Ecuador Trip Report - March, 2008 and September, 2009

Due to it's standing as tops in avian diversity, South America has often been called the 'bird continent'.  While Columbia, Peru, Brazil, and Ecuador top the list of most species per country, of these, Ecuador, by far the smallest, is hands down number one in species per square mile.  With almost 1700 species of birds in an area the size of my home state of Arizona, Ecuador has become known as one of the top spots in the world for seeing, enjoying, and learning about an impressive variety of beautiful and fascinating birds.  Such bird diversity is paralleled by general floral and faunal richness and a highly varied biogeography, making Ecuador a nature lovers paradise.  In recent years, I've had the good fortune to spend three months traveling throughout much of the country.   What follows is a summary of my experiences during northern Ecuador trips that include the eastern and western slopes of the Andes as well as the high paramo.  All species mentioned have been seen on previous trips.

For birders and general nature enthusiasts, the interandean city of Quito is perfectly situated to access the wonders of Ecuador, many of which are easily reached by often very scenic drives.  Climbing out of the dryish valley and crossing to the western slope, one begins a spectacular descent through a rich biological transect, passing through temperate, subtropical, foothill, and finally lowland tropical forests.  Throughout the world, habitats and species are restricted by elevation, but in Ecuador and other Andean countries, where elevations may range from sea level to over 20,000 feet in a relatively short distance, this concept reaches a zenith, and short elevation changes take on inordinate significance in terms of species' distributions and variety. 

My trip begins in the northwest lowlands at Tinalandia Nature Reserve, a well known hot spot for a large variety of birds, including several Choco endemics and 'west slope only' species.  Despite the slightly fragmented forest in the area, Tinalandia is one of those places where the birding can be outstanding right outside your front door.  During the two days we spend here, and in the short walks we take, we usually find over 100 species.  The main road from the cabins to the lodge can be a challenge, not because of the hill between them, but because there are sometimes just so many birds to look at!  Mixed flocks can include orange-fronted and red-headed barbets, brown-capped tyrannulet, cinnamon and one-colored becards, yellow-tufted dacnis, blue-necked and silver-throated tanagers, streak-headed woodcreeper, red-billed scythebill, yellow-throated and ashy-throated bush-tanagers, and scale-crested pygmy-tyrant.  The fruit feeders are a good spot to see the typically skulky dusky-faced tanager as well as more easily seen birds such as lemon-rumped tanager, pale-mandibled aracari, green honeycreeper, orange-billed sparrow, and three species of euphonia (orange-bellied, orange-crowned, and thick-billed).  Hummingbird feeders, though not as busy as those at higher elevations, can provide excellent views of green-crowned brilliant, white-whiskered hermit, green thorntail, and green-crowned woodnymph.

Other birds that we see regularly at Tinlandia include Pacific parrotlet, Peruvian (Pacific) pygmy-owl, a fairly regular pair of spectacled owls (sometimes with young), crimson-rumped toucanet, Ecuadorian thrush, band-backed and bay wrens, fawn-breasted tanager, slaty spinetail, pallid dove, buff-rumped warbler, Pacific hornero, slaty-capped shrike-vireo, and rufous and broad-billed motmots.  Not so common are several woodpeckers including Guayaquil, scarlet-backed, and red-rumped.  At a small pond near the cabins, we've yet to miss white-throated crake and masked water tyrant.  While both are found only on the west slope of Ecuador, the water-tyrant is particularly interesting as it occurs in two widely disjunct populations, one in west Ecuador and the second on the opposite side of the continent in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil.  Mammals we've seen include tayra, Central American agouti, and red-tailed squirrel. 

From Tinalandia, we travel north to the Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, one of several gorgeous properties managed by the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation (MCF).  With excellent trails and a 50-ft. canopy tower, the 80-acre reserve harbors many birds.  At an elevation of 300 meters, Silanche is home to several Choco endemics, such as blue-whiskered, scarlet-browed, and rufous-winged tanagers, dusky pigeon, black-striped woodcreeper, and Choco trogon.  Antswarms at Silanche attract chestnut-backed, immaculate and bicolored antbirds while mixed flocks may contain tawny-faced gnatwren, checker-throated and Pacific antwrens, russet antshrike, black-winged saltator, and many others.  Though it's frequently heard in the western lowlands, Silanche has thus far been the only location where I've actually seen rufous-fronted wood-quail.  Bronze-winged parrots are fairly common, and the open country on the way in has been good for laughing falcon, fasciated tiger-heron, and barred puffbird.

After Silanche, we head east and uphill, making a stop at San Miguel de Los Bancos where hummer and fruit feeders keep us entertained during our delicious lunch.  Golden, silver-throated, rufous-throated, and flame-faced tanagers can make for a colorful show.  Nearby is a second MCF preserve, the Milpe Bird Sanctuary.  We spend the afternoon at Milpe where we've had good luck finding club-winged and golden-winged manakin, snowy-throated kingbird, ornate flycatcher, glistening-green tanager, white-thighed swallow, olive-crowned yellowthroat, purple-bibbed whitetip, and more.  We complete this bird-filled day as we arrive at Septimo Paraiso, a well-known bird lodge on the edge of the town of Mindo.  We spend two nights at Septimo, enjoying the grounds and the Mindo valley where red-billed parrot, yellow tyrannulet, Choco toucan, crimson-mantled woodpecker, red-faced spinetail, spotted barbtail, 10 or more species of hummers, and many more species are found.  A 'must-do' highlight of our stay in the Mindo area is a morning visit to the Angel Paz Antpitta Reserve.  In recent years, Angel Paz, a local farmer, has amazingly habituated several species of antpittas to human presence.  Normally very difficult to see, one can now see three and sometimes four species of these elusive creatures - giant, moustached, yellow-breasted, and ochre-breasted.  Prior to the antpitta show, we get to watch the noisy and spectacular displays of male Andean cocks-of-the-rock.  If that's not enough, Angel's fruit feeders provide up close (10-15 feet away) views of sickle-winged guan, crimson-rumped toucanet, toucan barbet, and the normally reclusive olivaceous piha, and his hummer feeders are a good spot for empress brilliant.  A visit to Angel's is simply a magical experience.

Amazingly, at this point in the trip, though we've already seen a mindboggling diversity of species, we're just getting warmed up.  On our way to our next stop, the incomparable Tandayapa Lodge (where we spend two nights), we make a lunch stop at Mindo Loma, a cloud forest site that is excellent for velvet-purple coronet, empress brilliant and many tanagers, including black-chinned mountain tanager.  Now one of the most popular birding spots in the world, the Tandayapa area is well known for it's hummingbirds and cloud forest species.  In a short day trip up and down the valley to the various feeding stations one is likely to find over a dozen species of hummers including booted racket-tail, fawn-breasted brilliant, tawny-bellied hermit, gorgeted sunangel, violet-tailed sylph, purple-throated woodstar, Andean emerald, and sparkling violetear.  The damp, epiphyte laden forest, rich with the sounds of exotic birds, has a mystical quality.  This is the home of tooting toucan barbets, the far-carrying calls of plate-billed mountain-toucans, the sweet musical song of russet-crowned warbler, the descending whistle of ocellated tapaculo, the frequent calls of chestnut-crowned antpitta, and the chatter of fast moving mixed flocks of tanagers, furnarids, and warblers.  Among the hundreds of species possible, we usually see montane and strong-billed woodcreepers, powerful woodpecker, great and glossy-black thrushes, golden-headed quetzal, Azara's spinetail, plain-tailed and mountain wrens, streaked tuftedcheek, pearled treerunner, green-and-black fruiteater, white-tailed tyrannulet, yellow-bellied tyrannulet, white-throated quail-dove, scaly-naped Amazon, spectacled whitestart, and many tanager species (blue-capped, blue-winged mountain, beryl-spangled, golden-naped, blue-and-black, grass-green, and dusky-bush).  Raptors possible in the area include black-and-chestnut eagle and barred hawk.

We leave Tandayapa and make the spectacular crossing of the Andes to the eastern slope and Guango Lodge.  If skies are clear, we sometimes have views of the big three nearby volcanoes - Antisana, Cotopaxi, and Cayambe.  High and cool seem to be just what Andean hummers enjoy, and Guango's feeders are some of the most active in Ecuador.  Of the many species found here (tourmaline sunangel, speckled hummingbird, tyrian metaltail, glowing puffleg, chestnut-breasted coronet, buff-winged starfrontlet, white-bellied woodstar), perhaps the star of the show is the amazing sword-billed hummingbird.  This seemingly improbable bird eventually makes sense as one travels through the area and sees the many long, trumpet-shaped Brugmansia flowers on which these hummers specialize.  The Rio Papallacta passes through the Guango property and is a very reliable spot for torrent tyrannulet, white-capped dipper, and the beautiful torrent duck whose ease at moving through a raging river is impressive.  The lodge grounds are great for mountain wren, gray-breasted wood-wren, turqouise jay, northern mountain-cacique, chestnut-crowned antpitta, and occasionally gray-breasted mountain-toucan.  At times, the trails can seem oddly quiet.....until one encounters a mixed flock in which case it may become every birder for his or herself.  Flocking species in the canopy can include four species of mountain tanager (scarlet-bellied, blue-winged, buff-breasted, and lacrimose), capped and blue-backed conebills, gray-hooded bush-tanager, dusky piha, white-banded tyrannulet, and cinnamon flycatcher.  Understory flocks are equally exciting with four species of brush-finches (pale-naped, stripe-headed, chestnut-capped, and slaty), plushcap, cinereous conebill, black-crested warbler, and black-capped and black-eared hemispingus.  Tyrannine and olive-backed woodcreepers, masked trogon, bar-bellied woodpecker, rufous-breasted and slaty-backed chat tyrants, and rufous antpitta are other Guango favorites.

With fingers crossed and a bit of luck, we make an afternoon trip uphill to the legendary Papallacta Pass.  At 14,000 feet plus, the highly variable weather in this area can make birding a challenging roll of the dice.  It's a gamble that's worth it though as the dense shrubs, grassy paramo, bizarre cushion plants, barren windswept slopes, wetlands, and small lakes offer a variety of habitats with surprisingly diverse birds.  Among the species found here are Ecuadorian hillstar, bar-winged and stout-billed cinclodes, brown-backed chat-tyrant, tawny antpitta, Andean tit-spinetail, many-striped canastero, variable hawk, black-chested buzzard eagle, Andean teal and lapwing, and plumbeous sierra-finch.  At the highest (and often windiest) point, we search the bunchgrasses for the well camouflaged rufous-bellied seedsnipe, a large and intricately patterned bird that defies the elements in this harsh (at least for humans) environment.  

From Guango we drop lower to the subtropical forests of San Isidro Lodge where we're spoiled by comfortable rooms and superb food, not to mention great birds right on the lodge grounds.  Hummer feeders are visited by bronzy inca, green and brown violetears, and gorgeted sunagel, there is a soon-to-be-described Strix owl on the grounds, and, like many of Ecuador's bird lodges, San Isidro has a habituated antpitta, the white-bellied.  Fruiting trees by the lodge entrance can be magnets for morning flocks, and we've often had a hard time getting to breakfast or out on the trails while watching Andean solitaire, barred becard, ashy-headed tyrannulet, white-crested elaenia, black-billed peppershrike, brown-capped vireo, green (Inca) jays, pale-edged flycatcher, subtropical cacique, and many others.

The forest at San Isidro can be particularly rich with challenging canopy flocks which may include  variegated and marble-faced bristle-tyrants, yellow-vented woodpecker, chestnut-breasted chlorophonia, and rufous-crested as well as many other tanagers.  Other species we've enjoyed at San Isidro include flavescent flycatcher, bluish flowerpiercer, black-capped tanager, golden-collared honeycreeper, highland (blue-crowned) motmot, rufous-banded owl, crested quetzal, long-tailed antbird, rufous-crowned tody-flycatcher, fulvous-breasted flatbill, handsome flycatcher, and pale-eyed thrush.  Rufous-bellied nighthawk is a regular evening visitor that can be seen well from the lodge rooftop.

From San Isidro, we make a day trip to lower elevations eventually reaching the western edge of the Amazonian lowlands and some of its species.  Our first stop is Guacamayos Ridge where we walk a trail through spectacular subtropical forest.  In addition to many of the same species seen around San Isidro, we've found Andean guan, golden-eyed flowerpiercer, rufous-headed pygmy-tyrant, rufous wren, barred fruiteater, black-billed mountain-toucan, and the rare greater scythebill.  Lower down, with much warmer temperatures, the avifauna changes dramatically.  We head down the Loreto Rd. to a Jocotoco Foundation property, the Narupa Reserve.  Here we've found species such as coppery-chested jacamar, black-billed thrush, blue-browed and orange-eared tanagers, thrushlike wren, blue-rumped manakin, dusky spinetail, and others.

After a final morning at San Isidro, we return to Quito where we spend the night before a final day trip to the Antisana Reserve.  Antisana, like Papallacta, is a high elevation area with expansive paramo.  While the lower portions are good for giant hummingbird, red-crested cotinga, streak-throated bush-tyrant, black-winged ground-dove, shining sunbeam, green-tailed trainbearer, and others, the high grasslands offer an entirely different suite of species.  Endless fields of grass are bounded by rocky ridges against which Andean condor, black-chested buzzard-eagle, variable hawk, and Aplomado falcon are seen.  Cinereous harriers glide over the grasslands which can be dotted with many carunculated caracaras.  With the striking peak of Antisana itself as a sometimes visible backdrop, the high lakes are home to a number of high Andean specialists, including Andean teal, lapwing, coot, gull, and ruddy duck, yellow-billed pintail, silvery grebe, and wintering Baird's sandpipers and greater yellowlegs.  While the birds and scenery are memorable, what's most striking to me about the Antisana Reserve is its wildness.  It remains one of the few unspoiled places on planet Earth and provides a perfect ending to an unforgettable trip.  

This itinerary is designed to provide optimum exposure to most of the habitats found in northern Ecuador while minimizing our travel distances.  With much of our birding done right at the lodges, the pace is easy and the action is rich.  I look forward to sharing this amazing place with many of you in the future.

Last updated: March 22, 2010.