Sadly the hoped for better weather did not come, and it instead it got worse, with rain all night and then again all through the day. With little chance of finding the cotinga, and well aware of our predicament, with 300 kilometers of dirt road between us and the next large city, we decided to cut our losses and make a break for it. In six hours driving on muddy, slippery and foggy dirt roads, we only managed to cover 100 kilometres, before reaching the town of Madiri, where we stopped to find the town center closed for a kids scooter race, leaving us unable to pass. In the end, the barriers were lifted at 17:00, but by that time the extra day we hoped to gain had been lost, and we settled into the town for the night.
Birding-wise, the day offered very little. We tried to find
the Cotinga again for an hour but in the rain and fog there was little hope. In
fact we saw very little here, with a flock of Green-cheeked Parakeet being just
about the only new bird for the area. Once we arrived in Madiri, some White-banded Swallows were flying around, but otherwise just common species in
the town center.
Sadly today was a disappointing and frustrating day, and not
one that will live overly long in the memory.
Atén: Speckled Chachalaca, Ruddy Ground Dove, White-tipped Dove, Smooth-billed Ani, Green-cheeked Parakeet, Pale-breasted Spinetail, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Tropical Kingbird, Purplish Jay, House Wren, Pale-breasted Thrush, Creamy-bellied Thrush, Crested Oropendola, Black-faced Tanager, Paradise Tanager,
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