Ecuador Private: Chocó Endemics 20th to 28th August 2017 (9 days) Trip Report Rufous-crowned Antpitta by Dušan Brinkhuizen Trip report compiled by Tour Leader, Dušan Brinkhuizen Rockjumper Birding Tours | Ecuador www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Ecuador Private - Choco Endemics 2017 2 Tour Summary In August 2017 Louis Boon, Jonathan Wyplosz and Augusto Faustino organised a private tour to the remote and little-visited Ecuadorian Chocó with Dušan Brinkhuizen through Rockjumper Birding Ltd. The itinerary was carefully designed to target Chocó endemics and to see as many lifers as possible for the group. Louis and Augusto had visited Ecuador previously, and Jonathan and Louis had birded western Colombia as well, so their target list was narrow and restricted to mainly rare species. For this reason, some of the more common species remained heard-only during the tour because the team had other species to prioritise. This is one of the advantages of doing a private tour. In summary, the trip was an incredible success, as the number of Chocó endemics and other rare species seen was simply astonishing. A few of the Chocó endemic highlights included Rufous-crowned Antpitta, Long- wattled Umbrellabird, Chocó Poorwill, Rose-faced Parrot, Black Solitaire, Purplish-mantled Tanager, Lita and Chocó Woodpecker, Stub-tailed Antbird, Lemon-spectacled Tanager, Tooth-billed Hummingbird, Golden-chested Tanager, Black-tipped Cotinga, Scarlet-and-white Tanager, Scarlet- breasted Dacnis, Blue-whiskered Tanager, Nariño and Chocó Tapaculo, Plate-billed Mountain Toucan, Toucan Barbet, Glistening-green Tanager, Beautiful Jay, Indigo Flowerpiercer and Chocó Screech Owl. Not necessarily endemic to the region, but generally rare species that were seen included Speckled Mourner, Sapayoa, Lanceolated Monklet, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Black-breasted Puffbird, Plumbeous and Semi-plumbeous Hawk, Dwarf Cuckoo, Ochraceous Attila, Streak-chested Antpitta and Ocellated Antbird, to mention a few! 20 August: Our private tour started off at the well-known reserve of Yanacocha, which is located on the north-western flanks of the Pichincha Volcano near the capital of Quito. This site was included in the itinerary mainly to target the Sword-billed Hummingbird, a species that was highly-desired by the group. An adult Red-crested Cotinga was the first bird we stopped for, as it was perched nicely atop a tree on our way in. At the parking lot, we almost immediately hit the jackpot: a female Sword-billed Hummingbird feeding on Brugmansia flowers – what a blast! Our time schedule was tight; but with the main target in the bag, we had a couple of hours to bird the reserve. The feeders next to the restaurant attracted several spectacular hummingbirds, including Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Shining Sunbeam, Great Sapphirewing, Tyrian Metaltail and Sapphire-vented Puffleg. Stunning Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanagers and Yellow- breasted Brush Finches were feeding on the bananas at close range. A Tawny Antpitta that stood all in the open was a welcome bonus! We spent significant time working on Ocellated Tapaculo, as it was another sought-after species that was still needed by some. The tapaculo came in very close but we never managed to get it in view because the terrain made it difficult to enter the forest. A Smokey Bush Tyrant here was a nice consolation. A small mixed-species flock produced some goodies, including White-banded Tyrannulet, Glossy Flowerpiercer, Cinereous Conebill, Superciliaried Hemispingus and White-throated Tyrannulet. A calling Barred Fruiteater eluded us. After a successful but brief morning at Yanacocha, we continued driving down the west-slope all the way to the Fasciated Tiger Heron by Augusto small village of 23 de Junio. Here our principal target was the Faustino Rockjumper Birding Tours | Ecuador www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Ecuador Private - Choco Endemics 2017 3 Long-wattled Umbrellabird. Normally, birders visit the site in the morning, so trying for the umbrellabird in the afternoon was kind of an improvisation and possibly a long shot. A crisp adult Fasciated Tiger Heron was a superb start to the afternoon. It was surprisingly tame and we watched it for a prolonged time while it was foraging along a rocky stream. When we reached the umbrellabird viewpoint, it was almost instant excitement: Luis, our local guide, had just seen one flying away. A couple of minutes later, luck was certainly on our side as a splendid full adult male Long-wattled Umbrellabird flew in and perched in a tree right above our heads! Views that we got of this prized bird were simply spectacular. A superb flock of 12 or more Rose-faced Parrots was scoped in a tree. Rain and thunder were on their way, so soon we had to travel back down. Two White-chested Swifts flying low above the village was another welcome addition to our list of desiderata! 21 August: Today our principal target was the elusive and near- mythical Rufous-crowned Antpitta (nowadays often referred to as Gnatpitta, as it is more closely related to Gnateaters). It is rare, and after Banded Ground Cuckoo, probably the most sought-after Chocó endemic. In recent months, a Rufous- Shining Sunbeam by Augusto crowned Gnatpitta nick-named “Shungito” had been regularly Faustino fed earthworms at a reserve called Mashpi Shungo. We arrived at the site in the morning but, unfortunately, it was raining a little and according to our local guide, Alejandro, these were suboptimal conditions for seeing it. We mentally prepared ourselves for a dip but, of course, we hiked up to the stakeout where the bird was seen the day before. It took at least half an hour before the bird finally called back. Yes, it’s still here! Within a few minutes, the male Rufous- crowned Gnatpitta hopped towards us and the prolonged views that we got of this mega bird were just simply mind-blowing. Thank you, Alejandro! A small antswarm on site was a nice bonus and we enjoyed our first Bicolored and Chestnut-backed Antbirds that were attending the feeding frenzy. A nearby Northern Schiffornis and Black-headed Antthrush remained heard-only. On our way out, we got Snowy-throated Kingbird, Pacific Antwren and Slaty- capped Shrike-Vireo, among others. Late morning, we started our longish drive to the coast of Esmeraldas province. Not much birding was done on the way and it was actually quite depressing to see how the entire coastal lowlands were heavily deforested (and dominated by mainly oil palm and banana monocultures). As we got near the coastline, the sky filled with spectacular numbers of Magnificent Frigatebirds. A short stop at the coastal town of Rio Verde produced Blue-footed and Peruvian Booby, and a Lesser Nighthawk. Croaking Ground Dove here was somewhat unexpected. In the late afternoon, we successfully targeted the rare Pinnated Bittern in the wetlands of Las Peñas. A single Stilt Sandpiper was another welcome lifer for Augusto! Rufous-crowned Antpitta by Dušan Brinkhuizen Rockjumper Birding Tours | Ecuador www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Ecuador Private - Choco Endemics 2017 4 22 August: In the early morning, we birded the wetlands and woodlands along the road between Las Peñas and La Tola, which were packed with birdlife. A singing Striped Cuckoo was one of the first targets that we scoped nicely. Pygmy-owl tape attracted a small party of passerines, with species including Chestnut-throated Seedeater, Tropical Gnatcatcher and Black-lored Yellowthroat. An obliging Ecuadorian Ground Dove also came to check out the excitement. At the wetlands, we added a few new species for the trip, including Anhinga, Muscovy Duck and Wilson’s Phalarope. A fruiting tree produced some goodies, including Yellow-tufted Dacnis, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Masked Tityra and Ecuadorian Thrush. At a small pond, we watched an American Crocodile. Here we were also surprised by a splendid adult Dwarf Cuckoo that perched in the open! This shy species was only recently discovered in Ecuador, and the area seems to hold a small resident population. At the mangrove forest at Majagual, we lucked into a small flock of Rufous-headed Chachalacas that showed well. An Ochraceous Attila was calling from the forest edge and soon this superb bird was spotted by Jonathan. Dwarf Cuckoo by Augusto Faustino Olivaceous Piculet and Jet Antbird were other targets that we got to see really well. At a small wetland, we tried for White-throated Crake, and a pair with chicks was eventually seen very nicely. After a late breakfast, we travelled to Selva Alegre, where we took the pleasant canoe ride upriver to Playa de Oro. At Tigrillo Lodge, we had a fine lunch, and some garden birding produced a Brown-capped Tyrannulet and a male Stub-tailed Antbird just before the rain started pouring down. From under the roof, we watched several Band-rumped Swifts foraging in the dark sky. Just before dusk, we tried for a nearby territory of Streak- chested Antpitta but the singing bird remained very shy. 23 August: One of the first birds that we got to see after breakfast was a Streak-chested Antpitta! The bird perched briefly in the open but vanished again quickly in the dense undergrowth. A Southern Nightingale-Wren showed itself better, and the views that we had of this notorious skulker were surprisingly good. We took the Pueblo trail, and a few of the understorey targets that we got in the first stretch included Checker-throated Antwren and a Lemon- spectacled Tanager. Up the hill, we heard a Bicolored Antbird calling and just as we hoped for, there was a fantastic ant swarm a little further off-trail. The Ocellated Antbird, “king of the antbirds”, soon revealed its presence at the swarm and we realized that we hit a jackpot. We tactically positioned ourselves near the centre of the ant Ochraceous Attila by Augusto Faustino swarm and waited patiently for stuff to show up.