Ecuador: Mindo and the Northwest Andes

Day 1: The tour begins at 6:30 p.m. in Puembo near Quito’s international airport. Night in Puembo.

Day 2: We’ll leave early for Yanacocha Reserve on the Pichincha Volcano. Located in temperate cloud forest, Yanacocha is home to a number of interesting high-elevation species. We’ll watch the hummingbird feeders for the amazing Sword-billed Hummingbird, Buff-winged Starfrontlet, and Great Sapphirewing. Tanagers are abundant, and we’ll hope to find mountain-tanagers such as Scarlet-bellied, Hooded, and possibly the rare Black-chested. We’ll then descend below the town of Nono through relatively untouched temperate and subtropical forest. Here we’ll look for White-capped Dipper, roadside mixed-species flocks, and perhaps a Torrent Duck or our first Andean Cock-of-the-rock, before arriving in late afternoon at Séptimo Paraíso Lodge, our home for the next six nights. Night at Séptimo Paraíso.

Days 3-7: We’ll have five full days to explore the many birding locations close to Séptimo Paraíso. The lodge is situated in a forested valley with a trail system right on the grounds. The first morning we’ll awake to the sounds of quetzals, motmots, numerous hummingbirds, and perhaps even the bizarre calls of a Wattled Guan, and then bird the grounds in search of tanagers, toucans, antpittas, and myriad other species. Another day we’ll visit the nearby Tandayapa Ridge and Tandayapa Valley, visiting hummingbird feeders in search of specialties such as Violet-tailed Sylph, Collared and Brown Incas, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Fawn-breasted and Empress Brilliants, and Buff-tailed and Velvet-purple Coronets. Birding the flocks along the road can be exhilarating, and we’ll hope to connect with Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan and Toucan Barbet as well as Masked Trogon, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Turquoise Jay, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Streak-capped Treehunter, Plain-tailed Wren, Russet-crowned Warbler, many tanagers including Grass-green and Flame-faced, and perhaps even the very rare Tanager Finch (a fancy sparrow).

On one morning we’ll depart before dawn to visit a Cock-of-the-rock lek. The number of brilliant males attending the lek varies from day to day but the experience is never less than fascinating. If it can be arranged, we’ll also witness the now-famous local farmer Angel Paz feeding antpittas, possibly including Giant, Moustached, Ochre-breasted, and Yellow-breasted, and other species at his forest reserve. It’s truly an amazing spectacle! On other days we’ll drive to slightly lower elevations and encounter a host of different species, some widespread in the tropics, some at the southern end of their range, and some endemic to the Choco region of western Ecuador and adjacent Colombia. We’ll search for Blue-tailed Trogon, Purple-chested Hummingbird, Esmeraldas Antbird, Club-winged Manakin, Slate-throated Gnatcatcher, Choco Warbler, and many “new” tanagers including Moss-backed, Glistening-green, Gray-and-gold, Rufous-throated, Emerald, and Scarlet-browed. We could also encounter Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Orange-fronted Barbet, Red-billed Scythebill, the ethereal Black-tipped Cotinga, the diminutive Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant, and the very local Indigo Flowerpiercer. Nights at Séptimo Paraíso.

Day 8: We’ll have much of today to look for anything special we may have missed. After lunch we’ll drive back toward Quito, perhaps stopping in the arid country above the city to search for a few species that we won’t have seen elsewhere, possibly including Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch, Band-tailed Seedeater, Golden Grosbeak, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, and Black-tailed Trainbearer. We’ll arrive at our Puembo hotel in the late afternoon in time to rest a bit before a delicious farewell dinner. Night in Puembo.

Day 9: The trip ends this morning in Puembo.

2025 Feb Narrative

Day 1: Today our birding as a group began earlier than scheduled, as everyone in the group had arrived a day early. Some spent the morning at Parque Nacional Antisana, seeking out high-elevation specialties, while others relaxed at our bird-friendly accommodation at Puembo Birding Garden until the tour began properly.

By 3 pm we had reconvened as a group at Puembo. Here we enjoyed localized specialties of this drier interandean valley, many of which would not be seen again for the rest of the trip as we descend into moist tropical and subtropical forests. The astounding density and diversity of habitats here in Ecuador means there are unique birds to find everywhere. No two sites are the same, even mere miles apart. At Puembo, Scrub Tanager (otherwise a near-endemic to Colombia’s central cordillera), Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant, and Croaking Ground Dove are particularly habitat-restricted in Northern Ecuador. A locally rare Merlin was also a highlight. Thunder and ominous clouds threatened from the surrounding mountainsides as we packed it in for the evening.

Day 2: Our first full day began with a 6 am breakfast before setting off for the almost 2-hour drive to Yanacocha. As we crossed the entire breadth of Quito, we got a feel for this massive city of almost 2 million. 

At Yanacocha, we were greeted by atmospheric mist and clouds alongside a soundtrack of Undulated Antpitta, Ocellated Tapaculo, Blackish Tapaculo, and more. The mostly level, but rather lengthy, track out to the main hummingbird garden was tough work due to the over-11,000 ft elevation. Flurries of activity allowed us plenty of rest stops as we picked up Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanagers, a Black-chested Mountain Tanager, Golden-crowned Tanagers, and a trio of Tawny-rumped, White-banded, and White-throated Tyrannulets. Several friendly-looking Equatorial Antpittas played hide and seek in the dense vegetation, eventually giving decent views to most of the group. Our destination, the hummingbird garden, made our effort worthwhile. Buff-winged Starfrontlets were joined by Golden-breasted and Sapphire-vented Pufflegs. Great Sapphirewings dwarfed the surrounding hummingbirds until the real star of the show arrived, the preposterously proportioned Sword-billed Hummingbird. Having put on a great show, it was time for us to head back to the reserve entrance, where lunch was waiting. After lunch, a Shining Sunbeam was an exciting final addition before we began the 2-and-a-half-hour drive to our home for the rest of the tour, Septimo Paraiso in Mindo.

Day 3: This morning we awoke in darkness, walking out of the lodge door at 6 to the sounds of Rufous Motmots and Ecuadorian Thrush. As the light increased, so did the chorus of birds from every direction. Two of the most exciting unfortunately remained out of sight, as we listened to the sweet notes of an Ecuadorian Seedeater buried deep in bamboo and a Scaled Fruiteater’s slurred whistles from the slope above; however, there remained much to see as hummingbirds swarmed the feeders, Choco Toucans put on a show over the driveway, and tanagers from Golden to Blue-necked moved through. It was tough to tear ourselves away for breakfast, and we were right back at it half an hour later. The remainder of the morning was a classic introduction to Mindo’s cloud forests. A remarkable 17 species of hummingbird made themselves known, from the outlandish White-booted Racket-tails and Violet-tailed Sylphs to the scarce White-throated Daggerbill. A stunning flash of red noisily cruising through the forest was our first Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. A pair of Red-headed Barbets, excellent views of Crested Guans feeding, and a female Golden-winged Manakin were all highlights alongside many more. 

After a filling lunch, we made our way down into the town of Mindo. On the edge of town, a dirt road through some secondary habitat was our destination. Here we searched for the rare and recently split Coopman’s Elaenia. A pair eventually gave fantastic views, and we were otherwise entertained by a suite of new birds, including Scarlet-backed Woodpecker, Little Cuckoo, Pacific Hornero, a brief Masked Water-Tyrant, and many more. Several noisy White-throated Crakes remained stubbornly out of view. A quick check of the nearby river on the way back to the lodge produced a Torrent Tyrannulet as rain began to pour.

Day 4: An early start along a long and bumpy road immediately proved its worth as we stepped out in the dim predawn light at Bellavista Lodge. A moth light and fruit feeder combination in the lodge parking area kept us entranced for the following 3 hours. Turquoise Jays and Russet-crowned Warblers noisily surrounded us, but the real stars of the show were confiding and otherworldly Plate-billed Mountain-Toucans and a trio of White-faced Nunbirds. Streak-capped and Striped Treehunters made cameos, as did Barred Becard’s, Strong-billed Woodcreepers, Masked Trogons, and many more. Steps had to be taken with care, as Slate-throated Redstarts flitted around (and sometimes in between!) our feet. A good moth sheet in the neotropics is truly a revelation.

Once we finally dragged ourselves away from Bellavista we began to walk the surrounding roads. The forests here are in excellent condition and are a wonder in and of themselves. Despite lower-than-usual activity levels, we added a few new species and also found a Giant Earthworm measuring at least 3 feet long.

Next up was our lunch stop at the recently developed Guaycapi Lodge. We were greeted by sweeping views of montane forests shrouded in mist and possibly the most impressive feeders of the trip. Several Plate-billed Mountain-Toucans were joined by Crimson-rumped Toucanets, Red-headed Barbets, and a mind-numbing plague of tanagers. At times close to 50 individual tanagers must have been on the fruit platform, mostly Golden and Golden-naped. Some attempted late afternoon birding was somewhat curtailed by heavy rains.

Day 5: We ran into trouble early today. Having left at 5 am to arrive at Rio Silanche for dawn, we were confronted by an impassible river crossing just 4km from the reserve entrance. Continued heavy rain overnight meant water levels were exceptionally high. Scrambling for a new plan, we decided to instead to try some nearby habitat I had pinned as being of interest based on satellite imagery. This proved to be more successful than anticipated as we quickly found the near-endemic Rufous-headed Chachalaca, at the edge of their range here, followed by a calling Peruvian Pygmy-Owl. Collared Aracari’s visiting a nest in a tree cavity made for enjoyable viewing, as did pairs of Yellow-tailed Orioles and Black-faced Dacnis. Turning the corner we happened into a real star of the morning, the kookaburra-like Barred Puffbird. Dusky-faced Tanagers moved noisily through the underbrush.

Moving onto the next point of interest, we were delayed by a few interesting roadside birds, most notably a group of Ecuadorian Ground-Doves, also at the edge of their range here. The next stop consisted of some nice forest along a river edge. A group of Dot-winged Antwren’s were popular, as was a Blue-tailed Trogon. Walking up to the top of a rise, we decided to wait for a Gray-headed Kite flyover, which promptly arrived, albeit distantly. Just as we were ready to move on, a small brown bird flitted into a small tree over the road. Thinking it might be a new flycatcher for the trip, we tracked it down, instead finding a delightful Lanceolated Monklet. These tiny, rare puffbirds are always a treat and this one happily posed at close range for several minutes.

Our lunch stop at Sendero Frutti Tour had impressive feeder activity. Black-breasted Mango and Violet-bellied Hummingbirds were dwarfed by Lineated Woodpeckers. On the way back to the lodge we took a side track through some patches of Choco foothill rainforest, finding a White-bearded Manakin lek, a cooperative Collared Trogon, and hearing a White-whiskered Puffbird for a 3 puffbird species day. 

Day 6: Today we visited the famous Reserva Paz de Las Aves of Antpitta fame. Always a highlight on any tour to the region, Rodrigo, Angel, and their family are deservedly celebrated as one of South America’s greatest ecotourism success stories. Their passion is impossible not to appreciate, and today was no exception. We began the day with lekking Andean Cock-of-the-Rock before moving on to our search for 4 antpitta species. Yellow-breasted and Chestnut-crowned were well-behaved and posed with little drama. Ochre-breasted was a favorite, this tiny “dancing” antpitta showing well despite the rain. Giant Antpitta is often the toughest here, and today was no exception. “Maria” and “Cariño”, the resident pair, are residing at the bottom of a fairly steep trail. Rodrigo worked hard to coax one of them out with no success despite an hour and a half of waiting. Not to be deterred, at the end of the morning he offered to look again and radio in the results of his search. Having found them, some of the group went down the trail for a second time while others waited at the feeders. Just as we approached the site, the rain began to fall heavily and the Giant Antpittas went back into hiding. We patiently waited as Rodrigo worked tirelessly to refind them. After another hour, we were getting ready to finally give up when Dana, trained on a cross-section of the understory, announced that he could see one. It wasn’t long before “Maria” was posing for us, a highlight of the trip for many, particularly given the effort expended.

Day 7: Reserva Amagusa is a personal favorite of mine. Unfortunately, it’s a fairly long (1.5 hour) drive from Mindo, and the moth sheet means early morning action is a must, thus requiring an early start. Thankfully, we were quickly repaid for our effort, and then some. A trio of Zeledon’s Antbirds hopped around beneath the sheet, Moss-backed and Glistening-green Tanagers posed at arm’s length, and a family of Dark-backed Wood-Quail visited the corn feeder; however, the real draw this morning was a fruiting tree behind the moth sheet. A collection of Black Solitaires, a striking Chocó endemic, Orange-breasted Fruiteaters, and Golden-winged Manakins feasted. This delightful selection was joined by the scarce and beautiful Scaled Fruiteater and a globally rare Rufous-brown Solitaire. Capping off a whirlwind morning was a walk along the entrance road. Amongst the mist, we added Indigo Flowerpiercer, Olive Finch, and Green-fronted Lancebill. 

After Lunch, we continued to lower elevations beyond Amagusa. Here, we were treated by frantic activity at times, with highlights including Gray-and-Gold Tanager, Emerald Tanager, Guayaquil Woodpecker, Plumbeous Kites, and Orange-fronted Barbets.

Day 8: Our final day today, we began slightly later than the past few days, heading to the nearby Sachatamia Lodge in search of Long-wattled Umbrellabird. Having gathered in a hide overlooking a moth sheet and grape feeders we began our wait. A distinguished-looking Chestnut-capped Brushfinch was first to the sheet in the faint dawn light and was quickly followed by a flurry of activity which included Rufous Motmots, Spotted Barbtails, and Plain-brown Woodcreepers. Before long, a female Long-wattled Umbrellabird landed purposefully behind the feeder. We watched with excitement as she began devouring grapes. Not to be outdone, the male soon followed with his preposterous wattle dangling ungracefully as he swallowed grapes whole. We enjoyed the sheet for a while longer and were eventually treated to a grand finale of 3 Long-wattled Umbrellabirds just before we had to leave for breakfast. The male, a female, and a young bird interacted in what was perhaps the most memorable moment of the trip for many. The rest of the day was spent driving back towards Quito. We enjoyed a final pair of Plate-billed Mountain Toucans in pristine cloud forest towards Bellavista, and a trio of White-winged Tanagers delighted us during lunch. A stop in semi-desert at an abandoned horse track on the edge of Quito was surprisingly wet but produced Golden Grosbeaks, Ash-breasted Sierra Finch, and Blue-and-Yellow Tanagers. We arrived back at Puembo having enjoyed a fitting final day to top off a week of exciting birding and stunning scenery.

Back to Narratives