Ecuador Hummingbird Photo Safari (Final Post)

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.

Green (Inca) Jays courting

The courtship succeeded! Green (Inca) Jays copulating!

 Due to the pouring rain, the group woke up after the sun had risen and went to do a little early morning birding. The Rufous-crowned Tody Flycatcher and the Green Jays attracted the most attention. A flock of Russet-backed Oropendolas also flew past and visited a palm with large nests, like hanging baskets, over four feet in length attached to the fronds.

Azara’s Spinetails were part of a mixed flock.

A Black-billed Peppershrike sang somewhere in the distance. We searched the area until we finally found this interesting bird along a different trail. At breakfast,  since it was foggy and raining, we decided to leave the lodge early, instead of spending most of the day here. We would spend more time in the mountains and take a more circuitous route back to Quito instead of the paved road. So, after breakfast, I once again headed out into the jungle trail. The parrots did not make an appearance, though mixed flocks continued to sing. A group of Oropendulas flew over making a ton of squawks and other strange noises in the process. Unlike yesterday, water made its way down the trails into the numerous streams below. Still, a fascinating walk.

Mountain Wren

Before departing, everyone had great views of a Mountain Wren who sat in the open and sang for us. We then journeyed up the East Slope and stopped in an area not far away from the radio station. We birded the road and found an Ecuadorian Hillstar! The female hummer tended a nest that sat beneath an overhang of vegetation. Besides the rather drab mountain birds, we saw several Variable Hawks perched along the road. Occasionally, these hawks would fly into the air and chase off intruders that entered their airspace. In the distance, a Black-chested Buzzard Eagle circled around the cliffs.

Variable Hawk (light morph)

Variable Hawk (light morph)

Variable Hawk (dark morph)

At a large lake, situated next to some hot springs, we saw several Andean Coots, Yellow-billed Pintails, and Andean Teals. We didn’t have any luck with the Andean Gull, but someone spotted an Andean Lapwing, yet another unexpected shorebird to add to the list. Our final stop before Quito was at the city water intake area at which we stopped earlier in the trip. We didn’t find the Giant Hummingbird, but again had great views of Red-crested Cotingas and the Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanagers. Along the way, we also saw many beautiful Carunculated Caracaras. 

Once in Quito, we ate out at a great seafood place and said our goodbyes. The trip had been a great success and everyone felt delighted. Part of the group went on to the lowland rainforest the next day, while the other half flew back to the USA.

Birding the highlands of Ecuador offered brilliant scenery and wondrous wildlife!