We woke at 5:00am and departed the lodge at 6:00am. The first half of the drive was in the dark, but as soon as the light was enough for bird activity, we soon began to see a variety of new species. The first bird of the day for me was a lifer, Black Caracara, just outside of the village of Lareto. Within the village were several Black Vultures, Tropical Kingbirds, Smooth-billed Anis, and a single Russet-backed Oropendola. At a small pool of water we added Spotted Sandpiper and Solitary Sandpiper to the day list, as well as Blue-and-White Swallow, Swallow-tailed Kite, and Black-billed Thrush.
Once through the village of Lareto we were on the lookout for a place to get off the main road and do some birding by foot. A few miles later we found what we were looking for - Suyuno River Road. Immediately upon starting to bird this road I got my second, third, and fourth lifer for the day: Solitary Black Cacique, White-shouldered Antbird, and Chestnut-eared Aracari. We then saw Short-tailed Swift and Gilded Barbet before adding my next lifer, Great Antshrike. I should note already that although it wasn't even 8:00am yet, the heat and humidity were starting to get to me. Thankfully, more good birds kept my attention diverted from the discomfort, such as White-fronted Nunbird and Black-capped Donacobius of which both were lifers. Shortly after those were three more lifers...Buff-throated Woodcreeper, Orange-winged Parrot, and Opal-crowned Tanager. How good can this place be?
As birds seemed to be everywhere in the morning, the temperature was gradually climbing and you could literally feel the bird activity starting to dwindle. Nevertheless, the birding was still quite good as we observed Giant Cowbird, Dusky-headed Parakeet (lifer), Crested Oropendola, Plumbeous Kite, and Yellow-billed Dacnis. By about 10:00am we had moved a couple of miles down the road where we located a small, yet muddy, footpath leading into the forest. At the entrance to the trail I added Greater Yellow-headed Vulture to my life list, and just inside the trail Andrew found Golden-bellied Euphonia and Ruddy Pigeon. We decided to hike further into the forest to see what we could find, but the hiking was slow going through the mud and the heat and humidity were quickly causing exhaustion. About 1000 m into the forest we found Dusky-chested Flycatcher along with four Black-mantled Tamarins and four Squirrel Monkey's, but otherwise the birding was slow. Howard and I were both feeling the struggle, and so decided to go back to the van before we became a health risk. Simon, Malcom and Andrew pressed on for about another hour or so, while Howard and I tried to lower our core temperature. We drank plenty of water and had a bite to eat and did begin to feel better. We did walk up and down the road a bit while waiting for the others, but we only managed to add a couple of birds, of which one, the Masked Crimson-Tanager, was a lifer for me.
Once the three amigos returned from the forest, with about 10 species that Howard and I didn't get to see, we continued the day walking along the road, slowly adding a few species here and there. Highlights included Orange-backed Troupial, Crane Hawk, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Bat Falcon, Chestnut-bellied Seed-Finch, and Rufescent Tiger-Heron. By now we had thoroughly exhausted ourselves during our few hours in the Amazon basin, and on the way back to the lodge we were excited to stop for ice cream, even if it only provided temporary relief from the heat. Back at the lodge, fully showered and resting on the balcony, we watched birds heading to their roosts as the sun set. Despite the heat and humidity, it was an excellent day of birding.
Total species today: 70
Total cumulative species for the trip: 442
Total lifers today: 17
Total cumulative lifers for the trip: 152
