6 AM:

Golden-headed Quetzal. Photo by Mark Gurney

For many of us, it's our final day of birding in Ecuador. About two thirds of the group are continuing on in Ecuador in some manner: half of those are participating in the extension and in two days will fly down to the Amazon to stay at Sacha Lodge; several more are staying one extra day to go up to Antisana to look for Andean Condors and other high-Páramo species; and one or two are continuing in Ecuador on their own to explore other areas. For me, I have to fly back home in 24 hours, and just like after any great vacation, I'm dreading the immersion back in the "real world." At least I have one last day to not think about anything but birds, Ecuador, and adding to my now-immense trip list.

We start off the day with one last visit to the Upper Tandayapa Valley. As we exit the bus at our first stop, dawn is barely broken and roosters are crowing at a farm across a road. The first bird is, amazingly enough, a male Golden-headed Quetzal who flies into a bare branch not 15 feet above my head. The Resplendent Quetzal of Central America may get all the attention because of its extravagant tail plumes and range-restricted breeding grounds, but the Golden-headed Quetzal in front of me is no less jaw-dropping or beautiful.

Powerful Woodpecker. Photo by Mark Gurney

As we continue up the dirt road, five Black-chinned Mountain-Tanagers appear on the canopy edge and fly across the road. On a distant treetop we find a perched Plain-breasted Hawk waiting for the sun to rise more before beginning hunting. A bit later we hear a call like a tin trumpet and Mark and José both fumble rapidly for their speakers. After quickly playing back the call, a large, red-crested woodpecker flies to the trunk of a nearby tree. The Powerful Woodpecker is a member of the Campephilus genus and is as close to seeing an Ivory-billed as many of us have come. At least two males are in the area, and we hear one make the "double-knock" tap distinctive to members of the genus. While there aren't too many other birds around, these large, charismatic birds are more than entertaining.

8 AM:

The sun is out fully now and we hike onwards, but bird activity has almost entirely disappeared. José has been trying his best to create some activity by doing his entire repertoire of owl calls. I listen to him calling up ahead and silently wish that I could whistle well enough to imitate an owl like that. As I add learning owl calls to my to-do list after I return home, I realize that José can't be making that call as he's walking next to me. José seems to realize this paradox at the same moment and leaps forward in excitement. After a few minutes of searching we find a very active Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl perched in a small tree on the side of the road. This is a species that wasn't even described by ornithologists until 1999, and we can't believe our luck to see one so close.

Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl. Photo by Bill Maynard

Vladimir and the bus catch up to us and we get a lift up to the Research Station Road where we went the second morning. Things are still quiet, but we manage to find Rufous-chested Tanager, Flavescent Flycatcher, and Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant in a small flock. As we head back, Amber spots a Chestnut-crowned Antpitta in a ditch alongside the trail and we're reminded that there is still time left to find new birds. As if proving the point, in a bush next to the bus, Mark coaxes out an Azara's Spinetail for a few brief moments.

4 PM:

Our luggage is all packed away in the back of the bus, and after an hour of traveling back toward Quito, Iain directs Vladimir to take a sharp turn into the parking lot of a roadside shrine. We're now in the Inter-Andean Valley, and we've left the green of the rainforest behind and are now in the brown and yellow rain shadow of the Andes. A new habitat means new birds however, and we all get out for a short hike before heading on to Quito. Ash-breasted Sierra-Finches are the dominant species, and flit from bush to bush in a way reminiscent of House Sparrows. A Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle soaring in the valley gives us a second look at this species. We are told that when the Agave are blooming, it's a good place to see Giant Hummingbird, but now the Agave are all past, with their giant, old flower stalks remaining like skeletal flagpoles. The highlight of the walk, perhaps, is the Tufted Tit-Tyrant, which although it is not very colorful, is quite likable for its alliterative name alone.

6 PM:

Calacali. Photo by Scott Haber

We arrive back in Quito and as the bus drops us back at the hostel, we rush over to a bottlebrush tree to watch a Black-tailed Trainbearer filling itself on nectar before nightfall. It's the last bird of the trip for me and for many others. At 7 we meet up with Iain, Mark, and José at a Chinese restaurant nearby and celebrate the end of the trip. Favorite birds are shared and Mark tallies up the official trip list: 330 species seen, and an additional 28 heard. Of those, 44 species are regional endemics, and 8 are globally threatened species. Several members of our group saw over 300 life birds over the course of the six days. I think these numbers speak for themselves.

Prologue – Day One – Day Two – Day Three – Day Four – Day Five – Day Six – Epilogue