15 day program including Orange-throated Tanager and White-masked Antbird.
Kolibri Expeditions have always been in the forefront to try new things. We offered the first commercial trips to see the Orange-throated Tanager. We set up the recent Orange-throated Tanager visits with the Awarunas in Nuevo Salem. In 2007 we, after some years of not being able to guarantee the Orange-throated Tanager at Nuevo Salem, we set up a program that visited also a neighbouring village to Nuevo Salem called Nueva Samaria. This strategy showed to be very successful. We saw the Tanager at both places, and we are this way giving support to two villages. In 2011 we again made a successful trip to see the Orange-throated Tanager, Black Bushbird and many others.
The road to Saramiriza has been improved and there are plans to make Saramiriza into a major Amazon river port with access to the Atlantic. Near Saramiriza we have recently found White-masked Antbird and Cocha Antshrike.
For shorter programs going from Piura to Tarapoto, we recommend a one day birding while transfer to Chiclayo and then join either the 8 day lodge trip with Chaparri and Owlet Lodge or the 8 day budget trip.
Day 0. Arrival in Piura.
Either arriving from the Tumbes program or by flight from Lima. Hotel in Piura.
Day 1. White-winged Guan
Most of the day shall be spent around Olmos seeing the White-winged Guan in this area. Other birds today include Peruvian Plantcutter, Rufous Flycatcher, Guayaquil Woodpecker, Elegant Crescentchest, Pacific Elaenia, etc. Night in hotel in Olmos.
Day 2. Birding Abra Porculla and Jaen.
We continue to Abra Porculla. Targets here include Chapman's Antshrike, Bay-crowned Brush-Finch. Elegant Crescentchest, Rufous-necked and Henna-hooded Foliagegleaner, Black-cowled Saltator, Porculla Hermit and the rare Piura Chat-Tyrant. In the late afternoon we shall arrive in Jaen and try for Marañon Crescentchest, Marañon Slaty Antshrike, Neclaced Spinetail in the afternoon. Hotel Pym's, Jaen.
Day 3. Birding Bagua Chica to Imazita
In the morning we shall either have another go at Little Inca-Finch near Bagua Chica or search again for the birds near Jaen. The rest of the day we will be birding along the route to Imazita. Birding along this route can be very good. Some birds seen recently include Greater Yellow-headed Vulture, Napo Sabrewing, Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Yellow-bellied and Green & Gold Tanagers, Olive-sided, Yellow-breasted (Olive-faced Flycatcher if split) and Dusky-chested Flycatcher, White-winged Becard, Golden-headed and White-bearded Manakin, Buff-throated Tody-Tyrant, Magpie Tanager, Turquoise Tanagers, Blue and Yellow-bellied Dacnis, Black-billed Thrush and Russet-back Oropendola. The hotel at Imazita is quite basic, but does have private baths.
Day 4-5. Birding Nuevo Salem-area for the Orange-throated Tanager.
Kolibri Expeditions was the first company to explore this area, and we were highly rewarded. Orange-throated Tanager, Blackish Pewee, Scaly-breasted Woodpecker, Spangled Cotinga, Black-bellied Cuckoo, Pale-rumped Swift. Other possibilities include Purplish Jacamar, Fiery-throated Fruiteater. The local Awaruna community is putting us up in their village, which also gives this part a very special social experience. On the second day we will change camp to the neighboring village Nueva Samaria which also have good forest nearby with the Orange-throated Tanager as well as Black Bushbird. We shall have three mornings to search for our target. Camp in the Awaruna communities.
Day 6. Imazita-Saramiriza.
After an additional morning birding this area we shall return to Imazita and continue to Saramiriza. We are passing some foothills on the way, and it would not surprise us if we'd find also Orange-throated Tanager on this route when all the best pockets of forest have been birded more regularly. Hotel in Saramiriza.
Day 7-8. White-masked Antbird quest.
We shall explore the white-sand forest near Saramiriza. The White-masked Antbird was previously known only from one specimen from 1937 and was previously discarded as a hybrid. It is a true army-ant follower and can be found around the swarms that also contain Bicolored, Sooty and Scale-backed Antbirds and Red-winged Bare-eye.
Other birds possible here are the newly described Ancient Antwren and Allpahuayo Antbird (the latter an undescribed subspecies) as well as many of other birds such as 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 Woodcreepers, Orange-fronted Plushcrown, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Black Bushbird, Black, Blackish, Black-tailed, Yellow-browed and Black-chinned Antbirds, White-shouldered and Dot-backed Antbirds, Spotted Antpitta Yellow-crowned Elaenia, Cinnamon Tyrant-Manakin, Citron-bellied and Cinnamon Attilas, Pompadour and Plum-throated Cotingas and many others. Hotel in Saramiriza
Day 9. Birding river island specialists
We will check out some river islands. The species here include Festive Parrot, Olive-spotted Hummingbird, Lesser Hornero, Dark-breasted, Plain-crowned, White-bellied and Parker's Spinetails, Castenau's Antshrike, Black & White Antbird, Mottle-backed Elaenia, River Tyrannulet, Lesser Wagtail-Tyrant, Riverside Tyrant, Orange-headed Tanager and Pearly-breasted Conebill. Recently Cocha Antshrike has been found in a small lagoon inside a river island. Night in a basic hostel in Saramiriza.
Day 10. Drive back to Bagua Chica. Black Manakin.
In the morning we shall be birding near an airfield where there is some White-sand forest and where we recently have seen
Black the and
White-bellied Dacnis. Then we continue to Bagua Chica.
Night in Bagua Chica.
Day 11. Marvelous Spatuletail
En route to Pomacochas we shall look for Little Inca-Finch, Marañon Spinetail and Little Woodstar. In PM near Pomacochas we shall visit Kolibri Expeditions private reserve to spot a male Marvelous Spatueltail. Sleep at Puerto Pumas Hotel.
Day 12. Abra Patricia Long-whiskered Owlet and Lulu's Tody-Trant
Most of day at Abra Patricia/Afluentes. A great number of good birds. Below the Abra Patricia pass at 2400m, possibilities include Rusty-tinged and Rusty-breasted Antpittas, Yellow-scarfed Tanager, Peruvian Rufous-vented Tapaculo, White-collared Jay and the recently described Lulu's Tody-Tyrant. The road then passes next to a series of low ridges cloaked in stunted forest. This is the type locality for the enigmatic Long-whiskered Owlet, one of the great ornithological mysteries of the continent, and one of the few localities where Ochre-fronted Antpitta has been seen. The Owlet was recently seen and photographed in the wild, so our chances are better than they ever were. Still it shall take some looking and some luck. In this habitat we stand a chance of finding Bar-winged Wood-Wren, Royal Sunangel, and Cinnamon-breasted Tody-Tyrant whilst noisy flocks of White-capped Tanagers are regularly seen. Night at Abra Patricia Owlet Lodge.
Day 13. Birding Afluentes Speckle-chested Piculet.
Full day Afluentes/Abra Patricia. We shall start the days birding near Afluentes. Cock of the Rock lek nearby. Tanager flocks, Umbrellabird, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow possibilities. Ecuadorian Piedtail and Napo Sabrewing among the hummers. Black-mandibled Toucan, Equatorial Graytail, Gray-mantled Wren, Ecuadorian Tyrannulet, Foothill Antwren, the endemic Speckle-chested Piculet, Versicolored Barbet and a variety of tanagers including the scarce Vermilion Tanager and others.
Day 14. Additional birding near Abra Patricia Lodge in the morning. In PM we shall drive to Rioja. We shall look for birds near of Yacumama, which is good for Buckley’s Forest-Falcon, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Blackish Nightjar, Fiery-capped Manakin, Yellow Tyrannulet, Rufous Casiornis and Great-billed Seed-Finch. In the late PM near Rioja we will be looking for Russet-crowned Crake. Night at Gran Bombonaje, Rioja
Day 15. Birding savanna and deciduous forest at Morro de Calzada near Moyobamba. Birds: Tataupa Tinamou, Black-faced Tanager, Mishana Tyrannulet, Cream-colored Woodpecker, Cinererous-breasted Spinetail, Pale-breasted Thrush, Blue-crowned Trogon, Red-legged Honeycreeper and others. To Tarapoto and evening flight to Lima.
Note that you can add a Tumbes pretrip with a Pelagic (4 days) and extensions in Tarapoto (2 days) and the megadiversity trip back to Cajamarca (9 or 15 days) that explore more trails and makes it possible to look for rare endemic primates and birds, as well as a hike to see Yellow-browed Toucanet. There is also shorter birding trips from Tarapoto to Cajamarca possible.
