Today saw us head deep into the Amazon, to the Los Amigos Biological Station. This was the most interesting location on the itinerary, with the remoteness making it home to ample different species of birds and mammals, especially primates with 12 species according to the information board in the lodge grounds. We were collected at 04:30 from the Wasi Ecolodge, and then drove about an hour to the small town of Laberinto.
From Laberinto we took a boat upstream for three hours, which was about as much as I could manage being cramped on the small seats. Due to the copious amounts of illegal mining going on in the area it was not a trip through pristine forest, but there were still a few interesting bird species on offer, including Black Skimmer, Large-billed Tern and a solitary Jabiru standing among a feeding group of Wood Storks. Perhaps the most interesting species for me was the Pied Plover, a species I have only seen once before, but managed to see multiple times from the boat.
We knew that being a research station in a remote area, the Los Amigos was likely to be quite rustic but upon arrival we were very pleasantly surprised. Not only was there comfortable rooms, but WiFi, 24hr power and unbelievably there was even hot water. The rundown on the lodge facilities and rules meant that we were up and ready to go at 09:45, ready to start exploring the trails.
Since it was already quite warm, we decided to do a small loop on the trails starting on trail 10, then turning on to trail 28 and returning to the camp via trail 19. This was enjoyable and despite it being late we managed a few interesting species of bird. For me, the Yellow-billed Nunbird was a new species and we saw two feeding in an open area. Otherwise, Cobalt-winged Parakeet and a flyover Black-collared Hawk made up the most interesting birds.
For primates however our trip started with a bang! Even on this short late morning walk we managed to find four different species, starting with the Toppin’s Titi Monkey, followed by poor views of a Bolivian Red Howler, then the highlight with at least two Weddell’s Saddle-backed Tamarin that scuttled away rather quickly, and finished off with a difficult to see group of Tufted Capuchin. On our return to camp we were shown another group of Toppin’s Titi Monkey that showed better than the original individuals that we saw.
After lunch and a short siesta, we set off at 14:30 on trail number 14, which ends at an oxbow lake called Cocha Lobo. The trail was nice and even setting off so early in the afternoon saw us quickly bump into birds, including two new species for me with Chestnut-winged Hookbill and Masked Tanager. The walk continued down the slope and onto a boardwalk, where I finally added Band-tailed Manakin to my life list. That was very quickly gazumped however, when we spotted a cream-coloured mammal noisily feeding in the trees above us. At first I thought it might be one of the rarer monkey species, but when it moved it revealed itself to be a Southern Tamandua! Only the second time I have seen this small anteater, and we had walk-away views to boot, as once it had finished feeding it spent the rest of the time we were with it looking down on us, barely moving. It may be that our time at Los Amigos has already peaked, but we continued regardless and I added one more new species for the walk with Casqued Cacique!
The boat trip around the lake did not produce the much hoped for Giant Otter, but there was still a mammal tick with a lively group of Peruvian Spider Monkey swinging between the lakeside trees. This is my first Spider Monkey of any variation, so it was exciting to see. The lakeside vegetation was lively with commoner species passing through. It wasn’t until we were on our way back that we had something of more note, when we found a day roosting Ladder-tailed Nightjar. It flushed a few times as we made our way round, but always landed in the open allowing for excellent views. A pair of Silvery Antbirds skulking in the undergrowth did not offer the same. Hoatzins and Black-capped Donacobious made up the best of the rest.
After the boat trip it was already getting dark so we wasted no time heading back to camp. Once dinner was completed, around 07:30 I went for a walk in the dark but failed to find much of note, a pair of Antwrens being the best of it. That was until I arrived back at our room and found a Paca foraging on the edge of the field station lawns. Fortunately it did not run back into the bushes, but remained at least a little bit exposed allowing for some photos to be taken! An excellent way to round off an excellent first day at the Los Amigos Biological Station.
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