Ecuador

 

We have only two days left of our Rockjumper Tour and this looks like the day I may reach 1,000 life birds. On our drive into the Milpe Bird Sanctuary we birded the farm fields and found my new favorite bird, a Laughing Falcon. The preserve is in the Chocó-Andean foothills and we went straight to the lookout tower where it was standing room only with all the other birders. The tower allowed us to be up in the canopy and eye level with the birds. We saw so many great birds including Red-lored Amazon (spotted by Mike and rare for the area), Guayaquil Woodpecker and a very accomodating Barred Puffbird.

Next, it was another delicious lunch from Septimo Paraiso of rice, chicken and vegetables that travels well. The food in Ecuador is not overly spicy but every restaurant has its own version of Aji, a hot pepper salsa using tree tomatoes that accompanies every meal. After lunch we walked the trails and saw many new birds including our lifer Double-toothed Kite. We hit the jackpot close to the parking area as usual with two of my favorites being the Choco endemic Choco Trogon (Blue-tailed Trogon) and Orange-fronted Barbets enjoying the local fruits.

Drum roll, Dušan located my 1,000th life bird, a Northern Schiffornis. It’s a drab brown bird with a pinkish tail and I love it! Other lovely birds were the Blue-chested Hummingbird and a pair of nesting Rufous-tailed Jacamar that resemble thin billed Kingfishers. There is always birding on the way back to the hotel and we were delighted to locate a Yellow-tailed Oriole.

On our final morning, we packed up early to head to the Mashpi Chocolate Farm to look for the Rufous-crowned Antpitta (Gnatpitta). You could smell the drying cocoa beans as soon as we arrived. We started our journey into the forest and I’m not going to lie, it was hot and a little steep. Our guide Alejandro Solano, the Gnatpitta whisperer took us to see the target bird. They have a special relationship since the bird saved his life by repeatedly flying into his chest to keep him away from a coiled venomous snake. Other neat finds on the trail were a White-tailed Trogon nest in a tree and a flushed Great Tinamou.

After the hike for the Gnatpitta, we enjoyed freshly picked bananas and learned about the chocolate farm. We got to see the goat that was born at 2:30 am. Danilo let us sample the eight different artesanal candy bars made by his wife and local women. We brought back six bars, one for a friend and we still have one that we are saving for a special occasion. It’s sold in Europe but not in the US, yet.

We piled into the Trogantours Van with Nestor and Dušan to head for our next destination. A quick pit stop in San Miguel de Los Bancos for more water landed us a Saffron Finch which is a migrant from Hawaii. Bonus bird!

Next, we arrived at the Milpe Bird Sanctuary to bird the feeders and walk the trails. Dušan tried to coax out a Spotted Nightingale-Thrush that was heard well but not seen. Other great birds included Club-winged Manakin, Crested Guan and eight hummingbird species including this stunning White-necked Jacobin. All of us, but especially Suzie were happy to finally have good looks at a Blue Morphos butterfly. I couldn’t quite get a shot with its wings open but it is still beautiful.

Now it really was time to head back to Quito where we watched Dušan’s phone as we crossed the equator. We were paying much more attention on this ride and took in the beautiful murals along the way. Several local homes had broken glass for security which is probably very effective.

We were sad to leave and jealous of our Aussie friends that had two more weeks of Ecuador birding. We enjoyed our time with Chris, Pru, Rich, Steve and Suzie and sincerely hope our paths cross again.

One last thing, here’s the list of all the birds we saw in Ecuador: Ecuador Bird List. I left the United States with 785 life birds and did not expect to come home with 1,018. Birding life is good.

Trip Birds:  91  Life Birds: 47

Total Ecuador Birds:  287     Total Life Birds: 233

Next up: Waterfall Challenge, Adirondacks