Peru 2006
I visited the Amazon lowlands of Peru from November 4th - 11th, 2006. The company that organized my trip and runs the lodges where I stayed is Rainforest Expeditions, and I'd highly recommend the trip! A detailed trip journal, photo gallery, and bird/animal list follow. I also recorded a couple of brief videos to capture a couple of interesting audio experiences.
The photo gallery...
There are three problems with taking photos of birds in the jungle:
- It was overcast most of the time that it wasn't actually raining.
- Inside the jungle it's very dark, since not much light penetrates the canopy.
- The birds were generally pretty far away.
Trip Journal:
Day 1 - 11/4/2006 (Flying Day)
The day was uneventful except for the death-defying experience hurtling through the streets of Lima at warp speed. I was a bit concerned when my driver Carlos covered up my suitcase in the back of the car with a blanket, as if to hide it from bandits. My flight arrived at 10:45 pm, so Carlos drove me to a hotel for a night's sleep.
Day 2 - 11/5/2006
I got up too early (5:45 am) considering when I went to sleep, met Carlos at 7 am, and we took a much more relaxed drive to the airport. The flight to Puerto Maldonado was interesting; first we crossed the Andes, then descended into the jungle to the East. Bare patches recently burned were frequently in evidence, as well as other patches planted for agriculture. When the airplane door opened and I stepped off the plane, the difference between the comfortable temperature in Lima and the stifling heat and humidity of Puerto Maldonado was astonishing. I peeled off my fleece, found my luggage, and met my guide Silverio Duri. We made a stop at the offices of Rainforest Expeditions in case anyone had extra luggage to leave behind, then drove 45 minutes down a rutted, bumpy, narrow, sometimes flooded dirt road toward our boat. At one point on the drive we flushed a rainbow of butterflies from the clay. On the drive they served three snacks: banana chips, an actual banana, which tasted very different from the store-bought bananas at home, and a very strange fruit. We had to break open its hard peel, then split a soft inner peel that was spongy, then squeeze the pulpy seed mess into our mouths! It was both tart and sweet, and the seeds were crunchy. I'm making sure to avail myself of every opportunity to get traveler's diarrhea.
We boarded our motorized canoe and zipped up the Tambopata River toward our first lodge: Posada Amazonas. They served lunch on the boat, a blend of Peruvian/Chinese tastes in a rice dish wrapped in leaves. We spooned the rice and its accompaniments from the leaf wrap, then tossed the empty leaves overboard. We made one stop to look at a Common Potoo, a strange bird who was doing a perfect imitation of a tree branch. Just in front of it was a chick already learning the tricks of the trade -- it was doing a perfect imitation of a knot on the limb. Neither mom nor chick moved at all. The Potoo is nocturnal and roosts in this position to hide from predators during the day.
Once we arrived at Posada Amazonas, we disembarked and headed up a steep and muddy hill to the lodge. I was struck immediately by the multitude of sounds. Along the way we stopped for a big group of Amazon Oropendolas on their hanging nests, a giant cowbird, and two Dusky Titi Monkeys. Silverio stopped again when he heard a Cuvier's Toucan in the distance; we searched for it and got quite a good look through our binoculars. At the lodge I got a brief tour and 15 minutes to get organized before we headed to the Canopy Tower. We saw numerous exciting birds along the way (Red-necked Woodpecker and Black-spotted Bare Eye were the most interesting). We also saw a lovely and colorful poison dart frog. The canopy tower required a 37 meter climb up a swaying structure. It was nice to break into the light after the dark of the jungle. We were above the canopy and had a great view of the Tambopata River. We saw wonderful birds from there, including Mealy Parrots and another nice Toucan sighting. The highlight was three different fly-bys of a pair of Red & Green Macaws, their long tails streaming behind them. At the top of the tower we were at eye level with them. On their last go-round, the sun was getting low and it was illuminating them in spectacular ways! I could see their clownish beaks very clearly. We descended from the tower and got back to the lodge by 5:30 or so, and it was already quite dark in the dense forest.
I returned to my room and added some candlelight to the kerosene lamps so I could see to take a cold but much-needed shower. My lodge room has a private bath with flush toilet! The beds have mosquito nets, but I'm not noticing much of a mosquito problem at the lodge. Even on the jungle trails the insects weren't overwhelming. The rooms have three walls; the fourth side is open to the jungle to allow guests to experience anything that might happen by. For an Amazon Lodge there are some things that seem quite luxurious: there is a horde of employees who have the job of squeegee-ing off the decks after a rain, and lighting the kerosene lamps throughout the lodge as it begins to get dark, and who come around and let down the mosquito nets. There is no electricity in the rooms, but they run a generator for a few hours each night so guests can charge their camera batteries. The lodge also kept a constant and easily accessible supply of water to drink, as well as coffee and tea.
Dinner was at 7:00 pm (beef/veggie pasta, manioc with sour cream, to which I added dollops of pico de gallo, and a cabbage/onion soup). Dessert was unidentifiable and unremarkable. I returned to my luxurious room where I did some stretches, wrote in my journal, and got ready for bed. I think I'm going to enjoy listening to the wild and unfamiliar noises as I'm falling asleep.
Day 3 - 11/6/2006
I awoke at 4:00 a.m. to an amazing array of jungle sounds, including the growling of Howler Monkeys. I met Silverio for breakfast at 4:30, and by 5 we were on our way to the port to catch a canoe that would take us a short distance upriver. We docked and walked uphill from the river bank into the forest. Almost immediately we hit a stand of bamboo forest where we saw a Rufous-headed Woodpecker. We continued walking for 20 minutes or so, then boarded a catamaran and proceeded to paddle ever-so-slowly around the oxbow lake known as Tres Chimbadas. We saw many birds and a few other critters. Some of the highlights: Wattled Jacana, Agami Heron, a tree full of Swallow-tailed Kites, Anhinga, and Hoatzin, great goofy-looking things.
Our guides caught a couple of piranha for us and exhibited their very sharp teeth. We also saw a small turtle and a tree trunk full of roosting bats. After we were fully roasted on the sunny lake, we took the walk back through the forest. Silverio took us more slowly than the rest of the group. We made a couple of glorious finds including a Spectacled Owl who stared back at us with its huge owly eyes. We returned by canoe, but Silverio and I took a detour on the path back to the lodge in order to visit the Parakeet Lick. We arrived at the blind and strained to find the Cobalt-winged Parakeets flitting around in the trees. Their colors perfectly matched the tree in which they seemed to prefer perching. Gradually one bird made its way to the clay, and others followed, one after the other, until there were probably 50 Cobalt-winged Parakeets covering two patches of clay lick. After some sort of alarm caused the entire flock to bolt from the hillside simultaneously, we continued along the trail a bit longer, seeing many more colorful tropical birds, as well as a mammal: the South American Coati, who turned and ran as soon as he saw us. He's related to the racoon and has a ringed tail like one. By this time it was 11:00-ish, and too hot for many birds to be active, so we decided it was siesta time. It was amazing to discover that I'd already been up seven hours by 11:00 a.m. I returned to my lodge room, did some stretches, checked out my pictures, and wrote in my log. While sitting too far away from the camera, a Brown Agouti showed up along the forest edge only 10 feet from where I sat!
We had a hearty lunch, and due to the heat, humidity, malaise, and lack of bird activity, since they were feeling the same effects, we decided to rest more, then start birding again at 3:30 p.m. I decided that was a good excuse to peel off my sweaty clothes and crawl under my mosquito net for a bit of reading and napping. An afternoon downpour made for pleasant napping, but didn't do much for the humidity level.
At the appointed time I headed to the "lobby" to meet Silverio, but got distracted by four species of hummingbirds fighting over two feeders after the rain. The Fork-tailed Woodnymph seemed to be the king of the feeder wars. Silverio stubbornly tried to get good photos for me in spite of the dim light.
We eventually set out for our walk, mostly looking for mid-canopy flocks. We did find some, but there were three main scenic highlights: a Great Yellow-Headed Vulture perched directly overhead and looking very vulturely, a Black-tailed Trogon (gorgeous!), and a pair of Red & Green Macaws engaged in some mating at the top of a tall tree. After their main activity they engaged in some mutual preening. They were high enough in the canopy that the sun illuminated them nicely!
After that we returned to the lodge for showers, more journal writing and reading. We started our nightly ritual of sitting down together to fill out the bird list for the day, then it was time for dinner and an early night's sleep, since we have another pre-dawn outing tomorrow.
Day 4 - 11/7/2006
Up again at 4:30 a.m., a bit of food at 5:00, then Silverio and I headed to the Parrot Lick. Apparently, since the parrots are more exposed to predators on the clay, they're very cautious, and work their way down gradually from the canopy, finding lower and lower spots until somebody gets the courage to head onto the clay. This process was still going on as we waited patiently in the blind, listening to the rising din. Just when things were starting to look interesting, a late-arriving troop of Germans showed up and scared all of the birds off. As the Germans persisted in talking fairly loudly, Silverio decided it was a hopeless case, and we decided to give up on the parrot lick. We set out to do a bit of birding. I'd brought the spotting scope along (Silverio insisted on carrying it because he wanted me to have my hands free to use my binoculars), and we got spectacular looks at some Yellow-crowned Parrots, Amazon Oropendolas, and a Double-toothed Kite eating a grasshopper. After we had a somewhat heartier breakfast that didn't include grasshoppers, we boarded our canoe for the LONG ride to the Tambopata Research Center. It wouldn't have seemed nearly so long except that at least four hours of it were spent in a driving cold rain with a chilly wind. In spite of letting down the plastic rain shields on the side of the canoe, it was still so cold we were all scrambling for extra layers, even resorting to using the life jackets for extra insulation. I had my long-sleeved shirt, fleece shirt and gore-tex rain suit, and was still mildly hypothermic (shivering) for much of the ride. The trip took all of seven hours, which included two stops at checkpoints where we registered and stretched our legs. For the part of the journey when it wasn't raining, we saw many birds along the way: herons, egrets, raptors including Osprey, a Roadside Hawk, a Bat Falcon, and multiple varieties of Vultures, great clouds of swallows, and lots more! We also saw a good-sized Black Caiman along the shore. Two of the herons (the Capped Heron and the Cocoi Heron) would rate among the prettiest birds I've seen.
One of the things that has continued to amaze me is Silverio's ability to pick out birds inside a jungle of dense foliage, or camouflaged in the tree canopy, or wearing other disguises. It's quite a gift he has! I didn't realize when I reserved this trip that each individual, couple, or group that books a trip will get assigned a guide. I had no idea I would have my own personal guide. I found myself thinking very capitalist thoughts, like how much more efficient and profitable it might be to have a smaller contingent of guides offering a set number of optional walks that the small groups or individuals could join in. But I prefer this approach: it provides more jobs and gives each tourist the chance to have a very personalized trip. In addition, I'm sure I saw birds I wouldn't have been able to see in a group of 20.
We eventually arrived at the Tambopata Research Center, walked uphill in the pouring rain, and had our brief orientation. I watched one of the "Chicos" (macaws who were hand-raised in the early days of the Macaw Project) open a basket of fruit, steal a banana, and eat it while holding it in one foot. Since they were raised by people, they've become habituated to them and visit the lodge frequently. The manager warned us that they like to steal shiny playthings from the guests' rooms.
This lodge, as did Posada Amazonas, provides rubber boots to hike in since many of the trails are very wet and muddy. You don and doff the boots just outside the lobby, and run around the lodge in comfy shoes or sock feet.
Between the lateness of our arrival (4:30 p.m.) and the fact that it was raining, we chose to forego any birding opportunities. It's just journal-writing, dinner, and sleep. It's even too cold for a cold shower.
Day 5 - 11/8/2006
The mornings are continuing to get earlier; today I set the alarm for 3:45 a.m. because we were gathering for the morning clay lick activity at 4:15. We walked about 10 minutes in the dark to the port; then caught a canoe that took us 5 minutes upstream to an island from which we had a good view of the Macaw Clay Lick. Silverio carried my scope again (have I mentioned how nice it is to have a personal guide and sherpa?) so we could have nice close looks at anything we saw. The clay lick was fruitful; we didn't see huge numbers of individuals but saw a huge variety, including Blue & Yellow Macaws, Red & Green Macaws, Red-bellied Macaws, Chestnut-fronted Macaws, Mealy Parrots, Dusky-headed Parakeets, Orange-cheeked Parrots, and Blue Headed Parrots. Scientists are still exploring why the birds visit the clay lick, but they've found that the soils preferred by these birds are high in substances that bind toxins, as well as being high in sodium, so those things are assumed to be important. This particular lick is billed as the largest in the world, so there's a great supply of dazzling birds to enjoy!
In addition to the parrots, with the help of the scope Silverio pointed out many other birds. The highlights were an Orange-breasted Falcon, a Dark-billed Cuckoo eating a bug, and a Silver-beaked Tanager. After the clay lick adventure we headed back to the lodge for a proper breakfast at 7:30 where we were entertained watching the Chicos steal food off the breakfast buffet.
After breakfast Silverio and I hit the trails around TRC again, having such a fruitful day that we were late for lunch, not getting back until 1:30 p.m. In addition to gazillions of spectacular birds, we saw wild pigs (White-lipped Peccary), and a Saddle-back Tamarin. We saw numerous macaws, many colorful tanagers, a mixed flock of insect eaters, and several raptors, including a Gray Hawk with a beautiful, nearly full-grown chick. The adult hawk had a talon-full of lizard. It was an altogether glorious morning and afternoon of birding. Silverio's abilities continue to astound me; among his other gifts is an ability to imitate most of the birds in the forest. He'd put a mockingbird to shame. After our quick lunch I had not quite enough time to finish the journal entry before it was time to head back out again!
The late afternoon had grown hot and was not nearly as productive; Silverio used his bird song CD to chase down a number of hard-to-get understory birds. We did get a great (very close) sighting of a Great Black Hawk and an anteater (Southern Tamandua). I put my hand on the wrong tree and got to experience a single Fire Ant sting; I can't imagine how much fun it must be to get several stings at once; this one hurt for a couple of hours!
As seems to be our theme for the day, we barely made it back to the lodge before full dark, and Silverio suggested we get flashlights and head back out to see if we could call up a screech owl. Silverio won Patti's Pinnacle of Birdmanship award as we wandered off into the pitch dark forest, turned off our flashlights, then he played the call of the Tawny-bellied Screech Owl on his CD player. We heard an answering call, and after several back-and-forth calls Silverio was able to home in on it with his ears, because he turned on his flashlight and managed to hit the owl full in the face with the light. It sat on its perch, hooting and staring at us while I got great looks through my binoculars. We ended the owl adventure with just enough time to hit the cold shower, have dinner, listen to a presentation on the Macaw Project, then head back into the forest armed this time with camera and flashlights. Our quarry were tree frogs, and we turned up a bizarre and very poisonous caterpillar as a bonus! We tromped around a small pond looking for frogs who were quite enchanting; it was great fun experimenting with the best way to photograph them with our flashlights and camera's flash. At one point I had to ask for Silverio's arm to help extricate my boot from the mud.
From the perspective of my feet (which hurt enough to nearly bring me to tears), this has been one of the longest days of my life, but a very exciting one. The day was finally over at 10:30 p.m., and I'm looking forward to starting over tomorrow at 3:45 a.m...
Day 6 - 11/9/2006
Another 3:45 a.m. start to the day and another morning at the Macaw Lick. A thick fog coming off the river caused the visibility to vary from non-existent to bad. We did see a couple of new species this morning: Blue-Headed Macaw and White-bellied Parrot, and got nice views of them through the scope when the fog parted periodically.
After breakfast Silverio and I headed into the bamboo forest to chase down many small insect eaters and bamboo specialists. We managed to get a very good look at two Pale Winged Trumpeters who had been very elusive and well-hidden until we managed to stand very still in their path. We also saw a tree with four species of tanager, including the Paradise Tanager, which must be the most beautiful bird in the world! Other highlights were the monkeys: Spider Monkey, Saddle-back Tamarin, and the usual Dusky Titi Monkey, as well as a Collared Peccary, who left behind a familiar piggy smell on the trail. Our walk back to the lodge for lunch was delayed again by a hunt for a Red-throated Caracara that Silverio heard calling, so we could not return until we'd found it.
I treated myself to a Coke after lunch and propped my feet up for only 1/2 hour. Silverio seems to be on a quest to see how many birds he can add to my list...
We reentered the forest and chased down a few interesting birds; the scenic highlights were a White-tailed Trogon and a Purple Fruit Crow. We also found a group of Red Howler Monkeys in the top of a tree who were in a good position to see through the scope. They stayed stationary for some time while they dined on a purple fruit. Their location at the top of a VERY TALL tree (the canopy top) made me glad that our ancestors decided to walk upright; I don't think my mild fear of heights would allow me to be very successful in the treetops. The auditory highlight was a bird called a Musician Wren, who had a beautiful and strange song. I liked it well enough to record a small video of it.
Once again we arrived back at the lodge just at dusk -- I hate the cold shower but love feeling clean and dry after a long day of constant sweating. The heat has really been quite tolerable; when combined with the humidity it makes for a slow and constant meltdown where I'm always moist, but never rivulets of sweat running down my back like a summer day in Kentucky. I think the shade and the coolness of the transpiring trees helps with the comfort level. Or perhaps it's just a cool spell and I've gotten lucky! Insects have also not been as bad as expected; no worse than a Kentucky evening on the deck, and certainly not as oppressive as places where the mosquitoes are truly annoying.
I had a nice chat with a couple from London at the dinner table, then Silverio told me of his plans for tomorrow, so I decided I had better start packing and go to sleep early. Las cucarachas in my room are world-record size, I'm sure...
Day 7 - 11/10/2006
I was up even earlier than usual (3:30 a.m.) because I had to pack. Silverio had predicted that it would be a better morning at the Macaw Lick because the birds prefer the soil to be a bit drier, and we'd had two full days without rain. I still wasn't entirely prepared for the spectacle! We saw not only every species of parrot that might be expected, but there were huge numbers of individuals there (probably several hundred). At one point something spooked them and all burst into the air simultaneously with an amazing cacophony. Until then it hadn't been obvious how many birds were perched in the various trees around us, but suddenly there were several hundred screaming parrots and macaws swirling around -- a moving (and VERY LOUD) rainbow! The show went on for quite a long time, and I enjoyed watching the birds on the lick: watching one bird pull off a chunk of clay bigger than his head and hold it in his foot to eat it; watching a pair share the same piece of clay. It was also lovely to find pairs perched in the trees preening each other or themselves. I had a bad case of "scope eye" from staring too long through the scope! It was simply a jaw-dropping experience at the clay lick.
Afterwards the boat captain dropped Silverio and I at the Fish Pond, farther up the island, where we found some new and interesting birds, including a Sunbittern and a Rufescent Tiger Heron. Silverio wanted to maximize our birding time so we skipped breakfast at TRC and ate a breakfast-to-go on the observation deck at the Fish Pond. We watched a Pale-Legged Hornero carry something to her nest while a Social Flycatcher and Red-Capped Cardinal competed for our attention. We managed to make it back to TRC with just enough time to board the board to Posada Amazonas.
We passed another small Macaw Lick on the boat ride, and enjoyed seeing more Red & Green Macaws. The return trip took about 1/2 the time since we were going downriver. We did spend about two hours with the rain flaps down since it decided to rain.
Once at Posada, Silverio had the boat captain drop us at the entrance to the trail to Tres Chimbadas so we could look for bamboo specialists in a stand of bamboo forest, and we found several. Then we headed back to Posada and did a bit more birding before darkness fell (it comes early, around 5:30 p.m.)
The nice couple from London (Clive and Maggie) invited me to have a glass of wine with them, and perhaps due to my state of dehydration and lack of food, it really knocked me for a loop. I'm sure I was uncharacteristically gregarious during dinner, and could barely keep my eyes open long enough to set my watch alarm.
Day 8 - 11/11/2006
This morning I slept in 'til 4:15 a.m. (that is a scary sentence). Once again I packed before meeting Silverio at 5:00 a.m. for a last visit to the Canopy Tower at Posada Amazonas.
Some of the most beautiful birds in the area decided to pay us a visit: 2 toucan species, 2 aracari species, a couple of particularly beautiful tanagers, and four species from the Macaw or Parrot group, as well as many others. We also saw several monkey groups, including species we hadn't seen before, crawling in the treetops. One Squirrel Monkey carried a baby on her back. It was a great way to end a wonderful trip. After that it was one last breakfast then the start of a long day of traveling - boat ride to Puerto Maldonado, van ride to the airport, plane flight to Lima where Carlos picked me up in a car and brought me to the hotel where I'll spend the afternoon and evening until it's time for my midnight flight that gets me home.
I really appreciated the chance for a hot shower and clean clothes (the last clean clothes I brought). Unlike some trips, I didn't overpack at all; wore everything and used everything I brought except one spare set of flashlight batteries! It was a long but uneventful day of traveling, and I was very happy to be home at last!
Videos
Song of the Musician Wren: this is an audio-only experience; this bird's song was so lovely I had to record it! It's a Quicktime file and is about 550 KB in size. There's also a Screaming Piha interfering with the music of the Musician Wren.
Macaw Lick sound and activity: this is a large video (over 9MB) that begins to illustrate the amazing amount of chattering going on. At this point in the Macaw Lick experience the main participants are Blue-headed Parrots and Mealy Parrots. This amount of noise and activity pales in comparison to what happened later when something spooked the birds and hundreds of them went swirling into the air all yelling at once. I didn't think to take video of that; it was all I could do to keep my lower jaw from hitting the ground.
Bird List
SPECIES SEEN ~ 218
TINAMOUS
Great Tinamou
White-throated Tinamou
Undulated Tinamou
CORMORANTS
Neotropic Cormorant
ANHINGAS
Anhinga
HERONS, EGRETS AND BITTERNS
Capped Heron
Cocoi Heron
Great Egret
Little Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Agami Heron
Rufescent Tiger-Heron
Least Bittern
IBIS AND SPOONBILLS
Green Ibis
SCREAMERS
Horned Screamer
DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS
Orinoco Goose
Muscovy Duck
NEW WORLD VULTURES
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Greater Yellow-headed Vulture
King Vulture
OSPREY
Osprey
HAWKS, EAGLES AND KITES
Swallow-tailed Kite
Double-toothed Kite
Plumbeous Kite
Gray-bellied Goshawk
Great Black-Hawk
Gray Hawk
Roadside Hawk
FALCONS AND CARACARAS
Black Caracara
Red-throated Caracara
Bat Falcon
Orange-breasted Falcon
GUANS, CHACHALACAS, CURASSOWS
Speckled Chachalaca
Spix's Guan
Blue-throated Piping-Guan
Razor-billed Curassow
HOATZIN
Hoatzin
TRUMPETERS
Pale-winged Trumpeter
SUNBITTERN
Sunbittern
JACANAS
Wattled Jacana
SANDPIPERS
Spotted Sandpiper
PIGEONS AND DOVES
Pale-vented Pigeon
Plumbeous Pigeon
Gray-fronted Dove
Ruddy Quail-Dove
PARROTS
Blue-and-yellow Macaw
Scarlet Macaw
Red-and-green Macaw
Chestnut-fronted Macaw
Red-bellied Macaw
Blue-headed Macaw
White-eyed Parakeet
Dusky-headed Parakeet
Black-capped Parakeet
Cobalt-winged Parakeet
White-bellied Parrot
Orange-cheeked Parrot
Blue-headed Parrot
Yellow-crowned Parrot
Mealy Parrot
CUCKOOS
Dark-billed Cuckoo
Squirrel Cuckoo
Greater Ani
Smooth-billed Ani
OWLS
Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl
Spectacled Owl
POTOOS
Common Potoo
NIGHTJARS
Sand-colored Nighthawk
Ladder-tailed Nightjar
SWIFTS
Gray-rumped Swift
Fork-tailed Palm-Swift
HUMMINGBIRDS
White-bearded Hermit
Great-billed Hermit
Reddish Hermit
White-necked Jacobin
Fork-tailed Woodnymph
Gould's Jewelfront
TROGONS AND QUETZALS
White-tailed Trogon
Violaceous Trogon
Collared Trogon
Blue-crowned Trogon
Black-tailed Trogon
KINGFISHERS
Ringed Kingfisher
Amazon Kingfisher
Green Kingfisher
MOTMOTS
Blue-crowned Motmot
Rufous Motmot
Broad-billed Motmot
JACAMARS
White-throated Jacamar
Bluish-fronted Jacamar
PUFFBIRDS
Black-fronted Nunbird
White-fronted Nunbird
Swallow-wing
BARBETS
Gilded Barbet
Lemon-throated Barbet
Scarlet-hooded Barbet
TOUCANS
Ivory-billed Aracari
Chestnut-eared Aracari
Curl-crested Aracari
Channel-billed Toucan
Red-billed Toucan
WOODPECKERS
Yellow-tufted Woodpecker
Rufous-headed Woodpecker
Lineated Woodpecker
Red-necked Woodpecker
Crimson-crested Woodpecker
OVENBIRDS
Pale-legged Hornero
Plain-crowned Spinetail
Peruvian Recurvebill
Chestnut-winged Hookbill
Chestnut-winged Foliage-gleaner
Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner
Crested Foliage-gleaner
Chestnut-crowned Foliage-gleaner
Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner
Olive-backed Foliage-gleaner
Brown-rumped Foliage-gleaner
WOODCREEPERS
Plain-brown Woodcreeper
Olivaceous Woodcreeper
Wedge-billed Woodcreeper
Cinnamon-throated Woodcreeper
Amazonian Barred-Woodcreeper
Black-banded Woodcreeper
Spix's Woodcreeper
Buff-throated Woodcreeper
Red-billed Scythebill
TYPICAL ANTBIRDS
Bamboo Antshrike
Barred Antshrike
Plain-winged Antshrike
Spot-winged Antshrike
Dusky-throated Antshrike
Bluish-slate Antshrike
Plain-throated Antwren
White-eyed Antwren
Ornate Antwren
White-flanked Antwren
Long-winged Antwren
Ihering's Antwren
Gray Antwren
Banded Antbird
Striated Antbird
White-browed Antbird
Black-faced Antbird
Warbling Antbird
White-lined Antbird
Southern Chestnut-tailed Antbird
Plumbeous Antbird
Black-throated Antbird
Black-spotted Bare-eye
ANTTHRUSHES AND ANTPITTAS
Rufous-capped Antthrush
Black-faced Antthrush
Rufous-fronted Antthrush
COTINGAS
Screaming Piha
Bare-necked Fruitcrow
Purple-throated Fruitcrow
MANAKINS
Band-tailed Manakin
Round-tailed Manakin
Dwarf Tyrant-Manakin
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
Ochre-bellied Flycatcher
White-cheeked Tody-Tyrant
Large-headed Flatbill
Golden-crowned Spadebill
Fuscous Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Drab Water-Tyrant
Little Ground-Tyrant
Great Kiskadee
Social Flycatcher
Gray-capped Flycatcher
Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
White-winged Becard
Pink-throated Becard
Masked Tityra
Black-crowned Tityra
SWALLOWS
White-winged Swallow
Blue-and-white Swallow
White-banded Swallow
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
WRENS
Black-capped Donacobius
Musician Wren
THRUSHES
Swainson's Thrush
Black-billed Thrush
Lawrence's Thrush
White-necked Thrush
CROWS AND JAYS
Purplish Jay
Violaceous Jay
TANAGERS AND ALLIES
White-shouldered Tanager
Red-crowned Ant-Tanager
Silver-beaked Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
White-vented Euphonia
Rufous-bellied Euphonia
Turquoise Tanager
Paradise Tanager
Green-and-gold Tanager
Yellow-bellied Tanager
Opal-rumped Tanager
Opal-crowned Tanager
Blue Dacnis
Green Honeycreeper
Swallow-Tanager
BUNTINGS, SEEDEATERS, ALLIES
Double-collared Seedeater
Chestnut-bellied Seedeater
Red-capped Cardinal
SALTATORS, CARDINALS AND ALLIES
Blue-black Grosbeak
BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, GRACKLES, ETC.
Giant Cowbird
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Solitary Cacique
Casqued Oropendola
Crested Oropendola
Russet-backed Oropendola
Amazonian Oropendola
SPECIES ONLY HEARD ~ 18
TINAMOUS
Cinereous Tinamou
FALCONS AND CARACARAS
Laughing Falcon
NEW WORLD QUAIL
Starred Wood-Quail
OWLS
Crested Owl
Amazonian Pygmy-Owl
PUFFBIRDS
White-necked Puffbird
Rufous-capped Nunlet
TOUCANS
Golden-collared Toucanet
OVENBIRDS
Dark-breasted Spinetail
WOODCREEPERS
Long-billed Woodcreeper
Lineated Woodcreeper
TYPICAL ANTBIRDS
Pygmy Antwren
Sclater's Antwren
White-throated Antbird
ANTTHRUSHES AND ANTPITTAS
Amazonian Antpitta
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Boat-billed Flycatcher
THRUSHES
Hauxwell's Thrush
Mammals and Reptiles
ANTEATERS
Southern Tamandua
MARMOSETS
Saddleback Tamarin
MONKEYS
Dusky Titi Monkey
Common Squirrel Monkey
Brown Capuchin Monkey
Red Howler Monkey
Black Spider Monkey
RACCOON FAMILY
South American Coati
PECCARIES
Collared Peccary
White-lipped Peccary
SQUIRRELS
Southern Amazon Red Squirrel
Bolivian Squirrel
LARGE RODENTS
Brown Agouti
REPTILES
Black Caiman
Side-necked Turtle