Hallelujah! I get to spend a week in lowland rainforest at the wonderful Sani Lodge, located adjacent to Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park! I leave on October 31st, flying first to Quito, and then heading to the lodge by way of Coca and the Rio Napo. I’ll be gathering binaural soundscapes to be used in a movie about bird biodiversity and conservation. What’s more, I’ll be accompanied by my good friend Carl Gerhardt, a well-known frog research biologist who is now a budding film-maker. We plan to have a jolly good time!

I’m actually part of a scouting team that will scope out possibilities at the lodge. At a later time this winter (not their winter), a team of crack birders will arrive and do a “big day” bird count which will be documented by the cinematographers. The movie will not only cover bird biodiversity, but will also address conservation issues such as oil extraction and logging.

The Ecuadorian rainforest is the most biologically diverse in the world. As pointed out in a recent blog post by team member Kevin Siegert, “2,274 species of trees and bushes have been identified, over 550 birds species are on the Sani Bird List, making it one of the highest lists in the world. 80 species of bats, the second highest number ever registered. 105 species of amphibians, 83 of reptiles, 64 species of social sting-less bees, also a world record in this group. 100,000 species of insects per hectare, again the greatest number of species of any place ever studied.”

I am so excited about the trip! There is wireless at Sani Lodge, so I’m hoping it will be fast enough to post some of the results … at least text and photos, but hopefully also some sound recordings. I’m also buying a brand new iPhone (maybe even the XS Max), with the idea that I will do some V-logging as well.

My return date is November 10. At that time, I’ll drum up a blog post or two and maybe even a podcast featuring recordings from my trip. So please stay tuned!

Sani Lodge, here I come!

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