Tropical Birding Trip Report SOUTHERN ECUADOR: January 2016 A Tropical Birding SET DEPARTURE tour SOUTHERN ECUADOR: Highland Rarities and Tumbesian Endemics 7th – 23rd January 2016 Nearly 60 species of hummingbird were seen on the trip; the Rainbow Starfrontlet was understandably one of the most popular! Tour Leader: Jose Illanes Report and all photos by Jose Illanes. 1 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Page Tropical Birding Trip Report SOUTHERN ECUADOR: January 2016 INTRODUCTION This Ecuador ranks as my favorite among the many possible Ecuador tours out there, and this trip proved no different; we enjoyed some truly fantastic birds. Everyone arrived in Ecuador’s most populous city, Guayaquil, the day before. The following morning, we headed west out of the city to Manglares Charute, a dry scrubby habitat that kicked us off with some good birds, like (Pacific) Royal Flycatcher, Jet Antbird, Orange-crowned Euphonia and Ecuadorian Trogon. The following day, we birded at the Buenaventura Reserve, which again proved itself to be one of the best places to see Long-wattled Umbrellabird, and also produced Gray-backed Hawk, Club-winged Manakin, Ochraceous Attila and the very local Ecuadorian Endemic, El Oro Parakeet at a nesting and roosting site. Our next stop was another, very different, Jocotoco Foundation reserve, Jorupe, which was combined with visits to surrounding areas like El Empalme, Sozoranga and Zapotillo, all hotspots for Tumbesian endemic birds. At El Empalme we found Red-masked Parakeet, White-edged and Yellow-tailed Orioles, Baird’s Flycatcher and the shy White-headed-Brushfinch. Jorupe itself gave us nice views of Pale-browed Tinamou, Whooping Motmot, Ecuadorian Piculet, the gaudy White-tailed Jay, Henna-hooded Foliage-Gleaner, Scarlet-backed Woodpecker and Watkins’s Antpitta. White-tailed Jay, Jorupe 2 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Page Tropical Birding Trip Report SOUTHERN ECUADOR: January 2016 Our visit to Zapotillo also yielded some special birds like, Elegant Crescentchest, Tumbes Pewee, Tumbes Sparrow, West Peruvian-Dove and the very local (in Ecuador) Comb Duck. Sozoranga gave us Chestnut- collared Swallow, Bay-crowned Brushfinch, and Slaty Becard. Yet another Jocotoco property also featured next, Utuana, where we saw Chapman’s Antshrike, Black-cowled Saltator, Line-cheeked Spinetail, Jelski’s Chat-tyrant and Rainbow Starfrontlet and Purple-throated Sunangel at their hummingbird feeders. One of the most popular birds there though was the Black-crested Tit-Tyrant. Next up was Podocarpus National Park, one of the biggest parks in Ecuador, where we asended to the Cerro Toledo section, birding at around 12,000ft/3700m. Our main target there was the very local Neblina Metaltail, which was saw, along with Rainbow- bearded Thornbill, Mouse-colored Thistletail, Black-headed Hemispingus, and Golden-crowned Tanager. One of the mosy highly anticipated spots in the region, is Tapichalaca, home of the fabled Jocotoco Antpitta. This species was seen easily at a feeding station, and other birds supported this too, like the tough White- capped Tanager, Barred Fruiteater, Golden-plumed Parakeet, Chestnut-naped Antpitta and the handsome Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan. Golden-eared Tanager, Copalinga Lodge Having just spent time in the chilly cloudforest we then drove down into the humid foothills on the east slope of the Andes, and to Yankuam Lodge, a simple lodge set beside some fantastic birding areas. Specialties we picked up in this area were White-bellied Pygmy-Tyrant, Blackish Pewee, Peruvian Warbling Antbird, Fulvous Antshrike, Purplish Jacamar, Golden-winged and Black-and-white Tody-tyrants, and Gilded Barbet. We also encountered a variety of colorful tanagers in this area, not least the main target we were looking for, the rare 3 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Page Tropical Birding Trip Report SOUTHERN ECUADOR: January 2016 and local, Orange-throated Tanager. Our next stop was the always-popular Copalinga Lodge, and the Rio Bombuscaro entrance to Podocarpus NP. Although this was still within the foothills of the east, these are quite different from Yankuam, and we added plenty of more birds like the increasingly scarce White-breasted Parakeet, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Coppery-chested Jacamar, Lanceolated Monklet, Foothill Elaenia, a horde of beautiful tanagers, and several hummingbird species at the lodge feeders like, Black-throated and Violet-fronted Brilliants, Violet-headed Hummingbird, while Ecuadorian Piedtail was seen inside the forest. Copalinga’s star attraction, a grain-fed Gray Tinamou was also seen above the lodge. From the southern city of Cuenca, we visited two different protected areas; at Yunguilla we got Chestnut- crowned Antpitta and the very rare and local endemic Pale-headed Brushfinch. Our last birding stop was El Cajas National Park that brought us Tit-like Dacnis, Violet-throated Metaltail, Ecuadorian Hillstar, Sword-billed Hummingbird and the attractive Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan. TOUR SUMMARY DAY ONE – of birding - (8th January): MANGLARES CHARUTE & SANTA ROSA to BUENAVENTURA After an early breakfast we were soon on the road pre-dawn, traveling 90 minutes by road to Manglares Charute NP, on the coast of western Ecuador. This was a good place to kickstart our list of Tumbesian specialties, and we found Baird’s and Sooty-crowned Flycatchers, Ecuadorian Trogon, Ecuadorian Ground-Dove, Gray-cheeked Parakeet, Pacific Parrotlet, and (Pacific) Royal Flycatcher. The biggest surprise of the morning though was a pair of Rufous-necked Wood-Rail that stood right in the open in response to a little playback. Another specialty of the nearby woodland was the Jet Antbird, which also showed nicely too. In the surrounding damp marshes and fields, we found some Horned Screamers perched up on the tops of tall bushes as hoped, and also found White Ibis, Black-bellied and Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, Snail Kite, and Striated and Little Blue-Herons. After eating our packed lunch we drove up from sea level towards Buenaventura, in the western foothills of the Andes. On the way we stopped near Santa Rosa, where the local people have some shrimp farms that helped us find birds like Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, White-cheeked Pintail, Blue-winged Teal, Cocoi Heron, Masked Water-tyrant, Western and Least Sandpipers, Franklin’s Gull, Peruvian and Brown Pelicans, Anhinga, Magnificent Frigatebird, and Whimbrel. Along the road we also saw Chestnut- throated Seedeater, Pacific Hornero, Long-tailed Mockingbird, Vermilion Flycatcher, and Striped Cuckoo. After a long, but birdy, day we pulled into Buenaventura at dusk. DAY TWO (9th January): BUENAVENTURA We were staying at Umbrellabird Lodge as I call, which is rightly therefore one of the best places to see the Long- wattled Umbrellabird, a regional endemic. After breakfast we went to the lek site by car, but picked up a rare Little Woodstar along the road near the lodge first. We also saw Orange-billed Sparrow, Red-rumped Woodpecker, and the scarce and local Chestnut-headed Oropendola. While waiting for the umbrellabird we saw other birds along the forest trail, like Pallid Dove, Checker-throated and Slaty Antwrens, Tawny- faced Gnatwren, White-bearded Manakin, and White-tipped Sicklebill. Finally, we found our main target, a nice displaying male Long-wattled Umbrellabird. Later on, we birded along the old road that bisects the reserve, where we found Spotted and Wedge-billed Woodcreepers, Band-tailed Barbthroat, Wedge-billed Hummingbird, White-whiskered Hermit and a small mixed feeding flock with Bay- 4 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Page Tropical Birding Trip Report SOUTHERN ECUADOR: January 2016 headed, Guira, and Rufous-throated Tanagers, Yellow-throated and Ashy-throated Chlorospinguses, and a Club-winged Manakin. The road also brought us Broad-billed Motmot, Yellow- Tyrannulet, Thick-billed Seed-Finch, Scale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant, Song and Bay Wrens, Chestnut-backed Antbird, Ornate and Tawny-breasted Flycatchers. These birds were broken by periods of long inactivity, as is typical for birding tropical forests. After such a period though we picked up soaring Gray-backed Hawk and Plumbeous Kite just near the lodge as we were returning for lunch. Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Buenaventura Over lunch we saw at least 11 different hummingbird species at the feeders; Crowned (Emerald-bellied) Woodnymph, Andean Emerald, Green-crowned Brilliant, Green Thorntail, White-necked Jacobin, Amazilia, Violet-bellied and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds, Brown Violetear and a rare Choco Endemic (at this site), Velvet-purple Coronet. After lunch, the rest of the afternoon was spent targeting the rare El Oro Parakeet. We were going to look for them around some nest boxes, which serve as both a nesting site and roost site for the birds. On the way to there, we encountered Bronze-winged Parrot, Pale- mandibled Aracari, Choco and Chestnut-mandibled Toucans, and the scare Ochraceous Attila. We 5 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Page Tropical Birding Trip Report SOUTHERN ECUADOR: January 2016 also found a little activity close to the parakeet spot, with Golden Tanager, Olive-crowned Yellowthroat, Russet Antshrike, Line-cheeked Spinetail and Long-tailed Sylph seen. As we waited for the parakeets to show up, we also saw a Guayaquil Woodpecker. As we continued to wait rain began to fall, and the group were getting itchy to leave. Somehow I convinced them to stay just a little longer, which paid off, when a dozen El Oro Parakeets flew in and landed in and around their nest boxes, for a top end to the day. PHOTO BELOW: El Oro Parakeet, Buenaventura DAY THREE (10th January): BUENAVENTURA to JORUPE (via EL EMPALME) Our last morning birding at Buenaventura began by birding right by the lodge, where a light that had been left on overnight had attracted both moths, and attendant birds to pick them off. This led us to see Blue-necked Tanager, Scarlet-rumped Cacique, more Chestnut-headed Oropendolas, Cinnamon and One-colored Becards, Tropical Parula, Green Honeycreeper, Common Tody- Flycatcher, and Gray-and-gold Warbler.