Tarapoto to Pongo de Caynarachi - days 5-8

The field work has been held up over the past few days by vast quantities of rain with not much sun. While we’ve had few specimens, the scenery in the Cordillera Escalera has been quite spectacular particularly where the Tarapoto to Yurimaguas road winds over the pass at over 1000 metres with cloud hanging over the steep humid forest slopes. On Monday it rained continually and I spent the day working on my laptop while occasionally glancing up to see Saffron Finch, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Blue-grey Tanager, House Wren, Great Kiskadee and an Emerald sp. hummer in the garden. On Tuesday we climbed to the antenna at over 1200 metres. Around Km-15 on the Tarapoto-Yurimaguas road there are some cliffs which held 50+ White-tipped Swift, two pairs of Cliff Flycatcher, a soaring White Hawk, around 23 Swallow-tailed Kites plus the ubiquitous Turkey and American Black Vultures. On the slopes closer to town over 70 of the much larger White-collared Swifts were hawking. Ascending the trail to La Antena is quite tough but the occasional stop produced Slate-throated Whitestart (or Redstart), White-winged Tanager, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Rufous Motmot and Emerald Toucanet. Soon after reaching the peak the clouds closed in another day was cut short with torrential rain. Today (Wednesday) we crossed right over the Escalera ridge past Pongo de Caynarachi on the edge of the Amazon Basin. A favoured site on the Barranquita road was visited and birds and other wildlife (monkeys, squirrels, poison frogs) are always a distraction from the field work here. Large numbers of Ithomiines were flying as were many mosquitoes. A pair of White-billed Toucan were heard but not located but a Crested Oropendola was eventually seen after listening to its exotic liquid gurgling and popping vocalisations. A Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl showed well, a Double-toothed Kite was perched up, and a Yellow-headed Caracara flew over the main track outside the forest. Several groups of parrots and parakeets were regularly heard screeching overhead. Also noted were various species such as Masked Tityra, Buff-throated Foliage-Gleaner, Green-and-Gold Tanager, Screaming Piha, Pale-legged Hornero, Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, Short-crested Flycatcher, Blue-crowned Motmot and Giant Cowbird. Rain was again a feature of the return trip over the mountains. It is apparently an El Niño year but less hope the weather improves soon.