BOMBUSCARA

January 3 found us up at 5:30 to get ready to meet Christian Romero, our bird guide for the day (and also when we will be at our next place -Yankuam ).  At about 5:50 the town below irrupted with horns and loud speakers blaring, so once down on the street we were greeted by a long line of vehicles and people waving Zamora flags.  Christian later explained to us that it is nearing election time, so the various candidates have their followers promoting the cause they support.  Christian was out there to greet us also, and we loaded ourselves in the front seat of his pickup, and struck out toward our destination for the day- the Bombuscaro entrance to Podocarpus Nat Park, named after the river already mentioned.  

Along the way we saw a Magpie Tanager, our first for the trip.  We learned that Christian has a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. I was puzzled as to the need for such in the jungles of Zamora, so asked him about it.  He admitted he does not use it, but is into the commercial aspect of cocoa.  He lives about 45 minutes away near the town of Yantzaza and owns 5 hectares of land with a house, and hopes to make it into a birding lodge of sorts.  He explained that he is centrally located between Copalinga/Podocarpus, Yankuam/Maycu and the Zarza Reserve, all great places to bird.  Plus, his own land which he has named “My Paradise,” is worth a stop.  He is hoping to leave the cocoa business in 2 years and strike out on his own.  He already has a great reputation as a birder.

We reached the end of the road and the entrance to the Park.  One must realize that, especially here in the jungle, it is important to get out and bird early since birding activity dies down the hotter it gets.  Like Walter, Christian knew all the birds by sight and song, so it would appear nothing would get away.   The sun was not yet very high in the sky, so we would be looking at silhouettes for a bit, which meant I did not use my camera until we reached the HQs, about an hour of walking at our pace. 

Some of the first birds we saw was a flock of White-eyed Parakeets, a lifer for us. Wherever there was a cut bank Christian would look for Jacamar nests and where Parakeets scraped for minerals to ingest.  Jacamars dig a burrow entrance to their nest, and he shown a light into one with his cell phone, and we could see the miniature chicks in the back.  The parents of a few nests would not come around to playback, until we reached the pair near HQs.  At some places on the cut banks were scrapes of various sizes.  He explained that these were made by the local parakeets who were eating the hard dirt here to add minerals to their diet. 

                    AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE PARAKEETS SCRAPED THE EXPOSED BANK

                        THE WHOLE IN THIS PICTURE IS A JACAMAR NEST

It took us an hour to reach HQs because we stopped often for birds.  Once there we heard both a Cock-of-the-Rock and an Amazonian Umbrellabird, the males of both with hairdos that will raise your eyebrows.  Christian chose to play the Cock-of-the-Rock “song,” a truly guttural annoying sound, which worked like a charm.  Two males came in immediately, and here is the pic of one.

                                        COCK-OF-THE-ROCK - MALE

The Umbrellabird took a little longer, but a male did come - a lifer for me.  This is not the best picture, but it will have to do.  The males have an inverted crest,  often called the “Elvis Presley” hairdo, which hangs almost over their foreheads, as well as a “wattle” which hangs down from their chest.  They sound like a foghorn in the distance.  My camera actually detected his yellow iris!

                                        AMAZONIAN UMBRELLABIRD    

Next up was looking for the Coppery-chested Jacamar.   Christian could hear one in the vicinity, and after taking a couple trails for very short distances, one finally came in to playback.  A female.  Here she is. 

While jockeying around for a better photo angle, I almost upset a wasp nest.  Here it is:

We walked a couple hundred meters down one trail coming across a group of Green Jays, but the battery on my camera was dying out and one of my settings was off a bit, so I did not get decent pics.  The next trail we opted to take was the one to the waterfall, but first we decided to eat breakfast.  After sitting at a table at HQs we noted some of the staff arriving, so Christian went and got the sign in sheet, something I doubt they ever look at - mainly a formality in case someone gets lost.  One of the few times we actually needed copies of our passports for the numbers.  I could just as easily have gotten those off my iPhone.    

The sign for the waterfall trail said medium difficulty, which we had our doubts about after looking at how steep it was.   But after reaching a certain part, it leveled off and the rest was pretty flat.  The best bird along the way was an Ashy-throated Chlorospingus, a first for the trip.  When we reached the waterfall Christian dunked his head in the water to cool off.

The waterfall was a picturesque place, and we certainly took our share.  After getting back to the hotel I noticed a picture in the hallway of this same waterfall.  

                                    HERE’S A PHOTO OF THE REAL WATERFALL

                                    HERE’S THE PIC ON THE WALL OF THE HOTEL

When we were almost back to HQs, Christian heard a Lemon-browed Flycatcher.  I told him it would be a lifer, so we hurried to HQs where the canopy opened up, and he played the appropriate song.  The bird came right in, allowing views and pictures, but stayed up on the tops of the trees, so we did not have the best of views.  That would change at Yankuam. 

We descended the hill upon leaving HQs and at the bottom of the ravine was a small creek.  When we were reaching HQs a couple hours ago, Christian had played a bird song of which I never did understand which one, but he was playing it now and getting a response.  Finally the bird came partially out into view, at least from my angle, and he kept on singing even though Christian had stopped using his phone for such.  I got some good pictures, and suggested he come to where I was to obtain the same.  But he suggested I come over where he was.  After comparing pics, he could see mine were better, so he came to where I took mine, and got the pics he needed.  It turned out that the bird was an Olive Finch, and  lifer for him!   Amazing.   Sometimes these skulkers stay so hidden that even the guides rarely see them. 

                                                        OLIVE FINCH

Even though it was getting hotter, the birding was still pretty good at times.  A small flock yielded both a Black-faced Dacnis and a pair of Yellow-breasted Antwrens, the latter a lifer for me.  Shortly after that we had a good sized mixed flock that was hard to surround as far as IDing everything.  Tanagers accounted for were Paradise, Orange-eared, Golden, Golden-eared and Green-and-yellow.  I spied a couple brown birds and finally got Christian on them - Ash-browed Spintails, another lifer for me.  

                            BLACK-MASKED DACNIS

Finally we made it back to the truck and Christian opened the windows.  The front seat was really cooking, so I dug out a shirt and used it for protection.  It was now really hot, and Christian would have continued guiding us, but we were content and did not want to push the limits of our endurance for heat.  In the motel lobby we made final arrangements for our time at Yankuam, a place he says is really great birding (so long as we can handle the heat I think).