Eastern Ecuador High Andes to Vast Amazon 5 – 19 March 2010 Tour leader: José Illánes Report and photos by José Illánes Photo above: Long-tailed Sylph Itinerary: 5 March Arrival/Night in Quito. 6 March Antisana Ecological Reserve, Papallacta Pass/Night in Guango Lodge. 7 March Papallacta Pass and Guango/Night in Cabañas San Isidro. 8 March San Isidro area/Night Cabañas San Isidro. 9 March Guacamayos Ridge, Loreto Road and WildSumaco/Night WildSumaco. 10-11 March WildSumaco Area/Nights Wild Sumaco. 12 March Wild Sumaco and travel to Napo Wildlife Center/Night Napo Wildlife Center. 13-14 March Napo Wildlife Center 15 March Napo Wildlife Center to Sacha Lodge/Night Sacha Lodge. 16-17 March Sacha Lodge 18 March Sacha Lodge, Coca, and fly to Quito/Night Quito. 19 March Departure. Tropical Birding www.tropicalbirding.com 1 6 March. We all met up early at the Hotel Sebastian in Quito, and I introduced myself and our driver Nico, before heading up to the Antisana Reserve, all excited to visit this new and beautiful place. Even for me, I never get tired of it. We started looking for some of the target species, and it was great to see at least four Giant Hummingbirds, Black-tailed Trainbearer, Shining Sunbeam, Plain- breasted Hawk, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Variable Hawk, Red- crested Cotinga, Southern Yellow- Grosbeak, Yellow-breasted Brush- Finch, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, and a Brown- backed Chat-Tyrant . It was a great start, so we continued going up the road, where we got the chance to pick up Black- winged Ground-Dove and Streak- backed Canastero, which sometimes can be very difficult , Paramo Pipit, Paramo Ground-Tyrant, Plumbeous Sierra-Finch , and a fantastic view of the Aplomado Falcon shown here. As we reached on the top of the Antisana Reserve, in the regular spot, we found hundreds of Carunculated Caracaras digging on the ground searching for their food, about same number of Andean Gulls , at least 10 pairs of the threatened Black-faced Ibis , and the lovely Andean Lapwing . On the way we visited a hacienda, where they have hummer feeders that attract the Ecuadorian Hillstar , which luckily we saw. As we were heading towards Mica Lake, we were really excited to spot a perched Andean Condor , perhaps the most wanted species in this reserve. The lake itself provided some good species like Andean Ruddy-Duck, Yellow-billed Pintail, Andean Coot, Andean Teal , and the cute Silvery Grebe . After our lunch, we headed to Papallacta Pass. After two hours driving we got to this freezing place, above 13,000 ft., and stopped for Bar-winged and Stout-billed Cinclodes , but were lucky to see the elusive Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant , which some of my colleagues would be jealous of. Later in the afternoon we arrived at Guango Lodge where we would spend the night; once our bags were unloaded, we watched the hummer feeders, where we picked up nine hummingbird species: Tourmaline Sunangel, Chestnut-breasted and Buff-tailed Coronets, Speckled Hummingbird, Long-tailed Sylph, White-bellied Woodstar, Sparkling Violet-ear, Tyrian Metaltail , and Collared Inca . After the feeders we went for short walk on one of the Guango Lodge trails. There wasn’t much of the day left but we had more luck with Mountain Cacique, Hooded Mountain-Tanager , and rare Dusky Piha and a pair of Torrent Ducks from the bridge. It was a great first day, with wonderful birds! 7 March. The first part of the morning we birded around Guango, fortunately it wasn’t raining, so this easy morning walk gave us Andean Guan, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Slaty and Pale-naped Brush-Finches, White-banded Tyrannulet, Turquoise Jay, Blue-backed and Capped Conebills, Mountain Wren, Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Blue-and-black Tanager , and by the bridge we got a White-capped Dipper and another Torrent Duck . Late in the morning we went up to Papallacta Pass, fortunately the weather was all right, and we got great views of Many-striped Canastero, Andean Tit-Spinetail, Blue-mantled Thornbill , the bush-top singer Tawny Antpitta, Grass Wren , plus some other birds that we had seen yesterday. After lunch at the lodge we headed to the EMAAP road behind the hot springs, so this spot provided us a few new bird species like; Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, White-chinned Thistle-tail, White-throated Tyrannulet, Great Sapphirewing, Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Viridian Metaltail, and Glossy Tropical Birding www.tropicalbirding.com 2 Flowerpiercer . After that we drove all the way down to Cabañas San Isidro for the night. After dinner, while going back to our cabins there it was! The San Isidro “Mystery Owl” waiting for some insects to come near the light pole. Unfortunately no one still knows what species it really is. 8 March. After our breakfast we birded near the cabins, since they leave the lights on during the night, which attracts some bugs and moths. This place provided some easy views of regular birds that come in to feed: the handsome Inca Jay, Subtropical Cacique, Pale-eyed Thrush , the cute Rufous- crowned Tody-Flycatcher , Cinnamon and Rufous-breasted Flycatchers, Black-billed Peppershrike (sometimes very secretive), Barred Becard, Montane and Olive-backed Woodcreepers, a few cool looking Pearled Treerunners, Masked Trogon, Canada Warbler , and Fawn-breasted Tanager . After this fantastic early show, we went to see the White-bellied Antpitta that the lodge workers feed at 7:30, fortunately we got a great view of it. Once we finished here, we went down what I call the Yanayacu road, which is the road past the San Isidro entrance road. It’s an open wide dirt road making it easy for everyone to get on the birds. Soon we got an Emerald Toucanet , Long-tailed Antbird , and fantastic views of Blackish Tapaculo , that was lucky because normally this family is very difficult to see. Some of the group also spotted a Highland Motmot singing away, and Golden-headed Quetzal didn’t disappoint. Further along the road, we had a huge mixed feeding flock working in front of us, where we were able to find Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Olivaceous Siskin, Black-eared Hemispingus, Golden-collared Honeycreeper, Black-capped, Beryl-spangled and the handsome Saffron-crowned Tanagers , White-tailed and Sulphur-bellied Tyrannulets, and a Pale-edged Flycatcher . In a cow pasture we spotted the resident Southern Lapwings feeding on the ground. After lunch we went to check the hummingbird feeders where most of then were our old friends now, but the Bronzy Inca was new for the trip. An afternoon trail walk gave us some other species like Long-tailed Tapaculo , Green-and-black Fruiteater , and a migrant Black- and-white Warbler . Then a little flock came with Variegated Bristle-Tyrant and the elusive Bicolored Antvireo which we were very lucky to find. Unfortunately we couldn’t see the Peruvian Antpitta that was singing quietly close to the Macucaloma trail. At dusk we headed toward to Guacamayos ridge to try the night birds, and with more luck we saw Rufous-bellied Nighthawk and Swallow-tailed Nightjar flying above the ridge, and a perched Andean Potoo . It was one of the best birds of the trip, since most of the time it is so hard to find. 9 March. As we followed our itinerary today, we went to the Guacamayos ridge; this narrow ridge with cloudforest can provide some interesting birds, and fortunately we had good weather. This downhill trail brought us colorful species like Grass-green, Blue-and-black, and Flame-faced Tanagers and Lacrimose and Hooded Mountain-Tanagers. We got a great view of a pair of Spillmann’s Tapaculos, as well as the spotty and colorful Ocellated Tapaculo and a Powerful Woodpecker . A little mixed feeding flock gave us Dusky Piha, Streaked Flycatcher, Streaked Tuftedcheeck, Rufous Wren, and a Handsome Flycatcher that came in to our playback. Later we drove all the way down to WildSumaco, stopping in a couple of places, where we picked up the handsome Cliff Flycatcher as well as White lined Tanager and Lafresnaye’s Piculet . We arrived in time to check the hummer feeders, and these attracted some species such as Gould’s Jewelfront, Golden-tailed Sapphire (check out the photo) , Booted Racket-tail, Violet-headed and Many- spotted Hummingbird . A short walk on the trail behind the lodge got us Montane Foliage-Gleaner, Maroon-tailed Parakeet, Scarlet Tanager, Collared Trogon, Dusky Spinetail, White-winged Becard, Blue-necked Tanager, Gilded Barbet , a Scaled Pigeon calling from a dead tree top, and quite a good view of a Black-mandibled Toucan . Tropical Birding www.tropicalbirding.com 3 10 March. We started with some roadside birding, this brought some easy good birds like Blackish Antbird, Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Yellow-cheeked Becard, Grayish Saltator, Chestnut-bellied Seed- Finch, Black-and-white Seedeater, and a flyover Barred Forest-Falcon . Once we reached the FACE trail we managed to see Black-faced Antbird and Plain Antvireo near the beginning . Farther downhill we spotted a small flock with Yellow-breasted and Rufous-winged Antwrens, Coppery- chested Jacamar, and Euler’s and Ornate Flycatchers. Also along the trail there was a White-crowned Manakin lek where we nicely saw them doing their display. On the way back we caught up with another mixed flock with Russet Antshrike, a Gray- mantled Wren creeping around the brush, Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo, Orange-eared Tanager, and Golden-faced Tyrannulet . Later in the afternoon after lunch, we birded along the Pacto Sumaco Road, and this easy walk gave us a chance to see some of the birds that we were missing. So we started by seeing the sluggish Striolated Puffbird , followed by a flock of Spot- fronted Swift , which turned out to be the first record for the lodge, which was really neat.