De vuelta

17^th June

How I wish there were time to wax lyrical tonight about my first day in Amazonia in five years, during which my long-dear friends lined up on the banks of the Madre de Dios as if to welcome me home: parrots, macaws, parakeets, jacamars, plovers and nunbirds. I have no time though as I’m tired, we have to be up at four o’clock, and there is no electricity at Posada Amazonas so I mustn’t exhaust my laptop too soon. Suffice it to say that today has been wondrous: an emotional return to a vast, biodiverse, challenging ecoregion I once called home. I’m happy beyond words to be here and happiest of all that as the birds sang or appeared as distant specks on Cecropia trees they all came back to me as if I’d left only yesterday. We saw much, including many new species for our tour and for my list, which are summarised below.

	Mammals
63	brown agouti	Dasyprocta variegata
64	tayra	Eira barbara
	Birds
549	ruddy ground-dove	Columbina talpacoti
550	great kiskadee	Pitangus sulphuratus
551	great potoo	Nyctibius grandis
552	yellow-olive flycatcher	Tolmomyias sulphurescens
553	silver-beaked tanager	Ramphocelus carbo
554	white-collared swift	Streptoprocne zonaris
555	palm tanager	Thraupis palmarum
556	smooth-billed ani	Crotophaga ani
557	limpkin	Aramus guarauna
558	chestnut-bellied seedeater	Sporophila castaneiventris
559	yellow-browed sparrow	Ammodramus aurifrons
560	sapphire-spangled emerald	Amazilia lactea
561	social flycatcher	Myiozetetes similis
562	cobalt-winged parakeet	Brotogeris cyanoptera
563	southern caracara	Caracara plancus
564	greyish saltator	Saltator coerulescens
565	Amazon kingfisher	Chloroceryle amazona
566	yellow-tufted woodpecker	Melanerpes cruentatus
567	violaceous jay	Cyanocorax violaceus
568	russet-backed oropendola	Psarocolius angustifrons
569	fork-tailed palm-swift	Tachornis squamata
570	white-eyed parakeet	Aratinga leucophthalmus
571	boat-billed flycatcher	Megarhynchus pitangua
572	yellow-rumped cacique	Cacicus cela
573	roadside hawk	Buteo magnirostris
574	crested oropendola	Psarocolius decumanus
575	black-fronted nunbird	Monasa nigrifrons
576	bluish-fronted jacamar	Galbula cyanescens
577	giant cowbird	Molothrus oryzivorus
578	chestnut-fronted macaw	Ara severa
579	white-winged swallow	Tachycineta albiventer
580	white-banded swallow	Atticora fasciata
581	blue-headed parrot	Pionus menstruus
582	greater yellow-headed vulture	Cathartes melambrotus
583	pale-vented pigeon	Patagioenas cayennensis
584	crimson-crested woodpecker	Campephilus melanoleucos
585	capped heron	Pilherodius pileatus
586	collared plover	Charadrius collaris
587	bat falcon	Falco rufigularis
588	olive oropendola	Psarocolius bifasciatus
589	white-browed purpletuft	Iodopleura isabellae
590	Spix’s guan	Penelope jacquacu
591	speckled chachalaca	Ortalis guttata

2012 Totals

Mammals: 64

Birds: 591

Reptiles: 15

Amphibians: 6

Fish: 6