BIRDERS HAVE THEIR OWN LINGO. THEY toss around words like gorgets, lores and superciliaries like salt on french fries. Today’s word was mega or mega bird — one you never expected to see. AKA a “Super Lifer.” Yesterday’s Blue-Throated Hillstar was definitely a mega — one we expected to get although ours was the first birding tour to see it.
Yesterday's Mega — Blue-throated Hillstar
Today’s finds were a Chestnut-Bellied Cotinga, recently discovered by local ornithologists. Ours may be the first photographs of the species taken in the wild! Dusan was startled by a pair as he was setting up a location for another mega, the Crescent-Faced Ant Pita. And I’ll be darned if one didn’t show up. It was deep in the bush but he sat long enough for a decent photo.
Crescent-faced Antpitta
Needless to say the mood was buoyant on the long drive to Copalinga. Dusan even forgot about his tummy issues, so much so that our lunch in Loja could have fed more than a dozen. And I hope it has. We are wasting an embarrassing amount of food — sinful in such a poor country.
