Ecuador Hummingbird Photo Safari 2011 (Part 3)

Note from Kevin: The text for our Hummingbird Photo Safari trip report was written by Lukas Padegimas, an intern invited to join our trip which took place in August 2011.

Giant Antpitta

We woke up at 3 am today and went down for a quick cup of coffee before departing to Angel Paz. The serene night dotted with a universe of stars gazed down upon us as we journeyed to the bus. We bused downhill for an hour before reaching Angel Paz – a property with an Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lekking ground.

A Cock-of-the-Rock doing its thing!

On the trail the calm greens, oranges, and reds of the idle forest hawk moths reflected our flashlights as we walked past. Along the way, I found a stick bug – a thorny looking two inch creature. The insect life here is one that would take many lifetimes to study. We descended down a steep wet hill in the dark, while a Colombian Screech Owl called out. An Anole Lizard sat still on a leaf unnoticed by just about everyone. Meanwhile, a bedlam of screeches and calls erupted somewhere far below. It was still dark. We were told that these are the birds themselves – not the monkeys we imagined them to be.

Lukas (left) at the blind.

Just as the flashlights became no longer necessary to see things, we entered the blind. The screeching grew loader and finally we saw red, chicken-sized birds calling out and flapping their wings while sitting on their perches. These were the male Cock-of-the-Rocks attempting to attract mates. The ruckus continued as we watched for about twenty minutes, before the jungle once again became quiet.

Ochre-breasted Antpitta

We then wandered behind one of the local guides to a place highly reliable to find “Maria” the giant Antpitta. The family that has owned this land has managed to train wild Antpittas to come to their calls and handouts over the past two years and have been very successful. We had three Giant Antpittas sightings as well as the tiny Ochre-breasted Antpitta.

Mustached Antpitta

Dark-backed Wood Quail

Toucan Barbet

White-throated Quail-Dove

A feeding station with cut up bananas attracted not only a Toucan Barbet, but also a whole family of Dark-backed Wood Quails. Along the way, a Common Potoo was spotted hiding on a branch high in the canopy. This Owl-like member of the nightjar family is a rare treat to find in the jungle. Further uphill, we also saw a Moustached Antpitta.

Orange-breasted Fruiteater

Yellow-breasted Antpitta

Back at the top of the hill we were greeted by numerous butterflies and hummingbirds. New to our list was the White-whiskered Hermit as well as the lovely Velvet-purple Coronet. After a relaxing brunch, we headed to a reliable place to find a Yellow-breasted Antpitta. Along the way we discovered hoards of butterflies before we checked out an Orange-breasted Fruiteater pair on the nest before getting great views of the antpitta!

Crimson-mantled Woodpecker

Back by the bus we found a large mixed flock. In the flock there were six species of tanagers and three species of warblers as well as numerous flycatchers. A Crimson-mantled Woodpecker pair was found further down the road. Filled with great memories, we headed down the West slope to Septimo Paraiso Lodge for the evening. The feeders produced Incas, Jacobins, and lots of Sylphs. However, the rain started soon after our arrival and most of the exploring ended for the day as darkness settled over the forest.

Text © Lukas Padegimas
Photos © Kevin Loughlin