14 - 17 February 1995 (?)

by Jim Danzenbaker

I had the good fortune to spend two full days at Sacha Lodge several years ago at the end of a Focus-on-Nature Ecuador tour.

I found Sacha (Sacha is quichua (sp?) for forest) Lodge to be quite enjoyable and actually prefer it to La Selva.  It is smaller and, in my opinion, there is more of a family atmosphere.  One big draw is that all the bungalows have a hammock on the back porch!  The purpose of our trip up Indillamayacu (yacu means stream in the quichua language) was to look for Giant River Otters but they failed to show themselves.  I found that birding overall was better at Sacha Lodge because the birds hadn't been taped out along the trails as they have at La Selva.  For example, I saw three or four species of antbirds along the entrance trail to the lodge without trying and saw two roosting Great Potoos!  Also, River Island species can be gotten without the full trip to a river island as at La Selva.

Undulated Tinamou and Amazonian Umbrellabird can be seen on the walk in (with luck of course) and Castelnau's Antshrike can be heard from a thick stand of reeds (or what I think were reeds from my failing memory) near the trail.  The Lodge proper had nesting Red-bellied Macaws and a Common Potoo which flew over each night.  A colony of Hoatzins is next to the Lodge instead of on the other side of the cocha as at La Selva.  When I was there, they were still searching for Zigzag Heron, Cocha Antshrike, and Long-tailed Potoo which are the big draws at La Selva.

BIRDS OF SACHA LODGE

        2/14:   Travel from Quito; arrival at Sacha around 4pm
        2/15: am: Boat trip up Indillamayacu (other side of Napo)
                pm: Trails behind Sacha Lodge
        2/16: am: Tower & Trails behind Sacha Lodge
                pm: Pilchecocha to River Island via Entrance trail
        2/17: early morning departure (around 7:00)

(*) - indicates birds seen from the tower
(*h) - indicates birds heard only from the tower

Cineroeos Tinamou (h)
Little Tinamou (h)
Undulated Tinamou (h)
Cocoi Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Striated Heron
Cattle Egret
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Rufescent Tiger-Heron
King Vulture
American Black Vulture (*)
Turkey Vulture
Greater Yellow-headed Vulture (*)
Swallow-tailed Kite (*)
Double-toothed Kite
Plumbeous Kite
Slender-billed Kite
Roadside Hawk
Slate-colored Hawk (*)
Ornate Hawk-Eagle (*h)
Black Hawk-Eagle (*h)
Osprey
Black Caracara
Bat Falcon (*)
Speckled Chachalaca
Blue-throated Piping-Guan
Salvin's Curassow
Spotted Sandpiper
Pied Lapwing
Yellow-billed Tern
Scaled Pigeon
Ruddy Pigeon (*)
Plumbeous Pigeon (*h)
Chestnut-fronted Macaw
Red-bellied Macaw (*)
Dusky-headed Parakeet (*)
Maroon-tailed Parakeet
Cobalt-winged Parakeet (*)
Black-headed Parrot (*)
Blue-headed Parrot (*)
Orange-winged Parrot (*)
Mealy Parrot (*)
Squirrel Cuckoo (*)
Greater Ani
Smooth-billed Ani
Hoatzin
Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl
Crested Owl
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
Great Potoo
Gray Potoo
Short-tailed Nighthawk
Gray-rumped Swift (*)
Short-tailed Swift (*)
Fork-tailed Palm-Swift (*)
Pale-tailed Barbthroat
Black-bellied Thorntail (*)
Black-eared Fairy (*)
White-tailed Trogon
Ringed Kingfisher (*)
Amazon Kingfisher
Pygmy Kingfisher
Blue-crowned Motmot
White-eared Jacamar
Great Jacamar (*h)
Black-fronted Nunbird
White-fronted Nunbird (*)
Swallow-wing
Scarlet-crowned Barbet
Black-spotted Barbet (*)
Many-banded Aracari (*)
Lettered Aracari (*)
Ivory-billed Aracari (*)
Yellow-ridged Toucan
Cuvier's Toucan (*)
Chestnut Woodpecker
Yellow-tufted Woodpecker (*)
Crimson-crested Woodpecker (*)
Plain-brown Woodcreeper
Wedge-billed Woodcreeper
Buff-throated Foliage-Gleaner
Great Antshrike
Castelnau's Antshrike
Warbling Antbird
Silvered Antbird
Plumbeous Antbird
White-shouldered Antbird
Black-throated Antbird
Striated Antthrush
Black-faced Antthrush
Rusty-belted Tapaculo (*h)
Spangled Cotinga (*)
White-browed Purpletuft (*)
Screaming Piha (*h)
Bare-necked Fruitcrow (*)
Amazonian Umbrellabird
Golden-headed Manakin
Blue-crowned Manakin
White-bearded Manakin
Dwarf Tyrant-Manakin
Pink-throated Becard (*)
Black-tailed Tityra (*)
Drab Water-Tyrant
Sirystes (*)
Tropical Kingbird (*)
Dusky-chested Flycatcher (*)
Piratic Flycatcher (*)
Boat-billed Flycatcher (*)
Streaked Flycatcher (*)
Gray-capped Flycatcher (*-nesting in tower tree)
Social Flycatcher (*)
Great Kiskadee
Lesser Kiskadee
Rufous Mourner (*)
Dusky-capped Flycatcher (*)
Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher (*)
Mottle-backed Eleania
Ochre-bellied Flycatcher
Violaceous Jay (*)
Black-billed Thrush
Lawrence's Thrush (* - seen for 30 minutes through scope!)
Black-capped Donocobius
White-breasted Wood-Wren
Musician Wren
White-winged Swallow
Gray-breasted Martin
Blue-and-white Swallow
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Blackpoll Warbler (*)
Red-legged Honeycreeper (*)
Green Honeycreeper (*)
Blue Dacnis (*)
Black-faced Dacnis
Swallow-Tanager
Orange-bellied Euphonia (*)
Thick-billed Euphonia (*)
Rufous-bellied Euphonia (*)
Opal-rumped Tanager (*)
Opal-crowned Tanager (*-nesting in tower tree)
Paradise Tanager (*)
Green-and-Gold Tanager (*)
Masked Tanager (*)
Turquoise Tanager (*)
Palm Tanager (*)
Blue-Gray Tanager (*)
Silver-beaked Tanager
Masked Crimson Tanager (*)
Magpie Tanager
Buff-throated Saltator
Red-capped Cardinal
Yellow-browed Sparrow
Rufous-collared Sparrow
Giant Cowbird
Crested Oropendola (*)
Russet-backed Oropendola (*)
Yellow-rumped Cacique (*)
Solitary Cacique
Troupial
Red-breasted Blackbird

Jim Danzenbaker
San Jose, CA
408-264-7582 (408-ANI-SKUA)
jimd@alink.net