Thursday 06 December-Sunday 09 December 2007. Ecuador.
Having enjoyed a tasty meal (if rather too vegetable-based, for some), we had a good night’s sleep ready to fully explore Tandayapa and its trails the next morning. This was our first real day without a guide, it was going to be a test of our newly-found Ecuadorean birding skills, for sure! Other than the excellent patio, with hummer feeders, Tandayapa has a few trails through the rainforest surrounding the lodge, including one where Antbirds were to be found on occasion. We were looking forwards to trying for them.
There’s nothing better than an early morning shared with hummers!
It was going to be hard to tear ourselves away from these avian delights, but the trails weren’t going to get explored by themselves! Anyhow, we’d been promised an almost sure-fire antbird on one of the trails. We were very keen to see it.
The trail wound its way down into the valley-it would be a tough climb back up but worth it for a glimpse of an antbird. These species are real skulkers and very hard to see. We reached the spot that had been suggested; there were a couple of wooden frames, a bit like a very low compost bin, and we’d been told that the bird liked to frequent this area, maybe those frames attracted insects? Anyhow, we hadn’t been there very long when the bird appeared, an Immaculate Antbird, picking its way between the frames, and even over one of them. It was dark in the area (that’s what antbirds like!) and Mark did well to get even one shot of the bird, not wanting to use any flash of course. It was great to see, an unforgettable experience.
A few other birds of the area included Tropical Parula and Spotted Barbtail.
Later we relaxed on the patio, once again and just enjoyed those hummer feeders.
Today had been a fairly relaxed day because tomorrow we were to be out for the full day with a local guide. Originally we had thought to visit Angel Paz and his Antpitta Farm. This was an area of largely untouched forest, owned by Angel Paz, who had set it aside as a wildlife refuge. He had been conditioning the difficult-to-see Antpittas to come to feed each morning and this seemed like it might be a good way to observe them. However, our thoughts had changed, and we had decided on an altogether much more extensive trip, visiting the Rio Silanche reserve, Milpe and a bit of the old Mindo Road.
We were picked up the next morning, early, by our guide, Olger Licuy, arranged via the lodge. Now, I have to say that I don’t remember this day too well. For many years (since puberty, really), I had suffered from migraines. I generally knew, when I awoke, that one was going to develop. NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) treatment was generally only partially successful-what I really needed to do was lie down in a dark room until it went away. That wasn’t really possible when you are off on a trip, so I took the drugs, crossed my fingers that they’d work this time, and headed off. I really didn’t want to miss out!
I kept going for a couple of hours of roadside birding, stopping at several spots that Olger knew. I remember pushing a short way through some roadside forest to see a Brown Wood-Rail, skulking along the edge of a stream, which was definitely worth it. After that it became more of a blur.
I ended up lying (mostly) in the back of the car, only leaving briefly to throw up in the bushes, whilst Mark and Olger went birding. Mark was very concerned, but I wasn’t going to expire from a headache and it would have taken far too long out of the day to get me back to the lodge, so I insisted that they carry on without me. Anyway, maybe the pain would subside eventually, so that I could rejoin the birding.
Mark described the Rio Silanche reserve as good, and the Milpe reserve as even better. He’d have liked to spend much longer there. I have no photos taken on this day, but Mark has a few, but I can’t be exactly sure where he was when he took them!
I know that by the time we reached the Mindo Road, later in the afternoon, I was maybe feeling a little less sick. Well, enough to leave the car when the guys has pinned down a Pale-mandibled Aracari and a Pacific Parrotlet, though I can’t say that I focussed on them for very long. I was just glad to get back to the lodge and retire to bed without my supper. The lodge staff were very concerned, and the housekeeper was very keen to save me some food, but I really didn’t want any. I knew I’d be absolutely fine, the next day.
I was right about feeling fine the next day, our last full day in Ecuador. I’m pleased to say that migraines are now a thing of the past, one of the few positives about getting older! I don’t regret my day in the car; it was probably Mark’s best ever single day of birding, with 163 species seen-I just wish I could have seen a few more of them, myself.
We were due to fly back to Canada on the next day (Sunday), so we would be travelling back to Quito today. We had, however, asked for our transfer back to the city to be as late as possible, so that we had a good part of the day to ‘do’ the trails around Tandayapa again. We also wanted another chance with those hummer feeders-after all, it was going to be quite some time before we got to see hummingbirds again!
The trails were busy as we headed down into the valley. We were still adding bird species and colourful flowers to our list. There was even a small butterfly, which I have never managed to ID beyond ‘Grass-skipper’.
Eventually it was time to head back to the lodge, ready for our transfer. None too soon, either, judging by the clouds advancing up the valley towards us!
Goodbye, Tandayapa! Renato, our taxi driver from earlier in the trip, reappeared to take us to our last night’s accommodation in Quito, the surprisingly upmarket-looking Hotel Sebastien, arriving after dark. We freshened up, had a very nice meal in the hotel restaurant and settled down for an early night since we had an early flight the next morning. It was time to reflect on a very successful trip.
Overall, the trip list was 655 species. I don’t think we could have bettered that in a couple of weeks anywhere in the world, and it cements Ecuador’s reputation as a premier birding spot. Of course, we had expert assistance in identifying many of these species and I must admit that we might not remember many of them, subsequently, as well as we’d like to. Mark and I both prefer self-guiding and self-identifying birds; we might not see as many, but the satisfaction is greater. However, when you have limited vacation time, this trip was certainly good value, both in terms of ‘birds to the buck’ and places visited. It remains one of our most memorable trips.
Cameras:
Sandra-Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7
Mark-Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT with 100-300 mm lens
San on the Lam 