Bolivia Day 20; Madidi National Park

  Today was our first of two full days birding the lowland parts of the Madidi National Park. We awoke early and arrived at our birding area, just past the park entrance gate, before first light. After a bowl of cereal we got to work, searching for our target species. It did not take long for me to start picking up lifers, with Yellow-lored Tanager and Cuzco Warbler being first. There were a few other interesting species in the understorey as well, with Black-faced Antbird showing very well, and Pectoral Sparrow, among others.

  Birding felt a little slower than anticipated at first, but as soon as mixed species flocks started to appear we were kept very busy. We recorded multiple species of Tanager and Tyrannulets, with a number of the latter being new for me. Among these species were two species of Barbet; Lemon-thorated and Gilded, as well as White-throated Woodpecker, Pink-throated Becard, Woodcreepers and other commoner mixed flock species. Whenever we had a flock we were always kept very busy, sometimes with dozens of different tanagers.

  Between the flocks we also picked up on other birds. The highlight came in the afternoon, when a Bicolored Hawk arrived silently in the understorey, showing magnificently well for us. A White Hawk did the same, but in the canopy, perching up nicely while being mobbed by Streaked Flycatchers. And there was a delightful Short-tailed Pygmy-Tyrant adjacent to one of the rivers, and an amazing small bird that we had already seen once on this trip, but not as well.

  In the afternoon activity seemed to die off quite noticeably, but there were still a few bits to look at and at the end of the afternoon the day was finished off with a brief Hair-crested Antbird. In total, once final checks on identification were sorted, we had over 70 species, with myself being in double figures for new birds.

  And it was not just the birds, with a nice Agouti crossing the path in front of us mid-morning, and a wide range of butterflies keeping us busy when there were no birds around. Truly an excellent day out, and probably the best days birding on the trip so far.

Species List:
Madidi National Park: Ruddy Quail-Dove, Squirrel Cuckoo, Pauraque, White-collared Swift, White-tipped Swift, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, King Vulture, Black Vulture, Bicolored Hawk, White Hawk, Blue-crowned Trogon, Collared Trogon, Gilded Barbet, Lemon-throated Barbet, Red-stained Woodpecker, White-throated Woodpecker, White-eyed Parakeet, Plain Antvireo, Rusty-winged Antwren, Black-faced Antbird, Hairy-crested Antbird, Strong-billed Woodcreeper, Elegant Woodcreeper, Inambari Woodcreeper, Blue-capped Manakin, Screaming Piha, Masked Tityra, Brown-winged Schiffornis, White-winged Becard, Pink-throated Becard, Sharpbill, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Cinnamon-faced Tyrannulet, Short-tailed Pygmy Tyrant, Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher, Yellow-margined Flatbill, White-lored Tyrannulet, Forest Elaenia, Small-billed Elaenia, Rough-legged Tyrannulet, Slender-footed Tyrannulet, Black Phoebe, Bright-rumped Attila, Greyish Mourner, Streaked Flycatcher, Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo, Tawny-crowned Greenlet, Dusky-capped Greenlet, Chivi Vireo, Southern Nightingale-Wren, Moustached Wren, Andean Slaty Thrush, Pectoral Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Cacique, Tropical Parula, Riverbank Warbler, Two-banded Warbler, Cuzco Warbler, Tooth-billed Tanager, Red-crowned Ant Tanager, Yellow-lored Tanager, Yellow-crested Tanager, White-winged Shrike-Tanager, Silver-beaked Tanager, Fawn-breasted Tanager, Yellow-bellied Tanager, Paradise Tanager, Bay-headed Tanager, Green-and-gold Tanager, Black-faced Dacnis, Blue Dacnis, Guira Tanager, Yellow-backed Tanager, Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak, Buff-throated Saltator,