Introduction: Birding Ecuador

Welcome to the birding blog I maintained during the years that I lived and birded in Ecuador. Actually, I only became a birder after a few years of exploring this country, from the high Andes to Amazonia, and being regularly confronted by its remarkably diverse avifauna, almost in spite of myself. Whether it was the rare Andean Condor circling overhead as I climbed one of the country’s famous volcanoes, the Blue-Footed Boobies diving dramatically as I surfed the fine breaks along the western coast, or the many tanagers, hummingbirds, and toucans that my partner Aimee and I regularly encountered on our weekend travels, I couldn’t help but become interested and passionate about neotropical birds. As is the way with birding, I soon grew obsessed with seeing and learning as much as I could about the birds of Ecuador, publishing my experiences and insights as they developed on this blog while recording well over a thousand species.

One of my principles of birding in Ecuador was to bird independently whenever I could, acquiring knowledge and understanding first-hand, instead of simply ticking species off a list with the help of a guide. Indeed, as a resident of the country, time and proximity were luxuries of mine, and I could afford to return to birding sites multiple times to locate most of the specialties on my own. Birding is a human endeavor, however, and hence by nature a social activity, and while most of my trips were conducted independently, I am indebted to many ornithologists, conservationists, guides, and friends for sharing information, insights, and experiences with me. In turn, I share my observations and resources with you, hopefully creating the impression that Ecuador is a spectacular and safe country that birders of every level can successfully visit, whether on a tour or by themselves. If you read through my reports, please keep in mind, though, that these are only the thoughts and impressions of one birder and that the country has much more to offer, for better or worse, than I had time and opportunity to experience.

As you consider Ecuador as a future birding destination, please feel free to contact me with any questions. I’ve since moved on to living and birding in Tanzania, but Ecuador will always be the source of my passion about wildlife and my commitment to conservation.

Sani Lodge: June 2-5, 2010

To be honest, after five days of strenuous birding with Oscar Tapuy at Sacha Lodge, as well as having just completed one of the best mornings of birding I've ever had in Ecuador, I was ready to return to Quito. Still, I had made arrangements to stay three more days down river at Sani Lodge, and I wondered if perhaps my luck was turning on this trip. Another day in Amazonia is another chance to see a Harpy Eagle, I also figured, and I certainly wasn't going to see much of interest back in the capital city. When the covered canoe picked me up from the Sacha boat house, though, and I saw Domingo's welcoming smile, I felt rejuvenated as if I had just arrived in the eastern lowlands. Domingo is a freelance bird guide who works primarily for Sani Lodge, and although he doesn't carry a Leica scope or even an iPod, I've seen better birds with him than with any guide I've worked with, as he prefers to discover birds in the forest instead of attracting them. The oxbow lake at Sani is of the most beautiful and timeless landscapes, too, and would make the perfect place for my final reflections on living, and birding, in Ecuador.

Before heading out that afternoon, Domingo and I shaped the itinerary for the next couple of days, discussing the birds I was looking for and his recent observations in the area. Remarkably, he told me about a trail on the south side of the Napo that led to a Black-Necked Red-Cotinga lek, passing through good territories for the Point-Tailed Palm-Creeper and Wing-Banded Antbird, where he had also seen the Rufous-Vented Ground-Cuckoo and Amazonian Royal Flycatcher on several occasions. This sounded too good to be true but definitely worth a morning's visit. Then, we discussed the canopy tower, where he had seen a Harpy Eagle three months ago, perched in a tree only fifty meters away. While Harpy and Crested Eagles are sometimes surprised on the forest floor as they're eating prey that's too heavy to carry back up to the canopy, towers and walkways give birders the best chance to see these extremely rare raptors, unless there is a known nest in the area. Domingo said there was also a territory for the Varzea Mourner nearby, and we could paddle through varzea and bird the Coto Trail in the afternoon. In the meantime, we could search for the Collared Puffbird and Black Bushbird in several spots behind the lodge, as well as visit another river island for Barred Antshrike and Plain-Crowned Spinetail and search for owls, such as the Black-Banded Owl, after dinner. Even if I only saw a few of the birds we mentioned, it would be an amazing stay.

As it turns out, Domingo had never seen the cotingas displaying at the site himself, as his cousin had told him about the lek, having passed it many times on his way to hunt and fish in the forest south of the Napo River. We tried to get there as early as we could, but it still took us several hours as we had to first travel from the lodge to the river, then cross the river to his cousin's property, and finally hike an hour along the trail. Sadly, there was no sign of the cotinga, which is one of Ecuador's most spectacular birds from what I've read and heard. Happily, a pair of Wing-Banded Antbirds responded immediately to playback, offering good but quick looks at one of the more difficult antbirds in the country. In addition, a pair of Ochre-Striped Antpittas were calling along the trail throughout the morning, undoubtedly running through the forest with no chance of being seen. We made a half-hearted attempt to chase one down and succeeded in trapping it in an impossible dense patch of ground cover without managing the slightest glimpse of the bird. Several displaying male Blue-Backed Manakins was a noteworthy observation, but the bird of the morning was almost certainly a male Gould's Jewelfront bathing in the dew-coated moss covering the bark of a small tree. Domingo and I watched flabbergasted as this glorious hummingbird preened just a few meters in front of us, its brilliant plumage changing color with each movement. We missed the other megabirds sometimes found along the trail, but I told Domingo that if the lek is a sure thing, then birders will definitely visit Sani more often, as the only other lek I've heard of in Ecuador is a significant trek from the pricey Napo Wildlife Center.

To round out the morning, we returned to his father's property on the north side of the Napo to check for a pair of roosting Spectacled Owls that my dad and I had missed in August of last year. As we walked by his father's home, we heard a group of Black-Spotted Bare-Eyes calling and gave chase as they moved quickly deeper into the forest. Although we didn't get good looks at any of the birds, we did find a huge swarm of army ants and decided to return to the site more cautiously after searching for the owls, which were finally where they were supposed to be. Roosting owls, especially the flighty Spectacled Owl, are never a given observation but generally a worthwhile one for attempting, even if it makes for a long hike, you'll definitely see some good birds on the way. When we returned to the swarm, Domingo spotted the antbirds again, and this time we watched one perch for a good twenty seconds before dashing away. The Black-Spotted Bare-Eye is ornately patterned and strangely graced with a red eye patch instead of the more typical blue one; I can say that it's definitely worth chasing for days until you finally get good looks at one. The sun was blazing in the sky when we pulled up at the river island, which was devoid of activity except for a pair of dandy Lesser Wagtails and the ubiquitous White-Bellied Spinetail. We must have disturbed a dozen roosting Ladder-Tailed Nightjars, too, before giving up our search for the Barred Antshrike and returning to the lodge for lunch.

After coming up empty on yet another attempt for the Collared Puffbird, we hit a site along the entrance canal to the lodge for the Long-Tailed Potoo. Domingo assured me that he had a failsafe stakeout for the bird, which would respond to playback at dusk by perching out in the open above the canal. Of course, we missed it, but we did see three Amazonian Umbrellabirds in the late afternoon, returning back over the Napo River for the night with a group of Russet-Backed Oropendolas. On the following morning, our visit to the tower got off to a good start with a sighting of a scarce austral migrant, Swainson's Flycatcher, in the canopy of the same tree as the tower. Pied Puffbird, Yellow-Browed Tody-Flycatcher, and Black-Bellied Thorntail were other good observations, but then it started to rain, continuing for the next three hours as we waited it out in our ponchos in the company of a pair of Eastern Sirystes that were feeding on mosquitoes, it appeared. Finally, the weather cleared and we descended to the canoe, paddling towards the Coto Trail for my final afternoon birding in Ecuador.

When it rains in the morning and then clears up at midday, there is often a noticeable boost in bird activity in the afternoon, and I kept my fingers crossed as we got started, soon after encountering a group of trogons at the dock, including Amazonian Violaceous, Amazonian White-Tailed, and Black-Tailed Trogons. Our luck held, as over the next few hours we found the Gray-Winged Trumpeter, Undulated Antshrike, Brownish Twistwing, Chestnut-Winged Foliage-Gleaner, Blue-Black Grosbeak, White-Chested Puffbird, Lanceolated Monklet, Black-Faced Antthrush, Black-Tailed Flycatcher, and Rufous-Breasted Piculet. The monklet in particular was a terrific sighting as we approached it slowly to within two meters as it perched motionlessly while waiting for its prey; this was likely the same bird that my dad and I observed in August along the same trail and in the very same spot. The low-hanging sun seemed to penetrate through the forest more than usual as we returned to the canoe late in the afternoon, having missed some great birds like Salvin's Curassow but having seen many others, as well as a troop of Common Wooly Monkeys.

Domingo paddled us back to the lodge slowly but methodically, a journey that took over an hour in the fading light. I sat back in my chair as outraged Hoatzins flew back and forth over the narrow canals while pairs of Black-Capped Donacobius flicked their tails in annoyance at our passing. A group of Rufescent Tiger-Herons flushed up as we paddled by, and a near-adult Agami Heron did the same a few meters later as we drifted by almost at arm's length, certainly too close for my telephoto lens to capture. Once we reached Challuacocha, the famed oxbow lake that the lodge borders, the sun had already set, and a group of Capped Herons were roosting already in a cecropia tree along the shore. Aimee and I had visited Sani Lodge six years ago on our first trip to the eastern lowlands, well before I had any serious interest in birds, and I found it remarkable how much further I could peer through the forest than before. Back then, the dark lake under the setting sun was all I could see, a fabulous curtain behind which great knowledge and truth and especially mystery must lie. Since then, I had seen and learned so much about birds and the forest beyond, and the many sudden evening sounds and subtle flickers of movement had eventually become familiar. Still, I found it strange how the mysterious unseen and unheard beckons even more strongly now.

Notable birds seen: Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Agami Heron, Capped Heron, Cocoi Heron, Snail Kite, Double-Toothed Kite, Yellow-Headed Caracara, Speckled Chachalaca, Common Piping-Guan, Marbled Wood-Quail, Sungrebe, Limpkin, Gray-Winged Trumpeter, Wattled Jacana, Yellow-Billed Tern, Black Skimmer, Ruddy Quail-Dove, Black-Headed Parrot, Hoatzin, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Spectacled Owl, Ladder-Tailed Nightjar, Short-Tailed Swift, Neotropical Palm-Swift, Straight-Billed Hermit, White-Necked Jacobin, Black-Bellied Thorntail, Gould's Jewelfront, Golden-Tailed Sapphire, Black-Tailed Trogon, Amazonian Violaceous Trogon, Ringed Kingfisher, Amazon Kingfisher, Green Kingfisher, Green-and-Rufous Kingfisher, White-Chinned Jacamar, Pied Puffbird, White-Chested Puffbird, Lanceolated Monklet, Black-Fronted Nunbird, Yellow-Billed Nunbird, Swallow-Winged Puffbird, Chestnut-Eared Aracari, Channel-Billed Toucan, White-Throated Toucan, Rufous-Breasted Piculet, Chestnut Woodpecker, White-Bellied Spinetail, Chestnut-Winged Hookbill, Chestnut-Winged Foliage-Gleaner, Black-Tailed Leaftosser, Spot-Winged Antshrike, Banded Antbird, Silvered Antbird, Black-Spotted Bare-Eye, Wing-Banded Antbird, Black-Faced Antthrush, Ash-Throated Gnateater, Slender-Footed Tyrannulet, Lesser Wagtail-Tyrant, Yellow-Browed Tody-Flycatcher, Brownish Twistwing, Gray-Crowned Flatbill, Black-Tailed Flycatcher, Swainson's Flycatcher, Cinnamon Attila, Eastern Sirystes, White-Browed Purpletuft, Plum-Throated Cotinga, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Wire-Tailed Manakin, Blue-Crowned Manakin, Blue-Backed Manakin, Black-Capped Donacobius, White-Breasted Wood-Wren, Rufous-Bellied Euphonia, White-Lored Euphonia, Opal-Rumped Tanager, Opal-Crowned Tanager, Masked-Crimson Tanager, Slate-Colored Grosbeak, Red-Capped Cardinal, Blue-Black Grosbeak, Lesser Seed-Finch.

Yasuni National Park: June 29-July 2, 2010

Yasuni National Park is arguably the most biodiverse place in the world, although its approximately 10,000 square kilometers of humid forest are severely threatened by oil production, illegal logging, and colonization. While avian diversity here is spectacular with close to 600 species present in the park, tree, amphibian, and bat diversity is even more impressive, especially on a small scale, where in just one hectare of forest there are more tree, shrub, and liana species than anywhere else in the world. Interestingly enough, the park is also home to several indigenous groups, namely the Huaorani, including small groups of uncontacted people. Visiting the edges of the park is relatively easy from a base at one of the many jungle lodges along the lower Napo River; exploring the park at length is considerably more complicated as access is limited to a handful of research stations and villages located within the park boundaries.

Given its size, the Napo River functions as a barrier for some birds, with certain species only found to the north and others only to the south of the huge river, such as the Chestnut-Belted and Ash-Throated Gnateaters. In addition, much of the forest along the southern side of the Napo is terra firma, while the forest on the northern side where most of the lodges are located is varzea forest, or forest that is seasonally flooded. This creates an even stronger impression of there being different avifauna on either side of the river. Although I had visited the southern side of the river several times, birding excellent terra firma forest for several days, most of the birds I was hoping to encounter on my trip to the eastern lowlands were more likely to be found here within the park boundaries, especially along the trails behind the park's famous parrot and parakeet clay licks. Both Sacha and Sani Lodges include full-day excursions to the park in their birding programs, so on four separate days my guides and I took a motorized canoe and box lunches to see what we could find.

On our first day here, Oscar and I briefly stopped at one of the river's many islands on our way to the trails behind the parakeet clay lick. Here we found many island specialists that I was still missing from my country list, including the Lesser Wagtail Tyrant, Fuscous Flycatcher, and White-Bellied Spinetail. We also encountered a Small-Billed Elaenia, an uncommon austral migrant, in the tall grasses along the edge of the island. In the park itself, it was disappointingly quiet, and it took us less than ten minutes to walk a stretch of trail that had taken us two hours to walk several years ago on a previous visit as there had been so much bird activity. Again, there was no response from either the Great Jacamar, Collared Puffbird, Rufous-Capped Antthrush, or Striped Manakin at their many territories along the trails, and we didn't find any army antswarms either. Nevertheless, we pushed on deeper into the park searching for the Ochre-Striped Antpitta in the hilly terrain, finding the Yellow-Billed Jacamar, White-Eyed Tody-Tyrant, Banded Antbird, and Black-Bellied Cuckoo along the way. Perhaps the best bird seen on the day was a group of Gray-Winged Trumpeters that were headed towards us along the trail, the iridescent feathers on the chest of one individual clearly visible as it paused in front of us before dashing into the forest on its powerful legs.

Our itinerary was more or less the same on our second day in the park, and we stopped again at the same river island, this time to connect with the diminutive Gray-Breasted Crake, which we successfully spotted in dense ground cover. Along the same trails in the park, we first located a silent Brown Nunlet waiting motionless for its prey to pass by. Then, we had nice views in the scope of another birding group that had lined up a calling Sapphire Quail-Dove. The thrill of the morning, though, was certainly discovering a huge group of army ants, forming a swarm that wasn't well-attended by birds but was definitely exciting. Several scorpions were chased out of their cover in the roots of a tree as ants attacked them, and a variety of unusual birds came by to capture insects fleeing from the swarm, including the Yellow-Billed Nunbird, Wire-Tailed Manakin, and Rufous-Tailed Foliage-Gleaner. We also noted several antbirds in the area, although they were very wary of our presence, including the Sooty, Bicolored, and White-Plumed Antbirds. Although this wasn't a classic antswarm, we were heartened by our luck in at least finding ants, and perhaps our positive attitude yielded one final good bird before the rain started for the day, a pair of massive Great Jacamars responding nicely to playback.

On our third day in the park, Oscar and I headed to a different network of trails, located significantly upriver from the clay licks and called Providencia. We found a few good birds along the way as we wound through flooded forest in our motorized canoe, including the Olive-Faced Flatbill and Cinnamon-Throated Woodcreeper. Once on the trails, bird activity seemed low yet again, until a Rufous-Capped Antthrush finally responded to Oscar's repeated trolling. Calling aggressively as it perched in the open at several locations around us, the bird yielded superb looks and even some photographs, although a digiscope would have captured the moment better. Buoyed by this sighting, we then encountered another antswarm, getting exquisite views of the White-Plumed Antbird as it surveyed the scene intently. Amazingly, a male Striped Manakin was heard calling nearby, which we located with a bit of effort and watched feeding on berries in the understory as it hopped up from below. Now that we had established some momentum, the birds seemed to just keep coming, and I picked up several new antwrens in quick succession with Oscar's help, Dugand's and Long-Winged Antwrens.

Our attention was then drawn to a pair of calling birds in some dense ground cover that turned about to be the impressive Undulated Antshrike, a massive and beautifully patterned bird. Both the male and female were seen out in the open as they pumped their tails and called in irritation while responding to Oscar's deft use of his recording equipment. This encounter was certainly one of the big surprises of the trip, as the antshrike is described as being rare and local in the field guide. Next, while tracking down a group of male Blue-Backed Manakins, we heard an Ochre-Striped Antpitta calling in the distance. This large and strikingly colored antpitta was the only antpitta species I had yet to see or hear in Ecuador (I have now seen them all except for the Bicolored Antpitta, which was heard-only along the La Bonita Road), and so we set off to find it immediately after hearing its call. Oscar and I had discussed the challenges of actually seeing this bird at great length already, as it runs along the forest floor without pause making it extremely difficult to spot. As it turns out, a pair of birds were calling and responding well to Oscar's recordings, indeed covering a lot of ground between calls. We set up low on a hill where the undergrowth wasn't too dense and waited for the antpitta to run by, which it did, pausing uncharacteristically on a fallen tree trunk to look around. Then, it absconded into dense ground cover, where I amazingly found it after scanning for a few minutes through my binoculars. I watched it call for a while, admiring its rich orange chest and black-striped belly, while Oscar marveled over a group of White-Bellied Spider Monkeys that were causing a commotion in the canopy above us.

Buzzing from this much sought-after encounter, I had little time to reflect as Oscar directed my attention towards a pair of Lunulated Antbirds that were calling nearby. These antbirds are rarely found away from antswarms but responded aggressively to playback, and I had great looks at a male calling at close range. At this point it was well past midday, and I was in danger of missing my ride to Sani lodge, so we hustled back to the river along the trail that had yielded so many terrific birds in just a few hours. Indeed, it had been one of my best mornings ever birding in Ecuador and easily made up for an entire week of relatively low bird activity. While there had been no sign of the Hairy-Crested Antbird, Collared Puffbird, or Reddish-Winged Bare-Eye, we had witnessed many of the avian treasures of Yasuni National Park, where I would still spend yet another day with Domingo, my guide at Sani Lodge.

Notable birds seen: Yellow-Headed Caracara, Black Caracara, Spix's Guan, Gray-Winged Trumpeter, Gray-Breasted Crake, Rufous-Sided Crake, Collared Plover, Sapphire Quail-Dove, Blue-and-Yellow Macaw, Scarlet-Shouldered Parrotlet, Black-Bellied Cuckoo, Ladder-Tailed Nightjar, Great-Billed Hermit, Straight-Billed Hermit, Gould's Jewelfront, Yellow-Billed Jacamar, Great Jacamar, Brown Nunlet, Yellow-Billed Nunbird, Golden-Collared Toucanet, Cinnamon-Throated Woodcreeper, Rufous-Tailed Foliage-Gleaner, Black-Tailed Leaftosser, Undulated Antshrike, Plain-Throated Antwren, Ornate Antwren, Long-Winged Antwren, Dugand's Antwren, Banded Antbird, Spot-Winged Antbird, Warbling Antbird, Sooty Antbird, White-Plumed Antbird, Lunulated Antbird, Bicolored Antbird, Scale-Backed Antbird, Rufous-Capped Antthrush, Ochre-Striped Antpitta, Ash-Throated Gnateater, Golden-Headed Manakin, Blue-Backed Manakin, Striped Manakin, Wire-Tailed Manakin, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Small-Billed Elaenia, Lesser Wagtail-Tyrant, White-Eyed Tody-Tyrant, Olive-Faced Flatbill, Fuscous Flycatcher, Drab Water-Tyrant, Musician Wren, Long-Billed Gnatwren, Slate-Colored Grosbeak.

Sacha Lodge: June 28-July 2, 2010

My final birding trip in Ecuador, at least for the time being, was to the eastern lowlands, where I have spent comparatively little time birding during my six years living in the country, as it's easily the most expensive and difficult region to bird. For the independent birder, the options in the eastern lowlands are few, as sites are remote and require several types of transport, including plane and boat, to reach. Plus, birding in Amazonia is as challenging as it gets, with approximately 600 species present and almost all bird detection and identification done by ear. Sure, you could learn the birds here by yourself, but it would take many months and plentiful access to a variety of unique habitats, including varzea forest and river islands, not to mention terra firma forest canopy, one of the more inaccessible bird habitats in the world. The shortcut is to select from a range of jungle lodges located along the lower Napo River, the finest of which certainly must be Sacha Lodge. These lodges provide expert bird guides and diverse itineraries designed so that visiting birders can experience many of the different ecosystems of far western Amazonia.

Coordinating with both Sacha and Sani Lodges, I set up a week-long itinerary with two of the best guides in the region focusing on terra firma forest on the southern side of the Napo, where I hoped to expand my country list and track down a few rare species. My targets for the trip were mostly spectacular and little-seen birds, such as the Harpy Eagle, Agami Heron, Rufous-Vented Ground-Cuckoo, Ochre-Striped Antpitta, and Black-Necked Red-Cotinga, all species that would be on any visiting birder's lists. But there were a few other classic eastern lowlands birds that I hadn't seen yet, including the Collared Puffbird, Long-Billed Woodcreeper, Black-Spotted Bare-Eye, and Striped Manakin. I figured a week should be enough time to sweep up these glaring omissions on my country list and give me a final chance to find a megabird or two. And if the trip ever felt extravagant, I would simply rationalize it as my last hurrah, a well-deserved reward for years of hard work driving myself to remote locations in Ecuador and slowly learning birds on my own.

Several weeks in advance I forwarded my desired bird list to Oscar Tapuy, who I had worked with on my previous visit to Sacha Lodge and who is the most renowned and experienced native guide in the eastern lowlands. We discussed our plan for the next four days during the two-hour boat ride from Coca to the lodge, deciding that we would spend two and a half days on the south side of the Napo in search of antswarms and obligate antswarm followers as well as terra firma forest birds that are more territorial. We would also spend some time walking the trails behind the lodge itself as well as pass one morning on the canopy walkway. Making short visits to varzea forest and river island habitat would round out my program, which I hoped wouldn't be adversely affected by weather. (While Ecuador's weather cycles are diverse and complex, the eastern lowlands can be quite wet still in June and July, only really drying out in August.)

Considering all the time that I spent in protected forest on the south side of the Napo River during the week, I've decided to describe my experiences there in a separate post about Yasuni National Park. I'll use the following paragraphs to relay my experiences on the north side of the Napo, within the 2000 hectare grounds of the lodge itself. Access to the lodge from the Napo involves a twenty-minute walk along a boardwalk that passes through varzea forest. Although this path, called El Anden, is heavily trafficked by arriving and departing guests as well as by workers bringing in food and supplies, during the early morning and late evening hours it is excellent for birding, offering more mobility than a canoe ride through the several varzea canals branching off from Pilchicocha, the oxbow lake that the lodge borders. Considering the number of trips we made off the lodge property, Oscar and I passed through El Anden many times, the highlight of which was one afternoon when we got clear but quick looks at both Gray-Necked Wood-Rail and Cinereous Tinamou, coaxing out a Hauxwell's Thrush, a scarce austral migrant, as well. Several times along this path we also encountered fast-moving groups of Black-Spotted Bare-Eyes, perhaps the most spectacular antbird in the Ecuadorian Amazon, but failed to see them clearly as they stayed lowed to the ground and didn't respond to playback. Before dawn on one morning we heard the rare Buckley's Forest-Falcon calling in the distance, although it wasn't responsive to playback either.

With Jaime, one of the lodge's native guides, paddling us around in a narrow canoe, we made several late-afternoon excursions into La Orquidea, a narrow canal that passes through dense and tangled varzea forest. This is certainly the least strenuous and most magical birding experience I've ever had as birders float silently through flooded forest, acutely aware of every sudden sound and motion around them. On both occasions, we trolled for Long-Billed and Striped Woodcreepers, hoping to surprise a feeding Agami Heron along the way. Finally, a pair of Long-Billed Woodcreepers responded to playback, coming in close and putting on quite a show as they flipped their strangely-shaped heads about and responded with their powerful and haunting calls. While we never encountered an Agami Heron in this fashion, we did surprise a juvenile one morning in pre-dawn darkness at the beginning of the Anaconda canal, where Oscar has frequently found them. The bird jumped up onto a fallen palm trunk, frozen in the spotlight for a moment, while I assessed its rapier-like bill and dark-colored plumage. Although it didn't present quite the same image as in the field guide, it was good enough to tick.

Our morning on the canopy walkway, which is one of its kind in Ecuador, was graced with good weather but short on birds. In fact, we spent less than two hours scanning the treetops before Oscar pronounced that we would be better spending our time walking the trails down below. Generously, he first played a recording of the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl for a few minutes, attracting a swarm of colorful tanagers and allies in the crown of a nearby tree. I clicked away happily on my camera as Gold-and-Green and Masked Tanagers, Purple and Green Honeycreepers, Black-Faced and Blue Dacnis, and Orange-Bellied and Rufous-Bellied Euphonias searched about for the intruder to mob. The commotion even attracted a Zimmer's Flatbill, which was a first for me. The only other noteworthy sighting for me was finding a Dwarf Tyrant-Manakin perched on a treetop, although I would have been content spending the rest of the morning observing familiar birds, considering how unique and privileged is the viewpoint from the walkway.

Unfortunately, the hours we spent walking the trails behind the lodge were decidedly unfruitful, as activity was very low. Only the most common birds were calling, and even then only occasionally, and there were hardly any mixed understory flocks. Oscar was repeatedly dejected as he came away empty after trolling for my target birds, commenting on how quiet and calm the forest was and how it must be the unseasonably wet weather that was reducing bird activity. Granted I was a little frustrated too, if only to have to suffer through listening to the same recording of a Collard Puffbird every five minutes (we never did find one). Thankfully, there were a few surprises to be found along these trails, including this magnificent Lined Forest-Falcon that we flushed from the understory but perched again in some cover nearby. Other notable birds seen or heard here were White-Chested Puffbird, Black-Spotted Bare-Eye, and Black-Banded Owl, the latter heard only.

Ultimately, my visit to the eastern lowlands coincided with a period of low bird activity, but Oscar is probably the best guide to work with in such situations, as he has a wealth of stakeouts to try for skulkers and territorial birds, and he is relentless in his use of playback to draw out shy or quiet birds. Although we didn't have too much to show for three consecutive fourteen-hour days of birding, our final morning on the southern side of the Napo River, to be covered in the next post, made it all worthwhile. From there I would head to Sani Lodge for another two full days of birding terra firma forest, finally concluding my six years of birding Ecuador.

Notable birds seen: Cinereous Tinamou, Cocoi Heron, Agami Heron, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Greater Yellow-Headed Vulture, Slender-Billed Kite, Double-Toothed Kite, Black Caracara, Lined Forest-Falcon, Laughing Falcon, Spix's Guan, Gray-Necked Wood-Rail, Red-Bellied Macaw, Hoatzin, Pauraque, Short-Tailed Swift, Lesser Swallow-Tailed Swift, White-Necked Jacobin, Gould's Jewelfront, Long-Billed Starthroat, White-Chested Puffbird, Swallow-Winged Puffbird, Scarlet-Crowned Barbet, Chestnut-Eared Aracari, Ivory-Billed Aracari, Golden-Collared Toucanet, Cream-Colored Woodpecker, Long-Billed Woodcreeper, Cinnamon-Throated Woodcreeper, Short-Billed Leaftosser, Black-Tailed Leaftosser, Black-Spotted Bare-Eye, Wire-Tailed Manakin, Dwarf Tyrant-Manakin, Spangled Cotinga, Plum-Throated Cotinga, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Bare-Necked Fruitcrow, Zimmer's Flatbill, Olive-Faced Flatbill, Musician Wren, Rufous-Bellied Euphonia, Opal-Crowned Tanager, Paradise Tanager, Green-and-Gold Tanager, Masked Tanager, Red-Capped Cardinal, Slate-Colored Grosbeak.

Reserva Las Gralarias: June 26, 2010

A short visit to Reserva Las Gralarias was a twitch in the truest sense of the term. An active nest of the Hoary Puffleg had recently been found along one of the reserve's trails, so I simply had to stop by for my first looks at this difficult Choco endemic hummingbird, which resides in dark forested ravines and hardly ever visits feeders. Interestingly enough, this year in January the puffleg was regularly seen at one of the reserve's feeder stations that is heavily surrounded by vegetation, although I neglected to see it myself, as the twitch didn't seem as urgent as it does now that I have less than two weeks left in Ecuador.

The nest itself is cup-shaped and hanging from an exposed fern growing right along the trail. When I first arrived on site, the female was not on the nest, and when she arrived went through a noisy distraction act, perching nearby and calling loudly to draw my attention away from the location. After taking in quick but good looks at this subtle puffleg, which appears a little like a hermit with its tail curled inwards in flight, I retreated for a few minutes. Returning stealthily to the nest area, I observed the female seated on top of the nest, not inside, where one downy nestling lay. It's difficult to say whether this brood will be reared successfully (there were originally two eggs), but I'm confident I didn't hurt its chances with my observations.

Notable birds seen: Velvet-Purple Coronet, Hoary Puffleg, Spotted Barbtail, Flame-Faced Tanager.

Mashpi: June 26, 2010

Mashpi is a recently popularized site in the northwestern foothills that is quickly growing renowned for its impressive collection of Choco endemic bird species. The wet mossy forest along the roads in the area boasts Moss-Backed Tanager, Pacific Tuftedcheek, Orange-Breasted Fruiteater, Black Solitaire, Glistening-Green Tanager, Indigo Flowerpiercer, and Choco Vireo, the latter just discovered at the site by guide Dušan M. Brinkhuizen. Indeed, the news of the vireo, which is a very rare and endangered species and one of the most difficult of the Choco endemics to see in Ecuador, is bound to increase the site's fame even further, especially considering its proximity to Mindo (the vireo is known from one other remote site in Ecuador in Esmeraldas Province).

With little time left in Ecuador, I wanted to try for a few more unseen Choco endemics myself, including the vireo, of course, but also the Black Solitaire and a few hypothetical species to the area, such as Star-Chested Treerunner, Yellow-Green Bush-Tanager, and Purplish-Mantled Tanager. After taking Aimee to the airport in Quito for her own departure on an early-morning flight, I drove down to the site and shortly was observing a pair of Moss-Backed Tanagers at close range feeding on ants crawling along the roadside. Overhead, a pair of gorgeous Toucan Barbets looked on as I photographed the feeding birds, which were behaving more like flycatchers than tanagers. Further down the road that leads to the new reserve, I encountered a terrific mixed flock with both Glistening-Green Tanager and Orange-Breasted Fruiteater as well as Strong-Billed Woodcreeper and Smoky-Brown Woodpecker.

Approaching the section of the road where Dusan found the vireo, I laughed at my chances of actually finding the bird myself, as I was without playback and unfamiliar with the bird's habits and behavior. Happily, I met guide and conservationist Alejandro Solano along the road, who had just seen the vireo himself, and he led me exactly to the spot where we found the bird high in the canopy along the roadside. Looking and sounding like the common Brown-Capped Vireo, the bird behaved differently, defending its area territorially as mixed flocks moved through and staying behind as they left and growing quiet again. While it wasn't a spectacular sighting, it's always inspiring and poignant to witness an endangered species, and I'm grateful to Dusan and Alejandro for sharing their knowledge and observations.

Notable birds seen: Blue-Fronted Parrotlet, Purple-Bibbed Whitetip, Wedge-Billed Hummingbird, Brown Inca, Golden-Headed Quetzal, Toucan Barbet, Crimson-Rumped Toucanet, Smoky-Brown Woodpecker, Golden-Olive Woodpecker, Strong-Billed Woodcreeper, Pacific Tuftedcheek, Tawny-Breasted Flycatcher, Orange-Breasted Fruiteater, Choco Vireo, Andean Solitaire, Choco Warbler, Swallow Tanager, Glistening-Green Tanager, Moss-Backed Tanager, Black-Chinned Mountain-Tanager, Ochre-Breasted Tanager, Yellow-Throated Bush-Tanager, Black-Winged Saltator.