Birding the Americas Trip
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ECUADOR
23 - 31 January 2004
by Francis Toldi (with Allan Wofchuck)
I’ll start with a general travel narrative. If all you are
interested in is logistics, skip to the end of the narrative. If
all you want is the bird list, that is attached separately in two
forms: one in Word, and the other in Excel (which would allow you
to sort by locale). Latin names are in the bird list
document only, as are full details on what was seen in each locale
(just highlights in this narrative).
January 23, 2004.
Travel day. I left San Jose, California,
airport at 6:30 a.m., changed planes in Houston, and arrived in Quito,
Ecuador at around 10:00 p.m. It was a remarkably smooth and
hassle-free journey, if a little long. If you are a meat eater
and have a layover in Houston, you can do a lot worse than have a meal
at Harlon’s Barbecue (the place was full of pilots and flight
attendants, always a good sign). Quito arrival is very
straight-forward. Booths just past customs sell tickets in
certified cabs to anywhere in Quito and beyond. Even at 10:00
p.m. the arrivals lounge didn’t feel as seedy as other places I’ve been
in Latin America and elsewhere. We easily made the transfer to
Hotel La Rabida, quickly repacked from air travel to ground mode, and
grabbed a few hours of sleep.
January 24, 2004.
Breakfast at 5:00 a.m., departure at
5:30. As I ate my toast and drank my coffee I noticed the silent
form of a little black rabbit in the hotel courtyard. We got to
know this little fellow much better on our return to Quito later in the
trip. We had arranged for a car and driver to take us on the two
hour drive to Tandayapa Bird Lodge (TBL), our home for the next five
nights. We had also arranged for the driver to stop for a couple
of hours at the dry country near Calacalí, a habitat we would
otherwise not be visiting on this trip. Our driver, Xavier, is a
regular TBL driver and knows all of the places that the tours
stop. He is not a birder himself, but is an extremely interesting
and friendly person.
We stopped at Calacalí at first light. This is an area of
temperate dry scrubland on the main highway from Quito to
Nanagalito. There is a pass with a concrete building on the left
(west?) side of the highway, just before the highway drops down into
the valley which holds the town of Calacalí. The
driver tilted his seat back to take a snooze while we wandered around
the car park area, then down the little track that leads down the
hill. This was our first taste of Ecuadorian birding, if perhaps
a little different than what our experience would be like in the cloud
forest. The ubiquitous RUFOUS-COLLARED SPARROWS were waking up
all around us, giving their variety of calls and songs. A young
BLACK AND CHESTNUT EAGLE flew right overhead (it returned later to show
itself in better light). More unrecognizable bird calls came from
the slope below.
Just as we were about to start down and try our
luck, two cars pulled up. Out stepped a very friendly small group
of birders, led by expert guide Rob Williams. They very kindly
allowed us to tag along. This gave us a huge boost on our first
birding effort. Even without a guide a careful birder should be
able to find a number of good birds here, but thanks to Rob we
undoubtedly greatly expanded our bird list for this stop.
Highlights were SPARKLING VIOLETEAR, PURPLE-COLLARED WOODSTAR,
BLACK-TAILED TRAINBEARER (what an incredible bird—it looks like a giant
wasp, with that absurdly long tail hanging down), WHITE-TAILED
SHRIKE-TYRANT (surely this is the “target” bird here—we got good looks
at this exceedingly rare and local, but otherwise somewhat nondescript,
species), CINNEROUS CONEBILL, RUSTY FLOWERPIERCER, PLAIN-COLORED
SEADEATER, BAND-TAILED SEEDEATER (very elegant little bird),
ASH-BREASTED SIERRA-FINCH, GRASSLAND YELLOW-FINCH (sitting
cooperatively in a little hollow in the side of a sandy bank).
After a fairly short drive, we arrived at the lovely Tandayapa Bird
Lodge at around 10:00 a.m.. It is well-situated on a ridge spur
in the sub-tropical cloud and wet forest of the western slope of the
Andes, at about 1750 meters elevation. There is great forest and
road/edge birding right outside the door. It is probably most
famous—justifiably—for its assemblage of hummingbird bird feeders
around the veranda. We dropped our bags in the room and rushed
out to the veranda for a first look. What a bewildering and
subtly disconcerting experience! Beautiful, dazzling, yes—but
also quite baffling at first. So many hummingbirds—50?
60?—at one time in a variety of sizes and shapes.
I calmed down,
and after just giving myself over to the joy of watching the multitude
for a while, set about to look at them one by one and figure out what
they were. There was a solid core of species which were present
just about all of the time. This group consisted of WESTERN
EMERALD, RUFOUS-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD, ANDEAN EMERALD, PURPLE-BIBBED
WHITETIP, BUFF-TAILED CORONET, BOOTED RACKET-TAIL, VIOLET-TAILED SYLPH,
and the tiny PURPLE-THROATED WOODSTAR. Frequently putting in
appearances were smaller numbers of TAWNY-BELLIED HERMIT and BROWN
INCA, with visits of individual GREEN-FRONTED LANCEBILL, BROWN
VIOLET-EAR, VELVET-PURPLE CORONET and WHITE-BELLIED WOODSTAR over the
course of the next few days. I didn’t record these latter species
every day, but then my coverage of the feeders was spotty at
best. In the forest nearby FAWN-BREASTED BRILLIANT were fairly
common, but I don’t recall seeing any come in to the feeders.
Merely listing these species just doesn’t do them justice.
Watching a displaying Booted Racket-Tail, with its little leg-tufts all
puffed out, flying back and forth in a mini pendular flight (only a few
inches up and down); seeing a Violet-tailed Sylph flip its tail around
and catch the light just so; looking at the intricate plumage detail on
an Andean Emerald—all of these experiences go far beyond the mere tick
of the bird, no matter how glad I was to have the mark on my checklist.
We tore ourselves away from the feeders and walked the Potoo Trail
before lunch. A light shower settled down on the forest about
half way through, but it just seemed to increase the activity of the
birds. It was fairly quiet along the trail until the rain
started. Probably the mid-day slump, or we just couldn’t find a
flock. The most “exciting” birds were SPOTTED WOODCREEPER,
LINNEATED FOLIAGE-GLEANER, GOLDEN-CROWNED FLYCATCHER (add that one to
the “poorly named bird” list—the birds here all seem to have gray
crowns), and THREE-STRIPED WARBLER, along with another 10 more
familiar species (HOUSE WREN, BLUE AND WHITE SWALLOW and the
like). The rains or just a little luck brought us to a
small feeding flock just past the open area at the bottom of the Potoo
Trail, where we had great looks at MONTANE WOODCREEPER, BROWN-CAPPED
VIREO, TROPICAL PARULA, BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER (simply abundant here and
throughout the region), GOLDEN TANAGER, BERYL-SPANGLED TANAGER,
BLACK-CAPPED TANAGER and SUMMER TANAGER.
We returned to the lodge for lunch, then started to feel the effects of
jet lag and too little sleep. The excitement about being around
so many new birds trumped the fatigue, though, so I settled on a
compromise: I sat on the lower deck overlooking the forest,
writing a bit in my journal and keep an eye and ear out for
birds. It turns out that this is a lovely place for birds,
especially in the late afternoon. While there I had marvelous eye
level views in the canopy of many of the same species noted in the
flock along the Potoo Trail, plus SLATE-THROATED REDSTART, MASKED
FLOWERPIERCER, and 3 BLUE-WINGED MOUNTAIN-TANAGERS (one of the most
splendid species on the trip, however common they were here). In
the thick forest beyond I could hear the distinct two note call of the
RUFOUS-BREASTED ANTTHRUSH and the plaintive song of the ANDEAN
SOLITAIRE, but I didn’t get a look at either bird.
Later in the afternoon we decided to walk up the old Nono Road for a
while. We had heard that there was an ANDEAN COCK OF THE ROCK lek
there, and we weren’t disappointed. At about 5:00 p.m. the birds
started making quite a racket. Seeing them was trickier, as they
were across the valley in the lush forest on the opposite side, perhaps
100-200 meters away. Occasionally one would break through in all
its orange-red glory, then disappear again quickly. It was also
pleasant walking through the sleepy little town of Tandayapa, greeting
the local residents as we walked past their houses and stores. On
our way up the road we also saw a flock of RED-BILLED PARROTS on their
way to their evening roost. GRAY-BREASTED WOOD-WREN burbled and
sang by the roadside. Somewhere deeper in the forest a SCALED
ANTPITTA called. A pair of WHITE-WINGED TANAGERS, never common in
this region, was a nice surprise. There were many other calls and
songs I couldn’t identify; surely a guide would have helped solve some
of the mysteries, but it was very nice just strolling up the road
birding on our own.
We shared the dining hall with a very friendly group of UK birders on a
self-arranged tour. The food was very good, particularly the soup
that started the meal. The cold beer didn’t hurt a bit.
Nevertheless, after catching up on my notes I was happy to go to
bed. The total for the day was something like 70 total
species (seen and heard) with about 35 lifers. Not a bad
start! I always love the way my subconscious is saturated with
the sounds of birds and images of the forest. It’s something nice
to contemplate as I drift into slumberland.
January 25, 2004.
Our goal for the day was to cover the lower
trails near the lodge, get in a little more quality time with the
veranda hummingbirds, and take it easy in the afternoon. It was
easy to wake up early despite the limited hours of sleep.
Breakfast was hearty and filling, and the coffee was strong. An
excellent way to begin the day! I had a minor miscommunication
with the lodge managers/guides. I agreed to let the UK birders go
to the hide before dawn, with the understanding that I would do so on a
different morning (it can only hold so many). As it turned out,
this was the only morning that would really have worked for me to go
there. So I never got to be in the hide at the proper time, and
consequently missed a few of the shy birds that you really can’t see
any other way. Only a minor glitch, to be sure, but a little
disappointing nevertheless.
We took a long morning walk up the Potoo Trail to the Nunbird Trail,
Antbird Trail and all the way up the ridge to the beginning of the
Toucan Trail. What a magnificent forest! Parts of the walk
were very steep and slippery, but what else do you expect in verdant
cloud forest! The birding was really excellent. We spent an
inordinate amount of time puzzling over one skulker, only to finally
figure out that it was a RUSSET-CROWNED WARBLER—a very common bird, but
handsome, a lovely singer, and a lifer besides! Fairly close to
the lodge we heard and then saw briefly but convincingly a WHISKERED
WREN, never an easy species to actually see.
Along the Potoo
Trail in the vicinity of the water tank we got on our best flock of the
day, with excellent looks at TOUCAN BARBET, RED-HEADED BARBET,
STREAK-CAPPED TREEHUNTER, TYRANINE WOODCREEPER, OLIVACEOUS PIHA,
WHITE-TAILED TYRANNULET, along with a number of our now familiar
tanager and warbler friends. Further up the Nunbird Trail we had
a long look at a pair of SCALED FRUITEATERS, very shy and retiring for
such a big and pretty bird. Another flock, this one way up the
Antbird Trail, produced a few new birds including CRIMSON-MANTLED
WOODPECKER and SMOKE-COLORED PEWEE. Again, with no guide there
were many that got away. A green streak was some kind of
quetzal. A MOUSTACHED ANTPITTA called very close at hand but
wouldn’t come out for me. Innumerable birds called and sang in
the distance. Small tracks led off the main trail to likely
stake-outs for something, but we didn’t know what and didn’t see
them. We could have improved our daily total even with a bit more
careful questioning of the lodge staff, but at this point we were just
happy to be there, in this marvelous habitat seeing many exciting birds.
We made our way back for lunch, and had a nice conversation with the
departing group. Then we took another afternoon walk up the old
Nono Road, hoping for a better look at the Cock of the Rock, and
allowing enough extra time to do more birding along the road. It
had looked and sounded promising the day before, but we hadn’t had much
time before dusk. Our strategy paid off handsomely, with
excellent views of the Cocks of the Rock, some flying right overhead on
their way to the roost/lek. We came upon a large flock just below
the lodge on the entrance road, right where it turns off of the road to
the upper valley. Although it was mostly our increasingly
familiar friends, we added a few new species, including WHITE-CRESTED
ELAENIA, METALLIC-GREEN TANAGER, GOLDEN-NAPED TANAGER, BLUE-CAPPED
TANAGER (deceptively long and slim) and WHITE-WINGED BRUSH-FINCH (in
the shrubs near the lodge carpark).
Just up from Tandayapa Village we saw TRICOLORED BRUSH-FINCH and the
interestingly dark subspecies of an old friend from home, BLACK
PHOEBE. Along the Nono Road we were lucky to get a clear look at
a LONG-TAILED ANTBIRD in the tangled roots and ferns hanging over the
roadcuts. More expected were the STREAK-NECKED FLYCATCHER along
with the same species we saw yesterday. We heard and then briefly
glimpsed a NARIÑO TAPACULO. Good luck getting a good look
at one of those!
As the light faded and another birding day drew to a close, we trudged
back to the lodge. At dusk, right on schedule, an obliging
RUFOUS-BELLIED NIGHTHAWK flew right by the veranda. It was a very
different atmosphere this evening, with just one table occupied for
dinner. Allan and I shared the table with two very friendly
individuals, one from the UK and one fellow North American.
Today’s totals were also good: 58 species for the day, with 19
lifers. The trip list was up to about 95 species.
January 26, 2004.
Another early morning. The previous
evening had been wetter than previous days, and I was a little worried
that it would be cloudy in the morning. I stepped out on to the
veranda before dawn, and looked up at the cloudless sky, filled with
brilliant stars in unknown constellations. Only in the far north
did I see some familiar configurations of stars.
Allan and I teamed up today with one of our fellow guests for a day of
birding in the upper Tandayapa Valley. We had arranged through
TBL to have a taxi take us up to the “top” of the road (at around 2300
meters elevation) and drop us off. We had also arranged a packed
lunch. We then slowly worked our way back down the road,
eventually walking all the way back to the TBL in the late
afternoon. The birding was good all of the way down, except for
the stretch about 2-4 Km above TBL, where there was very noisy (but
obviously necessary) road maintenance work going on.
Unfortunately there were some tantalizingly good flocks in this area,
but the noise made it hard to hear them, and undoubtedly pushed them
further off the road.
Although the upper part of the valley is still within the Subtropical
zone, there are some significant differences in the birds found there
as compared to the lower valley. Any bird trip to the area should
allow time in both locations. I would have liked another day in
the upper valley, but had to settle for this one day. It’s not
fair to dismiss this day as mere “road birding.” I have to
confess that I enjoy the easier visibility of birds found along the
roadside, despite the typical absence of the more secretive species
that usually require walking along the often silent forest
trails. I usually balance my tropical trips with some of
each. In this case, even along the road we found a large number
of forest species, including a few that had no business being there (by
conventional wisdom)!
Although some species were visible throughout the day, the main birding
opportunities here were governed by the presence or absence of mixed
feeding flocks. We started at the junction of the old Nono-Mindo
Road and the road to Nanegalito, and slowly worked our way down toward
Bellavista Lodge. Among our early morning treats were
spectacular, close views of RED-BILLED PARROT, PLATE-BILLED
MOUNTAIN-TOUCAN, MASKED TROGON, very conspicuous TURQUOISE JAY and
DUSKY BUSH-TANAGER.
We heard the deep, “whooooa” of a
WHITE-THROATED QUAIL-DOVE, but the bird never came out into view.
I also recognized the call of the CRESTED QUETZAL on several occasions
during the day but we could never seem to locate the caller.
There were many calls and songs that went completely
unidentified. Undoubtedly we missed some good birds through pure
ignorance. A guide would have put us on to many new species, I’m
sure, but it was great to just walk along this very beautiful forest
road finding our own birds.
Right at the junction of the Nanegalito and Mindo Roads we had a very
lucky break: we found an ANDEAN PYGMY-OWL roosting in a small
tree just above eye level. A mob of small birds was harassing and
mobbing the owl. This brought up and out some birds we might have
missed otherwise. In the mob we were able to pick out SPECKLED
HUMMINGBIRD, COLLARED INCA (the hummingbirds were particular
aggressive), FLAVESCENT FLYCATCHER, WHITE-TAILED TYRANNULET,
STREAK-NECKED FLYCATCHER, BROWN-CAPPED VIREO, BLACK-CRESTED WARBLER,
CAPPED CONEBILL, MASKED FLOWERPIERCER, SPECTACLED WHITESTART.
On our way down to Bellavista we found a few more flocks, which
included TOUCAN BARBET, CRIMSON-MANTLED WOODPECKER, AZARA’S SPINETAIL,
STREAKED TUFTEDCHEEK, PEARLED TREERUNNER, MONTANE WOODCREEPER, CINNAMON
FLYCATCHER, PLAIN-TAILED WREN (initially mistaken for Whiskered Wren),
and GOLDEN, METALLIC-GREEN and BLACK-CAPPED TANAGERS. A
particular treat was a good look at a GRASS-GREEN TANAGER. We
tried for some time to coax out an OCELLATED TAPACULO, but despite
calling very close by, it wouldn’t come out. While waiting
quietly in that vicinity, though, we were surprised to see at very
close range and in the relative open a SLATY-BACKED NIGHTINGALE-THRUSH,
with a lovely YELLOW-BELLIED CHAT TYRANT in the same binocular
view. A PLAIN-BREASTED HAWK and a bit later on a
BLACK-AND-CHESTNUT EAGLE put in appearances overhead. A few
WHITE-COLLARED SWIFTS sped by from time to time.
At around 11:00 a.m. we found ourselves at Bellavista Lodge. The
owners were very friendly, and we sat for a while drinking excellent
coffee and watching their feeders. We enjoyed good looks at some
of the same species we had seen at TBL, with the addition of SPECKLED
HUMMINGBIRD and the striking COLLARED INCA. Unfortunately,
despite carefully checking all of the feeders we could see, we didn’t
turn up a Gorgeted Sunangel, one of our key targets for that
location. Larry, a professional guide, kindly took us a short way
up one of the forest trails to see a roosting COMMON POTOO that he had
located earlier.
We walked down the road heading back towards TBL. Since it was
mid-day the bird activity had lessened a bit, and flocks were harder to
find. Just down from the lodge two GREEN-AND-BLACK FRUITEATERS
were very quietly feeding in a tangle of vegetation. We were
delighted and more than a little surprised to have excellent out in the
open views of a CHESTNUT-CROWNED ANTPITTA that Allan found right by the
side of the road. We stopped at Loma Linda, Tony Nunnery’s
and Barbara Bolz’s hard to find residence, and for $5 each enjoyed
herbal tea, cookies, our host’s excellent company and another set of
spectacular hummingbird feeders. It was a pleasure to sit on the
deck, watching the feeders and feeding ourselves on our TBL
packed lunches. All too soon we tore ourselves away from this
lovely spot and continued on down the road. Occasional showers
followed us down the mountain. Some noisy roadwork precluded much
birding, but we still saw a number of nice flocks with now-familiar
tanagers, and a few other excellent species including CRIMSON-RUMPED
TOUCANET and BLACK-AND-WHITE COTINGA.
We returned to the lodge at around 4:30 in the afternoon. After
another session at the feeders I took a walk around the grounds, not
adding any new birds, but just enjoying the day’s end in this lovely
spot. Our daily total was 84 species, with the trip list now
standing at 129 species.
January 27, 2004.
We then began the next phase of our trip.
Allan and I had hired a private guide and driver to take us to some of
the more distant locales. Our guide was Mark Gurney, who is on
the TBL staff. Mark was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable
about the bird identifications including vocalizations. As
expected, we saw and heard many more species than we would have on our
own in the places we visited with him. Not only did he know
virtually all of what he was hearing and seeing, but he also knew
precisely where to stop—and where not to.
Today’s primary destination is one that one could bird alone, with
reasonably accurate directions. We arrived at first light at the
Milpe Road in Los Bancos, in the Upper Foothills at around 1000 meters
in elevation. About 2 km down the road we stopped and birded the
remnant forest right along the road. Flocks of MAROON-TAILED
PARAKEET blasted past, with BRONZE-WINGED PARROT flocks moving by at a
more measured pace. A BROAD-BILLED MOTMOT called, then little
later on showed itself, as did a PALE-MANDIBLED ARACARI.
The very
rare and local MOSS-BACKED TANAGER put in an early appearance.
Fortunately we also got views a little later on in better light.
LEMON-RUMPED TANAGER was abundant, but the FAWN-BREASTED TANAGER was a
little harder to see, only appearing at first light.
OCHRE-BREASTED TANAGER called loudly in the morning. They should
rename that one “Big-mouthed Tanager” both for its loud, almost
obnoxious call as well as its huge gape. SILVERY-THROATED,
BLUE-NECKED and WHITE-SHOULDERED TANAGERS showed well, all familiar
from tropical points north.
With better light but still in the early morning “prime time” we walked
a few dozen meters down a small dirt track that headed down into better
looking forest. We didn’t get any further—for almost three hours
we watched a gigantic feeding flock which stayed relatively
stationery. There was a multitude of birds on all levels, be it
high in the canopy or lower in the understory. Mark identified a
number of birds by sight or call that we couldn’t get on right away,
but almost all of them cycled back through the trees and allowed
excellent views later on.
The flock included such great birds as
CHOCO TROGON, OLIVACEOUS PICULET, SMOKEY-BROWN WOODPECKER, PLAIN
XENOPS, WEDGE-BILLED and SPOTTED WOODCREEPER, SCALY-THROATED,
BUFF-FRONTED AND LINNEATED FOLIAGE GLEANER (It was a veritable
foliage-gleaner clinic! The Scaly-throated is poorly named—it
should be called “Buff-browed” or maybe “Eye-ringed”), SLATY and
DOT-WINGED ANTWREN, RUFOUS-RUMPED ANTWREN (I finally got a great look
including the rufous rump on my third try as this active little bird
danced by), SOOTY-HEADED TYRANNULET, SLATY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER,
SCALE-CRESTED PYGMY-TYRANT, ORNATE FLYCATCHER (I would have liked a
longer look than the few seconds I had with this one), CLUB-WINGED
MANAKIN (what a weird bird, especially when vocalizing!), LESSER
GREENLET, ECUADORAN THRUSH, BAND-BACKED WREN, CHOCO WARBLER (much
plainer looking than what is illustrated in the field guide),
YELLOW-COLLARED CHLOROPHONIA, ORANGE-CROWNED EUPHONIA,
RUFOUS-THROATED TANAGER, FLAME-FACED TANAGER and YELLOW-THROATED
BUSH-TANAGER. SPOTTED NIGHTINGALE-THRUSH sang persistently, but
never came out where we could see it.
After the flock finally passed, we walked back to the main road for
some open country birds. The sky was only partly cloudy, raising
the temperature and reducing the bird activity, but some birds were
still present. From the road we saw a number of typical tropical
pastureland birds (see bird list), with a few highlights: A
STRIPED CUCKOO sang steadily from a small tree, allowing us to locate
it and have pretty good looks at this usually very inconspicuous
species. A nifty little COMMON TODY-FLYCATCHER busied about in a
small tree.
AZARA’S, RED-FACED and SLATY SPINTETAIL were well
seen, as were WHITE-THIGHED SWALLOW (overhead and perched on
wires). A gorgeous male SLATE-COLORED GROSBEAK sang away in plain
sight. Mark pointed out the distinctive call of a CHESTNUT-HEADED
OROPENDOLA. Unfortunately it didn’t show, as this is a rather
unusual species in this location. The warm weather did make for
good raptor conditions, and we enjoyed good looks at GRAY-HEADED,
SWALLOW-TAILED and DOUBLE-TOOTHED KITES, and BARRED HAWK.
A little after noon we headed over to the town of Mindo (1500 meters)
for lunch. A GOLDEN-HEADED QUETZAL greeted us perched on a branch
right over the road in to town, which was particularly welcome since we
had missed it back in the Tandayapa Valley. We had a very
pleasant lunch at the Restaurant Los Colibríes, watching a few
new species of hummingbirds along with some now familiar species.
The new ones for the trip were WHITE-WHISKERED HERMIT, GREEN-CROWNED
WOODNYMPH, WHITE-NECKED JACOBIN and GREEN VIOLETEAR. After lunch
we walked around the gardens in the vicinity of the restaurant and down
a path through riparian woodland to the river. These areas
yielded some new species, including TORRENT TYRANNULET (on the river,
of course), GOLDEN-FACED TYRANNULET, BLACK-CAPPED TITYRA, BAY WREN,
SWALLOW TANAGER, BAY-HEADED TANAGER, BLACK-WINGED and BUFF-THROATED
SALTATOR and DULL-COLORED GRASSQUIT.
The latter bird, not to be
confused with the Plain-colored Seedeater or the Drab Seedeater is very
well named—thank God for the bi-colored bill!. These birds serve
to remind us that not ALL neotropical birds have multi-colored plumage
and tail streamers! At the bridge over the river (heading back
into town from the restaurant) we found a SNOWY EGRET (not very common
in this area), WHITE-CAPPED DIPPER, and a small flock on the opposite
bank which included a female WHITE-WINGED BECARD.
While walking up the road not far from the bridge I saw my first
PACIFIC HORNERO, a bird that I really loved watching. I called
them “Road Pittas.” They are sort of like plovers, sort of like
antpittas, sort of like thrushes. What a great bird! Also
on the road were two MASKED WATER TYRANTS which seemed an odd place to
see them, although there were some flooded fields not too far
away. Two WHITE-LINED TANAGERS flashed across the road. I
stopped at the only place in town that had a long-distance phone and
made a call home.
We ended the day birding along a small cobble road that takes off from
the main road a kilometer or so above the town on the way back to the
highway. The trees lining the little road had a few goodies for
us, including SCARLET-BACKED WOODPECKER. A BRAN-COLORED
FLYCATCHER perched on a branch over the road, much brighter and
prettier than it appears in the field guide. A nearby field had a
calling WHITE-THROATED CRAKE, as well as a large flock of
BLACK-AND-WHITE SEEDEATERS. These and other fields also contained
the much more common BLUE-BLACK GRASSQUIT and VARIABLE and
YELLOW-BELLIED SEEDEATERS. As we birded along this road,
scattered groups of workers walked by, returning home after a day in
the fields. They looked at us with good humor and some curiosity
as they went by returning our greetings.
Back at the lodge, it was back to full house conditions. A very
friendly new group had arrived, and their happy conversations and long
list review sessions filled the air. Our daily total was a
respectable 107 species, bringing the trip total to a little over 200
species.
January 28, 2004.
This was another day of excellent birding,
which also served to greatly enhance the overall trip total! We
awoke at our accustomed hour and headed yet further down the western
slope, this time to some fragments of lower foothill forest near the
town of Pedro Vicente Maldonado, at something like 500 meters in
elevation. Again, with proper directions this is an area that one
could bird without a guide, but having one really helps locate the
remaining forest and the birds. Many of the best birds here
announced their presence with a distinctive call from the thick
vegetation alongside the road, and knowing which ones to pursue made
quite a difference in our experience. Mark was again superb here,
not only finding and re-finding the best species, but getting us on the
harder to locate species. The very short “guide only” species
list is testament to his efforts and abilities.
The start was inauspicious to the extreme. We pulled off the main
highway and on to a fairly wide dirt track. A few large trees and
cut-over vegetation were near the road. We stood alongside as one
belching truck after another drove on by, with us gazing at the trees
and shrubs while the truck drivers and local kids gazed at us.
Apparently this was the main entrance to a road materials quarry.
Despite the noise and smell, there were some good birds even
here. Another STRIPED CUCKOO was easy to see in the middle of the
road. A LITTLE CUCKOO just eluded our view—it shot into a nearby
tree, never to reappear.
A RUFOUS MOTMOT showed itself well close
to the road, as did a RUFOUS-TAILED JACAMAR. In the trees close
alongside the road we found a very good flock, with highlights
including WESTERN SLATY-ANTSHRIKE, SLATY ANTWREN, GOLDEN-FACED
TYRANNULET, SLATE-THROATED GNATCATCHER, PURPLE HONEYCREEPER, GREEN
HONEYCREEPER, YELLOW-TUFTED DACNIS (a good candidate for prettiest bird
of the day, if not the entire trip), GUIRA TANAGER, YELLOW-TAILED
ORIOLE and YELLOW-BELLIED SISKIN, not to mention a number of the
tanagers and other passerines we had enjoyed yesterday at Los Bancos.
Despite the good birds, it was a relief to continue on the track beyond
the quarry. The road then made a long right hand bend up a hill,
with very rich forest in the canyon below. This was the best
birding of the day, and in fact we spent most of the rest of the day in
this spot, walking back and forth. Even in the middle of the day
there was SOME bird activity, although it was best, as expected, in the
early morning. By the middle of the afternoon it was only partly
cloudy and very, very hot.
One sad and poignant moment was when we walked around a corner to a
location where just two weeks prior Mark had shown another guest a
White-bearded Manakin lek. This day there were only the broken
fragments of a cut and bulldozed forest. A few epiphytes were
still growing from the tangled remains. The people at Tandayapa
Lodge and others in Ecuador are fighting valiantly to preserve as much
forest as possible, but it is not an easy struggle and there are so
many losses along the way. Looking at that cut fragment,
wondering how much of this forest will still be there by the time I
return or anyone reading this gets there, put us all into a somber
mood. True, our birding zeal slowly revived over the next hour,
but with this horrible image deeply etched into our memories. I
can’t imagine that any lover of tropical birding—or any birding, for
that matter—needs to be reminded of the importance of preserving
habitat and giving assistance to those on the front lines of this
effort.
Disappearing as it is, this fragment still has an astonishing array of
spectacular bird species. Here is a list of the highlights only,
with some parenthetical annotations. LITTLE TINAMOU (heard
only—what is a trip to the neotropics without hearing the quivering
whistle of a tinamou coming from deep within the forest!),
SWALLOW-TAILED KITE (including one pair right overhead, with a male
doing what appeared to be elaborate courtship behavior), PLUMBEOUS
KITE, LAUGHING FALCON (2 perched in plain view right near the highway
turnoff in the late afternoon), BAT FALCON (perched on a snag right
overhead), DUSKY PIGEON, ROSE-FACED PARROT (frustratingly, a guide-only
bird, seen while we were deep in the forest searching for a calling
Trogon; I saw only some movement in the leaves made by the departing
bird), BLUE-HEADED PARROT (including a nice scope view of a perched
bird), GREEN THORNTAIL (various sightings, including a female sitting
inside her tidy, lichen-plated nest under a large leaf by the
roadside), PURPLE-CHESTED HUMMINGBIRD (it took a while for me to get a
convincing view of this species as they whizzed about the roadside,
always seeming to perch in terrible light), and PURPLE-CROWNED FAIRY.
More highlights included WESTERN WHITE-TAILED TROGON, COLLARED TROGON,
WHITE-NECKED PUFFBIRD (a
stunning scope view of this bird, not at all to be expected in this
location), PALE-MANDIBLED TOUCAN, CHOCO TOUCAN, CHESTNUT-MANDIBLED
TOUCON (we saw and heard both this and the prior species, but rarely at
the same time; Mark explained that the identification is much more
difficult than it would appear from the field guide, with the
coloration of the bill and ocular area quite variable and
light-dependent), GOLDEN-OLIVE, BLACK-CHEEKED, SMOKY-BROWN and
RED-RUMPED WOODPECKERS, STREAKED XENOPS, PLAIN-BROWN, WEDGE-BILLED,
SPOTTED AND STREAK-HEADED WOODCREEPERS, GRISCOM’S ANTWREN (another
“thanks to Mark” bird, first heard than tracked as it raced from tree
to tree until we finally had excellent looks close by), PACIFIC ANTWREN
(a very handsome bird that obligingly worked a small tree by the
immediate roadside), WHITE-FLANKED ANTWREN, DUSKY ANTBIRD (actually
came out into the open without any taping or other action on our part),
CHESTNUT-BACKED ANTBIRD (Only a couple of plays of the call was
enough to make this handsome bird pop out), STUB-TAILED ANTBIRD (a bird
singing endlessly and appearing and disappearing in a thick tangle
allowed only a brief glimpse—how can they move about so much without
making any apparent motion?), GRAY ELAENIA, BLACK-HEADED TODY-TYRANT,
YELLOW-MARGINED FLATBILL (FLYCATCHER), SOCIAL FLYCATCHER,
RUSTY-MARGINED FLYCATCHER (these last two are another pair that is more
difficult to distinguish than most give them credit for), CINNAMON
BECARD, PURPLE-THROATED FRUITCROW (much more satisfying than the
scraggly single bird I saw in the rain years ago in Costa Rica!),
WHITE-BEARDED MANAKIN (the lek may have been destroyed but they are
still in the area, perhaps on other lek sites), SOUTHERN
NIGHTINGALE-WREN (heard on several occasions, but we couldn’t bring it
out into view; the song isn’t as haunting as that of the Northern
Nightingale Wren, one of my all-time favorite bird songs), CHOCO
WARBLER, GRAY-AND-GOLD TANAGER, DUSKY-FACED TANAGER (very
Bush-Tanager-like in its behavior), TAWNY-CRESTED TANAGER,
SLATE-COLORED GROSBEAK, LESSER SEEDFINCH (in the disturbed area on the
entrance road), SCARLET-RUMPED CACIQUE (not very common there).
We returned for dinner at the lodge, did the bird notes and retired
early. This was the point in a trip like this when sleep
deprivation starts to catch up to me and overwhelm my pure
enthusiasm. On a longer trip it would be a good time to schedule
an off-day, but with only two days of birding left on this trip I
wasn’t going to let mere fatigue slow me down if I could help it!
The day’s total was 109 species, and many new species brought the trip
list up to 264.
January 29, 2004.
Today marked the last day of our guided birding
as well as our last time at TBL. We left TBL early, and made our
way back toward Quito before light. At dawn we were slowly
bumping up the entrance road up to Yanacocha. Unfortunately,
there was also a bus with a birding tour bumping up at an even slower
rate of speed, with nowhere to pass. We stopped for the lovely
morning view and a few birds so we didn’t have to drive in their dust,
and were rewarded with an excellent look at BLACK-TAILED TRAINBEARER, a
couple of RUFOUS-NAPED BRUSH-FINCH, which can sometimes be difficult to
coax out of the underbrush, and a pair of BROWN-BACKED
BUSH-TYRANT, not to mention the ubiquitous GREAT THRUSH. Other
birds in the area were BROWN-BELLIED SWALLOW overhead, BLACK
FLOWERPIERCER and a nice pair of SOUTHERN YELLOW GROSBEAKS.
On arrival at the parking area for Yanacocha, we were thrilled with the
spectacular views of Pichincha Volcano and other peaks in the area,
with a beautiful blue sky overhead. Mark said in many trips to
the area he had never seen it so clear. The birds cooperated, and
right where we left the car we were able to see a number of excellent
birds on the steep, wooded slopes below the track that works around the
mountain to the west. Among the species we saw well here were
BAR-BELLIED WOODPECKER, a pair of BARRED FRUITEATER, the first of many
incomparably beautiful SCARLET-BELLIED MOUNTAIN-TANAGER and
BLACK-CHESTED MOUNTAIN-TANAGER and SUPERCILIARIED HEMISPINGUS.
We walked along the level track around the mountain, still enjoying the
great views of the distant peaks and the heavily wooded valleys far
below. Because the large birding group was further along the
trail, we figured that they had “taped out” all of the more secretive
birds, and this was indeed the case. Alas, OCELLATED TAPACULO
would remain a “heard only” on this trip. We only managed a
fleeting glimpse of UNICOLORED TAPACULO, and all of our antpittas here
were also heard only, including UNDULATED, RUFOUS AND TAWNY
ANTPITTAS. I think the guide heard another one or two species,
but those were the ones that I heard, in the case of the Rufous and
Tawny, on multiple occasions.
Since this area has been protected (a fairly recent event, thanks, I
believe, primarily to the Jocotoco Foundation), there has been a series
of hummingbird feeders placed at strategic points along the trail,
culminating in a sitting area, restroom, and feeding station near the
actual “Inca ditch,” or ancient aquaduct/ditch that carried water down
toward Quito. The hummingbirds here were magnificent:
MOUNTAIN VELVETBREAST, the fluttery, slow-motion wingbeats of the GREAT
SAPPHIREWING, BUFF-WINGED STARFRONTLET, SAPPHIRE-VENTED and
GOLDEN-BREASTED PUFFLEG, and TYRIAN METALTAIL. At the end of the
feeder trail was a small sitting area with a number of feeders and
superb views of the neighboring peaks. After a little while the
improbable, bizarre, “that can’t be real” SWORD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD made
an appearance. We waited a while, and it returned from time to
time. How it could even fit its bill into the feeder hole was
beyond me! It seems like every set of feeders has its “honorary”
hummingbirds—in this case they were GLOSSY FLOWERPIERCER, quite
effectively raiding the feeders.
By now the clouds were finally beginning to float in and obscure the
views. We let the big group get a head start, then slowly made
our way back along the track to the entrance. The plants were as
wonderful as the birds. I would have loved to have been in the
company of a botanist on this stretch. In addition to the big
leafy fronds of the Giant Rhubarb, there were a number of flowers, even
some brilliant orchids. We continued to see birds, including both
male and female RAINBOW-BEARDED THORNBILL (doing their strange,
fluttery feeding behavior, even perching on the rim of the flowers;
these did not go to the feeders), RUFOUS WREN, SPECTACLED WHITESTART,
CINEROUS CONEBILL, BLUE-BACKED CONEBILL, more gorgeous tanagers in the
form of GOLDEN-CROWNED TANAGER, HOODED MOUNTAIN-TANAGER and a good but
brief view of a single BUFF-BREASTED MOUNTAIN-TANAGER.
By the time we made our way back to our car, we had the place to
ourselves. We ate our packed lunches at the entrance gate,
watching the thickening fog swirl in. It was very quiet and very
beautiful. From there we drove straight to our Quito hotel,
checking in by the mid-afternoon. We wandered up Avenida Amazonas
to Ejido Park, and enjoyed watching people and the hustle-bustle of
city life. We looked into a few shops, and a small market with
folkloric items. We even managed to get a new trip bird (!),
EARED DOVE, in Ejido Park! We had a very average dinner at the
hotel, and went to bed a bit earlier than usual. Our daily total
was a modest 42 species, bringing the trip total to 297.
January 29, 2004.
While enjoying toast and coffee in the pre-dawn
darkness, I looked out the window to my left, and looking back in at me
from the garden was my friend, the black rabbit. I guess it is
their guard-rabbit—good to have one of those in security-conscious
Quito. Xavier, who had been our driver on our TBL-guided trips
these last few days, picked us up on time and we headed out of Quito
and up to Papallacta Pass. It was a very agreeable kind of
birding. Xavier is a very pleasant fellow, and knew all of the
appropriate stops.
We started at the radio towers above the pass. One COULD get a
taxi or public bus to the pass proper, then walk up there, but at 4200
meters (14,000 feet) it wouldn’t be an easy walk. If the road is
always in the fairly good condition in which we found it, it wouldn’t
be hard to get a regular passenger car or taxi up there (steepness
being more of an issue than road surface). Also, getting there
first thing in the morning seems to be a pretty good idea, optimizing
the chance for shy birds and for better weather. We were quite
fortunate on both counts. The weather was clear, with only a few
scattered clouds. It was cold and windy, but we were ready for
that. We were the first up to the towers, and walked around a bit
admiring the remarkable view of nearby volcanoes, and range after range
of green ridges fading off into the distant Amazon basin. We had
very clear views of nearby Antisana and a bit further away, the elegant
cone of Cotopaxi, highest summit in Ecuador.
Walking about the radio towers, right on the concrete pads were two
separate pairs of RUFOUS-BELLIED SEEDSNIPE. We had knockout views
of these birds as they casually walked around, pecking for food.
We left them there and headed down the mountain. As we were
leaving, a party of boisterous sightseers arrived, and may have scared
the birds off the tower pads, but I’m not sure. In any case, an
early arrival would seem to be the best strategy here. We walked
down the road, with Xavier slowly following us down, stopping some
distance back whenever we stopped or walked off the track. The
birds were sparse, but all spectacular, and pretty easy to see.
Without too much trouble we found ANDEAN TEAL (2 on a tarn a bit away
from the road near a small rock shelter). Allan caught a brief
glimpse of a VARIABLE HAWK, but it slipped over the ridgeline before I
could get a look at it. Also present were BAR-WINGED and
STOUT-BILLED CINCLODES, ANDEAN TIT-SPINETAIL (including one “family”
group of about 6 birds), TAWNY ANTPITTA (several were running around in
open view), PARAMO GROUND-TYRANT, and PLUMBEOUS
SIERRA-FINCH.
We had to work a bit harder to find MANY-STRIPED CANASTERO, but
perseverance paid, and we had good looks. We also heard a number
of WHITE-CHINNED THISTLETAIL, and even managed a brief, but
unsatisfying, look. While chasing after the Canastero, we
happened upon two small mammals. I had no idea what they were (I
had come woefully unprepared for mammals). Ironically, this may
have been an advantage here, because I simply noted down what we saw,
without any intent to “make” it into something unusual. According
to a biologist we met later in the day, our notes best described a
Pudu, a very rare alpine deer. Too bad we couldn’t manage a
photo, or at least get to admire it longer.
From here we dropped down the east side of the pass, and after checking
some windblown and bird-barren polylepis woods above the equally barren
Papallacta Reservoir, we went back up the road to the Sendero del
Arriero, barely 2 kilometers from the top of the Pass. This is a
good patch of polylepis “forest” right next to the road, with some open
grassland and, a few hundred meters up and over a hill, a hidden
lake. I believe this is an area well described in the trip
reports and birdfinding literature, but no one ever seems to use what I
believe is its proper name. It is a remnant of the historical
route into the Amazon basin. From prior reports, we knew that
this is a hit-or-miss location—if you happen to stop when the flock
that works the polylepis is around, it is an outstanding spot.
Otherwise it is another chance to admire Great Thrushes and
Rufous-crowned Sparrows. Luck was with us today, and we “hit” the
flock within five minutes of leaving the car. The first bird we
saw in the flock was a nuthatch-like GIANT CONEBILL! Also in the
flock were PEARLED TREERUNNER, WHITE-THROATED TYRANNULET, CINEROUS
CONEBILL, BLACK-BACKED BUSH-TANAGER, more PLUMBEOUS SIERRA-FINCH, and
HOODED SISKIN. Right at the little pass at the overlook to the
lake was a reasonably cooperative GRASS WREN. Looking down into
the pond we saw some distant duck-specks, and a closer pair of birds
that proved to be ANDEAN COOT. We were quite surprised—I
was not aware that they were in this particular stretch of the Andes,
but we saw them well. With a scope we could have added a couple
of additional species here, but this was the only time during the day
that we really felt its lack.
As we made our way by the reservoir, we noted a couple of flyby
YELLOW-BILLED PINTAIL. I also distinctly heard a GREATER
YELLOWLEGS. Sadly, there were no gulls or other waterfowl present
this day. With a couple of hours left, we dropped down to Guango
Lodge for one last session at some hummingbird feeders. We paid a
$5 day fee (which included excellent coffee), and sat awhile, enjoying
the feeders and admiring the lodge. I would like to stay there
some time. The feeder activity included SPECKLED HUMMINGBIRD,
MOUNTAIN VELVETBREAST, COLLARED INCA, two more still-astounding
SWORD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRDS, TOURMALINE SUNANGEL, TYRIAN METALTAIL,
LONG-TAILED SYLPH and, just before we left, WHITE-BELLIED
WOODSTAR. The honorary hummingbird here was a MASKED
FLOWERPIERCER.
With that, our time was up and we drove back to Quito. In our
late afternoon stroll we stumbled upon a marvelous Andean music shop on
Avenida Amazonas called Saucisa. In one of my other non-birding
lives I am a musician, so I greatly enjoyed choosing from the excellent
selection of Andean flutes. Our daily total showed the day as a
“quality over quantity” experience—32 lifers, bringing the final trip
total to 316 species.
January 31, 2004. My plane didn’t leave until later that evening,
so we spent the day sightseeing in Quito. Since we only had this
one day, to make it a bit easier we hired Renato Carillo, a young
freelance guide who sometimes drives for TBL, for a half-day city
tour. He took us on an informative and pleasant tour of the old
town and other areas in Quito. He left us at the excellent
National Museum of the Central Bank of Ecuador, which has an
outstanding collection of Pre-Columbian art (including some nice
ceramics and dazzling gold and platinum items). Shopping in the
local market and a long dinner at a sidewalk café on Amazonas
(great for people watching) concluded the day. Lucky Allan was
heading on to the Galapagos, but I was heading home. The flight
was uneventful, just the way I like them!
LOGISTICS:
There are so many trip reports available on the web that cover the
precise areas I went to, that I won’t bother with the usual detailed
description of logistics. Instead, I’ll provide a few summary
notes on trip resources and planning. Is there any other place in
the world where there are so many excellent resources in a variety of
media? An excellent, new field guide (but where are the hawks in
flight plates!!?), superb CD’s of bird vocalizations including many of
the rarest and shyest birds, dozens of well-written trip reports
covering many different travel styles, ample travel books, good
locally-produced websites on birds in the area. About the only
thing I DIDN’T find was a good map for the Tandayapa and Mindo
areas. Here, then, are a few annotated essentials.
Field Guide. Ridgely and
Greenfield, Birds of Ecuador,
is a very
good field guide. They wisely put it in two volumes. The
official Field Guide has plates and descriptions, including range
information in Ecuador. One gripe: why aren’t there more
pictures of hawks in flight, including a comparative plate? The
companion volume on Status, Distribution and Taxonomy, has much more
detail on those very subjects. I found the discussion of
subspecies for each species account to be particularly impressive and
useful. The field guide volume alone is big, but not too big for
a shoulder bag. Some suggest cutting out the plates, but I don’t
prefer that approach. Not only does it cut up a lovely book, but
the descriptions contain critical information on identification,
habits, vocalizations, and location in Ecuador. Most traveling
birders won’t need to bring the Status etc. volume on their trip, but
it is very nice to have as a home reference.
Bird Finding Guides.
Wheatley’s Finding Birds in
South
America is still useful for trip planning but is now somewhat
out of
date for specific birdfinding, especially in the areas I went to.
Clive Green, Birding Ecuador (2nd ed, 1996, with 2002 supplement) is
better (and a lot longer and more detailed, to be sure), but still
could use a thorough update. The Tandayapa Valley, for example,
is barely mentioned. I believe some of the driving directions are
now in need of repair, but then I am always a bit skeptical of specific
driving direction in finding guides, since the roads, road conditions
and road markings change frequently, and car odometers vary in
accuracy. There is another guide mentioned favorably in trip
reports, Williams, Best & Heijnen, A Guide to Birdwatching in
Ecuador and the Galapagos. I didn’t see it (and believe it to be
out of print), so I can’t comment on its accuracy, but I was told by a
local birder that “all” of the finding guides are out of date
now. Most useful for the Tandayapa Valley is an article by Tony
Nunnery and Mark Welford in the American Birding Association’s Winging
It newsletter (Volume 13, No. 12, December 2001), titled “Birding in
the Tandayapa Valley.” It provides an excellent overview of
birding in that area, including a handy sketch.
General Tour Book. The
two that looked the best to me were the
Lonely Planet and Footprint Guides. Both are widely
available. There are others that seemed fine, too, but those two
seemed to have a little more detail on the kinds of places birders end
up.
Bird Recordings. John
Moore Nature Records supplies us with an
outstanding series of CD recordings of the birds of Ecuador. For
the areas I covered I needed both the Birds of Northwest Ecuador—Volume
I, the Upper Foothills and Subtropics as well as the Birds of the
Ecuadoran Highlands--Upper Montane and Paramo Zones of Ecuador.
There is minimal overlap, and many species in the upper Tandayapa
Valley and Yanacocha are only in the Highlands volume, while the rest
of Tandayapa, Mindo and Los Bancos are in Northwest Volume I.
Pedro Vicente Maldonado is probably in the Lowlands Volume, but I
didn’t buy that one so I’m not sure. In any case, they are all
fantastic and well worth buying, if you can afford them. They
provided excellent opportunities for preparation, good reference
checking in the evenings while there, and in the few instances where I
taped up a bird, served well for that too.
Maps. The
overall country map published by
International Travel Maps (ITMB Publishing) is fine, but it is of too
large a scale to be any use in the more limited areas. The guide
books mention topographical maps, but I didn’t have the time to hunt
them down, and I don’t know how current they are.
Web Resources. The independent birder is really lucky here.
There are an abundance of very well written trip reports and
websites. Good places to start include Blake Maybank’s collection
of trip reports at
https://maybank.tripod.com/SouthAmerica/Ecuador/Ecuador-Index.htm , the
Fat Birder at
http://www.fatbirder.com/links_geo/america_south/equador.html and
Birdtours.co’s site at
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/ecuador/index.htm, and one of my
old favorites, “Where do you want to go Birding today?” at
http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/saecuador.htm . Other good
info, including some reports and other helpful tips, are on Worldtwitch
at http://worldtwitch.com/new_world.htm . Tandayapa Bird Lodge
has a very helpful annotated checklist and other information at
www.tandayapa.com, with other information including trip reports at
their related site,
http://www.tropicalbirding.com/sam/sam_frameset.htm. There are
many, many more good locations. Do a Google search for “Ecuador
Birds” or “Tandayapa” or the like and you’ll see what I mean!
Guides. We did a
“blended” trip, with some parts on our own and
some parts with a professional guide. That seemed to satisfy both
my desire to find some of my own birds (and be on our own, away from
the crowd) and to come home with a nice long trip list. We were
also able to avoid having to rent a car or worry incessantly about
directions and travel logistics. That choice did come at a price,
however. We made all of our arrangements through Tandayapa
Bird Lodge, at www.tandayapa.com. I certainly recommend
them. Their orientation is not to book things in the super-budget
category, though, so someone on a tight budget would probably be better
off just winging it. There is plenty of information on the web
and in the tour books. There are many tour companies that
schedule regular trips to Ecuador. Whether to go on one of those
or not is, of course, a personal decision based on birding ability,
personal temperament, time available and budget. Ecuador is an
excellent place to bird on your own. If you do it on your own, it
is likely that you won’t see as many species, but maybe that doesn’t
really matter when what you see is so spectacular. How much is
enough? Quito is an interesting city, and worth a visit in its
own right. Renato Carillo is a pleasant fellow, fluent in
English, who can guide you around for a reasonable rate. You can
reach him by phone in Quito at 244-3985 or by e-mail at
tatuin@punto.net.ec.
TRIP
SPECIES LIST
The species list for this trip can be viewed by clicking here.
Francis Toldi
Burlingame, CA, USA
francis@dpisf.com