Dawn:

Upper Tandayapa Valley. Photo by Patrick del Pizzo

After a good nights rest in the surprisingly comfortable beds at the lodge, breakfast at 5 AM doesn't seem quite so early. We leave the lodge for the upper valley at 5:30, with the hope that the pre-dawn start might give us views of antpittas foraging along the sides of the road. The antpittas don't cooperate, but as Vladimir parks the bus at the start of the Tandayapa Research Road trail, a few people get fleeting looks at a Spillman's Tapaculo – one of the five species of tapaculo eventually heard over the course of the trip but seen by very few.

The Research Station Road is located in the Upper Tandayapa Valley and is on 250 acres of protected forest. We start down the trail just as the sun rises, signaling a sunny and dry day. While not having to carry a raincoat is a luxury not often afforded in the tropics, for birding down in Ecuador, a sunny, dry, and breezy day is the worst possible scenario. Wet, overcast, and misty conditions are the most conducive to large flock-formation and the discovery of rare or highly sought-after species. With this in mind, we set off to make the most of the inevitable early-morning bird activity knowing that things would soon slow down.

Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan. Photo by Ryan Merrill

Immediately we're delighted with a showing of more Neotropical tanagers, including our first members of the Tangara genus. Blue-and-black, Golden, Metallic-green, and Beryl-spangled Tanagers all hop around in the tops of trees, occasionally catching the early morning light which sends ups joyful exclamations from those watching. Mixed in with the Tangaras are other tanagers such as Capped Conebill, White-sided Flowerpiercer, and Orange-bellied Euphonia. Mark and Paul thankfully help with identification of some of the less distinguished birds such as Bran-colored Flycatcher, and Rufous-winged Tyrranulet. One of the major highlights of the morning is a dazzling Grass-green Tanager – a quite large and squat member of the genus Chlorornis – that sits on a branch over the path for several minutes.

9 AM:

Velvet-purple Coronet. Photo by Morgan Tingley

As we continue along the trail the sun shifts overhead and the bird life quickly quiets down. The mixed flocks disappear into the forest and we're left with groups of large and noisy Dusky Bush-Tanagers, that we occasionally find associating with Slate-throated Whitestarts and Russet-crowned Warblers. However, all is not lost. With the sun comes soaring raptors, and we watch both the ever-present Roadside Hawk and several Hook-billed Kites cruising low over the hills. We also come across another awesome species, the Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan. As we set up multiple scopes to watch them, they continue to sit quietly on moss-laden branches and stare back at us. In fact, they seem to be observing us just as much as we are observing them.

10:30 AM:

Thwarted by the sun and our valiant attempts to identify distant silhouetted hummingbirds, Mark announces "let's pack up and go see some real hummers." After a short drive we end up at lovely Mindo Loma, a private farmstead-cum-guesthouse with hummingbird feeders galore. Bill Maynard had assured us that the star of the show was the abundant and gaudy Velvet-Purple Coronet, but the Violet-tailed Sylphs give them strong competition. While snacking on patacones (fried, smashed plantain) and drinking fresh juice, we also watch Empress Brilliants, Fawn-breasted Brilliants, Brown Incas, Buff-tailed Coronets, and White-bellied Woodstars. A pair of Golden-naped Tanagers ("ooh"-birds) nest in a tree above the house and come repeatedly to the hanging banana-feeders to get food. A short walk along the Mindo Loma trails gives us looks at our first Golden-headed Quetzal, as well as the stunning Crimson-mantled Woodpecker.

1 PM:

Golden-headed Quetzal. Photo by Morgan Tingley

After returning to the Lodge for a satisfying lunch, we are given "personal time" until 3:30. A large group heads down to the Lower Deck and ends up observing Smoky-brown Woodpeckers, a Red-headed Barbet, and a Squirrel Cuckoo. I join a group of six and we decide to walk the trails instead. We are rewarded with brief looks at Rufous-breasted Antthrush and Immaculate Antthrush, but the highlight is finding a Golden-headed Quetzal nest tree, with the female sticking her head out of the hole!

4 PM:

On the way back up to the Research Station Road we stop for some forest edge birding, and pick up Yellow-bellied Seedeater, Black-winged Saltator, and a few more good looks at expected tanagers and hummingbirds. Although the morning's sun has transitioned to afternoon clouds, the birds in the Upper Valley have not livened up particularly. What we miss in quantity, however, we make up for with quality. Only a short way down the trail, we meet a small party of Turquoise Jays moving across the road making a lot of noise. While we have heard the highly desired Beautiful Jay calling several times already, we have yet to see one. After the jays, we re-find the Mountain-Toucans and also have great looks at a Long-tailed Antbird. Both Red-billed and Scaly-naped Parrots occasionally fly over, and we are able to find a cooperative Masked Trogon right along the path. As we arrive back at the bus, most of the group gets on a male and female Green-and-Black Fruiteater.

6 PM:

Black-winged Saltator. Photo by Mark Gurney

On the way home we give Mark yet another challenge: find us a Swallow-tailed Nightjar or no dinner. He reluctantly agrees, mumbling in a worried tone that he'd take us to a place where they "have been known to be seen in the past." Just as dusk is settling, we find ourselves waiting where the road makes a sharp turn around a steep hillside edge. Suddenly, three dark shapes appear from over the top of the hill and are clearly silhouetted as they make fast and erratic loops in the sky. The first two are females, and look similar to the Lyre-tailed we had seen the previous night. The third is a male Swallow-tailed, with its magnificent tail streaming out behind. The male continues to swoop around us for at least fifteen minutes and it's impossible not to be awed by this spectacular example of sexual dimorphism. Finally, with our appetite (for birds) sated, we head back to the Lodge.

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