[Posted by Chuck Almdale]

Femi Faminu, who frequently birds with us (and without us) at Malibu Lagoon, recently returned in June 2024 to Ecuador for some more northwest Amazonian Basin birding, specifically at the excellent La Selva (“the forest”) Lodge on the Rio Napo, designed and operated with the birding aficionado in mind. Not only do they serve you “fluffy white stuff” for dessert three times a day, but they supply Wellie-style rubber boots. You will need rubber boots.

This film includes a few zoom-in shots wherein whatever is hiding among the twigs and leaves is finally revealed. The long narrow watercraft is typical transportation for these long, sometimes narrow waterways.

At the end of the video is her phylogenetically-sequenced trip list which includes 219 species: ten woodpeckers including the diminutive piculet, 25 Ant-“thingies,” 5 cotingas, 24 tyrant flycatchers, but I’m sorry to say only 21 tanagers, leaving another 371 neotropic tanagers unseen. Yes, there are that many tanagers, not just the one, two or maybe as many as three in your neighborhood, and most of them in stunning colors. Femi’s all-too-brief YouTube photo & video film is as enjoyable as always.

If you go here https://www.youtube.com/@femif9792 you can see her other films.

La Selva Ecolodge is conveniently located a bit downriver from a town with an airport so you don’t have to traverse the Andes on elephant-back or hauling an ocean-going sailboat.

Over the Andes and over the forest, to Rio Napo they go.