Hi all
There are some great reports online and also a good thread on BF about this superb site. However I wonder if anyone out there has been in the last 12 months and can help with updates on trails, gen and local guides etc.
A team of four of us are hoping to visit over Christmas and all updates would be welcome.
key birds are: Green-tailed Goldenthroat, Black-bellied Thorntail, Orinocco Piculet, Bronzy Jacamar, Azure-naped Jay, Chestnut-crested Antbird, Yellow-crowned Manakin, Black Manakin, White-naped Seedeater, Brown-headed Greenlet, Gray-bellied Antbird, Cherrie's Antwren, Blackish-grey Antshrike, Bar-bellied Woodcreeper,
[well, those are the ones I need!]
cheers, alan
Hi Alan,
here is a map:
http://goo.gl/maps/UBkX3
And here is a report in .docx
http://www.freewebs.com/lievendetemmerman/trip reports/trip report mitu 2012 kopie.docx
And here is a link to some pictures:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150750587602942.504370.720932941&type=1&l=252c6b9ee9
And some details about my sightings:
Goldenthroat: around here: 1.260815,-70.243278 (I was bushwacking a little, and was the only one who saw it. Consider it more luck than stake-out). On the same trail (see map above) at the other side of the river, our best birds were Red-fan Parrot (see map), Pavonine Quetzal (very end of this trail) and especially Bar-bellied Woodcreeper (about halfway this trail, together with Amazonian Barred Woodcreeper).
On the pipeline trail, we had Yellow-crowned Manakin, Black-bellied Thorntail (clearing on highest point in a flowering tree), Black-faced hawk, Imeri Warbling Antbird and lots of Manakins.
On the Mitu Cachivera trail, there is excellent white sand in the beginning with very open vegetation, and a kind of small 'magic' clearing (as in Athanas) a little further. The white sand (see map) yielded Cherrie's Antwren, White-browed Purpletuft, HO Lined Forest-falcon and especially Gray-bellied Antbird. The 'magic' clearing delivered White-naped Seedeater, Brown-headed Greenlet, Paradise Jacamar and Orinoco Piculet. We had a little trouble finding the magic clearing, it is not bigger than a 5-by-20 meter more open space on the trail, or we must have been mistaken ourselves! The Mitu Cachivera and pipeline trails are connected, so most mornings we did mitu Cachivera and then took a shortcut towards pipeline as this trails goes further with better forest.
The Cerro Urania trail is not to be missed, with guaranteed Guianan Cock-of-the-rock on the Cerro, and one of the best Amazonian views one can have...
A clearing halfway (see map) was excellent birding for Pavonine Quetzal, White Hawk, Orinoco Piculet, Guianan Gnatcatcher (a first for the site), Brown Jacamar and Brown-banded Puffbird. Further on the trail, close to the walk up to a viewpoint (see map), we had a second pair of Chestnut-crested Antbirds for our trip. On our 2nd visit to the viewpoint, we even saw a Harpy Eagle sitting, and had excellent views of fly-by Orange-cheeked Parrots and Azure-naped Jay in the trees around. The biggest bridge to Urania is a good stake-out for Blackish-gray Antshrike and Black-chinned Antbird (see map).
If you need more info, let me know...