MAYCU RESERVE

We birded the Amazonian foothill reserve of Maycu this morning, which entails walking along the dirt road that passes through the reserve and is being used by the illegal gold mining companies with some pretty large trucks driving at breakneck speeds. I found this very flipping annoying initially, until some incredible birds started to appear. We began with a very skulky Ruddy Foliage-Gleaner, followed by White-throated Woodpecker and Gilded Barbet. All of a sudden we heard the distinctive call of Orange-throated Tanager and called in a pair that didn’t stay long enough in the large cecropia tree above the road for photos but we well and truly nailed this must-see bird for this area.  Indeed we had further views a little later on.

Wing-barred Piprites

Just then we had a superb Yellow-bellied Tanager and this was followed by a Wing-barred Piprites being called in, an Ecuadorian Tyrannulet showed well, and we also had Green-and-gold Tanager, Masked Tanager, a pair of Golden-collared Toucanets, perched Black-throated Brilliant, Lined Antshrike, Mouse-coloured Antshrike, a pair of Yellow-tufted Woodpeckers and a pair of Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireos. 

So far these birds had been coming one at a time but right about now we were caught up in a mega-flock working through the canopy overhead. There was a Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Fasciated Antshrike, Rufous-tailed Foliage-Gleaner, Flame-crested Tanager, Plain-winged Antshrike, Yellow-backed Tanager, Little Woodpecker, Black-faced Dacnis, Lemon-throated Barbet, and several Yellow-throated Bush-Tanagers worked the understorey. It’s one of the most exciting birding phenomenons to experience and that feeling of not knowing where to look first just can’t be beaten! 

 

Moving on at a slow walk, a Green-backed Trogon was called in, as were a pair of tiny Black-and-white Tody-Flycatchers, followed by a pair of Peruvian Warbling Antbirds, a Greater Yellow-headed Vulture drifted over, and then Juan Carlos picked up a Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher – an Amazonian species that to his knowledge had never been recorded at Maycu! A Squirrel Cuckoo appeared some time later and as we started to walk back to the minibus a Green Honeycreeper was seen and we ended the morning session with a White-bellied Pygmy-Tyrant. What a morning!

Little Woodstar

Fork-tailed Woodnymph

Paradise Tanager

We had a nice couple of hours off over lunchtime to rest, so naturally we birded the grounds and staked out the Verbena flowers where a Little Woodstar duly performed admirably in front of us. We also had Flame-crested Tanager, a bunch of Paradise Tanagers, Fork-tailed Woodnymph and a few other common species. 

Our afternoon session was delayed a bit due to rain, so we ended up leaving later this afternoon when we drove back just 10 minutes into the Maycu Reserve and staked out a clearing with scopes and where a recently returned Olive-sided Flycatcher posed on a bare branch. There was also Crested and Russet-backed Oropendola, Masked Tityra, Violet-headed Hummingbird, Long-tailed Tyrant, Olive-faced Flatbill, and a Great-billed Hermit. 

Purplish Jacamar

Walking down the road a few hundred metres got us close views of Purplish Jacamar in the gloomy overcast conditions, as well as a rare Cinnamon Neopipo (manakin-tyrant), Black-eared Fairy, Turquoise Tanager, Blue-headed Parrot and Crimson-crested Woodpecker. 

Band-bellied Owl

At dusk we staked out a site for Band-bellied Owl and were able to get decent views of an adult perched in a Cecropia tree above us. Result!