Ecuador - The West Slope (Part 1)

Chestnut-naped Antpitta

This all started with a Facebook post by Alvaro of Alvaro's Adventures in April - he had a few spots open for a June trip to the Galapagos. We had been with Alvaro to Cuba and knew he ran a good trip, focused on birds but included plenty of other natural history. We looked at each other and said, let's go. Ecuador had recently opened to vaccinated tourists. And we knew that pent up demand for trips would mean getting on a Galapagos trip in 2022 or 2023 would be tough. And the Galapagos was very high on our list of places we'd yet been, so let's go NOW! 

But you can't go all the way to Ecuador just for a week in the Galapagos, we must have more! We worked with Carmen and Irene from Alvaro's ground agent, Bird Ecuador, to add a week before the islands for a private birding trip for just us and a guide. Since we would be visiting the east slope of the Andes on a post-Galapagos extension, we decided that the west slope would be a great destination for our week before. 

Quito, the capital of Ecuador, sits in a high mountain valley just west of the continental divide of the Andes Mountains at about 9,000 feet elevation. Our trip to the west slope would take us over the shoulder of a volcano and down the west slope to a low point of 2,000 feet. We should see a lot of great habitat for birds!

Day 1

After flying in late in the evening, we met our guide Andres de la Torre early the next morning for drive around Quito and over the north shoulder of the Pichincha Volcano at over 11,000 feet. We had an early date with an antpitta! Andres is an experience bird guide, degreed biologist, avid hiker, and an expert in plants and flowers. All of our favorite things. How could we be so lucky!

Shortly after we went over the pass, we arrived at Zura Loma, a private property birding destination. Here they have fruit and hummingbird feeders, and a regular visitor - Chestnut-naped Antpitta. Antpittas are in a group of birds known as the Ant Birds, typically deep forest dwellers and some of the most difficult birds to see in the rain forest. Local properties all through the tropics have learned to supplement the food of these difficult birds in various ways, much to the delight of birders who can see them at the edge of the forest and in the open. This particular antpitta came out to dine on a few earthworms while we watched. What a special treat. 

Chestnut-naped Antpitta

Masked Flowerpiercer

Gray-browed Brushfinch

Pichincha Volcano, at 15,700 feet, towers above

eBird list for Zura Loma

We next moved back upslope a few miles to the Yana Cocha Reserve and walked a lovely trail with great birds and flowers. It was a bit rainy and dark, but we had a great time. At the end of the trail were a few hummingbird feeders, and there we saw our life Sword-billed Hummingbird. Amazing! On this entire trip, the tropical flowers were diverse and beautiful. And a bit overwhelming. I won't embarrass myself by trying to identify many.

Susan next to Gunnera species, "Poor man's Umbrella"

Susan with guide Andres

Just like home, a lupine!

We got lucky and bumped into a Rufous Antpitta out on the trail. 

Sword-billed-hummingbird

Sword-billed Hummingbird shows why he needs such a long bill

eBird list Yana Cocha

The rest of the day was spent driving slowly downslope to our lodge near the town of Mindo at about 4,000 feet elevation. Here for the next few days we would base our daytrips to various great birding destinations. 

Beryl-spangled Tanager

Cinnamon Flycatcher

Shining Sunbeam

Short-eared Owl

Day 2

We were up early again (and every day) for a trip to Refugio Paz de las Aves, a private property refuge near Mindo. Here they have multiple feeders and several opportunities to find antpittas. Of the five species we looked for, we saw three. The giant antpitta "Maria" was a no show, the local guide saying that the copious rain in the past few days meant she likely was finding plenty of worms on her own. The Moustached Antpitta was also absent, likely because she had new chicks according to the guide. But we did see three others - Chestnut-crowned Antpitta, Yellow-breasted Antpitta, and Ochre-breasted Antpitta. the Ochre-breasted was our favorite, tiny and cute as could be. And when it perched on a branch, it did a little cha-cha dance. What a little darling!

Ochre-breasted Antpitta

Ochre-breasted Antpitta

Chestnut-crowned Antpitta

Chestnut-crowned Antpitta

Yellow-breasted Antpitta

Yellow-breasted Antpitta

The feeders and trails at Paz were fantastic too, and we saw lots of great birds. 

eBird list Refugio Paz

Common Potoo

Crimson-rumped Toucanet

Flame-faced Tanager

Flame-faced Tanager

Golden Tanager

Powerful Woodpecker

Tawney-breasted Flycatcher

Toucan Barbet

We were going to bird another trail near Mindo in the afternoon, but the rain was coming down in torrents. We dropped in at a home along the road where Andres knew there were a some feeders that might have a few birds we needed. It turned out to be a fantastic spot to spend a couple hours on a rainy afternoon. 

eBird list San Tadeo

Red-headed Barbet

I was going to put the entire first week into this blog, but realized it is already getting pretty long. I'll end here for now, with plenty more to come!