Umbrellas at their best...ECUADOR 3rd Feb '11

Buenaventura: we headed down the trail with light just touching the forest floor as dawn broke. A short way down the low mooing of the Long-wattled Umbrellabird drifted through the half-light to our ears. Our pace quickened... As we reached the spot, a large dark shape with an unfeasibly long wattle swinging below it could be made out in the dim light. More light penetrated the gloom and then two wattleless females dropped in and all hell broke loose. Four different males flapped clumsily into the lek at various times, although one pristine male was having none of it and spent time ensuring his "stage" was his and his alone. Finally he had two subdued looking females all to himself, and he went to town with a performance to cherish. I though I had seen them at their best at this display site before, but since todays show I have had to think again. The wattle was widened and lengthened, and his strange quiffed crest, come hair do was pumped to perfection, giving it a real teddy-boy look like I have never seen before. As that was not enough the male also accentuated all his features to the very interested females by bobbing and mooing loudly while they watched on with fascination. Finally, one female could stand it no more and after being "serenaded" and flapped around for a while she dropped down onto the branch beside the male, mid-moo. However, the male barely seemed to notice and was self-absorbed in its own performance. This just seemed to agitate the female more that resorted to pecking the males neck excitedly. This went on for a time, the male mooed some more and then finally he chased the female into the forest and they were never seen again. What a show, and never before in my five years here have I seen anything like it. My first attendant females, and first show reaching anything like this. Amazing, truly amazing.

More to come from my latest southern soujorn soon...