I've now been at the lodge for exactly one month and have seen or heard 301 bird species. Frustratingly, I heard Speckled Spinetail, a bird I've never managed to see, in a big mixed flock the other day. It's not all about new species or adding to this year's list, however, as the commoner species can often be just as interesting. Yesterday, for example, we saw a Bat Falcon plucking a large woodcreeper, a prey almost as large as itself and which it had presumably caught in flight as it tried to cross the river. Today, we observed a Striated Heron using a flower as bait to lure fish by repeatedly dropping it in the water and waiting for the fish to come to investigate. The Amazon never fails to amaze.
