 Thrush-like Antpittas are quite common here in Kabalebo. But, it is a bird that you seldom see but quite often hear. A couple of years ago I recorded one antpitta's call and used that as a playback. The result: one shy bird looking through some vegetation. I managed to only capture its upper body. Here, I heard the same kind of antpitta and used a different sound. I had to wait for quite a while because this bird wasn't given in. Suspicious and curious at the same time. Just when I was about to give up, this little bird came out in the open. There it was, facing me and fully exposed for a short amount of time.
I was so surprised of the result and wasn't expecting this, so anxious and excited at once I took this picture. My hands were shaking to tell you the least. An encounter that I surely won't forget so easily. One of the best thing that I like about working and living in the interior of Kabalebo, is being able to experience how nature 'awakes' every morning. The 'unfamiliar' sounds coming from out of the dense vegetation, gives the jungle its 'mysterious' atmosphere. I remember that in 2005 I heard for the first time the Red Howler Monkeys calling early in the morning. I was camping out with some friends. Back then I didn't have a clue what nature was all about, let alone recognize the calls of Howler Monkeys. Their call surely gave me the goose bumps. I didn't sleep during the whole stay. Nowadays I am anxious and curious of trying to find out where the call is coming from and who is responsible for the 'excitement'. And to lure the 'culprit' out of its hiding place, I am armed with an audio - recorder, ready to record the 'unfamiliar' sound..... trying to solve the mysterious calls. On July 14, 2014 I was successful in 'discovering' the Thrush-like Antpitta (Myrmothera campanisona). A common bird that walks like a small rail* through thick undergrowth, difficult to see but often heard. It was my lucky day as the Antpitta was close by making it easy for me to record its sound and also trying to lure it out of the dense interior. After 2 hours of playing the recording over and over again, my patience was finally rewarded ..... the Thrush-like Antpitta came out of its hiding place. Standing on a fallen log it repeatedly responded to the playback recording. I felt like the luckiest person alive. The 'meet-and-greet' only lasted for a couple of minutes as it continued its journey, leaving a very satisfied person (me) behind. * Rail |rāl|noun: a secretive bird with drab gray and brown plumage, typically having a long bill and found in dense waterside vegetation.[Family Rallidae (the rail family): several genera, esp. Rallus, and numerous species. The rail family also includes the crakes, gallinules, moorhens, and coots.] 
Thrush-like Antpitta (Myrmothera campanisona) - it has funny looking legs, but I wasn't able to capture that in the picture.
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