Umbrellabird Lodge to Jorupe

Breakfast at 5.45am was followed by a session watching the birds from the verandah with a cup of coffee in hand. Ah yes! 

Great hummer activity on the feeders this morning

The hummer feeders were bristling with all the same species but the surrounding forest was alive with activity. 

A pair of Blue-necked Tanagers were nest-building right next to the front porch and at one stage a Black-crowned Antshrike seemed to hone in on the nest as if he was going to rob it! 

Black-crowned Antshrike

Blue-necked Tanager

In the large trees at the front we saw Spotted Woodcreeper, Bananaquit, Orange-bellied Euphonia, One-coloured Becard, a pair of Buff-rumped Warblers, Slaty-capped Flycatcher, a group of Ashy-throated Bush-Tanagers, Bay Wren and a pair of Yellow-throated Toucans. Phew!

One-coloured Becard

Yellow-throated Toucan

We then drove higher up the road and walked for an hour or see and had Orange-billed Sparrow, many Yellow-throated Bush-Tanagers and an Olive-striped Flycatcher, but it was a little tricky to get any details on these birds due to the mist, until we could call them in closer.

Ornate Flycatcher

Yellow-throated Bush-Tanager/Chlorospingus

As the mist lifted we had decent looks at Club-winged Manakin, as well as White-tipped Sicklebill, Song Wren, Silver-throated Tanager, and a brief White-throated Daggerbill. 

Birding the track at Buenaventura Reserve

Unfortunately we had to leave this wonderful reserve so returned to our cabins and loaded the luggage, but then had to drive back uphill as a pair of day roosting Crested Owls had been found by one of the lodge’s workers. And sure enough we feasted on crippling views of a pair right next to the track. 

Crested Owls

Leaving on the long drive to Jorupe we tried for Ochraceous Attila but only had it calling back and not moving, so had to content ourselves with a group of Yellow-bellied Siskins bathing in a puddle, a Stripe-breasted Hermit and a Black-cheeked Woodpecker. Driving towards the main road on the muddy, bumpy track we stopped suddenly when Juan Carlos spotted a Grey-backed Hawk perched on a low branch a little too close to the track as not everyone managed to see it before it flew away.

Juan Carlos in action....!

Black-cheeked Woodpecker

Grey-backed Hawk

It was around 5 hours to drive to Jorupe, but we stopped in a dry area very different to the one we had left a few hours ago. 

Very different habitat here

And pretty quickly we nailed White-headed Brushfinch beside the road, followed by a not-so-stunning Tumbes Hummingbird. Once at Urraca Lodge we had a couple of hours to chill before dinner, but we still saw a few birds with a flock of Blue Ground-Dovesvisiting the feeder, Yellow-rumped Cacique, Grey-and-gold Warbler and Jo found her own Ecuadorian Trogon. An owling session only produced several calling West Peruvian Screech-Owls and we ‘d have to try again tomorrow night to get a view of this bird.