Blue-necked Tanager, one of more than 15 Tangara tanagers possible on the tour. Photo: Gary Rosenberg
Ecuador is one of South America’s super-rich bird countries: roughly 1,600 species have been recorded within its narrow borders. The magnificence of the high Andes, with their spectacular tanagers and brilliant hummingbirds, can be easily and comfortably sampled from the montane cities of Loja, Zamora, and Macara. New lodges at our chosen birding locations permit easy exploration of both the Cajanuma and Río Bombuscaro sections of Podacarpus National Park, two of the most scenic and ornithologically exciting areas in the country. Near the town of Vilcabamba we’ll stay (and bird) at Tapichalaca Reserve, made famous by the recent discovery of a sensational new antpitta species. The trip will conclude with a journey down to Guayaquil, where we’ll search for the rare El Oro Parakeet and Long-wattled Umbrellabird in the western foothills at Buenaventura, and look for the “Tumbesian” specialties at both the Jorupe Reserve near Macara and the Santa Elena Peninsula. New lodges at both Buenaventura and Jorupe make it as easy as it is exciting to bird these areas.
This tour can be taken in conjunction with our tour, Ecuador: La Selva.
Day 1: The tour begins at 8:00 pm in Quito. Night in Quito.
Day 2: We’ll begin with a day trip out of Quito to Papallacta Pass, our introduction to high Andean birding. The road climbs out of a dry valley to the high pass above treeline where we’ll search for high-elevation species such as Ecuadorian Hillstar, Blue-mantled Thornbill, Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, Bar-winged and Stout-billed Cinclodes, and Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant. On the eastern side of the pass are a few intact patches of Polylepis woodland. Here we’ll look for Giant Conebill and Black-backed Bush-Tanager while scanning the skies for the massive Andean Condor. Before returning to Quito we’ll have lunch at the Antisana Ecological Reserve, where we’ll look for the rare Black-faced Ibis, Carunculated Caracara, and a variety of waterbirds on a high-elevation lake. Night in Quito.
Day 3: We’ll take an early flight to Loja, the largest city in southern Ecuador, and begin our birding in a dry valley near Catamayo. Many “Tumbesian” endemics are possible, and we’ll look for Elegant Crescentchest, Collared Antshrike, Tawny-crowned Pygmy-Tyrant, and Tumbes Sparrow. Later in the morning we’ll drive back through Loja and cross over a high pass on our way to the eastern foothills around the town of Zamora, gateway to the Río Bombuscaro section of Podacarpus National Park. Outside Zamora a section of the old highway winds through patches of rich subtropical forest where we hope to find Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. We’ll also watch for Torrent Duck and Torrent Tyrannulet, fancy hummingbirds such as the Long-tailed Sylph, and a variety of flycatchers including Cinnamon, Cliff, and Lemon-browed. In the Andes, subtropical forest is synonymous with Tangara tanagers, and we’re likely to see a superb array including Paradise, Golden-eared, and Flame-faced, to name just a few. We’ll also keep alert for less common species such as Yellow-whiskered Bush-Tanager and the gaudy White-capped Tanager. Our destination is a lodge recently opened up along the entrance road to the Río Bombuscaro. Night near Zamora.
Days 4-5: The Río Bombuscaro section of the park is just five minutes from our lodge. This area, only recently accessible, offers extraordinary birding; some of the spectacular species regularly seen along the river include the rare and local White-breasted Parakeet, Coppery-chested Jacamar, Chestnut-tipped Toucanet, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Blue-rumped Manakin, and Orange-eared Tanager. We’ll search, too, for several Río Bombuscaro specialties, including Ecuadorian Piedtail, Equatorial Graytail, and the newly described Foothill Elaenia. The experience is measurably enhanced by the beauty of the park with its impressive vistas of untouched rainforest. Night near Zamora.
Day 6: After another morning along the Río Bombuscaro, perhaps searching for more elusive species such as Plain-backed Antpitta and Northern White-crowned Tapaculo, we’ll drive back to Loja, stopping again along the lower section of the old highway to look for tanager-rich mixed-species flocks. At the pass, we’ll walk down a small section of the old highway in search of high-elevation species such as Mouse-colored Thistletail, Blue-backed Conebill, and Golden-crowned Tanager. We’ll end the day at Tapichalaca, one of the Jocotoco Foundation’s reserves, and we’ll stay at a small lodge on the property. Night at Tapichalaca.
Day 7: We’ll concentrate on a new trail at Quebrada Honda, an area that is not well known but has vast potential, as indicated by the discovery in 1997 of the remarkable Jocotoco Antpitta. We’ll have the better part of two days to explore this enticing place, looking in particular for Golden-plumed Parakeet, Flame-throated Sunangel, Orange-banded Flycatcher, Chestnut-crested Cotinga, Red-hooded Tanager, and Plushcap. We may even spot the new antpitta, which has become accustomed to coming onto the trail to feed on worms. If we’re lucky, we may also see Rufous and Chestnut-naped Antpittas, as well as Chusquea and Ash-colored Tapaculos. Roadside birding near Tapichalaca can also be superb, and in the past we’ve seen Golden-plumed Parakeet and a variety of tanagers including the fabulous Flame-faced, Saffron-crowned, and Metallic-green at the lower elevations, and Gray-hooded Bush-Tanager and Black-headed Hemispingus at the higher elevations. In the afternoon we’ll travel farther south to the town of Valladolid, where we hope to find Marañon Thrush, Rufous-fronted Thornbird, and Silver-backed and Black-faced Tanagers. The hummingbird feeders at the lodge have a fine variety of highland species, including Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Collared Inca, and both Amethyst-throated and Flame-throated Sunangels. Night at Tapichalaca.
Day 8: After a final full morning at Tapichalaca, we’ll work our way back to Loja, spending the late afternoon at Podacarpus National Park, one of South America’s great national parks, with protected habitats ranging from Amazonian lowlands to high-elevation páramo. The Cajanuma section, only 20 minutes from our hotel in Loja, has breathtaking vistas of rich temperate forest and is home to many high-elevation Andean species including Black-and-chestnut Eagle, the decidedly local Bearded Guan, many species of hummingbirds including the stunning Rainbow Starfrontlet, Gray- breasted Mountain-Toucan, Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant, Barred Fruiteater, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, and Black-crested and Russet-crowned Warblers. We’ll also watch for mixed-species flocks of tanagers, which often contain both Hooded and Buff-breasted Mountain-Tanagers. Night in Loja.
Day 9: We’ll leave early this morning and travel south to Macara on the Peruvian border. Here two new Jocotoco Foundation reserves at Utuana and Jorupe contain prime habitat for many “Tumbesian” specialties including Amazilia Hummingbird, Scarlet-backed Woodpecker, Ecuadorian Piculet, Henna-hooded and Rufous-necked Foliage-Gleaners, Blackish-headed Spinetail, Watkin’s Antpitta, Gray-breasted Flycatcher, Pacific Eleania, Gray-and-gold Warbler, Black-capped Sparrow, and White-edged Oriole. Along the road to Utuana, we’ll look for Chapman’s Antshrike, Three-banded Warbler, Black-cowled Saltator, and Bay-crowned Brush-Finch, and at the Utuana Reserve, we’ll have a chance at the rare Gray-headed Antbird, Pied-crested Tit-Tyrant, Jelski’s Chat-Tyrant, and Piura Hemispingus. Hummingbird feeders at Utuana attract numbers of Rainbow Starfrontlet and Purple-throated Sunangel, both very local in southern Ecuador. At dusk, we’ll try for Peruvian Screech-Owl and Spectacled Owl, both found at Jorupe. Our new lodge is located within the Jorupe Reserve and surrounded by excellent forest. Night at Jorupe.
Day 10: We’ll have all day to bird the Jorupe Reserve, looking for all the “Tumbesian” endemics listed above, as well as a few local specialties such as Slaty Becard, Black-and-white Tanager, and Rufous-necked Wood-Rail. If we have time, we may drive the border road to lower elevations, looking for Tumbes Swallow. The new lodge is very comfortable, and it will be wonderful sleeping and waking up right in the reserve. Night in Jorupe.
Day 11: After a final morning at Jorupe or Utuana, we’ll begin our journey to Guayaquil via Buenaventura, one of the most riveting birding destinations in southwestern Ecuador and the last stronghold of the local El Oro Parakeet. If we’re lucky we may encounter a flock. The birding here can be fantastic, and we’ll look for such birds as Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Bronze-winged Parrot, Golden-headed Quetzal, Guayaquil Woodpecker, and Pacific Tuftedcheek. Our lodge is located within the reserve, and in the late afternoon we’ll watch a staggering display of hummingbirds at the feeders, including dozens of Green Thorntails and Violet-bellied Hummingbirds. Night near Buenaventura.
Day 12: We’ll spend the entire day birding Buenaventura, again looking for El Oro Parakeet as well as an array of foothill species including Gray-backed Hawk, Pale-mandibled Aracari, Red-headed Barbet, Club-winged Manakin, Bay and Whiskered Wrens, Silver-throated and Rufous-throated Tanagers, and Yellow-bellied Siskin. We’ll drop down a bit lower for our lunch stop, where on past tours we’ve encountered Gray-cheeked Parakeet, Speckle-breasted Wren, and Ecuadorian Thrush. We’ll spend the afternoon in the lower section of the Buenaventura Reserve, where in 2004 we watched a Long-wattled Umbrellabird on its nest—only the second nest of this species ever found. We’ll have an excellent opportunity for this rare species when we visit a lek in the late afternoon, one of the few display sites known. Other birds in this lower-elevation forest include White-bearded Manakin, Western Slaty-Antshrike, Chestnut-backed Antbird, and Song Wren. Night near Buenaventura.
Day 13: We’ll spend one more morning at Buenaventura, where we’ll visit another hummingbird garden with a staggering variety including Emerald-bellied Woodnymph, Baron’s Hermit, and Violet-tailed Sylph. After a final turn down the trails, we’ll drive to Guayaquil, stopping along the way for such birds as Savanna Hawk and Peruvian Meadowlark. Before we arrive in Guayaquil, we’ll pass a number of ponds where we’ll look for Snail Kite and a variety of herons and egrets, as well as specialties such as Masked Water-Tyrant and Parrot-billed and Chestnut-throated Seedeaters. We’ll also bird a side road in search of Jet Antbird and pass the Manglares de Churute area, where we’ve seen Horned Screamer along the highway. Night in Guayaquil.
Day 14: Today we’ll make a day trip to the Santa Elena Peninsula. The road from Guayaquil to the coast passes through some interesting dry forest where we are likely to see more “Tumbesian” birds, including some we may have missed near Macara. White-tailed Jay, Short-tailed Field-Tyrant, Gray-and-white Tyrannulet, Baird’s Flycatcher, and Snowy-throated Kingbird are all possible. On the coast, the main attraction is the Ecuasal salt ponds. Here we’ll see an amazing collection of wintering shorebirds and local coastal species such as Gray-hooded and Kelp Gulls, White-cheeked Pintail, and Chilean Flamingo. Along the beach we can expect large numbers of Brown Pelicans and Magnificent Frigatebirds, but we’ll also search for Gray Gull, which occurs here in small numbers. We’ll return to Guayaquil in mid-afternoon in time for our flight back to Quito. Night in Quito.
Day 15: The tour concludes this morning in Quito.
Updated: 15 April 2009
Prices
- 2011 price not yet available
- (2010 price was $4790)
Notes
Maximum group size 8 with one leader. Single occupancy may not be available at Tapichalaca, Jorupe, and Buenaventura.