CERRO DE ARCOS - BUENAVENTURA RESERVE

A 4.20am start (ouch!) saw us heading out to the paramo of Cerro de Arcos in search of a bird only discovered in 2017 – Blue-throated Hillstar. This entailed a one hour drive in the minibus and then two hours up the mountain in a couple of 4WD vehicles. It was bumpy and uncomfortable but we felt it was a bit of an adventure and enjoyed the experience. Well, at 3700m it was cold and a gale was blowing but we walked over the brow of a hill in to the leeward side and it was quite pleasant. Within a couple of minutes a fine Blue-throated Hillstar flew in and landed on a tall, moss-encrusted stalk and stared at us, its blue throat literally glowing. Wow! 

The magnificent scenery of Cerro de Arcos

Blue-throated Hillstar

We stayed here for about an hour and watched a couple hillstars chasing Black-tailed Trainbearers and Shining Sunbeams away from its favourite food source. After a while a Viridian Metaltail appeared and he too was chased away! What a magical experience!

Shining Sunbeam

Celebrating the hillstar with smiles all round

So we left here and headed downhill to our waiting minibus and then visited a small garden where we saw White-vented Plumeleteer easily. This is an isolated population and may warrant full species status as Ecuadorian Plumeleteer in the future. 

White-vented Plumeleteer

Leaving here, we drove to Quindi Garden where we failed to locate Ochraceous Attila but enjoyed the hummer feeders and the spectacle but added nothing new. So after a picnic lunch here we drove to the higher section of Buenaventura Reserve and our El Oro Parakeet stakeout. After an hour’s wait it wasn’t looking good until Juan Carlos found a small group loitering at the top of a bare tree across the valley below us and they looked mighty fine in the scope! 

A distant group of El Oro Parakeets

We’d also seen a few other species in the same area including Spotted Woodcreeper, Scaly-throated Foliage-Gleaner, Beryl-spangled Tanager, Golden Tanager, Dull-coloured Grassquit, Common Bush-Tanager, Orange-bellied Euphonia, and a few other previously seen species. 

 

With the day slipping away we decided to push our luck and ended the day at a different section of the reserve seeing a pair of unusually cooperative Esmeraldas Antbirds on the way to getting crippling views of the fantastic Long-wattled Umbrellabird. 

Long-wattled Umbrellabird

We had an incredible encounter with one as it flew from perch to perch uttering its low display call. And so a remarkable day ended on a fantastic high with what can only be described as a terribly weird but undoubtedly cool looking bird - and one i'd wanted to see for a very long time.

YUNGUILLA RESERVE - UMBRELLABIRD LODGE

After a 6am breakfast we visited the Jocotoco Foundations Yunguilla Reserve, just a 15 minute uphill drive from our hotel. We walked down a track for a good half an hour to a feeding station where the ranger we’d brought with us from town placed some food out. Even before this we’d laid eyes on the mega Pale-headed Brushfinch and whilst food was being put out a pair of Grey-browed Brushfinches perched right next to the ranger! Anyway, we had great views of both brushfinches, as well as a Chestnut-crowned Antpitta that also lingered around the feeding station. 

Pale-headed Brushfinch

But it was Pale-headed Brushfinch we’d come to admire and weren’t disappointed with at least two individuals coming frequently to feed. With no more than 300 individuals in the 36km2 area this is a rare bird and classified as Vulnerable by BirdLife International. We enjoyed watching the feeding activity and remained here for a couple of hours, during which time Black-crested Warbler, Line-cheeked Spinetail, Rufous-chested Tanagerand a pair of Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrushes also appeared. A walk around the reserve resulted in very brief Azara’s Spinetail and a perched female Purple-collared Woodstar. 

Purple-collared Woodstar

Our happy group at Yunguilla

So we returned to the minibus and then had a little time off back at the hotel before lunch. We were away and on the road by 1.15pm and heading to Umbrellabird Lodge located in the fantastic Buenaventura Reserve – another jewel in the Jocotoco Foundation’s string of reserves, where we arrived at 4.30pm. After placing our luggage into the very nice cabins we headed out 45 minutes later to try and see the umbrellabirds but we were too late. 

Black-and-white Owl

So we had another nice dinner and enjoyed a fine Black-and-white Owl in the spotlight before retiring to our cabins by 8.15pm to prepare for a very early start to the paramo tomorrow morning for one of the rarest birds on the planet.

MANGLARES CHURUTE - EL CAJAS NP - YUNGUILLA

Breakfast at 6.15am was a luxury followed by just over an hour’s drive to the mangroves at Manglares Churute. On the drive in we stopped to see our first Savanna Hawk and a pair of Pale-mandibled Aracari stealing eggs from a Pacific Hornero’s nest, plus we had a flock of Bronze-winged Parrots flying over, Groove-billed and Smooth-billed Anis, Grey-and-gold Warbler and a Social Flycatcher. Our first attempt at Jet Antbird proved to be a little frustrating as it only showed briefly, but our second try was much better with some great views. A Common Black Hawk was perched at the entrance to the boardwalk but we couldn’t find any Rufous-necked Wood-rails, instead just had a Green Kingfisher, Tricoloured Heron, Roseate Spoonbill and a Mangrove Warbler.

 

Leaving here we drove to another area for Horned Screamer, which was seen well through the scope. Along the way we had Grey-lined Hawk and Crested Caracara and on the drive out we well and truly nailed Scarlet-backed Woodpecker. An abortive attempt was made at seed-finches as the stake-out has been destroyed so we carried on to Quizas Hoy. Here we had great looks at Baron’s Hermit, along with Yellow-olive Flatbill, Violet-bellied Hummingbird, White-shouldered Tanager and best of all, a pair of White-whiskered Puffbirds. But we will have to return as there were no Pacific Royal Flycatchers today. 

El Cajas National Park

So we stopped nearby for lunch and then drove up to 4,160m at El Cajas National Park. Amidst this spectacular setting we had excellent views of a pair of Polylepsis specialist Giant Conebills and at another spot we found a pair of awesome Tit-like Dacnis feeding beside a lake. 

Giant Conebill

Tit-like Dacnis

And this area was good for Blue-mantled Thornbill, Plumbeous Sierra-Finch, Tawny Antpitta and Mouse-coloured Thistletail. Other species seen included Pearled Treerunner, White-spectacled Redstart, White-throated Tyrannulet, Stout-billed Cinclodes, and a pair of Andean Teal. From here it took nearly 2 hours to reach our hotel in Yunguilla, but boy the beers were good!

SANTA ELENA PENINSULA

We began the day with a 5.30am breakfast, a quick pack of the minibus and short drive back into the birding trail of Ayampe. Along the way, Juan Carlos heard a Watkins’s Antpitta calling so we made our first attempt at this tricky species, but despite a valiant effort we never got close to it. So back into the trail, and alas no woodstars or much of anything to be honest apart from a cracking pair of Guayaquil Woodpeckers above us in a huge Cecropia tree.  And that was it, adios Ayampe as we had many more birds to see during what turned out to be an action-packed day. So we headed to the Santa Elena Peninsula, spotting our first Burrowing Owl along the way. At an arid area of thorn bushes and scrub we spent a pleasant couple of hours despite the heat walking along a path where Croaking Ground-Doves and Long-tailed Mockingbirds were common. 

Short-tailed Field-Tyrant

Almost immediately we had the first of several Short-tailed Woodstars, followed by a Grey-and-white Tyrannulet, several Parrot-billed Seedeaters, a group of Collared Warbling-Finches, and some nice close Pacific Parrotlets posing nicely for photos. 

Pacific Parrotlet

An Elegant Crescentchest was next up and this time showing several times amongst the bushes. Wow! A pair of Variable Hawks sky-danced, a Short-tailed Field-Tyrant hung around for ages, more Burrowing Owls were seen and a demure Tumbesian Tyrannulet was a lifer for everyone. 

 

Driving down to the peninsula we stopped to look at Harris’s Hawk, Vermilion Flycatcher and took a detour for Peruvian Thick-knee before reaching the coast. Fine sandy beaches lined this end of the peninsula and were home to American Oystercatchers, Hudsonian Whimbrels and Sanderlings. A stop at some lagoons allowed us to scope a surprising variety of shorebirds this early in the season and to Brits there’s nothing better than scoping distant specks but we amassed quite a list: Black-necked Stilt, Common Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Western, Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plover, Willet, Greater Yellowlegs, Green Heron, Cocoi Heron, our one and only distant Chilean Flamingo, Pied-billed Grebe and a single Red-necked Phalarope. Just over the road we scanned the beach and ocean and were fortunate to spot a lone Grey Gull several hundred metres away. Even luckier, it flew towards us and landed nearby. Wow! 

Grey Gull

We did see a few more as we drove along the coast road a little later. But from our vantage point overlooking the beach we also spotted a group of Common Terns, a few Royal Terns and a couple of Blue-footed Boobies out to sea. Driving along a large lagoon held what could well have been over a thousand Red-necked Phalaropes! Amazing!

 

Driving down to La Chocolatera Viewpoint we passed another lagoon and simply had to stop when we spotted a group of Roseate Spoonbills.  A quick scan revealed 6 Wilson’s Phalaropes, 2 Snowy Plovers, Spotted Sandpiper and a Gull-billed Tern. Once at the viewpoint we saw many Blue-footed Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds flying past, found a Wandering Tattlerand amazingly a young Swallow-tailed Gull. 

Blue-footed Booby

Magnificent Frigatebird

Swallow-tailed Gull

Wandering Tattler

That was quite some day! But there was still the small matter of a 2+ hours drive to our hotel in Guayaquil, arriving shortly after 6pm where we had another fine meal and cervezas!

AYAMPE

Well, after last night’s late arrival (nearly 9.30pm) to the eco-lodge, we were all a little bleary-eyed for our 6am breakfast but were very ready for our first taste of birding in southern Ecuador. From the breakfast table we could see Brown and Peruvian Pelicans flying offshore.  A short walk around the vicinity of the lodge to check for any flowers suitable to host Esmeraldas Woodstar drew a blank, although we did see our first Tropical Gnatcatchers and more importantly a fine Necklaced Spinetail, plus an Amazilia Hummingbird. Then it was a very short ten minute drive to the start of the trail where we would bird along for the next 5 hours and as soon as we left the minibus we were hit by a wall of new birds in a relentless episode that every birder relishes. New species came rapidly and it was one of those times you just didn’t know where to look first. First of all a pair of Yellow-tailed Orioles at the top of a bushy tree were scoped – for a few seconds, as a group of Pacific Parrotlets were found close by. Binoculars were raised to look at these little beauties and no sooner that happened when a male Collared Antshrike was called, followed immediately by a Pacific Pygmy Owl flying into the tree next to us in response to its call via the iPhone! 

Pacific Pygmy Owl

Manoeuvring to get a clear view through a tangle of branches then revealed both Speckle-breasted Wren and Superciliated Wren mobbing the owl. Phew! 

Speckle-breasted Wren

Struggling to keep up with writing notes meant that I almost missed seeing a lifer Ecuadorian Ground-Dove flying by! Amongst the tall grasses and bushes next to the track we watched a flock of Variable Seedeaters disappear into the vegetation, and just then a Striped Cuckoo jumped up and promptly flew off. But further scanning revealed a cracking Crimson-breasted Finch posing in a bare tree with Thick-billed Euphonia and a Pacific Hornero. Then the seedeaters reappeared, posing nicely in some bushes and were joined by many Saffron Finches and a couple of Streaked Saltators. And all this whilst walking about 100m..!! So off we set, for maybe 30 more metres before finding a pair of Black-striped Sparrows, followed by a flyover Ringed Kingfisher and then finally scope views of a group of cackling Rufous-headed Chachalacas. Walking on and a fine Black-capped Sparrow was really appreciated by all, followed by nice scope views of a pair of Hook-billed Kites, close Fulvous-faced Scrub-Tyrant, Ochre-bellied Flycatcher and the first of many stunning male Yellow-tufted Dacnis (plus several females throughout the morning too), Masked Water-Tyrant, Pacific Elaenia, Tropical Parula, Bananaquit, Lemon-rumped Tanager and Tumbes Pewee. 

It was about now that we started to experience some very light rain and this seemed to cause bird activity to drop a little. But that being said, new birds still came steadily and we continued our tick-fest with Plain Antvireo, a stunning Grey-and-gold Warbler, Buff-throated Saltator, skulking Olivaceous Piculet, and an equally tricky-to-see Scarlet-backed Woodpecker all in the same spot. 

 

Over the next hour we kept walking and saw White-bearded Manakin, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, Bronze-winged Parrot both in flight and perched, several Sooty-headed Tyrannulets, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Streaked Xenops, brief Baron’s Hermit, a pair of Red-rumped Woodpeckers, Great Antshrike, Plain-brown Woodcreeper, Lesser Greenlet, Stripe-throated Hermit, Sooty-crowned Flycatcher, and finished with an Ecuadorian Trogon perched above us. 

Ecuadorian Trogon

What a morning that was! And once back at the lodge we checked the flowers for woodstars again without any joy, but did find a group of Saffron Siskins.

Collared Antshrike (female)

Fasciated Wren

 After a leisurely lunch and a bit of a siesta we checked out several areas around the village. New for our lists were a confiding and noisy pair of Fasciated Wrens, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Baird’s Flycatcher, West Peruvian Dove, an Elegant Crescentchest for Brian and we ended this superb day with an Anthony’s Nightjar circling us in the spotlight. Wow!

Back in Ecuador!!

After an excellent night’s sleep we were ready for a 5.30am breakfast and with a few minutes to spare before heading out we had a quick check of the hummer feeders where a Sparkling Violetear, White-necked Jacobin and Andean Emerald were seen in the early morning gloom. But we were on a mission this morning to get up to Refugio de Las Aves as soon as possible before driving 7+ hours south to Ayampe. Our main reason for coming here was to see antpittas and we were all very excited I can tell you! Upon arrival we had a few stunning Blue-winged Mountain-Tanagers and a Scale-throated Foliage-Gleaner close by, followed by a pair of very nice Ornate Flycatchers. Even better was a roosting Lyre-tailed Nightjar on the bank behind us that I teed up in the scope. Wow!!!!! 

Golden-headed Quetzal

Then a Golden-headed Quetzal flew in and landed on a mossy branch for the briefest of times and 3 Crested Guans were seen. Once the brother of the famous Angel Paz arrived we went to the first stake-out and in no time at all an absolutely hulking Giant Antpitta appeared……. 

Giant Antpitta

 Driving to a different spot, we waited by some hummer feeders that were alive with birds. In a matter of seconds we had seen Velvet-purple Coronet, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Lesser Violetear, White-booted Racket-tail, Andean Emerald, Purple-throated Woodstar, and Violet-tailed Sylph. With a confiding Crimson-rumped Toucanet feeding on bananas right behind us as well, with a Chivi Vireo also present. And then we walked along a trail to a feeding station where an Ochre-breasted Antpitta was waiting for us on an exposed branch on the slope above us. What a little cracker! After a few minutes it was joined by a cracking Moustached Antpitta that hopped out into the open for less than a minute before scurrying away into the dark forest. Keeping a high tempo we drove up to another spot  for a toilet break where Golden Tanager and an Orange-bellied Euphonia were seen and then drove a few more minutes to another antpitta stake-out. Unfortunately Yellow-breasted Antpitta would elude us, despite 3 attempts at a couple of spots but we had a consolation Sharpe’s Wren or three at one of them. 

Moustached Antpitta

Ochre-breasted Antpitta

 Finally we stopped at the main restaurant for a coffee and snacks and more hummer feeders, where we added Speckled Hummingbird, Tawny-breasted Hermit and Brown Inca to our ever growing hummer list. Other sightings this morning included Plumbeous Pigeon, Hook-billed Kite, Slate-throated Whitestart, a Crimson-rumped Toucanet feeding a well grown youngster at a nesting hole, and a Chestnut-capped Brushfinch. 

Purple-bibbed Whitetip

Speckled Hummingbird

White-booted Rackettail (female)

And then it was time to leave 11:45am and head out on the 7+ hour drive to Ayampe in the distant south of Ecuador. 

Crimson-rumped Toucanet

A few roadside birds were seen but a lunch stop gave s Tropical Kingbird, Buff-throated Saltator and House Wren followed by Red-masked Parakeet and Grey-cheeked Parakeet, Pacific Hornero and a few other common species.