Ecuador Western: Chocó Specialities 27th September to 11th October 2019 (15 days) Trip Report Toucan Barbet by Dušan Brinkhuizen Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: Dušan Brinkhuizen Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Ecuador Trip Report – RBL Ecuador – Western: Chocó Specialities 2019 2 Top ten birds as voted for by participants: 1. Sapayoa 6. Black Solitaire 2. Rose-faced Parrot 7. Choco Vireo 3. Scarlet-and-white Tanager 8. Chestnut-crowned Antpitta 4. Baudo Guan 9. Plate-billed Mountain Toucan 5. Long-wattled Umbrellabird 10. Green (Choco) Manakin ___________________________________________________________________________________ Tour Summary The Chocó, an eco-region and biodiversity hotspot ranging from the Pacific coast of Colombia south to Ecuador supports the largest number of range-restricted birds of any Endemic Bird Area in the Americas, with 62 unique species. Our tour had been carefully designed to target as many Chocó endemics as possible, especially the tricky and remote lowland species. Sadly, the sites we visited were also the final accessible pristine lowland forests in the Esmeraldas province. In addition to seeing tonnes of fantastic birds and other wildlife, our tour directly supported the conservation of various private reserves in this critically threatened region. Highlights included Sapayoa, Baudo Guan, Rufous-headed Chachalaca, Pinnated Bittern, Rose-faced Parrot, Great Green Macaw, Black Solitaire, Choco Vireo, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Streak-chested, Chestnut-crowned, Rufous, Tawny, Ochre-breasted and Yellow-breasted Antpittas, Orange-breasted, Green-and-black and Barred Fruiteaters, Purple and Olive-backed Quail- Dove, Dark-backed Wood Quail, Pallid Dove, Five-colored, Orange-fronted and Toucan Barbet, Plate- billed Mountain Toucan, Choco Trogon, Golden-collared Honeycreeper, Scarlet-breasted Dacnis, Indigo Flowerpiercer, Glistening-green, Blue-whiskered, Rufous-throated, Scarlet-and-white, Moss-backed and Lemon-spectacled Tanagers, Black-tipped Cotinga, Speckled Mourner, Green Manakin, Ochraceous Attila, Cinnamon and Lita Woodpecker, Stub-tailed, Jet, Ocellated, Bicolored, Spotted and Zeledon’s Antbirds, Choco Poorwill, Short-tailed Nighthawk, Dagua Thrush and Slate-colored Seedeater! ___________________________________________________________________________________ The Tour in Detail Our Chocó Specialities tour started north-west of the capital, Quito, with us visiting a few birding sites in the Pichincha province in search of Chocó endemics in the Andes. We began our journey along the higher flanks of the Pichincha volcano at c. 3,600m elevation, where we visited the well-known Yanacocha reserve. En route to the reserve we had a couple of productive stops which yielded goodies like Red-crested Cotinga, Tufted Tit- tyrant, Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant and Paramo Pipit. The bird feeders near the restaurant were great, with two bold Andean Guans, Masked and Glossy Flowerpiercers, and Yellow- breasted and Grey-browed Brushfinches – all close-up and only a couple of feet away from us! A pair of White-lined Tanagers that we saw here was out of their normal range, a species typically recorded at lower elevations. There were also many species of hummingbirds to enjoy, including Buff- winged Starfrontlet, Shining Sunbeam, Great Sapphirewing and Sapphire-vented Puffleg. The Golden-crowned Tanager by Alastair Stevenson Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Ecuador Trip Report – RBL Ecuador – Western: Chocó Specialities 2019 3 Sword-billed Hummingbird with its extraordinarily long bill, also came in briefly – an absolute stunner! After the feeders we went for a nice walk but it was sunny and windy, suboptimal conditions for the bird activity. It was good for raptors though and we saw both Variable Hawk and Carunculated Caracara. We run into a few loose mixed flocks and the attending species included Scarlet-bellied and Hooded Mountain Tanager, Spectacled Whitestart, Blue-backed and Cinereous Conebill, White-throated Tyrannulet, Rufous Wren and Superciliaried Hemispingus. The beautiful Golden-crowned Tanager was Rufous-throated Tanager by Doug Johnson certainly a highlight and we enjoyed prolonged views of a pair at close range. White-crested Elaenia came out nicely while a Smokey Bush Tyrant remained rather secretive. Along a narrower trail inside the forest the birding was challenging but we were eventually rewarded with a nice Rufous Antpitta. Barred Fruiteater was another great catch. The so-called no-see-ums were biting us viciously so we were happy to get out of the forest! On our way back we got a lift with the pickup of our friend Michael from the Jocotoco Foundation and got a Tawny Antpitta hopping on the road together with Tapeti, also known as Brazilian Rabbit. After a delicious and locally cooked lunch at Café Zamarito, we descended into the subtropics via the old Nono-Mindo road. We hit the breaks for a bright red bird which turned out to be a Crimson-mantled Woodpecker. Further down an obliging pair of White-capped Dipper was spotted by Alastair and we watched them forage along the Alambi River. Loose tanager flocks included Flame-faced, Beryl-spangled and Blue-winged Mountain Tanagers. Montane Woodcreeper and White-tailed Tyrannulet showed nicely while a couple of massive Strong-billed Woodcreeper really stole the show. A Golden- headed Quetzal was briefly seen and both Toucan Barbet and Plate- billed Mountain Toucan were distantly heard. The following day we visited the Amagusa reserve in the Mashpi area. We had a great start with an adult Indigo Flowerpiercer that popped out of the dense vegetation. At the same spot we watched our first Moss-backed Tanager, another Chocó endemic posing at close range. Further up the road it was a little foggy but this was possibly the reason that we got to see Choco Vireo – a single bird came in to tape playback and everybody was able to get good looks at this rarity! Other species that we got to see along the entry road included Scaly-throated and Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, Choco Brushfinch, Streak-capped Treehunter and our first visuals of the amazing Toucan Barbet. Orange-breasted Fruiteaters gave away a true show and we watched two males and a female forage at close range. A Pacific Tuftedcheek was only briefly observed in a mossy tree as it flew off. The action continued as we visited the feeders, where the bird activity was really pumping: a large variety of species came in, including Chocó endemics such as Black-chinned Golden-collared Honeycreeper by Mountain, Moss-backed, Rufous-throated and the ultra-vivid Doug Johnson Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Ecuador Trip Report – RBL Ecuador – Western: Chocó Specialities 2019 4 Glistening-green Tanagers. Other beauties included Flame-faced, Golden-naped, Golden and Lemon- rumped Tanagers, and even a pair of Golden-collared Honeycreepers came in, eating away bananas at almost touching distance – what a feast! The amazing hummingbirds here included Green Thorntail and many stunning Chocó endemics, such as Velvet- purple Coronet, Violet-tailed Sylph, Empress Brilliant, Brown Inca, White-whiskered Hermit and Purple- bibbed Whitetip. At another nearby feeding station, we watched Crimson-rumped Toucanets, Toucan Barbets and more Moss-backed Tanagers, all at close range. A nice field lunch while surrounded by colorful tanagers and hummers was a pretty neat experience. We then continued to the Bellavista Cloud Forest reserve to look for higher elevation Orange-breasted Fruiteater by Dušan Brinkhuizen species. Unfortunately, it rained as we arrived and the birding outside was unproductive to say the least. Unexpectedly, we did get an Upland Sandpiper walking on the road, a rare boreal migrant in Ecuador. In turn, the hummingbird feeders at the lodge were productive because of the rain, and we got many gems including Collared Inca, Buff-tailed Coronet, Sparkling and Lesser Violeatear, Speckled Hummingbird, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Violet-tailed Sylph and Gorgeted Sunagel. A Spillman’s Tapaculo foraging on the ground right below the feeders was a big bonus. Other species we got to see well included Turquoise Jay, White-sided Flowerpiercer and Russet- crowned Warbler. A late afternoon search for Tanager Finch was unsuccessful but some got lucky with a Rufous-headed Pygmy Tyrant. What an amazing day – literally packed with high-quality Chocó endemics! The next morning, we visited Refugio Paz de las Aves, also known as “Paz de las Antpittas”. Just after dawn, the amazing Andean Cock-of-the-rocks at their lek site were the first birds we got to see! The second bird that we got to see was a Dark-backed Wood Quail that our local guide Angel Paz, “the antpitta whisperer”, had called out: the only thing we had to do to see this scarce Chocó endemic was to turn around! Our next stop was at a quarry, where we saw two confiding Lyre-tailed Nightjars at their day-roost. A little further up the road, we met Rodrigo, the brother of Angel, who was calling and searching for “Maria”, the Giant Antpitta. In the meanwhile, we found a Masked Trogon but not much else was seen. The Giant Antpitta never showed up but we did get excellent views of a Nariño Tapaculo as a consolation. Up at the new restaurant we had a slam-dunk with Crested Guan, Toucan Barbets, a male Golden-headed Quetzal and a cracking Plate-billed Mountain Toucan, all being seen at about the same time! Higher up the road we saw both Chestnut-crowned and Yellow-breasted Antpittas, with stunning views of both – and the latter being another difficult Chocó endemic in the bag. A male Green-and- black Fruiteater was a nice treat as well. Along another Ochre-breasted Antpitta by Carole Breedlove Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Ecuador Trip Report – RBL Ecuador – Western: Chocó Specialities 2019 5 forest trail, we watched two adult Ochre-breasted Antpittas with a juvenile for a prolonged time at close-range. The deck feeders at Angel Paz’s restaurant were great, and while we enjoyed a delicious “bolon de verde”, we got cracking views of Toucan Barbets, Golden, Flame-faced, Golden-naped, Blue-winged Mountain and Black- capped Tanagers and a couple of Crimson-rumped Toucanets.