|
|
|
WILD PERU – SEARCH FOR
THE WHITE-MASKED ANTBIRD
15
days Date
2003: April 26th –
May 10th Special
small group Expedition led by Barry Walker and Colin Bushell. Price:
TBA In
July 2002 Dan Lane,Thomas Valqui and others of Louisiana State University (LSU)
did it again. Dan had already got
a new species to science – the Scarlet-banded Barbet on the Rio Cushabatay
to his name (Toucan Tours and Manu Expeditions successfully took a hand picked
group to see this spectacular bird in May 2002) and this time LSU were after
something perhaps more exciting – White-masked Antbird. The difference was
that this was not a new bird to science but the question was - did it really
exist or was the one specimen an aberrant or hybrid White-plumed Antbird?
Known from a female specimen taken in 1937 near Andoas on the Rio
Paztaza in extreme northern Loreto in Peru, various authorities wrote it off
as a hybrid. Indeed how could such a stunning bird be unrecorded for 64 years?
Well it had, and in July 2001 at a study camp near the mouth of the Morona
river, LSU found it to be relatively common at army ant swarms in leached
sandy soil forest. This trip has as its target the White-masked Antbird and we
will be inviting a select small group, sharing costs, to accompany us to find
this bird and other specialties along the way. But first we’ll visit the
Jeberos area on the way. SCHEDULE
April
26th: Expedition members will assemble in Lima, Peru and we will overnight
here. April
27th: Morning flight to Tarapoto in the Central Peruvian Amazon.
We should be there by late morning. After checking into our hotel
we’ll spend the afternoon in strangely semi-dry forest south of town. This
area where Colin and Barry relocated the Huallaga race of
Northern Slaty-Antshrike some years ago (it being known from a few
ancient museum specimens only). Also we’ll be on the lookout for a Hermit
Hummingbird related to Planalto that Barry and Dan Lane located in Sept 2002.
Here also are Chestnut-headed and Russet-crowned Crakes, Gray-headed Greenlet,
Sooty-crowned Tyrannulet, White-crowned race of White-browed Antbird,
Sapphire-spangled Emerald, Bluish-fronted Jacamar, Yellow-billed Nunbird,
Chestnut-eared Aracari, Bright-rumped Attila, Black-tailed Flycatcher,
Flammulated Bamboo-tyrant, Coraya Wren, Long-billed Gnatwren, Stripe-chested
Antwren, Plain-crowned Spinetail, Scaled Pigeon, Blue-crowned Trogon and
Black-throated Trogon, Gilded Barbet, Little Woodpecker, White-fronted
Tyrannulet, Sulphur-bellied Tyrant-Manakin. Night
birding will produce some of the following - Black-banded Owl, Tropical
Screech Owl, Rufous Nightjar and Common Potoo. We’ll spend the night in
Tarapoto. April
28th: Full days birding the tunnel areas on the road from Tarapoto to
Yurimaguas. We know this area well and in September 1998 we found Plumbeous
Euphonia here, a new record for Peru and a huge range extention. Other birds
we have recorded here include the rare Dotted Tanager, Bicolored Hawk, Black
and White Hawk-Eagle, White-tipped Swift, Koepckes Hermit, Ecuadorian Piedtail,
Pavonine Quetzal, Striolated Puffbird, Golden- collared Toucanet, Red-stained
Woodpecker, Blackish Peewee, Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, Rufous-winged
Antwren, Rufous-tailed Tyrant, Slaty-capped Flycatcher, Yellow-backed Tanager,
Yellow-bellied and Bay-headed Tanagers, Rufous-tailed Antwren, Black Antbird,
Scaled Fruiteater, Fiery-capped Manakin, Dusky-chested Flycatcher,
White-breasted Wood-Wren, Bronze-green Euphonia, Short-billed Honeycreeper,
and Moriche Oriole. Night birding should produce Band-bellied Owl and Blackish
Nightjar. All nights in Tarapoto. April
29th: We’ll load up our hired small planes with all our gear and our
experienced expedition cook Ramiro Abendanio and fly to the isolated town of
Jeberos in the inter-fluvial area between the Huallaga and Maranon rivers.
Jeberos has existed, surprisingly since the 17th Century and its
habitat may be due, in part, to this long term influence by man. The area is
characterized by small farms bordered by semi-xerophytic habitat reminiscent
of the “cerrado” of Brazil and sandy soil habitats known as “varillal”
(best known from the Allpahuayo-Mishana reserve near Iquitos). These sandy
soil habitats have become notorious for turning up new species to science over
the last few years. We’ll set up camp and get in some late afternoon
birding. Night in Camp. April
30th–May 2nd: 3 full days to bird and explore the area. We could
turn up anything new here but what we know is here and look for include:
White-throated Tinamou, Gray-headed Kite, Crested Eagle, Ash-throated Crake,
Russet-crowned Crake, Scarlet, shouldered Parrotlet, Black-headed Parrot,
Striped Owl, Spot-tailed Nightjar, Blackish Nightjar, Black-throated Hermit,
Rufous-throated Sapphire, Green-tailed Goldenthroat, Fiery Topaz, Great
Jacamar, White-necked, Collared , Spotted, Pied and White-chested Puffbirds,
Yellow-throated and White-throated Woodpeckers, White-chinned and
Spot-throated, Barred, Bar-bellied and Ocellated
Woodcreepers , Ruddy Spinetail, Mouse-colored and Undulated Antshrikes,
Stipple-throated Antwren, the newly described Northern Chestnut-tailed Antbird,
Bicolored, Lunulated and Spot-backed Antbirds, Double-banded Pygmy-tyrant,
Dusky-chested and Yellow-throated Flycatcher, Black and Orange-crested Manakin,
Black-necked Red-Cotinga, Red-shouldered Tanager, White-bellied Dacnis ( rare
everywhere but here common), Red-legged and Short-billed Honeycreepers,
Red-breasted Blackbird plus lots more. May
3rd: Our small planes will come in today and take us directly to San Lorenzo
on the banks of the mighty Maranon. We’ll switch to speedboats here (yes –
no peccy-peccys!) for a 5 hour ride up the Maranon and Morona to our base camp
near the mouth of the Morona. This is where we’ll be attentive for ant
swarms and the White-masked Antbird. The
newly described Ancient Antwren is also common here. The habitats to be
explored include extensive Varillal, varzea forest and Mauritia palm swamps. May
4th – 7th: All days in the Morona area. As well as ant swarms and
the White-masked Antbird we’ll have chances at Black-faced Hawk, Buckley’s
Forest Falcon, Chestnut-headed and Black-banded Crakes, Festive Parrot, Long
tailed Potoo, Pavonine Quetzal, White-eared and White-chinned Jacamars, Rufous-necked
Puffbird (very rarely seen), Brown and Rufous-capped Nunlets, Chestnut and
Cream-colored Woodpeckers, Black-banded and Striped Woodcreper, Orange-fronted
Plushcrown, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Black Bushbird, Black, Blackish,
Black-tailed, Yellow-browed and Black-chinned Antbirds, plus the newly
described Allpahuayo Antbird, White-shouldered and Dot-backed Antbirds,
Reddish-winged Bare-eye, Spotted Antpitta (very rare in Peru), Yellow-crowned
Elaenia, the recently described Orange-eyed Flycatcher, Cinnamon Tyrant-Manakin
(uncommon here but rare everywhere else), Citron-bellied and Cinnamon Attilas,
Pompadour and Plum-throated Cotingas and lots more. May
8th: Return to San Lorenzo stopping at river islands along the way for river
island specialties including : Festive Parrot, Olive-spotted Hummingbird,
Lesser Hornero, Dark-breasted, Plain-crowned, White-bellied and Parkers
Spinetails, Castenau’s Antshrike, Black and White Antbird, Mouse-colored
Tyrannulet, Mottle-backed Elaenia, River Tyrannulet, Lesser Wagtail Tyrant,
Riverside Tyrant, Orange-headed Tanager and Pearly-breasted Conebill. We’ll
camp close to San Lorenzo. May
9th: Small planes to Tarapoto and connecting late afternoon flight to Lima.
Overnight Lima. May
10th: Transfer to the airport
and connecting international flights |