Southern Ecuador Part 1 (Nov 7-Nov 10)

Black crested Warbler, Reserva Huashapamba, Loja, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Recently back from a trip down to Southern Ecuador with the main focus being a variety of warblers.  The target species for the trip included Gray and Gold Warbler, Citrine Warbler, Three banded Warbler, Masked Yellowthroat (two subspecies-Black lored Yellowthroat and Maranon Yellowthroat) plus the local subspecies of Olive crowned Yellowthroat (I had previously seen two other subspecies (Belding’s Yellowthroat and Chiriqui Yellowthroat) in Costa Rica. These various yellowthroat subspecies likely represent unique species and some taxonomic classification organizations already recognize them as such. I also wanted to try to find the gray bellied subspecies of the Russet crowned Warbler. In addition I hoped to get some photos of other warbler species I have seen in the tropics before before but did not get photographs including Three striped Warbler, Black crested Warbler and Spectacled Redstart.  As it is the tropics I also hoped to add a bunch of other species too.  This was certainly a bucket list trip and one I had been looking forward to making for a few years (the pandemic curtailed lots of travel plans but thankfully some areas are opened up now with obvious restrictions).  The trip began with a late afternoon flight down to Miami on Saturday so I could get a reasonably early flight down to Guayaquil. I was sweating the various legs of the trip as American Airlines had experienced multiple days of thousands of flights being cancelled just a few days before.  This would be my second trip to Ecuador with the my previous visit in November 2015 with posts from that trip attached (Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 and part 5).  More details on the warblers for the trip at the following link: southern Ecuador warblers.

Ecuadorian Ground Dove, Carretera Transversal Austral toll booth, Guayas, Ecuador, Nov 8, 2021

 Saffron Finch, Carretera Transversal Austral toll booth, Guayas, Ecuador, Nov 8, 2021

Horned Screamers, Manglares Churute Ecological Reserve, Guayas, Ecuador, Nov 8, 2021

Gray and Gold Warbler, Manglares Churute Ecological Reserve, Guayas, Ecuador, Nov 8, 2021

Striated Heron, Manglares Churute Ecological Reserve, Guayas, Ecuador, Nov 8, 2021

I arrived into Ecuador in the late afternoon of Sunday and met up with the guide (Charlie Vogt) from andean birding for the duration of the trip (he came highly recommended by the Griffiths who had used him as a guide on their trip to Ecuador). We stayed the night in Guayaquil and then headed out after breakfast on Monday morning for our first stop which was along the road near a toll booth in an area of savannah where among the many species in the area I picked up three life birds (Saffron Finch, Chestnut throated Seedeater and Ecuadorian Ground Dove). We then continued south along the coast down to the Marglares Churute Ecological Reserve where we made a several stops including a short hike in the forest that turned up the first target species of the trip with the sighting of a few Gray and Gold Warblers. They were not super cooperative for photos as they worked there way through the forest but I did eventually get some shots.  The hike also produced three more life birds with Pallid Dove, Jet Antbird and Amazilia Hummingbird. The other nearby stops added even more new species with Wattled Jacana, Straited Heron and Horned Screamer (which the guide picked up in a very distant tree). The various ponds in the area contained a wide variety of waders and some ducks as well as a number of raptors. After leaving that area we ran into an issue with our original planned route as a landslide had closed the road. We had to reroute which added at least an extra hour onto our already long day of driving as we headed toward our final destination for the day in Saraguro. 

Masked Yellowthroat (Black lored Yellowthroat), Uzhcurrumi, Azuay, Ecuador, Nov 8, 2021

Scrub Blackbird, Uzhcurrumi, Azuay, Ecuador, Nov 8, 2021

We made a few very brief stops to stretch our legs but most of the rest of the day was spent driving. Nonetheless we still managed to add a couple more new species including the second target bird of the trip.  A pull off in the hills in an area with dense scrub vegetation produced a Masked Yellowthroat of the Black lored subspecies. This bird is recognized as a distinct species by some bird classification authorities and is known as Black lored Yellowthroat. The other new species for the day was a quick drive by look at a Yellow rumped Cacique. We made a lunch stop in a small town and we were such celebrities they wanted photos of us for their Facebook page and gave us each small gifts…I assume not many gringos stop by! Monday produced 13 lifers including two of my targets. We then spent the night in Saraguro in a small hostel named Achik Wasi (which I’m fairly certain has the worlds hardest mattresses!). 

Chiguanco Thrush, Saraguro, Loja, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Jungle in the fog, Chinchipe, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Black crested Warbler, Reserva Huashapamba, Loja, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Spectacled Redstart, Reserva Huashapamba, Loja, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Citrine Warbler (species #1600 for me), Reserva Huashapamba, Loja, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Bearded Guans, Reserva Huashapamba, Loja, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

White banded Tyrannulet, Reserva Huashapamba, Loja, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Buff breasted Mountain Tanager, Reserva Huashapamba, Loja, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Pearled Treerunner, Reserva Huashapamba, Loja, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Tuesday started early with a predawn breakfast before we headed out. We were not even out of the driveway when we spotted the first lifer of the day with a couple Chiguanco Thrushes. We made it to our first birding location in Reserva Huashapamba a little after six and despite the fog we had some good luck in turning up birds including some vocal Bearded Guans, a couple tapaculo species and multiple tanager species (list here). The real highlight however was finding four of my target species with Citrine Warbler being a lifer and my 1600th species ever. The other targets were Black crested Warbler, Russet crowned Warbler and Spectacled Whitestart. I got marginal photos of most of these as well as other species. We finished off the morning birding the area of Cerro Acanama which was also foggy and made photos a bit tough to get but did hold some higher elevation species.  We birded the road once again on the way back down the mountain and with the fog slightly lifted got better looks and some photos of various species.

Peruvian Pygmy Owl, Vilcabamba, Loja, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Long tailed Mockingbird, Vilcabamba, Loja, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Ash breasted Sierra Finch, Vilcabamba, Loja, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Paradise Tanager, Road north of Zumba, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Russet backed Oropendola, Road north of Zumba, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Green Jays (Inca Jay), Road north of Zumba, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

Maranon Thrush, Road south of Zumba, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

White banded Swallow, Rio Isimanchi, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 9, 2021

After a few hours of birding we started the long drive toward Zumba down on the Peruvian border in the Maranon Valley. We made a number of brief stops on the way with a few turning out to be quite productive with multiple lifers including distant looks at a couple Paradise Tanagers (one of the more spectacular tanagers in a family that contains loads of spectacular tanagers). It is a long way down a dirt road We stayed the night in a small hotel in the middle of Zumba where every noise expected in a small town went on all night from dogs and chickens to people to motorcycles to music. It was not a great place to try to get some sleep but I luckily come prepared to sleep through loud noises. I managed a very impressive 23 lifers on Tuesday.

Yellow tailed Oriole, El Chorro, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 10, 2021

Wedge tailed Grass Finch, Pucabamba, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 10, 2021

Lesser Elaenia on nest, Pucabamba, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 10, 2021

Blue gray Tanager (White edged), Pucabamba, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 10, 2021

 Silver beaked Tanager, Pucabamba, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 10, 2021

Black faced Tanagers, Pucabamba, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 10, 2021

Lined Antshrike, Pucabamba, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 10, 2021

Peru/Ecuador border, La Balza, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 10, 2021

Vermilion Flycatcher, La Balza, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 10, 2021

We were out the door early once again on Wednesday and with the whole day available we headed south birding along the road all the way to the Peruvian border. Although the morning started off rather cloudy with some fog, the sun eventually won out and it got hot by the time midday rolled around. We made several stops along the road as we worked our way toward the Peru border. Overall most stops were quite active and produced a number of notable sightings including Yellow tailed Oriole, Wedge tailed Grass Finch and Vermilion Flycatcher. Once we got to the border we learned it was still closed off due to the pandemic so our plans to have lunch in Peru got quickly changed. We did get to go out on the bridge after getting permission from the border guards and I added a few species to my Peru list. Without lunch available at the border we had to head back to Zumba for lunch. We took a midday break due to the heat before heading back out again around 1:30. 

Mountains, Road west of Zumba, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 10, 2021

Silvery Tanager, Road west of Zumba, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 10, 2021

Saffron crowned Tanager, Road west of Zumba, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, Nov 10, 2021

After a midday break we headed west out of town to some higher elevations and despite a lot of effort we failed to turn up the Maranon subspecies of Masked Yellowthroat but the day was very hot.  Although we did not the yellowthroat we did run across a couple mixed species flocks and got some good tanagers among the other species.  The scenery to the west of Zumba was quite impressive.

WESTERN MEADOWLARK continues in Hadley

Western Meadowlark, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 16, 2021

Western Meadowlark, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 16, 2021

Western Meadowlark, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 16, 2021

Red throated Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 16, 2021

Just back from a trip to Ecuador (which I will post about extensively once I get the many photos downloaded).  I arrived back home in the early evening yesterday after a very long trip home. While I was gone there were a number of rare sightings in Hampshire County including a Western Meadowlark that was discovered in Hadley on November 11th and continued through Monday. (The other rare sightings included an unidentified ‘western’ type flycatcher seen and photographed at Arcadia and an unidentified shorebird at Winsor Dam...neither of those were definitively identified or relocated).  After getting some much needed sleep after being up for a day and a half I made it over to the Honey Pot around dawn to try to locate the meadowlark.  I scanned the area for awhile before finally hearing it call a few times from a grassy area but I could not see the bird.  A couple Northern Harriers and a Red tailed Hawk then cruised through the area and the meadowlark stopped calling.  About ten minutes later I finally saw the bird hop out into the open on the edge of a brushy strip and it started calling again.  A couple more birders arrived around this time and they both got to see it.  I managed to get some digiscoped photos and video.  The bird then disappeared and went silent again and after waiting a bit for it to reappear without success I headed elsewhere to bird for the morning.  I was very happy to see that the bird stuck around long enough for me to see it.  The Western Meadowlark became my 250th species in Hampshire County this year (setting yet another new high year count for me that was broken by a Cattle Egret I saw right before I left on my trip to Ecuador).  I birded a few other areas without too much in the way of anything unusual until I got to Winsor Dam where I had a Red throated Loon fly in and land on the water.  As I was discussing with Mary before I left  for my trip, November 11th holds a special place in Hampshire County birding for me as I have found two first county records on the date (King Eider in 2013 and Pacific Loon in 2015).  I was happy to see that yet another rare bird showed up on that date.  I guess being out birding on November 11th in Hampshire County is a something one should be doing.

Cattle Egret breaks my previous Hampshire County record for a single year

Cattle Egret, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Nov 2, 2021

Cattle Egret, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Nov 2, 2021

Cattle Egret, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Nov 2, 2021

Turkey Vultures, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Nov 2, 2021

November is off to a great start in Hampshire County with two rare birds in as many days as well as multiple lingering species.  The rarity today was a Cattle Egret found by Theresa at the Holyoke Dam late in the afternoon.  I got a text from her regarding the identification and we both agreed on Cattle Egret.  It was a species I was thinking might show up in the area after seeing multiples of the species being reported in the northeast US as well as adjacent areas of Canada (Scott also reported another in Franklin County today as well and another showed up in Hampden County).  I got word out to a few people as I made the drive down.  The river was very high (as high as I have ever seen it in November) so the only spot for the gulls and the egret to roost were the buoys and the stuck logs above the dam.  I arrived and Theresa and Joe were at the spot but the egret had walked behind one of the large buoys and was temporarily out of view.  After a few minutes of waiting it walked out from its hiding spot and showed fairly well both on a log and eventually on one of the buoys.  With the other sightings in the area I would not be surprised to hear of more showing up.  The influx of Cattle Egrets may perhaps rival a similar event that occurred in the area back in November 2018 when several individuals showed up and lingered for at least a week.  The Cattle Egret becomes species #249 for me in Hampshire County this year which sets a new record for me, beating my previous high I set last year.  Cattle Egret can be a tough species to turn up around here most years so I was happy to have one show this year.  The other big rarity for November so far was a Common Gallinule that showed up in Hatfield and continued at least through today.  As I was leaving the dam a large group of at least 16 Turkey Vultures were coming in to roost in the area...a high count for this late in the year.

White winged Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 2, 2021

Black Vultures, Hadley, MA, Nov 2, 2021

Fox Sparrow, Wentworth Farm Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 2, 2021

Northern Harrier, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 2, 2021

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 2, 2021

Rusty Blackbirds, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 2, 2021

Dawn, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 2, 2021

Moon, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 2, 2021

My main focus when I headed out this morning was to try to track down warblers and I managed to find two species of warbler with the expected Yellow rumped Warblers as well as a late Palm Warbler.  I started off before dawn at Arcadia with highlights being a couple Northern Harriers and a decent sparrow show despite a lot of habitat being cut down in the various fields.  My next stop at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River produced more Northern Harriers, half a dozen each of Purple Finches and Rusty Blackbirds as well as the Palm Warbler.  I continued moving back east toward home and along the way found four Black Vultures roosting in Hadley and a decent selection of species at Wentworth Farm Conservation Area.  After taking Wilson for a walk and running some errands I noticed a report from Ted of a large variety of waterfowl (with hundreds of Brant)  at Winsor Dam this morning (as well as a Dunlin).  I stopped by the dam briefly and had all three scoter species on the water including one group of White winged Scoters in fairly close.  I was surprised as the conditions overnight into the morning did not hold much promise of producing a great day at Winsor Dam but sometimes the birds surprise you. 

Common Gallinule to start November

 

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Common Gallinule, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Dawn, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 1, 2021

I began the first day of November at Great Pond in Hatfield in search of a Common Gallinule found the day before by Steve and Leslie.  I had other commitments yesterday so was not able to make it over to see it but thankfully many others saw it throughout the day which gave me hope it would be there today.  The forecast for the today called for a mix of sun and clouds and a strong westerly wind.  I arrived before dawn at Great Pond and it was relatively calm.  There appeared to be no waterfowl hunters in the area which was a good sign the bird may show again.  As I waited in the darkness I had a Great Horned Owl calling as well as an American Woodcock displaying.  The Red winged Blackbirds started singing predawn and as it got lighter the sound got louder and louder as thousands of blackbirds, grackles, cowbirds and starlings became vocal (the roost here contained thousands of birds with most leaving between 7:15-7:30).  I had the gallinule vocalize once before dawn but then it remained quiet.  I then spent nearly an hour trying to get looks at the bird.  Eventually it came out into the open to feed and I got some photos and video (lots of those in the eBird list above).  The Common Gallinule became species #248 for Hampshire County for me this year, which ties me for my best year ever in the county (which I set last year).  The wind had really started to pick up out of the west by the time the sun came up and it stayed strong most of the day.  Common Gallinule is a fairly rare species in the county with years between sightings sometimes but they have become more common the last several years.  I had my first in the county back in 2005 along the rail trail in Amherst.  I didn't see another until 2015 when I had a single along the rail trail and a pair at Lake Wallace (which stayed for awhile and may have tried to breed).  I then had another at Lake Wallace in 2016 for a single day in May.  A very surprising one turned up at Great Pond in December in 2018 and another was found there in April of 2019.  2019 also produced one at Fitzgerald Lake in mid October.  Last year one showed for a couple days in May along the rail trail once again.

Ring necked Duck, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Turkey Vulture, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 1, 2021

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Herman Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Nov 1, 2021

The rest of the morning I stopped at a variety of spots tracking down new species for the month.  Unfortunately the wind made finding some passerines a bit difficult although it did produce a number of raptor species.  Among the highlights for the day were ten species of waterfowl, seven species of raptors, a late Eastern Phoebe and a late Palm Warbler among some 64 species (my best first day of November I have ever had in the county).  Tomorrow looks a little cooler but less windy so I will be out trying to track down passerines with warblers high on the list.