16th October
The northwestern part of the tour started at Yanacocha, a Fundación Jocotoco reserve. Lying at around 3500m on the flanks of Volcán Pichincha, this area of elfin Polylepis forest seems a world away from Quito, although the stunning, aerial views of the city from there betray its close proximity to Ecuador's capital. After only a short drive we were getting our first taste of some of the high altitude birds expected there, although the Paramo Pipit along the entrance track is more normally associated with the paramo grasslands of higher altitudes still. A walk along the wide, open reserve trail, through the temperate forest produced good prolonged views of a brilliant male Barred Fruiteater and all the possible Chat-Tyrants in the area-with Brown-backed, Crowned & Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant all putting in an appearance. It was nice to 'complete the set' with a number of great views of the stunning Slaty-backed Chat-Tyrant alongside a scenic Andean mountain stream later in the day. The hummingbirds were typically well-appreciated at Yanacocha with Golden-breasted & Sapphire-vented Pufflegs seen well at the well-placed feeders along the trail, in addition to Shining Sunbeams and a Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, although the Sword-billed Hummingbirds stole the show for many, due in no small part to their impossibly cumbersome looking bill (the largest bill to body size of any bird in the World). The flocks seemed largely quiet until a crazy flock during lunch (they always know how to pick the most appropriate moments!) produced the undoubted star of the day - a pair of Giant Conebills, that performed well by the reserve car park, in company with Buff-breasted, Scarlet-bellied & Black-chested Mountain-Tanagers, allowing everyone great views of this charasmatic, Polylepis-specialist. Our journey to Tandayapa Bird Lodge involved a number of stops along the old Nono-Mindo road, a well-known birding area in its own right. These stops proved very rewarding - a pair of the much-requested White-capped Dippers were watched feeding in the rushing mountain stream, while the Chestnut-crowned Antpitta perched in the open at close range at the edge of the same river was much less predictable and very well appreciated by all (it is not everyday that you get great views of a bird from that typically-elusive family). The day ended in style with our traditional stop at the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek on the way back to the lodge. The birds did not dissapoint with 2-3 dazzling red males watched displaying in the tops of trees and when the action died down our attentions were drawn to the calls of several Beautiful Jays across the valley. Thankfully (and with a little resourceful use of a recording), the birds were soon lured across to our side of the valley, where the excellent views left no-one in any doubt why they were given their well-deserved name. We then retired to Tandayapa Bird Lodge, a beautiful setting and a great base for the next four nights of the tour.

17th October
Day 2 saw us heading out onto the Tanadayapa Bird Lodge trails after a pre-dawn breakfast. After seeing the regular Streak-capped Treehunter around the lodge at first light, we headed out onto the lodge trail system, set at around 1700-1900m amongst lush, subtropical forest. The early start brought the hoped-for reward of a stunning Rufous-breasted Antthrush feeding on the trail soon after. Thankfully the bird had chosen a well-lit part of the trail so that everyone could appreciate the colors and characteristic shape of this great bird. The trails also produced Golden-headed Quetzal, Slaty Antwren, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Masked Trogon, Red-headed Barbet and best of all (although perhaps not for color) Olivaceous Piha - a Tandayapa regular, although generally a scarce bird elsewhere. In late morning we sat down to view one of Tandayapa Bird Lodge's most famous sights - the dizzying, action-packed hummingbird feeders on the terrace there. We added many new species including some Chocó specialities such as Violet-tailed Sylph, Brown Inca and Purple-bibbed Whitetip, although everyone seemed more impressed (and I can completely understand why), with the diminutive and unbelievably cute Booted Racket-tails, which were there by the dozen. After a satisfying Tandayapa lunch we then headed to the upper end of the Tandayapa Valley to explore the birds of Upper Subtropical forests. The increase in altitude to around 2300m, brings with it a whole new set of birds, not least the highly-desired Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, a spectacular Chocó endemic that graces the cover of the Ecuador field guide. After initially being uncharacteristically shy, a pair of these amazing toucans soon put on a good show for us all. The day ended with some good nightbirding in the Upper Valley where both Rufous-bellied Nighthawk and Swallow-tailed Nightjar both showed well, the latter for photos.

18th October
The third day of the tour saw us heading down in altitude (1100m), to an area of foothill cloudforest on the outskirts of Los Bancos, where the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation have recently established the Milpe Bird Sanctuary, centred within the Chocó Endemic Bird Area. Arguably the highlight of the day was one of these Chocó speciliaties, the Club-winged Manakin, which was seen soon after arriving on the reserve. As we walked towards the start of the forest trail their bizarre display 'song' could be heard well before we entered the forest. This unforgettable metallic sound that is made when lekking has recently been found to be produced completely by the mechanical action of rubbing their secondaries together at high-speed, thus making this distinctive manakin unique amongst birds in that it does not have a verbal song, only a mechanically produced one. We were treated to close range views of several displaying males, and were privelaged to be able to watch them leaning forward and holding their wings up high over their backs to reveal the brilliant white-wing flashes, while making their strange mechanical sound. Other Chocó speciliaties seen around Milpe, included the normally secrtetive Esmeraldas Antbird, (that on this occasion decided to ignore the rulebook and pose out in the open for all of us), Rufous-throated Tanagers in a mixed flock along with Ochre-breasted Tanagers and Chocó Warblers. Two sighings of Chocó Trogons were welcome as was the fine male Guayaquil Woodpecker and a Rufous Motmot was also seen along the road there. The hummingbird feeders by the reserve HQ were as busy as ever, with White-whiskered Hermits, Green-crowned Brilliants and Green-crowned Woodnymphs a permanent fixture there during a lunch break for us there, and the striking Purple-crowned Fairy was also seen on the Milpe reserve. We headed back to Tandayapa along the old Nono-Mindo road adding some other new species including Streaked Tuftedcheek and Green-and-Black Fruiteater and also enjoyed further views of Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan (which are always appreciated).

19th October
On this day we decided to spend some further time searching the Upper Tandayapa Valley for some of the species we were missing. A small roadside flock early on gave us some great views of Rufous-crowned Tody-flycatcher, and a small flock of Lesser Goldfinches a short time later were the only ones seen on the tour. Another beautiful hummingbird, the Gorgeted Sunangel, a Chocó species more normally encountered up at the top end of the valley was added to others we had seen around the lodge earlier on the tour. Although the undoubted star bird of the day was the pair of multi-colored Toucan Barbets that gave great views on the Tandayapa Ridge, another Chocó specialty, and quite simply a fantastic bird. Other good birds seen up on the ridge included a soaring Hook-billed Kite, Masked Trogon, a White-throated Quail-Dove was seen well feeding on the ground, while Western Hemispingus and Dusky Bush-Tanagers (both Chocó endemics), Plushcap and Grass-Green Tanagers were seen in some of the mixed flocks up there. A lunch break around Tandayapa Bird Lodge was productive, adding White-winged Brush-Finch to the list, after we saw one feeding on their fruit feeders and a pair of Rufous-winged Tyrannulets were also watched feeding around the lodge, while a male Empress Brilliant (another Chocó endemic) made several welcome visits to the hummingbird feeders on the terrace. In the afternoon we spent some time on the trails close to the lodge, which paid off as Lynne informed us she had just seen a small party of Dark-backed Wood-Quails during the lunch break along there, which amazingly were still present when we searched for them later. Our first Immaculate Antbirdof the trip was also encountered soon after, when a fine male gave good, close views, and prolonged views of a pair of Golden-headed Quetzals were also appreciated, while the day closed with a pair of Plain Antvireos by the bird hide.

20th October
Our last full day in the northwest was spent birding the patches of lower foothill forest near to the town of Pedro Vicente Maldonado. The drop in altitude to 500m brought us a load of new species for the trip, with good roadside birding and also on the new Mindo Cloudforest Foundation Río Silanche Bird Sanctuary. The foundation were prompted to purchase this land as the forest along there has been rapidly depleted in recent years and thankfully with this much-needed project now up-and-running they hope to keep some of the special species there for birders to enjoy for many years to come. Despite the deforestation there are still many, many good birds in the area and we enjoyed a classic action-packed day down there, with flock after flock alongside the road and on the new reserve. The mixed flocks held many tanagers species with Emerald, Gray-and-Gold (both Chocó speciliaties), Guira, Silver-throated, Blue-necked, Golden-hooded, Bay-headed, Lemon-rumped, White-shouldered, Blue-gray and Swallow Tanagers all seen on the reserve. A flock encountered at the start of the day produced a pair of Scarlet-breasted Dacnises and it was nice to get this highly-sought after endemic 'under-the-belt' so early in the day. Other species encountered in the mixed flocks included Orange-fronted Barbet (another Chocó specialty), Purple & Green Honeycreepers and Blue & Yellow-tufted Dacnises and the scarce Slate-throated Gnatcatcher. Buff-rumped Warblers were seen typically hopping from boulder to boulder along one of the forest streams along the road there. The day was filled largely with mixed canopy flocks, although the undergrowth skulkers were not forgotten however, and we had some good views of Black-headed Antthrush and Stripe-throated Wren on the reserve and also saw a pair of Southern Nightingale-Wrens in a forest patch alongside the road. With no feeders at present at Río Silanche (feeders are planned for the future), meant that hummingbirds inevitably took a back seat, although we did manage to add Purple-chested Hummingbird, Violet-bellied Hummingbird, Stripe-throated Hermit and Band-tailed Barbthroat to the already burgeoning hummingbird list for the trip. Other interesting birds seen included a male Blue-crowned Manakin feeding in a fruiting tree close to the road, with White-bearded Manakin was also recorded, although these were both eclipsed by the stunning pair of Rose-faced Parrots (a rare Chocó endemic) perched close by in a fruiting tree on the reserve. Other species seen on this bird-filled day included several Purple-Throated Fruitcrows, a party of 7 Pale-mandibled Aracaris, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Broad-billed Motmot, Western White-tailed Trogon, White-whiskered Puffbird, great views of a Bright-rumped Attila, Dusky Antbird, several sightings of Checker-throated Antwrens, Western Woodhaunter, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher and a Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant (which aside from the hummingbirds, is the smallest bird in the World). It was a long day, after the necessary early start, but was well worth it and a very nice last full days birding in the northwest.

21st October
This was largely a transfer day to Sacha Amazonian lodge, although I decided to sneak in some extra birding at Calacali, on the way back from Tandayapa to Quito airport for the onward journey. After adding a few more species around the lodge as we left (including White-winged Becard and Marble-faced Bristle-Tyrant) we headed for the dry, arid upland scrub of Calacali, just a short stop off the main road to Quito. It was a very worthwhile stop as we added a number of species, many of which are not possible elsewhere on the tour, including the hoped-for White-tailed Shrike-Tyrant (a very localised species), Spot-billed Ground-Tyrant, Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch, Common Ground-Dove, White-throated Hawk (an austral migrant) and Golden-rumped Euphonia. I bid the group a temporary farewell as they left for Sacha where their guide for this section of the trip - Oscar Tapuay - met them at Coca Airport, the gateway to the Amazon. Some good birds were seen on the way into Sacha, and in the short time in the afternoon there after arrival, including Ladder-tailed Nightjar and Boat-billed Heron.

22nd-25th October
NB. These days at Sacha Lodge were guided by Oscar Tapuay.
4 full days around Sacha Lodge in the Amazon produced some great birds. The canopy tower and walkway gave good opportunties to view some normally difficult to see canopy species such as Plum-throated, Spangled & Purple-throated Cotingas, the 'cute' White-browed Purpletuft, Bare-necked Fruitcrow, Screaming Piha (which posesses arguably the most distinctive voice of any bird in all tropical forests) and Purplish Jacamar as well as some very rarely seen raptors including Crested Eagle and White Hawk, in addition to a number of brightly-colored species such as Turquoise, Masked Crimson, Opal-rumped & Opal-crowned Tanagers, Yellow-bellied Dacnis and Moriche Oriole. Cruising the atmospheric blackwater creeks in a small canoe produced some of the most highly sought-after birds in the Amazon, with several views of both Sungrebe and Agami Heron. Some time was spent searching the nearby river islands for the specialist species found there with the rare Riverside Tyrant being a major highlight, along with Parker's Spinetail, Lesser Hornero, Gray-breasted Crake, Castelnau's Antshrike and Oriole Blackbird. Some of the skulking ground-dwellers seen were the stunning Chest-belted Gnateater and the equally impressive Rusty-belted Tapaculo (the only Tapaculo to be found in the Amazon), along with a whole bunch of antbirds including Plumbeous, Dot-backed, Silvered & Gray Antbird and Black-faced Antthrush. The Amazon hosts a whole load of frugivores and many were encountered at Sacha including Golden-collared Toucanet, Channel-billed & White-throated Toucans and Ivory-billed & Many-banded Aracaris. Manakins put on a good show too with Golden-headed, Dwarf-Tyrant and the wonderful Wire-tailed Manakin all seen. Other Amazonian highlights included roosting Great Potoo, Pale-tailed Barbthroat, Long-billed Woodcreeper (arguably the best-looking woodcreeper in the World), prehistoric Hoatzins lurking around the lodge itself, Black-capped Donacobius, Great Tinamou, Lined Forest-falcon, 3 species of Trogon and Rufous-rumped Foliage-gleaner. Even on leaving Sacha the birds did not stop with Large-billed Tern and Cocoi Heron seen on the way out.

26th October
On this day we ventured up into the high Andes, climbing up the western slope to the high pass at Papallacta (4000+m), before dropping over onto the east slope for our exploration of the eastern slope. Most of the day was spent birding in the high-altitude paramo grasslands around Papallacta Pass, where the breathtaking scenery truly makes you appreciate that you are birding in the great Andean mountain range. We were very lucky with the weather on this day, with the ominous clouds that could be seen from Quito soon dispersing, and the day dawned clear and bright giving us some awesome views of two of Ecuador's highest mountains - the mighty Volcán Cotopaxi (5897m) and Volcán Antisana (5758m) - to the south. The birding on this day had a very different feel to most of the the other days on the tour as we spent almost no time in forest and were birding in open grassland and scrubland above the treeline. The avifauna is very distinctive up there and we soon saw some of the interesting species that are adapted to life at these extreme altitudes - a frantic stop along the highway before reaching the pass was necessary to view a flock of Andean Gulls in some roadside pasture, and on reaching Papallacta the birds were soon in evidence with some species taking advantage of the good weather by singing from the bushtops, such as Red-crested Cotingas, Many-striped Canasteros, and Andean Tit-Spinetails. Our first true paramo hummingbird was seen soon after, when a Blue-mantled Thornbill flew in close by, and the other true paramo specialist, the exquisite Ecuadorian Hillstar was seen well later in the morning, (a male typically seen in close proximity to some orange-flowered Chuquiragua shrubs on which they habitually feed). As the weather was on our side early in the day we decided to head up even higher to the radio antennas (4200m) and look for one of Papallacta's star birds - the Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe - which duly obliged before we had even reached the top of the road when we found a pair feeding on the spongy roadside moss, while another party of four birds flew in later and gave superb views. Scanning the roadside paramo produced the hoped-for White-chinned Thistletails, Bar-winged & Stout-billed Cinclodes, Paramo Ground-Tyrant and several Tawny Antpittas gave great views as they called from the top of bushes in the morning sun. Although perhaps the most welcome sightings were of Ecuador's national bird - the majestic Andean Condor - that appeared suddenly above us several times during the morning. We also searched a secluded paramo lake for some high-Andean waterbirds, soon finding Andean Ruddy-Ducks, Andean Teals, Yellow-billed Pintails, Andean Coots and a number of Silvery Grebes (including a pair nest-building on the near-shore). Birding a scrub-fringed lake after lunch produced some flocks with other new species, including the scarce Paramo Seedeater, Black-capped Tyrannulet and the only trip sighting of Viridian Metaltails included a pair along there. We then headed the short distance to our base for that night, the beautiful Guango Lodge. This great lodge has loads of character, named after the rushing Andean river that it sits next to, and feels a little like an English country cottage. The hummingbird feeders were frantically busy on arrival and within a short time we had seen nearly all of the hoped-for species including Gorgeted Woodstar, Glowing Puffleg and Tourmaline Sunangel (all of which were new for the tour as they are confined to the eastern slope of the Andes). A Black-eared Hemispingus (the eastern counterpart of the Western Hemispingus), was seen in a brief jaunt along a nearby trail in late aternoon to finish what had been a great days birding.

27th October
A morning was spent in the temperate forest on the Guango trails (altitude = 2600m+), with the birds encountered reflecting our position (now on the eastern slope of the Andes), such as Northern Mountain-Cacique, Gray-hooded Bush-Tanager, Black-capped Hemispingus and Slaty Brush-finch. Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant, Capped Conebills and Blue-and-Black Tanagers were also seen in mixed flocks along there, before we descended further on the east slope to San Isidro. However, the journey was momentarily interupted for a fine male Torrent Duck that we watched diving in and out of torrents along the scenic Río Papallacta, surely one of the great sights of the Andes. On reaching Cabañas San Isidro, we had a short time to bird some good subtropical forest (2000m+) along the road there before a lunch stop at the lodge, that allowed us to add more birds including some east slope specialties, such as Saffron-crowned Tanager, Emerald Toucanet, the oddly-named Oleaginous Hemispingus, Handsome Flycatcher, Sulphur-bellied Tyrannulet, Cinnamon Flycatcher and Inca Jay by the lodge itself. Returning to the lodge for lunch (the food at San Isidro is very highly spoken-of and it is easy to understand why), we saw another east slope speciality at the humminbird feeders there when Bronzy Inca was added to the list, in company with Chestnut-breasted Coronets and Long-tailed Sylphs. An afternoon birding the subtropical cloudforest along a quiet road brought other new birds including Long-tailed Antbird and Rufous Spinetail in the bamboo sections along there, although best of all was our second Mountain-Toucan of the trip - Black-billed Mountain-Toucan - which perched obligingly in the open for a long time so that we could all enjoy more good views of another species from this great genus of toucans. As we headed back to the lodge thinking there was little time for any more birds in the fading light, our driver Reynaldo, kindly pointed out a stunning Highland Motmot, still feeding in the last glimmers of daylight. Everyone was soon looking toward dinner, although the infamous 'San Isidro Mystery Owl' had other ideas calling continually from behind Elizabeth & Sandy's cabin, distracting us from heading to the restaurant, so we all rapidly piled onto their balcony and were soon enjoying superb views of this Strix owl. A pair of these owls have been coming to San Isidro for a number of years and are faithful to the area around the cabins, although no-one is yet certain of their identity - the altitude that these birds occur at is much higher than has ever been recorded for Black-banded Owl, (seemingly the most likely candidate, as Black-and-White Owl has never before been recorded on the east slope), generally a bird of the Amazonian lowlands and neighbouring foothills. Thus this small population around San Isidro may yet prove to be a completely new species altogether. We then retired for (a slightly late) evening meal, happy that we could eat at a relaxed pace having got San Isidro's star bird happily 'under-the-belt' before dinner.

28th October
Today we journeyed further down the east slope, (after another sighting of the 'San Isidro mystery owl' perched above the bus as we were readying to leave), with the mighty Amazon rainforest stretching away in the distance visible from the roadside along the way, to the foothills of the east slope near to the town of Loreto (1100m+). This is some of Ecuador's most threatened habitat, from logging interests and clearance for pastureland and several organisations are working hard to purchase land and halt this deforestation. A short way along the Loreto Road we stopped at a cliff where the hoped-for Cliff Flycatchers were soon located calling noisily from an open perch. A small party of Olivaceous Siskins (the eastern counterpart of the Hooded Siskin in the west), were also found closeby. Flocks along the road there included a number of eastern tanagers including Silver-beaked, Green-and-Gold, Golden-eared, Spotted, Paradise, Magpie Tanagers and also some Flame-faced Tanagers. East slope flycatchers were found largely associating with the mixed feeding flocks in the area, including Olive-chested Flycatcher, Ecuadorian Tyrannulet and also the recently described Foothill Elaenia gave good views for all (a bird so new to science that it was not known when the Ecuador field guide was published in 2001). A stop by the scenic Río Hollín for photo opportunities proved fortuitous when we found a Fasciated Tiger-Heron standing in the open in the middle of the rushing waters. Other species recorded along there included Ash-browed Spinetail, a pair of Yellow-breasted Antwrens, several small groups of Russet Antshrikes, a number of Lafresnaye's Piculets, Black-banded & Olive-backed Woodcreepers, Lemon-browed Flycatcher, Slate-colored Grosbeak, several Golden-eyed Flowerpiercers and best of all a number of showy Coppery-chested Jacamars (a restricted range species that is still relatively easy to find along the Loreto road). While evidence of the onset of the northern winter was found with the presence of a number of boreal migrants such as dazzling Cerulean Warblers, Canada Warblers and both Summer & Scarlet Tanagers. With a load of new birds not experienced before on the tour we headed back for another night's stay and more great San Isidro food.

29th October
With a morning to spare before we needed to depart for Quito, we decided to bird the forest along the Guacamayos Ridge, where parts of the Inca trail that once stretched all the way down to the Amazon still exists today and provides good subtropical birding (altitude = 2100m). Unfortunately very heavy, prolonged rain had us retreating for cover before the morning was out although we did manage to see some good birds prior to that, not least the Slate-crowned Antpitta that came in really close at the start of the trail, and several Dusky Pihas were encountered further along. Other birds seen along the ridge included several sightings of the diminutive Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant, both Subtropical & Northern-Mountain Cacique, Green-and-Black Fruiteater and Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager. Some final brief birding on the San Isdiro grounds produced Sulphur-bellied Tyrannulet, Saffron-crowned Tanager and Pale-edged Flycatcher in the short time available. We then had a farewell dinner at San Isidro before heading westwards back to Quito for the end of what had been an enjoyable tour, with some great birds, company and typically good Ecuadorian food in the lodges used.