western Amazonia.  Slate-colored Antbird - ACTS Field Station/Canopy Tower, Loreto, Peru We walked back to the station, packed up and headed out. Instead of taking the boat back to the lodge, we were going to follow the trail system to maximize our bird sightings.  I didn't know it at the time, but this butterfly is quite rare and this is one of the few photos that now exist of it. It is a type of hairstreak called Bistonina bactriana.  Bistonina bactriana - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru The heat had really set in and it was a bit of a struggle, but we persisted. There weren't many birds given the time of day but we teased a few species out of the woodwork, including our lifer Black-and-white Tody-Flycatcher. Later on we watched a small party of Red-crowned Ant-Tanagers bounce through the understory. This must be a somewhat uncommon species here, as Luis mentioned that it was a lifer for him!  Black-and-white Tody-Flycatcher - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru Lunch, lots of water and a siesta were in order once we returned to the lodge. That afternoon we ventured out by boat to explore some different river islands. It felt great to get out on the water where the breeze created by the moving boat provided some relief from the scorching sun.    Black Caracara - unnamed river island near ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru We visited a location on Isla Yarina where Luis had seen Black-banded Crakes before; they appeared after fifteen minutes of waiting and using playback. The views were pretty good for a few seconds, though I barely even managed a record photo. Still, it was nice to finally lay eyes on this secretive species.  From there we ventured down a tributary to a site where Band-tailed Caciques sometimes come to the river's edge. We waited in the shade for almost an hour and a half but the caciques didn't show. While waiting we were entertained by a male Wire-tailed Manakin. We also found Yellow-crowned Elaenia, Hauxwell's Thrush, Velvet-fronted Grackle and Green Ibis.  Wire-tailed Manakin - Laguna Urcomiraño tributary, Loreto, Peru We continued a short ways up the Río Napo to visit the final river island in a bid to find River Tyrannulet, one of the few river island specialities we still needed. The sun was, mercifully, lower in the sky but it still roasted us whenever we weren't shielded by the trees.  The tyrannulet remained unaccounted for and so we contented ourselves with watching a small group of Black Caracaras and a pair of Riparian Parrotlets. Both Yellow-billed and Large-billed Terns were flying around just offshore.  Riparian Parrotlet - unnamed river island near ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru That evening Laura and I went for a walk with our flashlights in search of herps and whatever else we could stir up.  Acanthoscurria sp. - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru Osteocephalus sp. - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru Unidentified stink bugs (tribe Ochlerini) - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru Spiders were well-represented and included this Pantropical Huntsman Spider making a meal out of a katydid.  Pantropical Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda venatoria) - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru Laura spotted this Collared Treerunner on a trail-side log, a new species for us. One reason why we have never encountered it before is that it is an arboreal species that doesn't usually come down to the forest floor.  Collared Treerunner (Plica plica) - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru Collared Treerunner (Plica plica) - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru Our final frog of the walk was this Painted Antnest Frog. This species has a close relationship with leafcutter ants (Atta cephalotes), and it is often found calling from within the nests of these ants. Typically, leafcutter ants kill and remove any intruders but they don't seem to mind the Painted Antnest Frogs. This is a beneficial situation for the frogs as the ant nests provide a site with high humidity that is safe from predators like centipedes, snakes and spiders. It is not clear how the ants benefit from this arrangement; perhaps the frogs feed on possible intruders that may disrupt the ants.  Painted Antnest Frog (Lithodytes lineatus) - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru February 23, 2024 It was, unfortunately, our final morning along the Río Napo but we made the most of it. We visited a trail that follows the boundary of the lodge through a mixture of varzea and terra firme forest types. This would be our best shot at the Black-necked Red-Cotinga, while there was also a chance at the secretive Ochre-striped Antpitta. As the sky lightened, we motored up a small tributary before disembarking at the start of the trail.  Great-billed Hermit - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru It didn't take long to hear our first Black-necked Red-Cotinga calling from the forest canopy, but despite our best efforts it eluded us. We found a female later on and she cooperated!  Black-necked Red-Cotinga - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru We slowly made our way along the trail, adding many species to our eBird checklist although many of them were heard-only. These included Fiery Topaz, Golden-collared Toucanet, a nice diversity of antbirds and a surprise Brown Nunlet (they are quite scarce in this area).  Achilles Morpho (Morpho achilles) - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru Around 9 AM, we heard a few cacique-types vocalizing from further up the path and we quickly caught up with them. We still hadn't seen Band-tailed Caciques, and though I had mostly given up on this tricky species, this would be our chance! They often flock together with other oropendolas and caciques.  We were in luck! Band-tailed Caciques were the most common species in this flock and I estimated there were eight of them. We followed the flock as it meandered deeper into the forest off the trail. Band-tailed Cacique - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru This large cacique looks similar to an oropendola. It has a limited range in western Amazonia, and northern Peru is probably the best area to search for them. I was relieved to have finally connected with them! Band-tailed Cacique - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru Russet-backed Oropendolas and Yellow-rumped Caciques were traveling with the Band-tailed Caciques. I picked out a single Green Oropendola as well.  Band-tailed Cacique - ExplorNapo Lodge, Loreto, Peru As we rejoined the main trail to start the long walk back, I heard the distinctive song of an Ochre-striped Antpitta somewhere off trail. We were already running a little late and so we only tried to tape it in for a few minutes. We were unsuccessful, but I managed a few recordings at least.  The final big highlight of our walk was a saki monkey in the trees near the trail! This was only our second ever encounter with a saki but it was short-lived, as it promptly disappeared deeper into the forest. I never managed a photo. Based on range I believe this to be Hairy Saki (Pithecia hirsuta), but I may be mistaken. A very cool moment, even if it was short-lived.  And with that, we finished our walk and boated back to the lodge. We packed up our bags, ate lunch, and then loaded ourselves into the boat for the long drive back to Iquitos. It had been a very busy but productive five days in the Peruvian Amazon!

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

February 16, 2024 The town of Olmos isn't the most picturesque in Peru. Situated in the coastal desert, the streets are dusty, the wind is always present and the roads are potholed. It is certainly not a town that caters to tourists, and I doubt many stop here. But an advantage of a town like Olmos is that it is inexpensive, with a few adequate hotels and many hole-in-the-wall places to eat. We chose Olmos as our base for a couple of nights since it is situated just over an hour from a well-known birding site known as Quebrada El Limón.  Quebrada El Limón is popular with birders since it is a reliable location to find the endangered White-winged Guan. We had connected with this species earlier in the trip at Casupe but were happy to have another date with this rare species. We had five other target birds for this site: Tumbes Hummingbird, Pale-browed Tinamou, Tumbes Chat-Tyrant, Peruvian Screech-Owl, and Scrub Nightjar.  White-browed Gnatcatcher - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru Obviously, the latter two species are more easily found during the night, and so we considered having an early start on February 16 so that we could get in a few hours of night-birding prior to sunrise. However, there were two issues with this plan. One was that we weren't exactly looking forward to a 2:30 AM wakeup. The other, more pressing issue was that I had read that the road between the highway and Quebrada El Limón was a bit sketchy and difficult to follow. I didn't want to have to navigate this road for the first time in the dark.  Our solution was that we would leave around sunrise, giving us sufficient daylight to drive the road. We would head back to the hotel at noon, then in the late afternoon return to Quebrada El Limón and stay until after dark. And our plan worked perfectly.  The road turned out to be in better condition than I had envisioned and we had no issues driving it, though there were some rough sections that might be a little tricky with a small car (but still doable). And while there were a few unmarked tracks that left the dirt road, for the most part it was easy to know which path to stay on. I pulled off the road next to an intriguing, potentially birdy ravine just before the village of Limón. This would be our breakfast spot, and it seemed like good habitat to search for the Tumbes Chat-Tyrant.  As soon as we exited the car, the sounds of singing Pale-browed Tinamous reverberated from all around us. That was easy... This species is quite common here, but they can be nearly impossible to find when they are not singing. Fortunately, the spring is when they are most vocal and the recent rains must have stimulated them. We ended up seeing one run across the road that afternoon, the only one we would observe.  A bit of pygmy-owl playback instigated quite the response. Several bird species came out of the woodwork to search for the "owl", including our first Tumbes Hummingbird. That was easy! Tumbes Hummingbird - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru The Tumbes Hummingbird may not be the world's most beautiful hummingbird, but its drab grays and greens suit it well for life in this arid environment. Like its name implies, this is one of the Tumbes endemic birds found only in northwestern Peru and barely into southwestern Ecuador.  Tumbes Hummingbird - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru A tiny Short-tailed Woodstar also flew in to see what the commotion was all about.  Short-tailed Woodstar - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru I think it was Laura who first spotted the Tumbes Chat-Tyrant, and soon we were having face-melting views of a pair of them. Awesome!! Tumbes Chat-Tyrant - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru Tumbes Chat-Tyrants seem to prefer drier habitats and they can be a little bit difficult to find along the main trail at Quebrada El Limón. This road west of town seems to be more reliable, based both on my experience and from what I could glean from eBird and past trip reports for this site.  Tumbes Chat-Tyrant - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru We spotted quite a few other species here, including Short-tailed Field-Tyrant, Tumbes Sparrow, Tumbes Tyrannulet and a pair of amorous White-browed Gnatcatchers.  White-browed Gnatcatchers - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru With three lifers in the bag, we finished up our breakfast and continued on towards the quebrada. It wasn't too difficult to spot the start of the trail so we parked the vehicle next to a pasture, loaded up our day packs and set off.  Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru The path follows a dry riverbed up the valley for quite a while. We only made it a few kilometres before turning around because the birding was so good, but if one continues higher up it is easier to find species like Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaner and Gray-breasted Flycatcher.  Guayaquil Squirrel (Sciurus stramineus) - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru Some large black birds clambering in a distant tree were quickly identified as White-winged Guans and we watched them for a few minutes before they slipped away into the forest.  White-winged Guan - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru The pressure was already off due to our success from the breakfast stop. We experienced a leisurely morning, noting over 50 species of birds on our walk including many of the Tumbesian endemics that we had enjoyed previously. The cloud cover was very welcome as it limited the sun's intensity and contributed to the abundant bird song for the entire walk.  Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru Scarlet-backed Woodpecker - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru At one point we saw a motmot across the path. We found the Whooping Motmot resting deep in a thicket, its hefty beak keeping a tight grip on a recently-caught cicada. This was a new species for our Peru lists, and our first motmot of the trip. The motmots are Laura's favourite bird family and so this was a joyous moment.  Whooping Motmot - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru The trail passed through a few wooded sections, alternating with more open areas along the dry wash.  Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru I periodically played tapes for Black-and-white Tanager, a species that was becoming a nemesis for us. This rare tanager breeds in the Tumbes region immediately after periods of heavy rain, but we may have been a week or two too early since we struck out. Still, we found lots of other birds to keep us interested including Black-lored Yellowthroat, Pacific Elaenia, Scarlet-backed Woodpecker, Plumbeous-backed Thrush, Elegant Crescentchest and Ecuadorian Trogon, as well as several lizards and butterflies.  Microlophus sp. - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru Red-masked Parakeet - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru Frost's Lava Lizard (Microlophus koepckeorum) - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru Peruvian Meadowlark - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru Near the end of our walk as we neared our vehicle, I heard the distinctive "boop" calls of a Blue Ground-Dove somewhere off the trail. This is a rarity here (there are no previous eBird records from Quebrada El Limón) and so I called the dove in to properly document it with photos. There are just a couple of previous records from the Tumbes of northwestern Peru.  Blue Ground-Dove - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru Our drive back to Olmos was uneventful (other than a quick stop to ogle at some Peruvian Thick-knees) and we made it back to town for an early lunch in one of the hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Then it was off to the hotel for a siesta that was very much-needed for some of us! We weren't exactly eager to leave the air-conditioned hotel room later that afternoon, but we still had a date with Peruvian Screech-Owls and Scrub Nightjars. The long, bumpy drive to Quebrada El Limón seemed a little bit shorter this time as it was now familiar to us.  We set out about an hour before sunset. We were briefly delayed to watch the antics of this Fasciated Wren having a dust bath in the middle of the path.  Fasciated Wren - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru Fasciated Wren - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru Around this time, we had the strangest bird encounter of our time in the northwest. We heard the distinctive squawking of a macaw (!), and I spotted a Blue-and-yellow Macaw flying up the valley! Blue-and-yellow Macaws are not found on the west side of the Andes in northern Peru, and it is not really a species that comes to mind as a vagrant. Was this someone's escaped pet? But why was it free-flying up a canyon? Who knows... Fasciated Wren - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru As sunset approached, the chattering of the Baird's Flycatchers increased in intensity, while the chorus of Pale-browed Tinamous had several new members lend their voices.  Baird's Flycatcher - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru As dusk fell, we waited at an area overlooking the dry riverbed where steep forested cliffs rose high above us. This looked perfect for screech-owls. The sky became dark, several toads began to call, and the Baird's Flycatchers eventually went quiet, well after sunset.  We didn't have to wait long; soon, there were at least four Peruvian Screech-Owls singing! It hardly took any effort to lure one into view. Owls are always exciting lifers, even if it is "just" a screech-owl that looks identical to a bunch of other screech-owl species that we have seen before. Still, this was a bird I had been waiting to find for quite some time, since we missed it in Ecuador in 2019, and Quebrada El Limón would likely be our final opportunity during this trip.  Peruvian Screech-Owl - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru With the screech-owl in the bag, we focused our energy on the final target, the Scrub Nightjar. It took a little bit more effort, but as we backtracked along the trail, I heard one singing in the distance. Luckily, it was in the dry wash close to where the path crossed it. Since it was the breeding season, the nightjar was extremely territorial, giving us incredible views. Photos were a bit trickier but I managed some record shots.  Scrub Nightjar - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru We kept an eye out for herps as we walked, but other than a few frogs, it was not to be. There were several moths flying around including this impressive silkmoth that was checking out our headlamps. This is Citheronia guayaquila which is, you guessed it, endemic to the Tumbes region.  Citheronia guayaquila - Quebrada de Limón, Piura, Peru We spotted another Peruvian Screech-Owl on the walk back to the car, while we also heard several Peruvian Pygmy-Owls and saw one. The drive back in the dark was long and bumpy, but we made it to the highway without acquiring any punctures in any of the tires, so it was a success. Just as we turned back onto the highway Laura spotted our third owl species of the evening; a Burrowing Owl on a road sign. It had been an excellent day! February 17, 2024 Despite spending two nights in Olmos, we were ahead of schedule and still had an extra night remaining until we needed to return the rental vehicle to Chiclayo. There was only one potential new bird for us in this part of the world, the Tumbes Swallow, and I knew just the place for it: a protected area called Bosque de Pómac, located just north of Chiclayo.  We enjoyed a well-earned sleep-in this morning, packed up and headed south. It was already 11 AM when we reached the entrance gates to Bosque de Pómac, and the temperatures had already soared well above 30 degrees Celsius. We drove towards Mirador de Salinas, as my eBird sleuthing had revealed a lot of records of the swallow from this part of the reserve. Moments after stepping out of the car and facing a blast of heat, a couple of Tumbes Swallows flew over us, calling. Soon, we had a few individuals teed up on a dead branch, giving us walk-away views of this scarce species.  Tumbes Swallows - Sanctuario Historico Bosque de Pómac, Lambayeque, Peru The Tumbes Swallow is one of the few bird species that actually seems to prefer the desolate, arid desert habitats of northwestern Peru. Most of the other Tumbes endemics prefer more vegetated habitats like river valleys and mountain slopes.  Tumbes Swallow - Sanctuario Historico Bosque de Pómac, Lambayeque, Peru Tumbes Swallows - Sanctuario Historico Bosque de Pómac, Lambayeque, Peru We spent a couple of additional hours exploring Bosque de Pómac. A particularly birdy area was by the eBird hotspot "Ruta de la Cortarrama". Despite the hot temperatures, birds were very active in the tall trees lining the roadside. Lineated Woodpecker - Sanctuario Historico Bosque de Pómac, Lambayeque, Peru A mixed flock produced Scarlet-backed Woodpecker, Collared Antshrike, Necklaced Spinetail and Common Tody-Flycatcher. Some pygmy-owl playback worked like a charm; not only did it attract a bunch of songbirds, woodpeckers and hummingbirds, but it enticed two real pygmy-owls to join the fray.  Peruvian Pygmy-Owl - Sanctuario Historico Bosque de Pómac, Lambayeque, Peru We heard a Peruvian Screech-Owl singing from a dense stand of trees; not exactly what we were expecting in the middle of the day. Another Tumbes Swallow flew over, and we spotted a couple of Snowy-throated Kingbirds as well.  Snowy-throated Kingbird - Sanctuario Historico Bosque de Pómac, Lambayeque, Peru We walked down a trail heading south from the main road, hoping to find some Peruvian Plantcutters. We had seen this species very well on our first day in Peru, but another view of this very rare species would be appreciated. It was not to be, unfortunately, but we found a pair of Rufous Flycatchers, only our second encounter with this species.  Harris's Hawk - Sanctuario Historico Bosque de Pómac, Lambayeque, Peru Lizards were rather numerous and we identified four species.  Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) - Sanctuario Historico Bosque de Pómac, Lambayeque, Peru My favourite lizard of the day was this False Monitor (Callopistes flavipunctatus) which was crossing the road. This is actually a species of dwarf tegu and it is limited to the Tumbes region.  False Monitor (Callopistes flavipunctatus) - Sanctuario Historico Bosque de Pómac, Lambayeque, Peru Insects were somewhat scarce, the exception being a couple species of dragonflies.  Great Pondhawk (Erythemis vesiculosa) - Sanctuario Historico Bosque de Pómac, Lambayeque, Peru The next dragonfly is a familiar one, as we can find them back home in Ontario. The Spot-winged Glider is an excellent flier that can be found throughout much of the Americas.  Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea) - Sanctuario Historico Bosque de Pómac, Lambayeque, Peru We found a bunch of Guayaquil Squirrels too, including this individual that was waiting out the heat of the day.  Guayaquil Squirrel (Sciurus stramineus) - Sanctuario Historico Bosque de Pómac, Lambayeque, Peru And with that, we left Bosque de Pómac and headed south to Chiclayo. We arrived in the mid-afternoon, found a hotel that had a pool, and spent the rest of the day relaxing, swimming, and then finding a (surprisingly tasty) pizza shop for dinner.  February 18, 2024 Our flight did not depart until the afternoon, giving us a full morning of exploration around Chiclayo. We had completely cleaned out all of the potential new species of birds, so we decided to look for shorebirds, gulls and seabirds along the coast.  Birding at Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru We started at Playa Santa Rosa, parking at the end of the road where it meets the beach. This area was full of gulls and terns, and many thousands of them were roosting on the beach south/east of here. Quite a few were flying along the beach, giving us amazing views of them with the sun at our backs. Franklin’s Gull was the most common species, with moderate numbers of Elegant Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern and Common Tern, and small numbers of Laughing Gull, Gray-hooded Gull, Gray Gull and Belcher’s Gull. There were a few shorebirds on the beach including Snowy Plover, Black-bellied Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling and others. Franklin's Gulls - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru Black Skimmer - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru Sandwich Tern - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru Elegant Tern - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru I took advantage of the photographic opportunities which were seemingly unlimited. The sun was at my back, the birds were well-lit, and there was a steady stream of birds flying along the water's edge.  Franklin's Gull - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru Laughing Gull - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru Franklin's Gulls and an Elegant Tern - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru American Oystercatcher - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru There were a few birds on the beach as well, and they were all fairly tolerant of our approach for photos.  Snowy Egret - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru Snowy Plover - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru Laughing Gull - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru Sanderling - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru Several lizards scampered around the dunes including this handsome pair of Peru Pacific Iguanas (Microlophus peruvianus).  Peru Pacific Iguana (Microlophus peruvianus) - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru Peru Pacific Iguana (Microlophus peruvianus) - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru The most common crab on the beach were Painted Ghost Crabs (Oxypode gaudichaudii), a species which ranges along the Pacific coast from Central America to northern Chile.  Painted Ghost Crab (Oxypode gaudichaudii) - Santa Rosa Beach, Lambayeque, Peru Of greatest interest to me were the large numbers of birds offshore. Seabirds seem to pass unusually close to the beach here, and today seemed to have good fishing conditions for the birds. Peruvian Boobies were very common with a few Blue-footed Boobies mixed in. Jaegers were regular offshore, including both Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers. We spotted a single Brown Pelican with a flock of Peruvian Pelicans. But the “best” birds offshore were several hundred Sooty Shearwaters, a bunch of Inca Terns, a single Elliot’s Storm-Petrel and at least one (possibly two) Waved Albatross. Any day with albatrosses visible from shore is a good day! With still a couple of hours to kill, we birded a few other hotspots, picking up some new trip birds and a few that were new for our Peru bird lists.  Bank Swallow - Humedal de Eten, Lambayeque, Peru We made a quick detour to rustle up a few Many-colored Rush-Tyrants. Because, why wouldn't you? I like the Spanish name for this bird - Siete Colores de la Totora, a reference to its many colours and its preferred habitat, a type of bulrush (totora in Spanish). Many-colored Rush Tyrant - Santa Rosa Beach area, Lambayeque, Peru Many-colored Rush Tyrant - Santa Rosa Beach area, Lambayeque, Peru  And with that, it was time to return to the city so that we could get the rental car cleaned and returned, and then board our flight to Iquitos. Next up - the Amazon!

February 14, 2024 (continued) It doesn't matter how much time we spend on the verdant, east slope of the Andes. It is just never enough time. Our five days between the highland town of Pomacochas and the lower foothills near Pueblo Aguas Verdes were amazing, full of incredible bird and wildlife sightings, but we only scratched the surface of what is possible in this incredibly biodiverse corner of the world. Alas, a short trip is never enough time and it is always bittersweet for me whenever I leave the rainy side of the Andes behind. I'm sure it won't be long until we return.  However, we were also excited to visit the lower Marañón Valley. There were still a handful of Marañon endemics on our wish list, and we began our search for the first one of these along a busy gravel road between Pedro Ruiz Gallo and Shipasbamba. My eBird sleuthing had indicated that we stood a reasonable chance at locating a Marañón Spinetail here, and we did.  Marañón Spinetail - Road to Shipasbamba, Amazonas, Peru It wasn't exactly the most serene birding location with the frequent truck and motorbike traffic covering us with dust and blocking out all bird-song. The Marañón Spinetail is perhaps not the most exciting bird species out there, nor is it easy to observe as it skulks in the deepest shadows and densest shrubbery. Still, we were quite happy to find and photograph one, even if my photos are brutal. The Marañón Spinetail is a Critically Endangered species that has declined substantially in recent decades, mainly due to the extensive deforestation occurring in the lower Marañón Valley.  We returned to the highway and continued to the north, our destination for the night being the bustling city of Jaén. The Marañón Spinetail was one of four target species we had around Jaén; the others were the Marañon Crescentchest, the Little Inca-Finch and the Chinchipe Spinetail. All are endemic to a small portion of the Marañon Valley.  My eBird sleuthing came through with a win for the second time in the day. I decided to turn off onto a dusty road near Bagua Grande; we had about an hour of light remained before dusk. Perhaps we could knock off one of the three remaining targets before the sun set.  Bagua Grande area, Amazonas, Peru We braved the extensive motorbike and truck traffic - it was rush hour after all, and there is no such thing as a quiet dirt road in Latin America. I wasn't optimistic when I played the tape for Marañon Crescentchest, but immediately, one responded! Laura and I spent the next twenty minutes trying to find a window where the crescentchest wasn't blocked by fifty branches, and we were eventually satisfied with great views of the skulker. It was worth the wait to finally lay eyes of this beautiful species. Of course, I blew my photos... Marañón Crescentchest - Bagua Grande area, Amazonas, Peru Feeling lucky, I played the tape for the Little Inca-Finch as well, since the habitat surrounding the road didn't look half bad. Amazingly, we had one respond! Little Inca-Finch - Bagua Grande area, Amazonas, Peru A pair of Little Inca-Finches popped up onto the tops of some of the cacti and sang back at us. Laura and I gawked at the birds, while several locals on motorbikes gawked at the strange white people pointing cameras and binoculars up the hillside. You can't blame them - that is a pretty unusual sight here, well off the tourist track.  Little Inca-Finches - Bagua Grande area, Amazonas, Peru This was our fifth and final species of Inca-Finch, all of which are endemic to relatively small regions of Peru. As you might infer from its name, the Little Inca-Finch is the smallest of the five species. It prefers arid, cacti-filled areas of the lower Marañón Valley.  Little Inca-Finch - Bagua Grande area, Amazonas, Peru Though our afternoon had mainly consisted of a long drive, and the birding sites had been far from picturesque, you couldn't argue with the results! We had connected with three out of the four targets we had for Jaén, including arguably the hardest two. It was after dark when we finally approached Jaén, and we found a roadside hotel in the nearby town of Fila Alta. It was one of the cheapest hotels of the trip and they even had cold beers for sale in the lobby. Perfect.  February 15, 2024 Our plan for birding around Jaén was a little more relaxed given yesterday's success. We opted for a bit of a sleep in, then a drive across the city to an area called Bosque de Yanahuaca, one of the premier birding sites around Jaén. Our lazy morning meant that it was already 8 AM when we arrived, and the sun was already rather high in the sky.  Rufous-browed Peppershrike - Bosque de Yanahuanca, Cajamarca, Peru Most birders opt to explore the actual reserve, which involves coordinating your access with the local caretaker. This ensures the best chance at finding the Little Inca-Finch and Marañón Spinetail, which can be tricky outside of the reserve. We were only on the hunt for the relatively common Chinchipe Spinetail here, and so we just walked one of the gravel roads before the reserve entrance.  Brown-crested Flycatcher - Bosque de Yanahuanca, Cajamarca, Peru Despite our late arrival the birding was excellent. We encountered several species new for our Peru lists, including Blue Ground-Dove, Ecuadorian Ground-Dove, Northern Slaty-Antshrike and Brown-crested Flycatcher, pictured above. Tataupa Tinamous were rather vocal, and we enjoyed new trip birds like Red-crested Finch, Drab Seedeater and Rufous-fronted Thornbird.  Red-crested Finch - Bosque de Yanahuanca, Cajamarca, Peru Drab Seedeater - Bosque de Yanahuanca, Cajamarca, Peru I had a chance to remedy yesterday's botched photography attempt of the Marañón Crescentchest. Several were singing from the roadsides and with a bit of effort I was finally able to see one only partially obscured by branches.  Marañón Crescentchest - Bosque de Yanahuanca, Cajamarca, Peru The crescentchest family (Melanopareiidae) includes four species in South America. They were originally lumped in the same family as the tapaculos until genetics indicated otherwise. This is one of my favourite bird families. Something about that colour pattern is so striking! Laura and I have now found all four of the crescentchest species, though the Olive-crowned Crescentchest in Brazil was heard-only.  Marañón Crescentchest - Bosque de Yanahuanca, Cajamarca, Peru We found our main target, the Chinchipe Spinetail, relatively early on when birdsong was still high, before any worrying thoughts began to creep into our heads. There was a bit of relief that our lie-in and late arrival time didn't cost us this species.  Chinchipe Spinetail - Bosque de Yanahuanca, Cajamarca, Peru The Chinchipe Spinetail bears a striking resemblance to the Necklaced Spinetail which we had observed earlier in the trip, except it has no necklace. It used to be considered a subspecies of that species. Like the Necklaced Spinetail, the Chinchipe Spinetail also has an explosive duetting song which pairs make while deep within a thorny bush. Luckily, with some patience, we managed decent views of them.  Chinchipe Spinetail - Bosque de Yanahuanca, Cajamarca, Peru Chinchipe Spinetail - Bosque de Yanahuanca, Cajamarca, Peru Originally, we had tentatively planned for two nights in Jaén but with our success, the extra night wasn't needed. We would put it to good use in the upcoming days, instead. Our visit to Jaén had been brief but it was successful, and we were happy to continue on to the west.  We aimed to spend the next couple of nights in the city of Olmos, located in the desert north of Chiclayo, and situated near several birding sites including Quebrada El Limón. Before reaching Olmos, we had to cross back over to the west side of the Andes at Abra Porculla. Abra Porculla's claim to fame is that it is the lowest mountain pass where one can cross between the eastern and western slopes of the Andes, anywhere along the Andean chain, from Colombia to Chile! Birding in the fog - Abra Porculla, Piura, Peru Our drive throughout the morning had mainly traversed dry, scrubby areas in the Marañon Valley, but as we gained elevation and approached the pass, we were met with lush vegetation and a wall of fog. When we finally reached the pass, the fog was thick enough to seriously hamper our birding efforts.  Birding in the fog - Abra Porculla, Piura, Peru We weren't about to let a bit of fog deter us, and five minutes after we had parked we had found one of our targets, the Black-cowled Saltator! Black-cowled Saltator - Abra Porculla, Piura, Peru The other species we hoped to find here was the Chapman's Antshrike, as we had already struck out with them earlier in the trip near Casupe. We resolved to spend the rest of the afternoon searching for them.  Black-and-white Seedeater - Abra Porculla, Piura, Peru Several Black-and-white Seedeaters were nice to see, as it is a species that we haven't encountered on too many occassions. We also found a little group of Mouse-gray Flycatchers that included a photogenic one.  Mouse-gray Flycatcher - Abra Porculla, Piura, Peru The Chapman's Antshrikes stubbornly refused to cooperate and so we pressed on. We stopped on a couple of occasions to observe Gray-chinned Hermits; the subspecies found in this part of the world is sometimes treated as a full species, the Porculla Hermit.  "Porculla" Gray-chinned Hermit - Abra Porculla, Piura, Peru At one point, a pair of Chapman's Antshrikes sang from down the slope. Unfortunately, with the thick fog, we were unable to spot them even though they weren't that far from us. Undeterred, we continued along the path with hopes that the next pair would be more cooperative. This tactic worked as less than an hour later we had a Chapman's singing from the upslope side of the road. With some patience and some clever "hide the speaker in the shrubbery" tactics, we coaxed it down into view.  Chapman's Antshrike - Abra Porculla, Piura, Peru The Chapman's Antshrike is a small, attractive antshrike that most closely resembles a Barred Antshrike though with some obvious differences. It inhabits Andean slopes in northwestern Peru and southwestern Ecuador.  Chapman's Antshrike - Abra Porculla, Piura, Peru We backtracked after we had had our fill of the Chapman's Antshrike, making good time back to the vehicle. We only stopped on a few occasions, such as when we found a group of vocalizing frogs in one of the roadside puddles. This is a species of poison dart frog called the Loja Rocket Frog (Hyloxalus elachyhistus). Like many of the species birds in this region of Peru, the Loja Rocket Frog is endemic to a relatively small region of southern Ecuador and northwestern Peru.  Loja Rocket Frog (Hyloxalus elachyhistus) - Abra Porculla, Piura, Peru Happy with our successful venture in the fog, we returned to the vehicle and finished the drive down the slope into Olmos. The fog immediately dissipated as we left the pass behind, and a gorgeous sunset appeared as we neared Olmos. We found an inexpensive hotel and booked two nights. The next post will be about the rest of our explorations in this part of Peru with the rental car. In just a few days time, we would be flying to Iquitos and exploring some sites in the Amazon.