NORTHERN ECUADOR
19th - 27th November 2005
Leader: Sam Woods (sam@tropicalbirding.com)
Participants: Kerry Harrison & John Mortemore
Giant Antpitta,
Mindo (Sam Woods)
| Itinerary: | ||
| 19 November | ARRIVAL, transfer to Tandayapa Bird Lodge. Tandayapa Valley. | Night Tandayapa Bird Lodge. |
| 20 November | AM Mindo & Upper Tandayapa Valley. | PM Old Nono-Mindo road. Night Tandayapa Bird Lodge. |
| 21 November | AM- PM Milpe & Los Bancos. | PM Upper Tandayapa Valley. Night Tandayapa Bird Lodge. |
| 22 November | Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Pedro Vicente Maldonado. | Night Tandayapa Bird Lodge. |
| 23 November | Lower Tandayapa Valley. | Night Tandayapa Bird Lodge. |
| 24 November | AM-PM Yanacocha | Calacali. Night Quito |
| 25 November | AM Antisana | PM Papallacta. Night Guango. |
| 26 November | AM Papallacta. | PM San Isidro. Night Cabanas San Isidro. |
| 27 November | AM San Isidro. | PM Papallacta & travel back to Quito. Night Quito, end of tour. |
Kerry
and John arrived, both 'old hands' with plenty of experience in the Neotropics.
This made my life easier as they were familiar with many of the birds, although
they turned up armed with a mean list of birds to work on. However, with good
views of both Giant Antpitta and Yellow-breasted Antpitta, Tanager
Finch and Yellow-collared Chlorophonia in the northwest, Giant
Conebills and Rufous-bellied Seedsnipes & Masked Mountain-Tanagers
in the highlands and many other good birds in the east they left with a few
new birds to keep them happy!
19 November
After a long,
exhausting flight Kerry and John arrived at Tandayapa
Bird Lodge happy to relax with welcome drinks on the balcony and watch
the busy hummingbird feeders. It was not long before some of the 'wanted'
species turned up with some of the regular Chocó endemics coming into
the feeders, including Empress Brilliant, Western Emerald, Violet-tailed
Sylph and the absurdly cute Booted Racket-tail. A very brief look
out over the tree tops at the lower deck at the lodge found us watching one
of the regular pair of Golden-headed Quetzals that had been coming
into the fruiting trees there, and soon after we headed to the mist-shrouded
cloudforests in the Upper Tandayapa Valley (altitude 2300m), where we soon
picked up new birds with a few Green-and-Black Fruiteaters, Barred Becard,
Rufous-chested Tanager, and best of all a Chestnut-crowned Antpitta
perched inconspicuously at the roadside.
20
November
With rumors of a ridiculously tame pair of Giant Antpittas circulating
around Tandayapa I went to check out this new place near Mindo a few days
before the tour to see if there was any truth to the talk. Having confirmed
they were genuine I bated John and Kerry with idea of seeing these birds and
not surprisingly they jumped at the chance. On reaching the finca Angel met
us with his spade and we soon went on down the trail to find.... no sign of
the Antpittas! He did not seem bothered by this, and instructed us to wait
while he dug up some worms for them. A short time later he returned with a
Giant Antpitta following eagerly behind (Angel calling and talking
to it all the while-this really has to be seen to be believed!) We were then
treated to the site of this rarely seen bird feeding on worms (sometimes out
of his hand), within a few feet of us, and we also managed to see the other
half of the pair later (which was also equally obliging). It really was an
incredible birding experience which will live long in the memory and long
may they continue to please the birders that are coming to enjoy this unique
opportunity to see these rare birds at very close quarters. You'd think that
would have been enough for any day although a short time later we searched
for and found a calling Yellow-breasted Antpitta closeby. Another rarely
encountered Chocó endemic, which also stunned us by coming into feed
on Angel's worms within feet of the attendant Giant Antpitta (this really
is a very special place), which was the first time Angel had seen this species
taking advantantage of the easy meal. The day and trip could only go downhill
from there!
Giant Antpitta
(and some of Angel's 'magic' worms), Mindo (Sam Woods)
However we then encountered a good flock of birds in the Tandayapa Valley
on the return journey which included the much - requested Toucan Barbet
(an absurdly bright, multicolored Chocó endemic) as well as another
restricted range species - Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager in addition
to the attractive Plushcap in a mixed flock with Striped Treehunter
amongst others. A close perched Black-and-Chestnut Eagle later
was another target species for Kerry. A pair of Slaty-backed Chat-Tyrants
performed well along the old Nono-Mindo road later in the day which ended
well with a close perched Swallow-tailed Nightjar at dusk in the Upper
Valley.
21
November
A trip down to the foothills near the town of Los Bancos was taken in order
to visit the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation's
Milpe Bird Sanctuary.
At a lower elevation to anywhere visited before on the tour (1100m) the new
birds soon came thick and fast. Soon after arrival on the forest trail we
enjoyed some great views of Club-winged Manakin, one of Milpe's star
birds and arguably northwest Ecuador's most distinctive and impressive manakin,
(not least for the bizarre, mechanical sound produced by rubbing their wings
together at high speed when displaying).
Club-winged
Manakin, Milpe (Sam Woods)
Other interesting birds seen included a male Esmeraldas Antbird that creeped in close to us, Pale-mandibled Aracari, Chocó Toucan, Rufous-throated & Ochre-breasted Tanagers, Collared & Chocó Trogons (first seen when 'attacked' by a nearby Rufous Motmot), unforgettable views of gaudy Yellow-collared Chlorophonias as we were leaving, and an Emerald Tanager was seen coming into fruit at a nearby restaurant where the feeders continue to attract an array of tanagers and other frugivores. A few stops en-route back to the lodge along the Tandayapa Valley produced our only Velvet-Purple Coronets of the trip (surely one of Ecuador's finest hummers and another Chocó specialty to add to the growing list), Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan (although not new for anyone, we simply had to watch this awesome bird), Pale-vented Thrush and Rufous-bellied Nighthawk and Band-winged Nightjar were both seen well at dusk.
Chocó Trogon,
Milpe (Sam Woods)
22
November
An early departure found us at Pedro Vicente Maldonado shortly after dawn,
scouring the remaining lowland forest patches (altitude around 500m) for the
many great birds found there. Although the area has been heavily deforested
in recent years there are still many good birds to be found there, not least
the highly-desired Scarlet-breasted Dacnis, a pair of which greeted
us on arrival at the new Mindo
Cloudforest Foundation, Rio
Silanche Bird Sanctuary. This day was largely about colorful feeding flocks
with many differing species in some of the flocks - Dusky-faced, Tawny-crested,
Scarlet-browed, Gray-and-Gold & Rufous-winged Tanagers (mixing with
the much commoner Bay-headed Tanagers) were found in some and
Dot-winged, Checker-throated & Pacific Antwrens in others.
The new 20m-high canopy tower in the new reserve was useful for searching
through some of these. However it was not all neck-breaking stuff as we also
walked some of the new trails and picked up some of the ground skulkers such
as Stripe-throated Wren and Chestnut-backed & Dusky Antbirds,
in addition to absolutely cracking views of Ruddy Foliage-gleaner
(a bird more usually known for its ability to avoid being seen well). Other
good birds included a pair of obliging Barred Puffbirds by the roadside
giving their mournful calls.
Barred
Puffbird, Pedro Vicente Maldonado (Sam Woods)
Other (no less interesting) species recorded included Black-striped Woodcreeper, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Orange-fronted Barbet (another Chocó specialty), and a tiny Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant was seen perched conveniently beside the new canopy tower, before we headed back to the lodge.
23
November
We spent the morning walking some of Tandayapa Bird Lodge's trails looking
for some of the special Subtropical forest birds there - soon after leaving
we managed to find the pair of hoped-for Ochre-breasted Antpittas at
a known territory, the birds perching up in the trees allowing us all good
looks at this cute member of this normally skulking bird family. A small feeding
flock of ground birds found a short time later contained the other of our
main target birds around the lodge - the stunning Rufous-breasted Antthrush
walking close to the trail with its strange chicken-like gait, feeding in
the presence of an Immaculate Antbird and the normally elusive
Narino Tapaculo. The antthrush is undoubtedly one of Tandayapa's star
birds and luckily for most visitors, also one of its most reliable. A Scaled
Antpitta put in a brief appearance on the trail a short time later, as
did the Wedge-billed Hummingbird at a lek along the trails, while Plain
Antvireo and Uniform Anthsrike were also found in some of the small
mixed flocks along there. Some other birds which were added to the trip list
on the day included White-tipped Swift, Barred Hawk soaring
overhead and Sickle-winged Guan.
24
November
En-route back to Quito for the end of the next stage of the tour, we spent
some time at the Fundación Jocotoco
reserve at Yanacocha. A wide open trail cuts through polylepis and elfin temperate
forest there (altitude = 3400m), and the clear day gave us some great views
of the surrounding Andean hills. The hummingbird feeders dotted along the
trails were the main attraction for much of the morning as some of the species
were new to Kerry at least (John having been here before), including both
Sapphire-vented & Golden-breasted Puffleg and Rainbow-beared Thornbill.
Despite the fact both John and Kerry had both come across Sword-billed
Hummingbirds previously they were undoubtedly still impressed by the great
views of this superb bird with its impossible-looking bill. Bar-bellied
Woodpeckers were encountered several times along the trail as were Stripe-headed
Brush-finches, Crowned Chat-Tyrants, Black-chested Mountain-Tanagers
and several brilliant Barred Fruiteaters were very welcome as new birds
for both in the group. Unfortunately the Undulated Antpitta perched
unobtrusively on the trailside eluded some of us, before we departed to the
some high Andean desert scrub near to the town of Calacali where we added
the highly localised White-tailed Shrike-Tyrant and Golden-rumped
Euphonia and enjoyed further views of cute Tufted Tit-Tyrants,
before we retired to a quaint hotel in Quito for the night.
25
November
Dawn found us at Antisana in the the high Andes amongst classic scenery -
vast open paramo grasslands surrounded by the high Andean peaks of Volcan
Antisana and Cotopaxi, interspersed with scenic montane lakes. These lakes
gave us some of the waterbirds typical of these extreme altitudes (4000m)
- Andean Lapwings, Silvery Grebes, Andean Ruddy Ducks and Andean
Teal, while majestic Andean Condors glided overhead. Although we
saw a female Ecuadorian Hillstar soon after arriving we decided to
check out the feeders by the hacienda to look for the far more impressive
male and were soon rewarded with the sight of one loafing near to the feeders,
that gave us great views of this cracking little hummer.
Volcan Antisana
(Sam Woods)
Searching through the bands of birds feeding by the roadside produced the Paramo Pipit that John had requested and the Paramo Ground-tyrant that Kerry had, while Streak-backed Canasteros were lured out of the grass to give good views singing from the tops of the stunted bushes found up there on the paramo. Although both John and Kerry had previously seen the species, they both seemed to appreciate more views of a close Black-faced Ibis, while a pair of Aplomado Falcons that swooped down in front of the van were hard to miss as were the countless Carunculated Caracaras as far as the eye could see, feeding on the roadside paramo. With all the requested species seen by midmorning (plus some much-appreciated views of previously seen birds) we headed to the wetter paramo and polylepis woodlands around the pass at Papallacta (altitude = 4000m). A short climb in the van a further 200m above the pass saw us searching for the enigmatic Rufous-bellied Seedsnipes that despite the brilliant clear weather gave us the run around for a while before we came across a pair quietly feeding between where Kerry and I were standing which allowed us some great views.
Rufous-bellied
Seedsnipe, Papallacta (Sam Woods)
Other
birds seen around the pass included Tawny Antpitta, Viridian Metaltail,
Blue-mantled Thornbill, White-chinned Thistletail, Many-striped Canastero
and Andean Tit-Spinetail before we headed to the beautiful setting
of Guango lodge, our base for the night. The day was not over however as the
hummingbird feeders there were alive with birds getting their final feed before
dark, luckily for us this frenzy involved some good ones including Glowing
Puffleg and better still, a Mountain Avocetbill (a scarcely seen
hummer).
26
November
After a great Guango breakfast (arranged early to prepare us for a dawn start),
we found ourselves overlooking a stand of distinctive polylepis trees near
the pass. Soon after the trees livened up when the hoped-for flock passed
by containing some of the special birds we were looking for - such as Black-backed
Bush-Tanagers and a pair of Giant Conebills (a real Polylepis specialist),
were seen perched out on the top of the trees singing in the early morning
sun, undoubtedly our main target for the morning. It was a relief to get this
bird so early in the morning and birding in another polylepis patch brought
us more prolonged views of a different pair later on. We also spent some further
time at the Guango feeders and picked up a Gorgeted Woodstar, the only
hummer we had missed the previous evening, along with some of the other regular
east-slope species there like Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Long-tailed
Sylph and Tourmaline Sunangel. We then headed to Cabañas
San Isidro, for the last night of the tour. We arrived with time for some
afternoon birding encountering Bronzy Inca (the eastern 'equivalent'
of Brown Inca seen in the west) and many other birds in some lively flocks
there including Rufous Spinetail, Long-tailed Antbird, Ash-colored
& Unicolored Tapaculos, Sulphur-bellied Tyrannulet, Rufous-breasted
Flycatcher, Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher, Pale-edged Flycatcher,
Canada Warbler and Golden-collared Honeycreeper.
Rufous-crowned
Tody-Flycatcher (Sam Woods)
27
November
A morning
at San Isidro before departure back to Quito was rewarding with Equatorial
Rufous-vented Tapaculo seen well on the trails there along with Tyrannine
Woodcreeper, more Sulphur-bellied Tyrannulets (for those who missed
it previously), Ashy-headed Tyrannulet, unmistakable Saffron-crowned
Tanagers in the feeding flocks there, Crested Quetzal, White-throated
Quail-dove and typically brief views of a White-bellied Antpitta.
We then headed back towards Quito after some more great San Isidro food, stopping
briefly to search a known area for Torrent Ducks and in spite of the
group of noisy people on the river edge we still managed to find a pair of
these distinctive Andean ducks sitting quietly at the edge of this scenic
mountain stream. We then decided to make a brief stop en-route back in an
area of elfin forest near to Papallacta to search for some last missing species
before the light would force us back to Quito. On reaching the stunted forest
there we soon came across a flock containing more Black-backed Bush-Tanagers
and the bird we were looking for - a fine, butch Masked Mountain-Tanager
which perched for a long time at the top of one of the short bushes there
so we could all get cracking views of this rarely encountered tanager. There
was still time to get one last high Andean target before we headed back for
the end of the tour when we heard a calling Paramo Tapaculo nearby
which although typically elusive did allow us several good close views when
it came within a few feet of us. We then proceeded back to Ecuador's capital
for the end of the tour.
Masked Mountain-Tanager,
Papallacta (Sam Woods)
SPECIES LIST
|
The taxonomy and nomenclature of this list follow: Ridgely, Robert & Greenfield, Paul. The Birds of Ecuador: Field Guide. 2001. Ithica, NY: Comstock Publishing. All species listed below were seen by at least one person in the group. Birds marked with an H were only heard. Birds in RED are Chocó endemics as listed by Ridgely & Greenfield in the field guide. TINAMOUS
Tinamidae GREBES
Podicipedidae CORMORANTS
AND SHAGS Phalacrocoracidae DUCKS,
GEESE, AND SWANS Anatidae HERONS,
BITTERNS, AND EGRETS Ardeidae IBISES
& SPOONBILLS Threskiornithidae AMERICAN
VULTURES Cathartidae CURASSOWS,
GUANS, CHACHALACAS Cracidae NEW
WORLD QUAILS Odontophoridae PLOVERS
& LAPWINGS Charadriidae GULLS
AND TERNS Laridae TAPACULOS
Rhinocryptidae |