Before I entered the forest at 06.50 I had seen a bunch of manakins and tanagers plus a Large Elaenia at some fruiting trees and made the decision to walk the Guayaba de la Danta, starting from the Yellow trail. I moved on rather fast to get to the intersection at 800 m - it was fairly quiet anyway. Spot-backed and Black Antbirds were singing, but none of the usual Citron-bellied Attilas or Thrush-like Schiffornises could be heard and tried to be seen.

As I started to walk along the Guayaba de la Danta, things started to move. First, a male Slate-colored Antbird showed itself close but briefly, and then a male Undulated Antshrike popped up from some heavy vegetated understorey. With the help of some pishing I got decent views of this rarity, the only one I´d seen here in 5 weeks! A Blue-cheeked Jacamar came in next, but no Purplish Jacamars seemed to be around the tree where Bret had found a nest hole two weeks earlier. A Southern Nightingale-Wren sung its cicada-like song in the distance. Further ahead, at a stream crossing, a hummingbird hovered and dipped itself into the water several times – another male Gould´s Jewelfront! Wow! What now followed was an invasion of both understorey and canopy flocks that kept me busy for more than an hour. First came an understorey flock, with prizes as Spot-throated Woodcreeper and Wing-barred Piprites (finally seen!), and after that an amazing flock containing i.e. Strong-billed Woodcreeper, Chestnut-winged Foliage-gleaner, Eastern Woodhaunter, Rufous-tailed Xenops, Fasciated Antshrike, Chestnut-shouldered (heard) and Ihering´s Antwrens, Whiskered Flycatcher, Yellow-crested Tanager and White-winged Shrike-Tanager, while a Plain-throated Antwren and a Southern Chestnut-tailed Antbird lurked close to the ground. A Golden-collared Toucanet was calling. This hectic time of the day was completed by yet another flock, with multiple Paradise Tanagers and a Black-bellied Cuckoo. I had not even walked a kilometer of the trail yet!

The time was around ten o´clock when I left the marshy areas and walked up to the top of a ridge. It was a lot more quiet now, but nevertheless I bumped into Rusty-belted Tapaculo (seen well!), Olive-backed Foliage-gleaner and many more. At the 2000 m marking I had splendid views of a Rusty-breasted Nunlet, followed by a White-throated Tinamou just 50 meters ahead. “Wow”, I thought. “This is a pretty good day!” But it was only the beginning…

At the intersection with Onca trail, another canopy flock added Zimmer´s Flatbill and Rufous-rumped Foliage-gleaner. It was first at this point that I decided to make a serious Big Day attempt. White-throated Antbird, Brownish Twistwing and Rufous-tailed Flatbill were ticked off shortly afterwards, and soon I was busy as never before. Within the next hour I saw the following incredible mix of species: Variegated Tinamou (!), Ruddy Quail-Dove, Bar-breasted Piculet, Yellow-throated and Scale-breasted Woodpeckers, Cinnamon-rumped Foliage-gleaner (heard), Short-billed Leaftosser, Yellow-browed and Black-faced Antbirds, Double-banded Pygmy-Tyrant, Pink-throated Becard and Lemon-chested Greenlet. Oh, and also this Lined Forest-Falcon discovered by a slight pumping of its tail and seen extraordinary well!

I entered the Várzea trail around 12.30. Would there be any birds here during the middle of the day? Absolutely! I quickly ran into a flock which held Speckled Spinetail, Ocellated Woodcreeper, Curve-billed Scythebill, loads of Spot-winged Antshrikes, Dot-winged Antwren, Amazonian Streaked-Antwren, Snethlage´s Tody-Tyrant and Gray-crowned Flatbill. Shortly afterwards a handsome Gray-headed Kite flew by and perched nicely close to the trail! Near the pools I found both Band-tailed Antbird and Leaden Antwren, as well as Lesser Kiskadee. A Crowned Slaty-Flycatcher was the last new species before I headed for the restaurant 13.20.

At 13.45 I took place on top of the tower to search for raptors and swifts. I ended up reasonably well, seeing Osprey, Plumbeous Kite, Sick´s Swift and Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift, as well as a male Black-faced Dacnis.

At 14.30 I walked to the community where I could add Spotted Sandpiper, Black-capped Donacobius, White-banded Swallow, Glittering-throated Emerald and some others. Numerous White-necked Jacobins and Purple Honeycreepers could be studied exceptionally well at flowering trees (pink), and a Needle-billed Hermit was so close that I could actually enjoy the refreshing gust of wind from its wingbeats! I was sweating like a pig…

By 15.40 I had reached the Peninsula, but I moved quickly to bird the beginning of the Piranha trail to try to see a few more várzea species. I only stopped for a female Blue-tailed Emerald. I could then add Striped Woodcreeper, Amazonian Antshrike and a few more, before birding the peninsula. Nothing unusual here; Ladder-tailed Nightjar, Pectoral and Solitary Sandpipers, Collared Plover, Large-billed and Yellow-billed Terns, Rusty-backed Spinetail and Yellow-hooded Blackbird and so on. A Cinnamon Attila was heard and a Purple Gallinule flushed. It was getting late now. My last effort was put in the Enramada clearing where I added Vermilion Flycatcher, Masked Tityra and Band-tailed Nighthawk, and by nightfall Tropical Screech-Owl, Pauraque and Common Potoo were heard in the Lodge clearing. The question now was: How many species did I get?

I ended up with an amazing 195 species. Had I only started a bit earlier and been focused from the beginning I would no doubt have passed 200, especially considering that my “big misses” included species such as Black-fronted Nunbird, Ringed Kingfisher, Grayish Mourner and Bright-rumped Attila. I actually became somewhat obsessed by the idea of passing 200 species, so four days later I made another Big Day attempt. This day started amazingly well, but it fell on poor várzea birding. The result? 191 species. A single flock in the várzea could have been enough, and heavy rains in early September made conditions unfavorable for a final attempt…