Antisana Reserve: September 27, 2009

On Sunday afternoon, Mark and I took the South American Explorers group up to the parasitic lava flow that formed Laguna Papallacta over three hundred years ago. There's a gravel road that leaves at the beginning of the new section of the highway to Baeza, heading south towards Antisana reserve. From the end of this road, we hiked up the andesitic lava flow, which is now blanketed in lichens and flowering shrubs. Here, Mark explained the geology of the flow, and how it was easier for the high-pressure lava to burst out of the side of Volcan Antisana, forming a parasitic crater, instead of coming out of the peak of the mountain itself. Fascinated more by the craggy landscape itself than the discussion of silica content, the group wandered about in awe as Lou and I tried to point out various orchid and bird species.

So far on this trip, it had been a frustrating experience trying to point out birds to people without binoculars, so I decided to go off on my own and photograph some of the birds on the flow and then show these around on my digital camera. Fortunately, it took very little time to coax out into the open a pair of charismatic White-Chinned Thistletails, which seemed to be in almost every dense cluster of plants. Indeed, the bird's remarkably long and graduated tail seems an unlikely adaptation for its environment, as it spends much time inside clusters of low shrubs. Perhaps the long tail is used for balance as the bird occasionally gleans for insects out in the open, where high winds often create a dynamic and unstable environment. At any rate, everyone seemed amazed that such a delightful bird was omnipresent on this strange and rocky plain.

Notable birds seen: Andean Teal, Glowing Puffleg, Viridian Metaltail, White-Chinned Thistletail.

Cayambe-Coca Reserve: September 26-27, 2009

Last weekend, Mark Thurber, Aimee, and I lead a trip for the South American Explorers Club to the Papallacta region, hiking, birding, and doing yoga between dips in the thermal baths at the luxurious Termas de Papallacta. Actually, it wasn't a very serious birding trip, as we missed the peak hours of bird activity and only had a handful of experienced or interested birders participating. Still, we passed through some outstanding paramo, polylepis forest, and elfin forest habitat, and for those participants with the proper equipment and degree of patience, some great birds were observed, including the Red-Rumped Bush-Tyrant, Black-Backed Bush-Tanager, Black-Chested Buzzard-Eagle, Tawny Antpitta, and White-Chinned Thistletail.

Despite a late Saturday night in the pools, I woke up well before dawn on Sunday morning to look for the Crescent-Faced Antpitta, which was found recently in the elfin and montane forest along the road up that begins behind the resort and leads up to the Cayambe-Coca Reserve. Without having exact coordinates on the bird's location, I resorted to trolling along the road for the bird, playing its call in hopes of a response. While this proved fruitless, I did find several patches of chusquea bamboo that looked like suitable habitat, though, and sat inside them for a few hours hoping for a response. This turned out to be an excellent manner in which to spot several other good skulkers, including the Rufous Antpitta and Stripe-Headed Brush-Finch, although I never caught sight nor sound of the diminutive antpitta.

Later in the morning while walking the road back and forth, I passed a mixed flock a few times that contained the stunning Buff-Breasted Mountain-Tanager, which is rather poorly named considering its shocking blue-flecked superciliary. This uncommon bird skulks deep within temperate montane forest and bamboo, and is quite difficult to get good looks at despite its gorgeous coloration. A noisy group of Black-Backed Bush-Tanagers, an eastern slope specialty, was also with the flock and equally frustrating to photograph as it stays mostly deep within cover along the forest edge. In case you're curious, mixed flock regulars along the road include Agile Tit-Tyrant, Black-Crested Warbler, White-Banded and White-Throated Tyrannulets, Spectacled Whitestart, Superciliaried Hemispingus, Blue-Backed Conebill, Pearled Treerunner, Pale-Naped Brush-Finch, and Scarlet-Bellied Mountain-Tanager. Masked Mountain-Tanager is occasionally seen here as well, although I've never had the pleasure myself.

The hummingbirds in this valley are truly outstanding. Shining Sunbeam, Sword-Billed Hummingbird, Buff-Winged Starfrontlet, Viridian and Tyrian Metaltails, Glowing Puffleg, and Mountain Velvetbreast are all seen frequently along the road. More erratic are Rainbow-Bearded and Purple-Backed Thornbills, both of which I had on this morning, which was incredibly lucky. The Blue-Mantled Thornbill is also pretty regular near the entrance to the reserve, located about 5km up the road from the resort. I don't doubt that I'm missing a few species here as well, as this area is literally packed with hummingbirds despite all the development; in fact, the best place to look for Sword-Billed Hummingbirds is from the comfort of the private thermal baths outside of the cabins.

Notable birds seen: Andean Ruddy-Duck, Yellow-Billed Pintail, Black-Chested Buzzard Eagle, Variable Hawk, Carunculated Caracara, White-Collared Swift, Sword-Billed Hummingbird, Rainbow-Bearded Thornbill, Blue-Mantled Thornbill, Purple-Backed Thornbill, Pearled Treerunner, Andean Tit-Spinetail, White-Chinned Thistletail, Rufous Antpitta, Tawny Antpitta, Red-Rumped Bush-Tyrant, Agile Tit-Tyrant, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, Grass Wren, Black-Crested Warbler, Buff-Breasted Mountain-Tanager, Black-Backed Bush-Tanager, Scarlet-Bellied Mountain-Tanager, Pale-Naped Brush-Finch.

Alto Coca: September 20, 2009

Across the Rio Salado from Volcán El Reventador rises a massive plateau, most of which is covered with pristine forest and protected in the Sumaco-Napo-Galeras Reserve. Part of it, though, is privately owned, mostly by poor farmers who live in El Chaco, a nearby town renowned as a base for rafting and kayaking in the area. As Mark owns some land up on Alto Coca too, it seemed like a good idea to hike up there on the day following our Reventador adventure and check up on his property, which could now be deforested or inhabited by squatters given its extreme remoteness and inaccessibility.

Although I had never heard of anyone birding up the ridge on the other side of the Rio Salado, the habitat certainly looked outstanding and undoubtedly boasted excellent subtropical forest birds. Indeed, it didn't take long for us to land in the middle of a mid-morning mixed flock with tanagers, flycatchers, and furnariids all a flutter in the canopy alongside the trail. As the rest of the group moved on, I stayed behind to marvel at a male Golden-Collared Honeycreeper, a stunning eastern slope bird that I had only seen once before at Tapichalaca Reserve. After several more glorious tanagers, including the Golden-Eared and Fawn-Breasted Tanagers, I hustled up the trail after the others, stopping momentarily to explore what skulkers were making a distinctive noise in the undergrowth.

A few rays of sunlight penetrated down to the forest floor, one fortuitously lighting up a female Bicolored Antvireo for a second as it moved along from branch to branch gleaning insects methodically. Although I had never encountered this rare and local bird before, I recognized it immediately, quickly pulling out my iPod to reel the bird back in with playback. For the next ten minutes I jubilantly chased a pair of male and female Bicolored Antivireos around the trail, completely confidant in my identification but desperately hoping for a record shot to verify my sighting as this was a new location for the bird to my knowledge. Unfortunately, the photographs didn't turn out very well, as my camera was mistakenly set to the night scenery setting, but I have posted an overexposed record shot on the observation database at Aves Ecuador, if you're interested.

Elated I ran up the ridge to rejoin the others, impressing upon Mark that he should build a birding lodge on his property if the birds up on the plateau were anywhere as impressive as those along the steep trail. Before long though I was onto another mixed flock, this one higher enough up the ridge to be compromised of a significantly different avifauna, including the excellent Rufous-Crested Tanager. Soon after we reached the ridge itself, it started to rain violently, but not before I located the subtle Olivaceous Piha loosely associated with yet another mixed flock. Aimee and I couldn't help but laugh as this large but well-camouflaged bird moved about almost invisibly among the mossy tree branches of the subcanopy. While we never made it to Alto Coca, having taken the wrong trail at some point, the birding on this day had proven outstanding, and the area itself is definitely worth further exploration.

Notable birds seen: Roadside Hawk, Yellow-Vented Woodpecker, Lineated Foliage-Gleaner, Montane Foliage-Gleaner, Bicolored Antvireo, Variegated Bristle-Tyrant, Smoke-Colored Pewee, Black Phoebe, Olivaceous Piha, Golden-Collared Honeycreeper, Orange-Eared Tanager, Fawn-Breasted Tanager, Saffron-Crowned Tanager, Flame-Faced Tanager, Beryl-Spangled Tanager, Rufous-Crested Tanager, Subtropical Cacique.

Volcán El Reventador: September 19, 2008

Volcán El Reventador is one of the more active volcanoes in Ecuador, most recently blowing its top in 2002 and spewing ash all over Quito, which is located about 100km away. The resulting lava flow decimated the subtropical forest surrounding the resurgent summit cone, and even more recent lava flows have created a strangely beautiful landscape with layers of igneous rock, lichens, and moss, encircling small islands of woodland and forest. Recklessly, Griffin and I summitted the peak several years ago, camping at the edge of the scene of destruction and dashing up and down the cone in the early morning. As the adventure is one of the most memorable I've had here, when Mark Thurber, author of Climbing and Hiking in Ecuador, proposed a similar excursion, I jumped at the chance to revisit the area.

After a difficult drive in darkness from Quito to the small town of El Reventador, four hours away, and a restless night at a roadside hotel, we awoke to clear skies over the normally rainy eastern slope. I spent an hour birding before breakfast, photographing the Magpie and Silver-Beaked Tanagers with some success, until I noticed a pair of parrots perched high in a tree on the other side of a stream adjacent to the hotel. Scaly-Naped Amazons aren't often seen perched out in the open, so I took out the scope and lined them up for some satisfying looks. As soon as the sun rose over the opposite ridge and shone fully on them, they took flight, brilliantly green in the rich morning light.

At the outset of our expedition, we walked along one of the oil pipelines in the area until we intersected paths with the trail. As our party of five included some rather slow hikers, I had ample time to sift the forest along the trail for birds, finding the local White-Tailed Hillstar at a recently fallen tree that was still in bloom; this dark-colored but striking hummingbird is on the target list of every hardcore birder who visits Ecuador, showing significant variation on the eastern and western slopes. At several points along the trail I also heard the White-Bellied Antpitta calling away, close enough at one spot for me to break out the playback and see if I could reel it in. There was some decent mixed flock activity along the trail as well; in fact, I was bombarded by close to two hundred birds as they sped past me through a clearing, moving so quickly that I only observed a small handful, including the Flame-Faced and Beryl-Spangled Tanagers, Common Bush-Tanager, and Bluish Flowerpiercer.

After four hours of sweaty climbing, we finally burst through the forest and out into the open area created by the most recent lava flow in 2002. The summit cone stood impressively in the distance as we surveyed the larger horseshoe-shaped crater, its massive walls scorched in places and verdant in others. This scrubby open area was remarkably devoid of interesting birds, and I only noted the Rufous-Collared Sparrow, Sparkling and Green Violetears, and Band-Tailed Pigeon as we walked closer to the base of the summit cone. Stumbling around this broken and steaming landscape, I was blown away to notice that another huge lava flow had occurred in the two years since I was last here, streaming down the western side of the cone and spilling over previous flows. Trained as a geologist, Mark was particularly interested in deciphering the volcanic activity while Aimee was fixated on the botanical details of the environment, noting how the different mosses and lichens were breaking down the igneous rock into soil.

I had high hopes for birding the trail on the way back that afternoon, but activity was unusually low. While the ubiquitous Cinnamon Flycatcher was calling and sallying about as usual, I noted little else except for the Masked Trogon in a more mature patch of forest. Tantalizingly, at one point I heard two Black-Billed Mountain-Toucans calling in the distance, an eastern slope specialty that's frustrated me on more than one occasion. We returned at dusk to the hotel, then, having seen relatively few birds but having witnessed one of Ecuador's more impressive geological features.

Notable birds seen: Scaly-Naped Amazon, White-Tailed Hillstar, Inca Jay, Masked Trogon, Spotted Barbtail, Streak-Necked Flycatcher, Handsome Flycatcher, Cinnamon Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Andean Solitaire, Blackburnian Warbler, Three-Striped Warbler, Bluish Flowerpiercer, Flame-Faced Tanager, Orange-Eared Tangaer, Beryl-Spangled Tanager, Saffron-Crowned Tanager, Magpie Tanager, Silver-Beaked Tanager, Subtropical Cacique.

Bosque Protector Jerusalem: September 12, 2009

Bosque Protector Jerusalem is a modest reserve in the interandean valley, located about an hour north of Quito. Despite living in Ecuador for almost six years, I had never heard about this site until last week, when a little bit of research on the Internet finally yielded the place where Charlie Vogt and Roger Ahlman found a Buff-Fronted Owl in May. Offering good arid scrub, cactus, and acacia forest habitat, the site is great for picking up interandean species such as the Scrub Tanager, Giant Hummingbird, and Southern Yellow-Grosbeak, and it supposedly boasts quite a few species of owls, including Great-Horned, Stygian, and Barn Owls.

Although I've been feeling under the weather recently, I dragged Aimee out there on Saturday afternoon in hopes of birding the last few hours of daylight and the first hour of darkness. After finally finding the reserve, which is located off the Panamerican Highway between the towns of Guayllabamba and Tabacundo, we only had an hour of light remaining, and rushed out onto one of the many trails to try and get a sense of the place. Happily, we encountered a handful of decent birds, including a singing female Golden-Rumped Euphonia, a pair of hungry Scrub Tanagers, a lone Giant Hummingbird, and a juvenile Harris's Hawk. We reached a lookout just as the sun was setting and stopped to admire the glacier of Volcán Cayambe to the east as the wind blew forcefully through the moss-laden trees.

Heading back to the car for sweaters and spotlights, we encountered a final few birds before the sun set: Black-Tailed Trainbearers sped away overhead while a huge group of Rufous-Collared Sparrows made off somewhere to bed down for the night; even in total darkness these sparrows can be heard calling sometimes. Not far from where the car was parked, we heard a pair of owls hooting away, probably Great-Horned Owls given the cadence of their profound calls. We stumbled around for a while, hoping to get closer to the trees they were calling from, but never managed to locate them. After poking around the camping areas, where Roger had reported a Stygian Owl, without any luck, we decided to hike deeper into the park, looking for a ravine where Charlie and Roger had seen the Buff-Fronted Owl.

The trail we chose was lined with foreboding cactus and proved fruitless in terms of owls; on the other hand, we did hear what was most likely a Band-Winged Nightjar calling, and after working the spotlight back and forth, Aimee had fleeting looks at the bird as it flew past us. The light revealed that the forest was literally clouded above with moths and insects, no doubt making for an ample repast for various nightbirds and owls. Given the promise of the site, I hope to make my next visit a two-day one, camping at one of the many safe and well-tended sites to allow for more time birding and owling in the late afternoon and early morning.

Notable birds seen: Harris's Hawk, Band-Winged Nightjar, Black-Tailed Trainbearer, Vermillion Flycatcher, Golden-Rumped Euphonia, Scrub Tanager, Southern Yellow-Grosbeak.

Mashpi Reserve: September 6, 2009

Trolling the Internet in search of recent birding news from Ecuador, I found at Andean Birding that owner and guide Charlie Vogt had seen the rare Indigo Flowerpiercer recently at a site not far from Mindo. Although it's not a bird that I've been pining over myself, I asked him for more specific information about the location and conditions of the sighting, which he generously shared with me. Located on the road to Pacto, which branches off the Calicali-Independencia Highway, the site during his visit contained the Indigo Flowerpiercer, Black-Chinned Mountain-Tanager, Moss-Backed Tanager, Glistening-Green Tanager, Pacific Tuftedcheek, Orange-Breasted Fruiteater, White-Tailed Hillstar, and Green-Fronted Lancebill. As that's almost an incredible list of birds, I figured it was definitely worth a visit, especially considering that he's adding the site to his standard tour of the northwestern slope of the Andes.

With high expectations, Aimee and I set off early Sunday morning, leaving at 4:30am from the airport in Quito, where we had just dropped of her sister and daughter after a week-long visit. Although I had never driven the road to Pacto before, it was reasonably easy to find my way to the site, which is located beyond la Delicia, near the turn off to the new Mashpi Reserve owned by Metropolitan Touring. Here, in the midst of subtropical foothill forest, a recently cut slope has been colonized by beautiful fruiting flowers of the genus Cavendishia, reports Charlie on his website. These dense collections of nectar and fruit invariably attracts a spectacular array of tanagers, cotingas, and hummingbirds; it's usually just a matter of finding such a site and waiting patiently for the birds to come.

Conditions were wet and misty when we arrived, but our first real birds of the morning were two that we had come here especially to see: three Black-Chinned Mountain-Tanagers were perched in a relatively bare tree on the side of the road, accompanied by a solitary Moss-Backed Tanager sitting stolid and still just below. Shocked, Aimee and I oggled these excellent northwestern specialities first from our car and then from the road, setting up the scope for amazing views. Little did we know then that the Moss-Backed Tanager would be the most common bird of our visit, showing up singing from various tree tops, moving with mixed flocks, and even feeding in the Cavendishia close to the ground. Indeed, the field guide mentions that the Moss-Backed Tanager is locally common, but it was still quite a shock to see it everywhere at this site, especially given how much time I've spent searching for it at Milpe Bird Sanctuary.

Walking back and forth along the road for a while, we soon encountered a mixed tanager flock with Flame-Faced, Moss-Backed, Turquoise, and Glistening-Green Tanagers, the latter an outstanding Choco endemic that I've only seen a few times before. Moving with the flock were several blue birds that certainly could have been the Indigo Flowerpiercer, but they remained deep within the crown of a flowering tree. Approaching the flock through some tall grass for better photographs, I flushed a nightjar from the ground that landed nearby. I'm no whiz at identifying birds of the night, but given their various distributions it's likely this was a Pauraque, probably a female.

Covering only about 100m, I walked back and forth along the road for the next few hours while Aimee took a nap in the car. Violet-Tailed Sylphs were common at the Cavendishia along the roadside, and the Empress Brilliant and White-Tailed Hillstar were spotted several times, although there was no sign of the Green-Fronted Lancebill. Eventually I came across the Indigo Flowerpiercer, its red eye flashing unmistakably in the sun as it gorged itself on nectar. Described as very rare and local in the field guide, the bird was certainly exciting to see, but for me it didn't compare to the charismatic Moss-Backed Tanager. Still, it's incredible to think that experienced guides and ornithologists like Charlie have birds left to tick on their country list, especially in an area as well explored as the northwestern foothills.

As the day drew on, Aimee and I decided to drive up the road towards the Mashpi Reserve, stopping for a few mixed flocks that included Tyrannine Woodcreeper, White-Bearded Manakin, and Red-Faced Spinetail. We also had excellent looks at a pair of Toucan Barbets and a solitary male Golden-Headed Quetzal. Most tantalizing for me though was hearning an Orange-Breasted Fruiteater calling near the road. Missing its call for some reason on my iPod, I was forced to search for it in the crown of dense trees at the edge of the forest, coming too close on accident and scaring it off. With a little more preparation and care, I would have completed a stellar run through some of the finest birds of the northwestern foothills, all at this one modest site.

Notable birds seen: Pauraque, Empress Brilliant, Violet-Tailed Sylph, White-Tailed Hillstar, Toucan Barbet, Golden-Headed Quetzal, Tyranine Woodcreeper, White-Bearded Manakin, Indigo Flowerpiercer, Glistening-Green Tanager, Flame-Faced Tanager, Turqoise Tanager, Moss-Backed Tanager, Black-Chinned Mountain-Tanager.

Parque Condor: August 23, 2009

Zoos typically aren't very inspiring places to watch birds, but Parque Condor serves a particular need for birders in Ecuador, giving them the unique opportunity to get familiar with rare raptors that they might only glimpse from a great distance in the field. Parque Condor is not a typical zoo either, as it provides refuge to injured birds and those that have been decapacitated from living in captivity, releasing them back into the wild when appropriate; in fact, it's important to note that no bird at Parque Condor was taken directly from its original habitat. Scenically located on the top of a hill between Otavalo and Laguna San Pablo, the reserve boasts panoramic views of Imbabura province, including those of two spectacular extinct volcanoes, Imbabura and Cotacachi. Housed in ample and respectful enclosures, birds of prey from all over Ecuador are found here, ranging from the Harpy Eagle of the Eastern lowlands to the Andean Condor of the northern highlands.

For the average visitor, the principle attraction is the bidaily falconry exhibition, in which different birds are taken from their enclosures and allowed to fly around and perform tricks such as catching pieces of meat in the air. On several different visits in the past couple of weeks, I've seen Black-Chested Buzzard Eagle soaring triumphantly for kilometers and then return on call; Aplomado Falcon diving in a blur of speed for a lure; and Harris's Hawk violently overpowering a wild American Kestrel that was competing for its food. Variable Hawk, Solitary Eagle, and White Hawk are also part of the exhibition on occasion, although I haven't seen them perform myself. At the end of each show, a pair of American Kestrels are taken out to the amphitheatre, where members of the audience can admire them up close wearing the falconer's glove for themselves.

In the permanent enclosures there are some beautiful raptors, only a few of which I've seen in the wild. First is a pair of massive Barred Hawks, photographed nesting in the wild by Murray Cooper in his excellent book Plumas: Birds in Ecuador. Second, I believe, is a pair of Black-Chested Buzzard-Eagles, a common enough but still impressive raptor of the highlands. Third is perhaps my favorite, a glorious Black Hawk-Eagle, which I've witnessed both perched and in flight in the wild but never with as much admiration. Just look at the jaunty crest, the flashing orange eyes, the black and white barred thighs, and the powerful yellow talons. Now, imagine watching it from below as it is taking off in flight, revealing thick black and white barring on the underside of its wings and tail. What a glorious bird. Further along are enclosures containing two juvenile Andean Condors, an adult female Harpy Eagle that has given birth to sixteen birds while in captivity, a large collection of American Kestrels, a pair of Harris's Hawks, and a final massive enclosure with two adult Andean Condors. The Harpy Eagle simply must be seen to be believed.

Also worth mentioning is the nice collection of owls at the refuge. Again, this is a great opportunity for birders to familiarize themselves with confusing birds that they might only see for an instant or in poor light. Here you'll find Mottled and Spectacled Owls, both large owls from the lowlands, as well as powerful Burrowing Owls, cute Pacific Pygmy Owls, and the odd Stygian Owl. There are also a few owls that aren't found in Ecuador that have somehow made their way here to the Parque Condor, such as the Snowy Owl. In conclusion, while this is not a mandatory site for birders to visit in Ecuador, it makes for a rewarding stop on the way back from the market at Otavalo as well as being an invaluable opportunity for study. Open all week except for Monday, with falconry exhibitions at 11:30am and 4:30pm, stop by for an hour or two, if you're in the area.

Cayambe-Coca Reserve: September 5, 2009

With Aimee's sister and her four-year-old daughter in town, we decided to all head out to the thermal baths at Papallacta on Friday afternoon, giving them a chance to see more of the country and me a chance to finally do some birding. This luxurious resort is located at the southern edge of the Cayambe-Coca Reserve and offers access to good montane, elfin, and polylepis forest as well as paramo habitat. In fact, as the thermal pools have been landscaped with native plants, birds can be observed right from the pools themselves, and hummingbirds are frequently seen at flowers hanging over the water, including the spectacular Sword-Billed Hummingbird, which fancies the common trumpet flowers.

Early Saturday morning then I left our toasty cabin and the hot pools behind, plunging into the inclimate conditions found up the road that leads into the reserve. Bird activity was relatively quiet due to high winds, but I managed to track down most of the common species in the area as I walked the road, including the uncommon Black-Chested Mountain-Tanager and Agile Tit-Tyrant which accompanied several mixed flocks. The bird of the morning was definitely the Purple-Backed Thornbill, though, as I lucked onto a gorgeous adult male perched for several minutes in a polylepis tree located considerably far back from the roadside. With the shortest bill of any hummingbird, this bird provided remarkable contrast with the much more common Sword-Billed Hummingbird, which of course has the longest bill by far.

Returning back down the road after reaching paramo habitat, I caught a glimpse of a magnificent adult female Andean Condor gliding silently along the ridge. In misty conditions, these huge birds are remarkably difficult to notice as they generally soar along tall cliffs only occasionally being silhouetted against the sky. It's not like they're to be found along every cliff in the area either, as according to the 2009 condor census, there are only approximately forty individuals remaining in Ecuador. As a side note, Mark Thurber, author of Ecuador: Climbing and Hiking Guide, and I will be leading a full day hike through the area on September 26. Contact the South American Explorers Club if you're interested in joining the modest expedition, as we'll be stopping to observe birds in a variety of high altitude habitats.

Update: Dušan M. Brinkhuizen from Aves Ecuador is reporting that the highly localized Crescent-Faced Antpitta has been found at this site. As this stunning bird was previously only possible at two remote and difficult sites, Cerro Mongus and Ancanama, I imagine this area will become considerably more popular in the future. Myself, I can't wait to go look for it, considering I missed it at Ancanama a few years ago and haven't yet been to Cerro Mongus.

Notable birds seen: Andean Condor, Sword-Billed Hummingbird, Shining Sunbeam, Purple-Backed Thornbill, Viridian Metaltail, Pearled Treerunner, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, Agile Tit-Tyrant, Rufous-Breasted Chat-Tyrant, Brown-Backed Chat-Tyrant, White-Throated Tyrannulet, White-Banded Tyrannulet, Blue-Backed Conebill, Scarlet-Bellied Mountain-Tanager, Black-Chested Mountain-Tanager, Pale-Naped Brush-Finch.

Guango Lodge: September 5, 2009

Before returning to Quito from Papallacta, where we stayed the night at the incomparable Termas de Papallacta, I decided to take everyone, including my four-year-old niece, down to Guango Lodge for a quick look at their spectacular hummingbird feeders. Just ten minutes away from Papallacta by car, the site is an outstanding place to pick up a few eastern slope temperate and subtropical forest birds, including the Gray-Breasted Mountain-Toucan, Tourmaline Sunangel, Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager, and Mountain Avocetbill, although I've never seen the latter. Best of all, the site has Sword-Billed Hummingbirds galore, and they're much more regular at the feeders here than at Yanacocha Reserve, another excellent site for hummingbirds on the northwestern slope.

Immediately upon arrival, we encountered a colorful group of Turquoise Jays and Northern Mountain-Caciques, moving boldly around the feeders within a few meters of some other visitors. As I fired away on my Nikon, Aimee's sister and her daughter walked around awestruck as approximately one hundred hummingbirds were zipping around the grounds of the lodge, compromising over ten species at least. Long-Tailed Sylphs and Sword-Billed Hummingbirds were the most startling, but our guests were just as drawn to the Chesnut-Breasted Coronet, Collared Inca, White-Bellied Woodstar, and Tourmaline Sunangel. Lucia was particularly funny as she wanted to watch the birds through my binoculars instead of simply approaching with a meter's distance. Seriously, the hummingbirds at Guango are so confiding that you could literally touch them, if you wanted; they might even land on you temporarily if you stand too cose to the feeders!

Also worthy of note, Masked Flowerpiercers bombard the trays of nectar left out, and sometimes you'll spot White-Sided Flowerpiercer as well. Although we didn't make it down the trail to the Papallacta River, visitors should definitely take the five minute walk down there, where the Gray-Breasted Mountain-Toucan, Andean Guan, and Torrent Duck are occasionally seen. Finally, they're feeding the resident Chestnut-Crowned Antpitta at approximately 7am and 4pm everyday; while you can usually see the same species at Cabanas San Isidro, where it's also been habituated, you'd be foolish to pass up the opportunity should you find yourself in the area. The last time I visited neither the Chestnut-Crowned nor the White-Bellied Antpitta came to partake of the free food.

Notable birds seen: Sword-Billed Hummingbird, Tourmaline Sunangel, White-Bellied Woodstar, Turquoise Jay, White-Sided Flowerpiercer, Northern Mountain-Cacique.

Laguna San Pablo: August 23, 2009

Most visitors to mainland Ecuador make the trip out to the indigenous town of Otavalo, home to the famous Saturday market. On the way north along the Panamerican Highway, you'll pass by the daunting but extinct Volcan Imbabura, with Laguna San Pablo stretching out from its base picturesquely. While the area is littered with small, traditional communities, there is still some decent marsh habitat along the shores of lake which is good for ducks, grebes, herons, gulls, and shorebirds. I've even heard reports that the Subtropical Doradito is found here, although I've never seriously looked for it.

On the evening before I returned to work, we stopped here to enjoy the sunset and check out the bird activity. On the northwestern side of the lake, the side closest to the town of Otavalo, there were hundreds of Andean Teal, Andean Ruddy Duck, and Andean Coot, all perhaps blown to this side by the tremendous wind that day, so I set up the scope so my dad could get some good looks at these common Andean waterfowl. Meanwhile, Blue-and-White Swallows darted about and massive streams of Cattle Egrets passed by overhead, grouping together by the hundreds nearby in the marsh for the night.

While he was digging the electric-blue bill of the male Andean Ruddy-Duck, I noticed a bird that didn't fit in, first feeding from the surface like a duck and then wading through the mud like a rail. Not being very experienced with identifying shorebirds, I first guessed it was the Ecuadorian Rail, correcting myself once I looked the bird up in the field guide, as this one was without such a long, straight, and orange-colored bill. After much deliberation and investigation on the Internet, I'd have to guess that it was an immature Sora. While the Sora is a boreal migrant, but there almost has to be some residents on the lake. Plus, this bird had some faint brown barring on its belly, which is visible in other photographs. At any rate, it was definitely surprising for me to discover a birding mystery in such a heavily populated and disturbed area. The site is certainly worth checking out, if you're visiting the market.

Update: Roger Ahlman set me straight on the bird, correctly identifying it as an immature Common Gallinule. Aves Ecuador is a great place to have your mystery birds identified, by the way, and is regularly updated with birding news from Ecuador.

Notable birds seen: Andean Ruddy-Duck, Andean Coot, Andean Teal, Common Gallinule.

Birding Between Bogotá and La Vega, Colombia: February 2, 2013

While working in Bogotá for a few weeks, I set up two day trips with Colombia Birdwatch for the weekend.  Although I originally balked at the high price of a private tour, I determined it was too much of a hassle to arrange an independent excursion and decided to bite the bullet; however, the guide contacted me to cancel at the last minute.  With a rental car, some printed maps, and rudimentary site information, I figured I could simply follow the itinerary myself.  While Colombia has more bird species now that any country in the world, currently just short of 1900, I also imagined that with my years of experience birding in Ecuador that I would do fine with the identifications, even without having Steven Hilty’s classic field guide.

Picking up a compact Chevy at an Avis location near the airport Saturday morning, I continued through heavy traffic out towards La Vega.  During the week, Bogota enforces the Pico y Placa system, in which you’re only allowed to drive on certain days and at certain times according to the last digit on your license plate.  Saturday is free of restrictions though, and the streets simply flood with cars.  Once I finally escaped the clutches of Bogota, I found the driving relatively easy, with better maintained roads, adequate signage, and less industrial traffic than what I was accustomed to in Ecuador.  From La Vega it was another fifteen minutes drive on a decrepit and windy road to Parque Ecológico Laguna El Tabacal.

Within the reserve the picturesque lake is surrounded by steep forested walls, and while the habitat is somewhat degraded there is still some decent woodland and scrub to be explored along the trail system.  I didn’t have the chance to walk the entire trail network, but I was happy to bird the relatively open areas and briefly explore a few side trails.  Immediately catching my eye was the richly colored Crimson-Backed Tanager, clearly related but still distinct from the common Silver-Beaked Tanager of the Amazonian lowlands.  Also in the garden areas near the entrance I found Rufous-Capped Warbler, Blue-Necked Tanager, and Bar-Crested Antshrike.  I also searched fruitlessly for the endemic Velvet-Fronted Euphonia and Apical Flycatcher, but only realized later that they inhabit drier woodland areas than the relatively moist woodland found around the lake.

Heading counterclockwise around the lake, I was greeted by the familiar firecracker sounds emitted from a White-Bearded Manakin lek.  After a few fun minutes trying to photograph these explosive little birds, I moved on to explore a side trail through the dense undergrowth.  Flushing a Swainson’s Thrush, I noticed another tiny bird dash to another perch nearby.  An exquisite Rusty-Breasted Antpitta suddenly appeared in my binoculars, appearing much redder than the subspecies I had seen once in Pululahua Crater in Ecuador.  Although light conditions were poor and the bird quickly moved on, I was able to snag a few record shots of this lovely Grallaricula.  Further down the trail I heard the distinctive song of the Black-Bellied Wren and managed to reel a few in close with my iPod.
   
On another side trail I eventually found the mixed flock for which I was hoping, noting a nice variety of birds, including quite a few boreal migrants, such as Blackburnian and Canada Warblers and Summer Tanager (I had also seen a Northern Waterthrush earlier in the woodland alongside the lake).  In the undergrowth nearby, I then followed a pair of White-Bellied Antbirds that were calling as they probed through the leaf litter.  Finally, I scored a quick look at a Stripe-Breasted Spinetail as it sounded off from a dense tangle near a tree fall.  While I am able to identify the family and genus of most neotropical birds now by ear – that’s a spinetail, a woodcreeper, or an antwren, for example – I didn’t prepare much for the trip either by listening to bird calls or looking through a field guide; therefore, it was a real delight to actually see each new species for the first time. 

Being unprepared definitely forced me to pay a lot more attention to field markings, and I felt as if for once I was seeing the bird in its entirety instead of simply comparing it to an image I had memorized.  Indeed, who hasn’t been slightly disappointed to see a lifer after having seen it repeatedly in drawings and photographs?  The cost, of course, was that I missed quite a few identifications, including a handful of hummingbirds, what seemed to be a bush-tanager, and a foliage gleaner.  If I at least had had a field guide with me, I could have flipped through the pages quickly before the image of the bird had escaped my short term memory.  I left prematurely around 2pm in the afternoon hoping to hit a few more sights before dark on my way back to Bogotá.

Notable birds seen: Neotropic Cormorant, Striated Heron, Pied-Billed Grebe, Spotted Sandpiper, Rusty-Breasted Antpitta, Bar-Crested Antshrike, White-Bellied Antbird, Plain Antvireo, Stripe-Breasted Spinetail, Plain Xenops, Ochre-Bellied Flycatcher, Social Flycatcher, White-Beared Manakin, Black-Bellied Wren, Rufous-Capped Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Swainson’s Thrush, Tropical Mockingbird, Canada Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Summer Tanager, Crimson-Backed Tanager, Bay-Headed Tanager, Masked Tanager, Green Honeycreeper, Saffron Finch, Yellow-Bellied Seedeater.

Supposedly there was an excellent hummingbird garden at a private residence in a small town nearby called San Francisco de Sales, but I had no additional information.  After asking directions a few times I finally found the unmarked residence at the edge of town (for directions, take the first left after crossing the bridge just before you get into town).  El Jardin Encantado, as it’s known, is located next to a forested stream at about 1500m in elevation, and the site attracts over 20 species of hummingbirds, including the endemic Indigo-Capped Hummingbird.  The proprietress is a hospital woman who is fairly knowledgeable about birds and offered me her copy of Hilty’s field guide to assist in my observations.  There are nearly 40 hummingbird feeders hung in close proximity, and the small garden is teeming with nectar feeding birds.  Highlights included the stout and highly dimorphic Black-Throated Mango, the unique White-Vented Plumeteer, and the stunning male Gorgeted Woodstar.

Notable birds seen: Andean Emerald, White-Bellied Woodstar, Gorgeted Woodstar, Sparkling Violetear, Green Hermit, Rufous-Tailed Hummingbird, Black-Throated Mango, Indigo-Capped Hummingbird, White-Vented Plumeteer, Thick-Billed Euphonia, Bananaquit.

On the outskirts of the Bogota, I made one last stop at Humedal La Florida, a large recreational park that includes a restored wetlands area whose use is apparently restricted to bird watching activities.  Supposedly the Bogotá region originally had a vast network of wetlands, extensive but isolated enough for a separate rail species to evolve here.  Indeed the site is regularly visited by birders hoping to see the Bogotá Rail, as well as Apolinar’s Wren and Silvery-Throated Spinetail, all three country endemics.  Despite showing up long after opening hours, which are from 7am to 12pm, an enthusiastic guard led me to a birding blind from which I called both the wren and the rail into the open with sparing use of my iPod.  But had I known I would have found both species the following day at Sumapaz National Park, I would have skipped the site and spent more time at El Tabacal.

Notable birds seen: Andean Teal, Common Moorhen, Bogota Rail, Apolinar’s Wren, Yellow-Hooded Blackbird.