Birding the Americas Trip Report and Planning Repository

by Caleb Putnam

Itinerary:

Sani Lodge, Rio Napo (July 9-16)

Papallacta and Papallacta Pass (July 17-18)

Quito (July 19)

Mindo (July 20-22)

Tandayapa Lodge (July 22-24)

Part 1: Sani Lodge (226 species)

Sani Lodge (www.sanilodge.com) is a newly-built, small, community-owned lodge located about 4 hours east of Coca by water in Amazonian Ecuador, about 1 hour east of La Selva Lodge on the Rio Napo.  It is situated on the shore of a blackwater lagoon called Challuacocha, accessible via a small tributary of the Napo.  Although Sani Lodge hasn’t gotten much attention from hard core birders, the recent discovery of a RUFOUS POTOO (more below) and other goodies (eg. Short-Billed Leaftosser, Mottled Owl, Red-Billed Scythebill) here is sure to turn more than a few heads.  The birding is excellent, and not just because of their very talented bird guide, Domingo Gualinga.  Domingo was trained at La Selva Lodge and knows nearly all the local species by sight and sound.  He speaks little English except the bird names, so conversational Spanish is very helpful in the field.  However, he is highly skilled at getting birders on difficult species (eg. antbirds) and he knows enough basic English phrases such as “it’s above the large branch, behind the dead leaf”, etc, that you can probably get by without too much Spanish.  He doesn’t use tapes, opting instead to attract birds by imitation (which, incidentally, he’s very good at too).  We would have missed countless species without Domingo’s expertise in the field.  Incidentally, Sani Lodge doesn’t charge extra for the bird guide, although tipping is recommended.

My father and I arrived in Quito at 10:50PM (Continental Airlines via Houston) and took a taxi to the Mariscal Sucre (gringolandia, as they call it) for $10 (you never should pay more than $5 for a taxi, which we later learned).  We stayed the night at Hostal Alcala for about $30 (online reservations were nice, but get your own taxi).

We were awoken by the songs of several Rufous-Collared Sparrows outside our room in Quito.  A quick walk around the hostal produced Sparkling Violetear, Black-Tailed Trainbearer, Eared Dove, Rock Pigeon, and Great Thrush, and a great pastry breakfast for 2 (less than $1 total).  We then flew from Quito to Coca on Icaro airlines, pre-arranged by Sani Lodge.  After arriving in Coca we were shuttled to the banks of the Rio Napo where we boarded a large motorized canoe (bring a pad for your rear- it hurts!).  Our ride to the lodge took about 4 hours, including a few brief stops for birds and a little Ecuadorian history.  Along the way we saw Brown-Chested and Gray-Breasted Martins, Yellow-Billed and Large-Billed Terns, Amazonian Umbrellabird (the only spot all week), Yellow-Headed Caracara, and other species.  Arrived at lodge at about 1600, dark by 1800.  Had Laughing Falcon, Green and Amazon Kingfishers, and Masked Crimson and Magpie Tanagers just before dark.  A spectacular canoe ride with Domingo around Challuacocha at dusk produced Agami Heron, Boat-Billed Heron, Straight-Billed Woodcreeper, Hoatzin, Muscovy, Bat Falcon, and an obliging Pauraque.

Woke up to a light rain which didn’t stop the birds.   Domingo, my father and I spent the morning in the canopy tower.  This required a short canoe ride which produced Buff-Throated Woodcreeper, Lesser Kiskadee, Blue-Gray and Palm Tanagers, Striated Heron (very common), Crested Oropendola, Gray-Crowned Flycatcher, Black-Capped Donacobius (very common around the lake), Yellow-Crowned Tyrannulet, Red Capped Cardinal, and Blue and Yellow Macaw.

Back at the lodge (Linderacial trail - begins behind the cabanas) Domingo showed us his stakeout Great Potoo (spectacular!), and we also found Turquoise Tanager and Red-Throated Caracara.  After lunch and a rest we made a quick dash before dusk right around the lodge itself which produced White-Necked Heron, Many-Banded Aracari, Little Cuckoo, Least Bittern (sounds completely different from the North American form), Great Tinamou (heard only), and Wattled Jacana and Limpkin.

Hiked the Chirongo trail which begins at the west arm of Challuacocha, and required about 6 hours of walking and birding to complete.  Trails muddy in spots but with the rubber boots provided there was no problem.  Very productive day through very nice terra firme forest.

Domingo and I left my father behind and birded the entire Linderacial trail, which begins right behind the cabins and works its way through terra firme all the way to the border with the neighboring community.  Many species were similar to yesterday but new ones included Ruddy Pigeon, Cinnamon Attila, Buff-Throated Saltator, Mealy Parrot, White-Flanked Antwren, Black-Spotted Bare-Eye (awesome looks), SHORT-BILLED LEAFTOSSER (very rare- great looks), Cinereous Antshrike, Gray Antbird, Slate-Colored Hawk, Golden-Collared Toucanet, Wing-Barred Piprites, Plumbeous Pigeon, Lineated Woodcreeper, Long-Billed Gnatwren, Southern Nightingale-Wren, Black-Tailed Trogon, Ruddy Quail-Dove, King Vulture, Violaceous Trogon, Spix’s Guan, and a stunning BARTLETT’S TINAMOU which obliged us with incredible 15 foot views and it stood motionless in the undergrowth!

A few birds at the lodge proper: Green and Gold Tanager, Turquoise Tanager, Orange-Bellied Euphonia, Orange-Winged Parrot, and Yellow-Bellied Dacnis.

Today we visited the parrot licks at the Napo Wildlife Center Reserve Area (Yasuni National Park).  Entrance fee of $15 per person.  During the boat ride, which took about an hour, we recorded Undulated Tinamou (heard only), Giant Cowbird, Chestnut-Fronted Macaw, White-Eared Jacamar, Russet-Backed Oropendola, and the omnipresent Yellow-Rumped Cacique, among others. 

At the lower parrot lick (there are two, and upper and a lower) were hundreds of Dusky-Headed Parakeets, including about 4-5 yellowish individuals unlike any of the others.  (Not sure of the source of this unusual plumage coloration).  Also recorded a few Blue-Headed Parrots, Mealy Parrots, and 1 Yellow-Crowned Amazon (seen by the group by not me).  The upper parrot lick held only Cobalt-Winged Parakeets (hundreds), with a singleton Scarlet-Shouldered Parrotlet mixed in.

Woke up to singing Pauraque, Common Potoo, and Great Tinamou outside the cabana.  This was our day to hit the Rio Napo Islands for specialties and clean up on missed birds at the lodge.

Early morning rise for the boat ride to Coca, which yielded only Swallow-Tailed Kite and possible Plumbeous Kites as new birds.  Arrived back in Quito at about noon.  Spent the afternoon meeting up with my friend Andy Jones of St. Paul, Minnesota, and set up in Hostal Alcala for the night (triple room for $32, included breakfast, and also did laundry there for $2).

After my father flew back to the states at 8 AM, Andy and I prepared for the second leg of the trip, which was to include Papallacta, Papallacta Pass, Mindo, Tandayapa Bird Lodge, and BellaVista Lodge.  Bus ride from Quito to Papallacta departs only from the “Terminal Terrestre” Bus Station (all taxi drivers know it), which is a 20 minute ride from the Mariscal Sucre.  Fare was about $1.50 each, one-way and it took about 2 hours to reach Papallacta, passing by Papallacta Pass on the way for stunning views of paramo and Polylepis forest on the roadside.

We flagged down an early taxi from Choza de Don Wilson and took it up to the pass (about 10km?), which cost $10 (a bus would have been much cheaper but not many were passing by at the time).  We were let out at the pass itself, marked by the makeshift shrine on the south side of the road.  The taxi driver had no idea where we wanted to go, and no guidebooks were clear about what the "shrine" is - just get out beside the triangular monument to the Virgin of the Paramo, covered in flowers.  There is a parking lot here, and across the road you'll see the dirt road which goes uphill past an unmanned guard post.  We intended to hike up this well-known road all the way to the radio towers, about a 2km ordeal (see Nigel Wheatley’s Where to Watch Birds in South America or Clive Green’s Birding Ecuador, 2^nd edition for directions).  This turned out to be a VERY difficult task, much more so than we had anticipated or read, and we would recommend that you only attempt this if you are in very strong physical condition and are well-acclimatized to the elevation (4,200m at the towers). 

White-Chinned Thistletail (Schizoeaca fuliginosa)
July 18, 2004, Papallacta Pass, Ecuador.
Photo: copyright Caleb Putnam 2004.

This day was intended to be spent mostly in Mindo, but we ended up being unable to catch a bus to Mindo until 1545 hours.  There are only 2 buses per day from the terminal (NOT the Terminal Terrestre - check the Lonely Planet for the name or ask a taxi driver) one departing at 0800 and the other at 1545 (note that there are now two rides per day, not one as Lonely Planet suggests).  While waiting for the latter bus we birded Parque La Carolina in Quito, at which a botanical garden was being constructed.  In the future this may be worth checking.  Only birds present were Eared Dove, Cinereous Conebill, Hooded Siskin, Black-Tailed Trainbearer (pity, I know), Rufous-Collared Sparrow, Great Thrush, Vermilion Flycatcher, Black Flowerpiercer, and Sparkling Violetear.  Andy also had Rusty Flowerpiercer and Blue-and-Yellow Tanager here earlier in the week.

At about 0630 hours a bus came by Hostal Bijao headed up to Nanegalito.  We took it 8km uphill to the intersection with the Nono-Mindo Road, which heads back to Quito if you turn right.  At this intersection is a small shed with a light which attracts TONS of interesting moths and insects, and also a suite of cool birds every morning which feast on the smorgasbord.  We stood at this shed no shorter than 2 hours and never stopped seeing new birds: Toucan Barbet, Squirrel Cuckoo, Olive-Crowned Yellowthroat, Buff-Throated Saltator, Slate-Throated Whitestart, 3-striped warbler (abundant), tricolored brush-finch, Montane (?) Woodcreeper, Sooty-Headed Tyrannulet, Great Tinamou (h), Streak-Capped Treehunter, Dusky Bush-Tanager (unlike in the book the bird’s irises are completely red, not yellow), Red-Eyed Vireo, Uniform Antshrike, Sepia-Brown Wren, Gray-Breasted Wood-Wren, Brown Inca, Blue-Winged Mountain Tanager, etc.

We arrived in Mindo about 1800 hours, and would recommend you bring water and expect a long day if you walk this entire 8 km.

After picking up Bananaquit, Slaty Spinetail, Variable Seedeater, Shiny Cowbird, Yellow-Bellied Elaenia (we think, anyway), Southern House Wren, MASKED WATER-TYRANT (a pair hanging out in the road right in front of Hostal Bijao!), Southern Beardless Tyrannulet, and Rusty-Margined Flycatcher, all right at Hostal Bijao, we hiked across town to try out the Rio Mindo Trail (clearly mapped out in both Wheatley and Green), which is really a dirt road which flanks the Rio Mindo and leads uphill to Mindo Gardens resort and other locations.

    2) Tandayapa Bird Lodge

We hired a local guide, Klever Tello, to take us to the Nambillo (privately owned) Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek.  Klever can be found at the Orchid Garden described in Lonely Planet (1 block from Mindo town center), and he charged us $40 including taxi, cock-of-the-rock lek, and half a day of birding up the San Lorenzo Rd on foot.  He knows the common birds by voice but there are many species he doesn’t know.  He has, however, acquired the CDs and is learning.  The Nambillo lek is only accessible by hiring a guide.

We began the morning at the antpitta feeder (a blind with a 24 hour fluorescent light for attracting insects), and had great looks at Uniform Antshrike, Chestnut-Capped Brush-Finch, and Russet-Crowned Warbler. 

               2) BellaVista Lodge

Walked the entire Potoo Trail at Tandayapa which was fairly productive.  Many of the same species but also White-Throated Quail-Dove (great looks!), Ochre-Breasted Antpitta (using tapes got good looks), Toucan Barbet, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, several tanagers, Rufescent Screech-Owl (found dead (!) at the “Cock-of-the-Rock” bridge (see map), where the trail crosses next to a waterfall), and the usual suspects.

A morning of very productive birding along the main road, all the way from the lodge uphill to the biological station (see the map).  We ran into some VERY nice mixed species flocks along the ridge.  New species included Yellow-Bellied Chat-Tyrant, Grass-Green Tanager (on the nest - found by Harold Greeley 2 weeks earlier), Azara’s Spinetail, Spillman’s Tapaculo (finally learned its voice), Rufous-Chested Tanager, Streak-Necked Flycatcher, Southern Yellow-Grosbeak, Sierrian Elaenia, Streak-Capped Treehunter, Rusty-Winged Barbtail, Rufous Spinetail, Ocellated Tapaculo (heard along F trail- wouldn’t come in to tapes), and Glossy Black Thrush (heard only- sounds like a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet).

Grass-green Tanager (Chlorornis riefferii), female on nest, July 25, 2004
BellaVista Rain Forest Lodge, Ecuador.
Photo: copyright Caleb Putnam 2004

Took the afternoon off due to exhaustion and sleep deprivation!

              2) Return to Quito

Decided to target Tanager Finch along the main road first thing, which we GOT by playing tapes just below where the road hits the X trail.  A beautiful cooperative pair.  We also lucked into an Ocellated Tapaculo standing in the road, and also listed Slaty-Backed Nightingale Thrush and Pearled Treerunner. 

July 27 - flight to Houston (Continental Airlines) departed Quito at 0700 hours.

Uneventful departure from Quito, however it’s best to be at the airport 2 hours prior to departure, and remember to bring $25 cash, or you will not be able to get on your flight (important detail, eh?)!

(All Species Heard or Seen by Caleb Putnam July 9-26, 2004, see text or email me for more details)

Caleb Putnam
(Larus10@hotmail.com)

Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA