I just got back from my first trip to South America, and what a place! I went down there for 2 weeks to explore the area and consider potential dissertation projects. I spent most of the time learning the birds, but I also tagged along with two researchers from the US while they banded birds. I traveled down with a professor from my own university who is working on ant-plant associations at Yasuni National Park, and from there I traveled on my own for a week at Tiputini Biodiversity Station.
We arrived in Quito late on Jan 12, and during my fitful night's sleep I occasionally heard a bird singing outside the Hotel Embassy. The next morning I finally discovered the singer's identity- a Rufous-collared Sparrow. We had many errands to run in Quito, but a quick walk in the area produced a Great Sapphirewing, Eared Dove, Great Thrush, and Sparkling Violetear. Later in the day we also glimpsed a female Black-tailed Trainbearer in a garden at a university.
We flew out to Coca in the lowlands early on Jan 14, beginning the long trek to Yasuni. After the 1/2-hour flight we stepped off into oppressive heat and humidity, a shock after coming from the northern winter and spending a day in the thin air of the Andes. The first birds I saw were Black and Turkey Vultures and a Gray-breasted Martin. In town and at the office for Yasuni I saw Blue-gray Tanager, White-winged Swallow, Black-billed Thrush, White-shouldered Tanager, and Yellow-browed Sparrow, as well as more Rufous-collared Sparrows with a song that was very different that what I heard in Quito.
From Coca we had a long, bumpy drive with 7 of us squished into a small pickup. I saw a few birds from the road, including Smooth-billed Ani, Magpie Tanager, Roadside Hawk, and Troupial. At Pompeya we piled out of the truck for a canoe ride across the Napo River, and were then picked up by the Yasuni station manager for another hour-and-a-half ride to the station.
We got in at late afternoon and went for a quick walk along the roads and trails near the station. Right on the station grounds were Tropical Kingbird, a colony of Yellow-rumped Caciques, more Black-billed Thrushes, and Blue-gray and Silver-beaked Tanagers. The adjacent Tiputini River harbored White-banded Swallows, and in the forest I saw my first Many-banded Aracaris and a Spix's Guan.
More later...
Good start, looking forward to more!
sounds great,cant wait for the next instalment.