We have just finished our first day of the Naturetrek Tour. A great days birding with lots of activity around the lodge as soon as the group arrived! Some of the birds we saw during the morning included Brassy-breasted Tanager, Golden-chevroned Tanager, Ruby-crowned Tanager, Azure-shouldered Tanager, Maroon-bellied Parakeet, Plain Parakeet, Pallid Spinetail, Scaled Woodcreeper, Green-backed Becard, Rufous-bellied Thrush, Creamy-bellied Thrush, Pale-breasted Thrush, Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail, White-winged Becard, Olivaceous Woodcreeper, Dusky-tailed Antbird, Half-collared Sparrow, Orange-eyed Thornbird, Pin-tailed Manakin, Planalto Tyrannulet, Grey-capped Tyrannulet, Dusky-legged Guan, Buff-fronted Foliage Gleaner, White-barred Piculet, Picazuro Pigeon, Grey-fronted Dove, Scale-throated Hermit, Black Jacobin, Violet-capped Woodnymph, Brazilian Ruby, Sombre Hummingbird, White-throated Hummingbird, Spix’s Spinetail, Variegated Flycatcher, Streaked Flycatcher, Rufous-crowned Greenlet, Variable Antshrike, Black-goggled Tanager, Burnished-buff Tanager and Saffron Finch….. an amazing couple of hours birding seeing 54 species without moving any further than 20 meters away from the Lodge!!!
After a well earned lunch we set off on the White Trail within the lodge grounds. It was fairly cool and still quite active, we soon picked up Cliff and Swainson’s Flycatchers followed by a Bare-throated Bellbird, Bertoni’s and Ochre-rumped Antbirds, Rufous-capped Spinetail and further along a Rufous-thighed Kite came through trying to get hold of a Brassy-breasted Tanager, Drab-breasted Bamoo-Tyrant and an Ochre-faced Tody Flycatcher.
We then finally made it onto the White Trail and picked up several new species including Golden-crowned Warbler, White-browed Foliage Gleaner, a stunning male Giant Antshrike, White-shouldered Fire-eye, Rufous Gnateater and good views of the rather hard to see White-breasted Tapaculo, this was followed by a Mottle-cheeked Tyranulet. We went for a short walk after dinner getting good views of a Tropical Screech Owl.
