® field guides BIRDING TOURS WORLDWIDE [email protected] • 800•728•4953 ITINERARY AMAZONIAN ECUADOR: SACHA LODGE I. January 7 - 16, 2022 II. July 7 - 16, 2022 This female Gilded Barbet is an example of the tropical beauties we’ll be able to observe up-close from the canopy towers at Sacha Lodge. Photograph by articipant Kathy Keef. We include here information for those interested in a 2022 Field Guides Amazonian Ecuador: Sacha Lodge tour: ¾ a general introduction to the tour ¾ a description of the birding areas to be visited on the tour ¾ an abbreviated daily itinerary with some indication of the nature of each day’s birding outings These additional materials will be made available to those who register for the tour: ¾ an annotated list of the birds recorded on a previous year’s Field Guides trip to the area, with comments by guide(s) on notable species or sightings (may be downloaded from our web site) ¾ a detailed information bulletin with important logistical information and answers to questions regarding accommodations, air arrangements, clothing, currency, customs and immigration, documents, health precautions, and personal items ¾ a reference list ¾ a Field Guides checklist for preparing for and keeping track of the birds we see on the tour ¾ after the conclusion of the tour, a list of birds seen on the tour A few years ago, a birding trip to Amazonia was definitely for the hardy. Only those willing to do without most amenities and willing to run certain health risks could unlock the treasure chest of the single richest biome on Earth. No longer. With the opening in recent years of lodges such as Sacha in Ecuador’s Amazonian forest, this incredible biological masterpiece has never been so accessible and so comfortable. Over the last decade, Sacha (a native Quechua Indian word for rainforest) has become known as one of the most comfortable and best-run lodges in upper Amazonia, and it encompasses a wide variety of rich Amazonian habitats. This tour offers a full week-long stay at a single site, affording the time necessary to probe the challenges of Amazonian forest birding while providing excellent chances to encounter Field Guides Incorporated • 9433 Bee Cave Road • #2-105 • Austin • TX • 78733 • 512•263•7295 • fax 512•263•0117 • www.fieldguides.com 2 some genuine rarities of considerable allure—Zigzag Heron, Harpy and Crested Eagles, Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlet, Lanceolated Monklet, Collared Puffbird, Rufous-headed Woodpecker, Short-billed and Black-tailed Leaftosser, Dot- backed Antbird, and Orange-crowned Manakin to name a few. Situated along the north bank of the giant Rio Napo, one of the three major tributaries that combine to form the upper Amazon, Sacha Lodge is located only two hours down-river from the Amazonian frontier town of Coca. It’s accessible from Quito in a 30-minute flight over the crest of the eastern Andes (spectacular if clear). The broad meander plain between the Napo and the Aguarico River to the north is low-lying and filled with a number of blackwater inlets and classic Amazonian oxbow lakes (called cochas in the native Quechua dialect), overlooking one of which sits Sacha. Sacha is reached from the banks of the Napo by a thirty-minute walk along the riverbank and then on an elevated boardwalk through palm-rich swamp forest, followed by a twenty-minute ride in locally crafted dugout canoes along a narrow inlet that opens onto picturesque Pilchicocha. On the opposite bank stands the lodge itself, our base for exploring the many habitats of Amazonia. A network of trails from the lodge offers easy (if sometimes muddy!) access to a wonderful expanse of seasonally flooded forest (varzea) and to one of the finest canopy platforms we have encountered anywhere, opening a whole new dimension to formerly earth-bound birders. Even on the north bank, pockets of well-drained soil on somewhat higher ground support taller forest and a few species normally associated with terra firme (upland) forest, the richest and most complex single habitat in the world. An immense expanse of undisturbed terra firme lies across the Napo from Sacha in Yasuni National Park, a vast reservoir of wilderness. We will make at least one day-trip to the rich south bank of the Napo for a sampling of terra firme specialties, as well as to visit two wonderful parrot licks, one of the premier attractions of the region. But Sacha’s strengths are twofold: its canopy towers and its easy access to virtually a full range of river-created habitats, from lake margin, Mauritia palm swamp, river margin, and sandbars, to river-created islands, young and old. The “Orquidea trail,” actually a blackwater stream that drains Pilchicocha, is one of the most enchanting canoe trails we’ve seen. It is narrow and perfectly reflective of the overhanging spiny palms and dark-green forest. It is hushed quiet punctuated by the occasional outburst of a Red Howler Monkey or the insistent calling of a territorial Dot-backed Antbird. We plan this tour to play to Sacha’s strengths. We’ll be able to watch the antics of the bizarre Hoatzins from the dining area. These prehistoric-looking birds nest around the edges of the lagoon. Photograph by participant Elliott Ginger. Sacha’s bird list approaches 500 species and boasts such regularly occurring Amazonian inhabitants as Great Tinamou and Marbled Wood-Quail (both sometimes seen at roosts!), Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Slender-billed Kite, Lined Forest-Falcon, Hoatzin, Blue-and-yellow Macaw, Crested Owl, Great and Common potoos (sometimes at day roosts), Great-billed Hermit, Green-and-rufous and American Pygmy kingfishers, White-eared, Yellow-billed, White-chinned, Field Guides Incorporated • 800•728•4953 • [email protected] 3 Purplish, and Great jacamars, Chestnut-capped, Collared, and White-chested puffbirds, Brown Nunlet, Yellow-billed Nunbird, Scarlet-crowned, Gilded, and Lemon-throated barbets, four species of aracaris, two big toucans, Golden-collared Toucanet, Lafresnaye’s Piculet, Chestnut, Cream-colored, and Rufous-headed woodpeckers, White-bellied and Parker’s spinetails (river island specialists), Short-billed and Black-tailed leaftossers, Long-billed Woodcreeper, Castelnau’s Antshrike and Black-and-white Antbird (both on river islands), Dugand’s Antwren (a regular visitor to the canopy near one of the platforms), White-shouldered, Sooty, Spot-backed, Dot-backed, and Scale-backed antbirds, the spectacular Striated Antthrush, Rusty-belted Tapaculo, White-browed Purpletuft, Plum-throated and Spangled cotingas, displaying Wire-tailed and Golden-headed manakins, Gray Elaenia and Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher (both regulars to the canopy tower tree), Mottle-backed Elaenia, Ringed Antpipit, Rufous-tailed Flatbill, Cinnamon Attila, White-winged, Black-capped, and Pink-throated becards, Black-capped Donacobius, Scaly-breasted and Musician wrens, Lawrence’s Thrush (a great mimic), Caqueta Seedeater (a split from Variable), and a dazzling array of tanagers, many of which can be seen eye-to- eye from the canopy towers, including Masked Crimson, Turquoise, Paradise, Green-and-gold, Yellow-bellied, Masked, Opal-rumped, Opal-crowned, as well as three dacnises (and we even had brushes with the rare White bellied recently!) and three honeycreepers. Additional but less predictable lures are Agami Heron, Harpy and Crested Eagles, Black-and- white Hawk-Eagle, Buckley’s Forest-Falcon, Black-banded Crake, Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlet (across the Napo), Long- tailed Potoo, Gould’s Jewelfront, Black-bellied Thorntail, Lanceolated Monklet, Orange-fronted Plushcrown, Fulvous Antshrike, Banded, Yellow-browed, and White-plumed antbirds, Black-spotted Bare-eye, Orange-eyed Flycatcher, Purple- throated Cotinga, Amazonian Umbrellabird (we’ve seen it displaying from the canopy platform!), Striolated Manakin, Large-billed Seed-Finch, and Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak, all of which we have encountered during past tours. We’re sure to see an impressive array of fascinating birds and scenery. Combining the tour checklist with Ridgely and Greenfield's The Birds of Ecuador makes preparation for the most likely species easy. (In addition, once you reach Sacha, you may buy a simple-but-functional, lightweight field pamphlet illustrating the birds; it’s perfect for carrying in the field!) The canopy towers and walkway offer a chance to get up where the birds are! Photograph by participant Miles Paul. All participants will be required to confirm they will have completed a full COVID vaccination course at least two weeks prior to the tour (if you are getting a two-dose vaccine, this means you must receive your second dose two weeks prior to departure). Having a vaccinated group will greatly diminish but not eliminate the possibility of the group and individual participants being adversely affected by COVID-19. We are requiring all of our staff guides to be vaccinated. Note too that many travel destinations are or soon will be requiring proof of vaccination for entry to bypass testing delays or quarantine, and that entry requirements for a destination can change at any time. Field Guides Incorporated • 800•728•4953 • [email protected] 4 We want to be sure you are on the right tour! Below is a description of the physical requirements of the tour. If you are concerned about the difficulty, please contact us about this and be sure to fully explain your concerns. We want to make sure you have a wonderful time with us, so if you are uncomfortable with the requirements, just let us know and we can help you find a better fitting tour! Field Guides will not charge you a change or cancellation fee if you opt out within 10 days of depositing. Physical requirements of this tour • TRAILS & WALKING: Good amounts of walking (2-4 miles per day) along trails, some of which will be on even ground, but most of which are narrow, uneven, and muddy, with obstacles such as tree roots.