I have to confess that I rarely enjoy birding(观鸟) in montane(山地的) cloud forests. The birds that live in these mountainous, cool and humid habitats are masters of disguise(伪装大师), usually passing themselves off as(把自己伪装成) a leaf or other form of foliage(枝叶). But if I want to see antpittas – elusive(难以捉摸的), ground-dwelling(地栖的) birds that rarely show themselves – then I have no choice.
我得承认，我很少喜欢在山地云雾林中观鸟。生活在这些凉爽潮湿的山区栖息地里的鸟类都是伪装大师，通常把自己伪装成一片叶子或其他枝叶。但如果我想看到蚁鸫——那些行踪诡秘、生活在地面、很少露面的鸟——那我就别无选择。
So, on a cool, cloudy morning my guide, Juan Carlos Crespo, Fredy Ramón Castillo, a local ranger(护林员), and I are standing on a steep, muddy path close to Tapichalaca Lodge(塔皮查拉卡旅舍——乔科蚁鸫的发现地), 2,500 metres above sea level(海拔) in the eastern Andes, waiting for the jocotoco antpitta to emerge from the undergrowth(灌木丛).
于是，在一个凉爽多云的早晨，我和我的向导胡安·卡洛斯·克雷斯波、当地护林员弗雷迪·拉蒙·卡斯蒂略一起，站在安第斯山脉东部海拔2500米的塔皮查拉卡旅舍附近一条陡峭泥泞的小路上，等待乔科蚁鸫从灌木丛中现身。
Fortunately, antpittas have a soft spot for(对……情有独钟) food, especially the large, juicy earthworm(蚯蚓)s Castillo has placed on a low branch nearby. He calls the bird, with increasingly loud and urgent shouts of “venga, venga!” (“come on, come on!”). The minutes tick by(（时间）流逝), until I begin to wonder if this is a lost cause(徒劳之事).
幸运的是，蚁鸫对食物情有独钟，尤其是卡斯蒂略放在附近低矮树枝上的那些又大又多汁的蚯蚓。他呼唤着那只鸟，越来越响亮、越来越急切地喊着“venga，venga！”（“快来，快来！”）。时间一分一秒地过去，我开始怀疑这是不是徒劳一场。