Sometimes, a problem can be solved in a very simple manner.
For example, one of my life-list birds was, for many long years, the male Andean cock-of-the-rock. I went on three different birding trips to tropical locales where this bird is located.
On one trip, I saw a female cock-of-the-rock, a rather drab, colorless species, and on two other trips I saw no cock-of-the-rocks at all. Woe was me.
So I was happy when I came across information about a lodge located in a pristine cloud forest in Manu National Park in Ecuador. The lodge had a very encouraging name — Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge.
I immediately divined this might be a good place to search for this elusive bird, and booked a trip.
And so it happened that our group was transported to a breeding lek not far from the lodge, and — my goodness — there were about a dozen blood-red male birds, all with the distinctive Roman helmet crest, and they were dancing around trying to impress a few female birds who looked totally disinterested.
What a sight for me! I was captivated and that experience is still among my all-time favorites in a lifetime of birding.
So take a tip from me. If you want to see a rare and exquisite bird, see if you can find a lodge or hotel named for that bird. If so, there's a very good chance you'll get to see the bird.
I'm currently looking for a Bird of Paradise lodge in Borneo.
