After returning from the outlying station of CM2 at CICRA to the main station, I decided to go it alone and walk another trail I had not walked there. Apart from being taunted by my nemesis bird, Black-spotted Bare-eye once again, which failed to show, there was relatively little action until I bumped into my lifer Varzea Schiffornis. Or I should say, when a Varzea Schiffornis almost bumped into me. It shot in so fast to playback of its call, I am sure I lost a few hairs in the process! Better still though was walking into a Bartlett's Tinamou casually walking along the trail a short time before dusk. I decided to follow it off trail, and being clever I took a compass bearing to ensure I did not get lost. Being not so clever, I left my backpack with head torch safely concealed inside, just off the trail. After enjoying close-ups of "Bart" again I decided to return to the trail again, only for me to realize that it was by now so dark I was having trouble reading my compass. If only I had that flashlight I left safely on the trail. Ironically, I needed the flashlight, to find the flashlight! After a 20 minute period of panic, I calmed, realized I must be close to the trail and decided after one final effort I would park myself and wait for the search party, which I knew would arrive to my red-faced realization I was extremely near the trail that I just could not see, in what was now, total darkness. My final effort paid off and I walked straight into my bag, and quickly regained my composure, and was thankful I did not require a search party to save me from my own stupidity. At night I could not resist heading out with Rich Hoyer for the chance of a nightbird or some frogs, (a growing obsession of mine). Result: Frogs 2 nightbirds 0
More from Peru on the way...
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