Ecuador day 3 and 4, the Tandayapa Valley and Rio Silanche and species #1000 for me

Plate billed Mountain Toucan, upper Tandayapa Valley, Ecuador, Nov 18, 2015

Beautiful Jay, Tandayapa Lodge, Ecuador, Nov 18, 2015 (life bird #1000)

Red headed Barbet, Tandayapa Lodge, Ecuador, Nov 18, 2015

Fawn breasted Brilliant, Tandayapa Lodge, Ecuador, Nov 18, 2015

Purple throated Woodstar, Tandayapa Lodge, Ecuador, Nov 18, 2015

On Wednesday the 18th we spent the entire day in the Tandayapa Valley which started with a predawn visit to the forest blind. A few lights are left on all night to attract insects and in the morning various species come in to feed. We didn't have anything too unusual but getting decent looks at any ant thrush is always nice. When the activity slackened off at the blind we started the short walk back were quickly stopped by a few Beautiful Jays moving past...I had put my camera away and by the time I got it back out I could only get a few marginal shots...oh well!  The Beautiful Jays became species #1000 for me so I was happy to get any shot of it.  We then had breakfast at the lodge and enjoyed the comings and goings at the hummingbird feeders as well as the fruit feeders. Once breakfast was done we made our way to the upper Tandayapa Valley and had a host of new species to keep us busy including a number of tanagers and hummingbirds. We spent a lot of time trying to attract and get looks at a Plate billed Mountain Toucan and eventually we got a great look. Overall the morning was cloudy which made viewing tough at times. The fog rolled in late morning and it started to rain by midday. We worked our way back down to the lodge for lunch and then spent an hour or so at the hummingbird feeders which attracted at least fifteen species...amazing! By mid afternoon we headed back out around the lodge and then back up the valley a bit. The light rain eventually turned to heavy rain and we then sat in the truck waiting for the weather to clear and it to get to be dusk so we could go try to find a Lyre tailed Nightjar. No luck for us with finding that nightjar but we did have a couple flyby Rufous breasted Nighthawks.

Full lists:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S25995359
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S25995435
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S25995682

Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant with nest material, Rio Silanche, Ecuador, Nov 19, 2015

Laughing Falcon, Rio Silanche, Ecuador, Nov 19, 2015

Collared Aracari (pale mandibled), Rio Silanche, Ecuador, Nov 19, 2015

On Thursday we made the long drive down to the lowlands at Rio Silanche where we spent the morning walking the road to Rio Silanche and the afternoon in the reserve itself before working another part of the road before making our way back to the lodge. The birds came fast and furious in the morning along the road with lots of new species (plus a number I had seen before in Costa Rica). The habitat is quite fragmented and the constant flow of trucks in the early morning heading to the quarry made it less than ideal but the birds did not seem to mind and most showed quite well. Once we got past the quarry the road traffic died right down and it was even more enjoyable. The afternoon walk through the reserves trails were a bit more quiet but what we lacked in quantity we made up for in quality. Many highlights from the afternoon including a few trogon with one being a Choco Trogon, a pair of Black crested Pgymy Tyrants building a nest and many others. It was a very long, but rewarding day and we did not arrive back at the lodge until just before dinner.

Full lists:  

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S26008787

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S26008864

Ecuador Day 1 and 2 (Quito and Yanacocha)

Sparkling Violetear (first life bird of the trip), Quito, Ecuador, Nov 16, 2015

I arrived in Ecuador very late on the night of Sunday the 15th and then spent the next day in Quito resting up for the next several days of intense birding. During my off day on Monday I spent some time outside in the small courtyard of the the hotel I was in and despite the activities and noise of the city I still managed to find some life birds including two new hummingbirds...Black tailed Trainbearer and Sparkling Violetear. I also added Eared Dove as a new life bird. Mid morning I walked several blocks up to a small city park (Parque La Carolina) and found many of the same birds I had at the hotel but added Great Thrush and Cinereous Conebill. Five new life birds in a day paled in comparison to what the next several days brought me.

Band winged Nightjar, Yanacocha, Ecuador, Nov 17, 2015

Hooded Mountain Tanager, Yanacocha, Ecuador, Nov 17, 2015

Barred Fruiteater, Yanacocha, Ecuador, Nov 17, 2015

Sword billed Hummingbird, Yanacocha, Ecuador, Nov 17, 2015

Turquoise Jay, Nono-Mindo Rd, Ecuador, Nov 17, 2015

Crimson rumped Toucanet, Tandayapa Lodge, Ecuador, Nov 17, 2015

On Tuesday I met the guide for the trip Jose Illanes bright and early in Quito and the group then headed out to Yanacocha, high up in the mountains along the slopes of the Pichincha Volcano. We made a couple of brief stops along the way and added a few species. Once we arrived we spent the next few hours there and were rewarded with a great number of birds including hummingbirds (including the impressive Sword billed Hummingbird among them), Band winged Nightjar, tanagers, fruiteaters and many others . We made it out a few miles to where we intended to turn back and then it started to rain (always happens when you are as far away from the car as possible!). We got soaked on the way back but a little time in the car and some food had us forgetting all about it. We then slowly worked our way toward Tandayapa Lodge along the old Nono-Mindo road with several stops along the way that produced more birds (and more rain!).  We made it to Tandayapa Lodge late in the day in the rain but the hummingbird feeders still put on a show with a dozen plus seen in just a little bit of time. Another noteworthy sighting was a Crimson tailed Toucanet that tried its best to capture a hummingbird but had no success.  The first full day on the tour produced 85 species total with 65 of those life birds.