Ecuador: Northwest Andes in Summer

The Andes of northwest Ecuador have some of the best and most accessible birding locations in all of South America, and they just keep getting better every year. This fairly short tour based in the Mindo-Tandayapa area offers a superb look at the incredible bird diversity of the Chocó bioregion that will delight first time visitors to Ecuador and returning travelers alike.

Our tour will spend time at two outstanding and comfortable accommodations: Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge, situated in the upper subtropical zone above the Tandayapa Valley, and El Séptimo Paraíso, lower in the Mindo Valley. Both locations are excellent bases from which to explore the surrounding areas, and also have great birding right on the grounds. Among the localities we’ll visit are the Tandayapa Valley, Mindo, Mashpi, the Paz de las Aves reserve, and the forest preserves at Yanacocha, Milpe, Silanche, and Amagusa. During our eight days of birding we should encounter about 300 species, possibly including some of western Ecuador’s most celebrated: Toucan Barbet, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Giant Antpitta, Oilbird, Lyre-tailed Nightjar, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, and as many as 40 species of hummingbirds and 50 dazzling tanagers overall. Finally, on top of the amazing birds, another highlight will be the chance to meet and bird with some of the local entrepreneurs who have established the small reserves that help make birding so accessible and enjoyable in Ecuador, while conserving the important natural habitats of their home region at the same time.

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 this morning to drive across the city of Quito toward the temperate cloud forests on the outer slopes of Pichincha Volcano. Our destinations will be Zuro Loma and Yanacocha, two nearby reserves that are home to several interesting high-elevation species. We’ll watch the hummingbird feeders for the iconic Sword-billed Hummingbird, bossy Buff-winged Starfrontlet, and elegant Shining Sunbeam. Tanagers are abundant at this elevation, and we’ll especially hope to find mountain-tanagers, such as Scarlet-bellied, Hooded, and possibly the rare Black-chested. With luck we may be able to see Equatorial, Tawny, or Chestnut-naped Antpitta. After lunch at Yanacocha we’ll descend below the town of Nono through breathtaking temperate and subtropical forest along the famous Nono-Mindo road. Here we’ll look for White-capped Dipper and roadside mixed-species flocks containing a variety of tanagers, flycatchers, warblers, and other birds. We’ll arrive in the late afternoon at Bellavista Cloud Forest, our home for two nights. Night at Bellavista.

Day 3: On our full day based at Bellavista, we’ll concentrate on birding the upper subtropical cloud forest around the lodge and in the adjacent Tandayapa Valley, without the need to drive very far at all. We’ll begin by birding right outside our cabins, where eye-catching Turquoise Jays, Blue-winged Mountain-Tanagers, Masked Trogons, and Strong-billed Woodcreepers frequently visit an insect light at dawn in search of their breakfast. The scarce White-faced Nunbird and gaudy Toucan Barbet occasionally put in an appearance as well. Hummingbird feeders at Bellavista and nearby properties attract an outrageous variety of hummingbirds, including gems like White-booted Racket-tail, Collared Inca, Andean Emerald, Purple-throated Woodstar, and Buff-tailed Coronet. Walking along the road can bring exhilarating birding too, and we’ll hope to encounter mixed flocks that might hold Grass-green Tanager, Cinnamon Flycatcher, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, and Green-and-black Fruiteater. The striking Crested Quetzal and the incomparable Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan are both possible here. Night at Bellavista.

Day 4: Our second morning at Bellavista comes with an early excursion to look for the tricky, phantom-like Tanager Finch, a large sparrow known in Ecuador only from a handful of sites. After returning to the lodge for breakfast and a last chance to enjoy the bird activity at the feeders, we’ll check out with a pack lunch and take a longer drive (around 1.5 hours) down into the Guayllabamba River Valley to visit a dark and mysterious grotto home to a colony of Oilbirds that spend the daylight hours resting on steep rock ledges above a rushing mountain stream. These unique and bizarre birds, superficially similar to nightjars, are the only nocturnal, frugivorous bird species in the world, and they are known to use echolocation like bats! Their abrupt shrieking vocalizations combined with the somewhat spooky ambience of their hideout will provide for a memorable experience. After our visit with the Oilbirds we’ll have the rest of the day to make our way to Mindo; we may head straight for our lodge to check in or we may make some roadside birding stops en route. By late afternoon we’ll arrive at El Séptimo Paraíso Lodge, our home for the next five nights. Night at Séptimo Paraíso.

Days 5-8: We’ll have four full days to explore several of the most famous birding locations in northwest Ecuador. One morning we’ll depart before dawn to visit an Andean 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. We’ll visit the now-famous reserve managed by local farmer Angel Paz, where we hope to see a number of antpittas (Giant, Ochre-breasted, Chestnut-crowned, Moustached, and Yellow-breasted Antpittas are all possible) and other normally hard-to-see species.

On another morning we’ll visit the magical cloud forests of the Mashpi area, set at a similar elevation to the Mindo-Tandayapa area but on a different ridge of the Andes. This area is home to the marvelous Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, and hosts a plethora of species endemic to the Chocó bioregion of western Ecuador and adjacent Colombia, including Moss-backed Tanager, Black Solitaire, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Pacific Tuftedcheek, Chocó Vireo, and Indigo Flowerpiercer.

We’ll be sure to descend at least once to the steamy lower foothills, where diversity is highest and we can encounter a different range of birds. Here, widespread rainforest species are found alongside some Central American specialties at the southern end of their range and some species endemic to the Chocó region. We’ll search for prizes such as Orange-fronted Barbet, Guayaquil Woodpecker, Blue-tailed and Gartered Trogons, Purple-chested Hummingbird, and uncommon tanagers like Gray-and-gold, Scarlet-browed, and Dusky-faced.

Our lodge, El Séptimo Paraíso, is situated in a forested valley with good birding possibilities on the grounds and nearby, and we’ll hope to run into mixed-species flocks containing Spotted Woodcreeper, Red-faced Spinetail, Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, Slaty-capped Flycatcher, and Yellow-throated Chlorospingus. Also found around the lodge are some sought-after birds like Golden-headed Quetzal, Crested Guan, and Crimson-rumped Toucanet.

Hummingbird diversity is extremely high in the cloud forests of northwest Ecuador, and we can find 10 or more species at several sites. Given the popularity of hummingbird feeders at many small, local reserves, we can expect closeup encounters with extraordinary Chocó endemics like Violet-tailed Sylph, Empress Brilliant, Velvet-purple Coronet, Brown Inca, and Purple-bibbed Whitetip, surely a highlight experience. Nights at Séptimo Paraíso.

Day 9: We have the morning to look for anything special we may have missed, or we may visit a new area. Depending on the day’s program we may check out of Séptimo Paraso after breakfast or after lunch. In the afternoon we’ll drive back toward Quito, perhaps stopping in the arid country outside the city to search for a few species that we won’t see elsewhere. Possible species at this site include Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch, Band-tailed Seedeater, Golden Grosbeak, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, and Black-tailed Trainbearer. We’ll arrive back at our airport hotel in the late afternoon in time to rest a bit before a delicious farewell dinner. Night in Tababela.

Day 10: The trip ends this morning with transfers to the airport.

2025 Narrative

Our 2025 Northwest Ecuador in Summer tour was action-packed and full of amazing sightings, enhanced by the dramatic landscapes of steep Andean slopes smothered by lush cloud forest. The group, a mix of Neotropical first-timers and seasoned travelers, got along effortlessly and made for great company throughout the trip. We enjoyed favorable weather, with little rain and delightfully cool temperatures that are typical of “verano” (Ecuador’s dry season), perhaps accentuated by an unusual polar air mass that had a widespread influence across the southern half of South America in June and July. The birding was full of highlights, with iconic South American species like Oilbird, Giant Antpitta, Golden-headed Quetzal, and Andean Cock-of-the Rock headlining a list of lifetime memories. We also observed an impressive number of regional specialties endemic to the wet Chocó bioregion, which spans northwest Ecuador and southwest Colombia, including the Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Black Solitaire, Long-wattled Umbrellbird, Velvet-purple Coronet, and Toucan Barbet, among others. During the tour we tallied over 40 species of both hummingbirds and tanagers, and we saw six species of antpittas, marking a resounding success with these popular families. Finally, the birding was complemented by the company and professionalism of our fantastic driver Edwin, and the warmth of the many entrepreneurs operating the small birding businesses of the region. It sure was a memorable trip!

Day 1 - Several of the participants arrived a day early and enjoyed a birding day trip to the high-elevation habitats around Antisana National Park. The whole group gathered for our introductory meeting and a delicious dinner at the hotel. Some characteristic urban birds of the Quito metropolitan area were at home on the hotel grounds as well: Rufous-collared Sparrow, Eared Dove, Great Thrush, and Vermilion Flycatcher.

Day 2 - We began early, driving across urban Quito in the twilight hour, and over to the outer western slope before the city awoke. At our first stop we did a little roadside birding, finding Black-crested Warbler, Andean Guan, and Buff-breasted Mountain-Tanager. But before long we had to continue upward to Zuro Loma, where we spent a couple of hours at this private reserve facing Pichincha Volcano, which was enshrouded in clouds at the top. Our host Silvio was able to bring both Chestnut-naped and Equatorial Antpitta into view for incredible views, and although the hummingbird feeders did not have many customers, we did see a few individuals of the common species at this elevation, like Sparkling Violetear, Collared Inca, White-bellied Woodstar, and the incomparable Sword-billed Hummingbird. After Zuro Loma we headed farther upslope to Yanacocha, set in temperate cloud forest at over 11,000’. A slow walk along the Inca track was mostly quiet, but produced a pair of Barred Fruiteaters, a large group of Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanagers, and an amazing close observation of Variable Hawk. We also took in the many high Andean flowers in bloom. After our walk we enjoyed a wonderful lunch prepared at the reserve and spent a little while watching the feeders. There wasn’t a lot of action, but a Yellow-breasted Brushfinch delighted us with its bright colors and the energetic Shining Sunbeams kept us entertained as they guarded the nectar. For the remainder of the afternoon, we made our way down the old Nono-Mindo road, making a few short stops and eventually finishing our day at Bellavista cloud Forest Lodge, where we noted the new hummingbirds at the feeders: Gorgeted Sunangel, Speckled Hummingbird, and copious Buff-tailed Coronets.

Day 3 - This morning saw us gather before dawn to start at Bellavista’s moth light. Turquoise Jays came in first, then a Golden-bellied Flycatcher appeared, and the parade of new species continued for the better part of an hour: Russet-crowned Warbler, Chestnut-capped Brushfinch, Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager, Streaked Treehunter, Cinnamon Flycatcher, and many others delighted our group. A pair of Chestnut-crowned Antpittas stole the show when they appeared at the edge of the parking lot and eventually emerged to forage in the open! But even they were upstaged when a spectacular Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan dropped in to visit the fruit feeder. We attempted to see the exceptionally loud family group of Plain-tailed Wrens that could be heard belting out their remarkable song from the bamboo patch below the lodge, but they were too quick for most to get binoculars on. After breakfast, we drove uphill a bit and took a walk on the road to the research station through lush and stunningly beautiful cloud forest. New birds that we encountered included Golden-headed Quetzal, Glossy-black Thrush, and Green-and-black Fruiteater. As a patch of low clouds settled over the ridge and enveloped the canopy, we debated whether the Grass-green Tanager was green at all or if it was actually black. The main event of the afternoon was a visit to the quiet Pacha Quinde reserve down the road, where from the deck we found some new hummingbirds like Andean Emerald, Brown Violetear, and the tiny Purple-throated Woodstar. We also saw our first Crimson-rumped Toucanet and our only White-winged Brushfinch of the tour. Later in the afternoon, while walking on the upper road, we briefly encountered a Powerful Woodpecker, and the last bird of the day was a Crimson-mantled Woodpecker that called out as we returned to the lodge, and afforded decent views as it foraged in a cecropia. 

Day 4 - We began with a pre-dawn visit to the upper road above the lodge. This turned out to be more of a listening experience than anything, as we enjoyed hearing classic cloud forest sounds like Wattled Guan, Giant Antpitta, and Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush. The triumph of seeing a Spillman’s Tapaculo was a highlight for some. Back at the lodge for breakfast, a Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan dropped into the feeder to grab some fruit to feed its dependent juvenile, and then we departed to lower elevations. At the Finca Morales, we found plenty of new birds for the trip, including Pacific Hornero, Masked Tityra, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Boat-billed Flycatcher, and a pair of striking Masked Water-Tyrants. A group of 50 or more Swallow-tailed Kites glided along the ridge nearby, providing an amazing spectacle. After picking up our host Marcia, we continued down to Chontal, Imbabura for the main event of the day: a visit to an Oilbird roost! Before we even got there, a Striped Cuckoo popped up beside the road, causing us to stop and admire it as it raised and lowered its expressive crest. Once at the site, we walked down to the bottom of the hill, where Marcia opened the gate and escorted us up the steps into the grotto. There we found at least two dozen Oilbirds roosting in the eerie light on the ledges, with water running below us and dripping down from above. It was a memorable scene, and was made even more intense each time one of the birds took flight and attempted to land on a different perch, seemingly provoking a disagreement with a neighbor that resulted in clicks, hisses, and grating roars. Back outside we found some additional new species, including Little Cuckoo, Yellow Tyrannulet, and a splendid Purple-crowned Fairy that obliged us by perching down low for good views. It was a long drive back toward Mindo but worth it to achieve a lifetime birding goal for some, and create a lifetime memory for everyone. We checked into Séptimo Paraíso Lodge in time for just a little hummingbird feeder-watching at the end of the afternoon, with novelties like Green-crowned Brilliant and Andean Emerald.

Day 5 - It was an early start for our day trip to the Mashpi area. Right away, we had a major highlight without even getting out of the van when we spotted a Black Solitaire at the roadside. This scarce Chocó endemic is easy to miss and it felt like a good omen to get one so early in the day. Arriving at Mashpi Amagusa we met our host Sergio and the birding excitement continued, with excellent activity around the moth light. Zeledon’s Antbird, Spotted Barbtail, Pacific Tuftedcheek, Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner, and Tawny-breasted Flycatcher were among the many insect-eaters attracted to the buffet. Moss-backed Tanager and Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager headlined the list of tanagers that visited the fruit feeder, while a flock of gaudy Rose-faced Parrots made themselves at home in the closest tree to the deck, with numerous individuals coming and going throughout the morning. There was so much to see that it kept us from eating our breakfast for almost an hour! The hummingbirds were equally impressive, with flashy Velvet-purple Coronets, tiny Green Thorntails, and elegant Empress Brilliants flying all around us. Walking along the road we added Green-fronted Lancebill near a little waterfall, its preferred microhabitat. A White-tipped Sicklebill was less cooperative, only making brief appearances at the staked-out heliconia flowers that it was visiting. Sergio helped us spot Chocó Vireo and Ashy-headed Tyrannulet in the canopy, and a Golden-winged Manakin delighted us by making repeated foraging flights up a small ravine to a fruiting tree, its yellow wings a blur of motion. 

Next up we stopped at Sacha Guatusa to enjoy our packed lunch. Here we had more luck with tanagers, seeing both Gray-and-gold and Rufous-throated up close at the feeders, with bananas put out by our host Claudia just when we arrived. Collared Trogon was new for our list as well, and some of us were able to catch a glimpse of the lightning-fast White-bearded Manakin. Rain caused us to scrap our birding stop along the lower Mashpi-Guayabillas road, and instead we slowly made our way back to civilization through a matrix of foothill forest, small farms, and larger-scale cropland.

Day 6 - Today’s main event was a trip down to our lowest elevation of the tour, specifically the Río Silanche Bird Sanctuary, which has protected a small but important parcel of old growth rainforest for over 20 years. This little reserve, owned by the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation, provides a key habitat oasis in a largely deforested landscape where much of the original forest cover has been replaced by agriculture. Here we were able to spot some typical, widespread Neotropical rainforest species alongside rarer Chocó lowland endemics. We got started with the latter category right away, with an obliging Purple-chested Hummingbird nectaring on a patch of porterweed right by the shelter where we enjoyed our pack breakfast. The canopy observation tower gave us great views of Green Honeycreeper, Bay-headed Tanager, and a small flock of Purple-throated Fruitcrows, seen right in the trees closest to the tower. Overhead we spotted Lesser Swallow-tailed Swifts, and through the scope we were able to appreciate White-tailed Trogon and both toucan species (Chocó and Yellow-throated) more distantly. Guayaquil Woodpeckers advertised their presence with their distinctive “double-knock” drumming, but stayed out of view. Surely the “best” (i.e. rarest) bird seen from the tower was the Chocó endemic Scarlet-breasted Dacnis; we were treated to a dazzling male perched up in a medium-distance treetop twice. Down below, we walked the road through the reserve, turning up a Barred Puffbird perched high above us, and a surprise Zone-tailed Hawk that soared overhead; with its Turkey Vulture-like flight style and appearance, it could easily have been overlooked. We also spent a little time walking the trail through the understory of the forest. Sadly, we found the trail to be somewhat overgrown, a consequence of the foundation’s lack of operational budget, but we moved slowly and managed to find some quality species like the widespread Broad-billed Motmot and the regional endemic Blue-tailed Trogon (aka “Chocó Trogon”). When we paused to observe the drama of a very small Brown Spot-bellied Snake attempting to subdue a much larger robber frog, a big mixed flock led by Tawny-crested Tanagers caught our attention. We picked out some other species like Cinnamon Becard and Scarlet-browned Tanager, but the flock was high in the canopy, difficult to observe, and we were getting hungry anyway, so we ate our pack lunch and then loaded up to head back to the town of Pedro Vicente Maldonado, spotting an amorous pair of Lineated Woodpeckers along the way. 

Our last stop of the afternoon was Frutti Tour, an emerging birding destination where our host Marcelo shared his extremely active feeder setup. The first 15 minutes or so could be described as exhilarating or frantic, depending on your point of view, as dozens of hummingbirds buzzed around the deck and a nonstop parade of tanagers, finches, saltators, and others visited the fruit and seed feeders; new species popped up one after another in rapid succession. Here we added no fewer than six new hummingbirds: Violet-bellied Hummingbird, Long-billed Starthroat, Green-breasted Mango, Bronzy and White-whispered Hermits, and the arrestingly beautiful Crowned Woodnymph with its glowing shades of purple and green. We studied the varied plumage styles of Flame-rumped (aka “Lemon-rumped”) and White-lined Tanagers, and enjoyed seeing two striking woodpeckers up close: Golden-olive and Black-cheeked. Meanwhile, gaudy Orange-billed Sparrows mingled with Ecuadorian Thrushes and Saffron Finches at the crushed corn provided for them. It was a very productive end to our day in the lowlands. Back at Septimo Paraiso, some chose to relax for a little while before dinner, while others set off on a successful quest for a Guayaquil Woodpecker sighting!

Day 7 - On a trip full of memorable days, it’s safe to say that our highly-anticipated visit to the famous Refugio Paz de las Aves managed to stand out from the rest. We made another early start, arriving at the viewing blind for the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek in pre-dawn twilight. Soon we could hear the strange, insistent whining calls, and as the light increased we began to take in their equally strange appearance: the males’ unbelievably vibrant scarlet coloration and odd, plush “front crest” contribute to a cartoonish look that is matched by their excited and hyperactive posturing as they vie for position and superiority in the lek. And the intensity ramped up each time a female made an appearance. After the cock-of-the-rock experience we were treated to a fantastical male Lyre-tailed Nightjar on his roost, his unbelievably long tail feathers draped below him. From there we continued to visit various spots with our hosts from the Paz family, Andy, Rodrigo, and Angel, as they showed us many of the rare and elusive residents of the cloud forest. Of course, the most famous residents are the antpittas, and they did not disappoint! We had the privilege of seeing three species of this secretive Neotropical family thanks to the time-consuming techniques of habituating the birds for worm-feeding. We saw the adorable Ochre-breasted Antpitta nicknamed “Shakira” for its habit of shimmying back and forth when perched, the Chocó endemic Yellow-breasted Antpitta, and the jaw-dropping Giant Antpitta, which miraculously reappeared for us after an absence of a week, with a begging juvenile in tow. These sightings alone would have been a tremendous success, but we were also treated to a cryptic Olivaceous Piha on its nest, a pair of industrious Powerful Woodpeckers, and a bold and sassy Zeledon’s Antbird. Yes, there were hummingbirds too, with cute White-booted Racket-tails and elegant Violet-tailed Sylphs visiting the feeders, and let’s not forget the superb “second breakfast” of coffee with bolones and empanadas, a traditional Ecuadorian morning meal and another feature of birding at Refugio Paz that makes each visit to this family-run business so special. 

In the early afternoon we made a visit to the small Punto Ornitologico property in nearby Mindo, where the highlights continued. Our host Alcivar showed us a nest of the one-of-a-kind Sunbittern, a uniquely Neotropical species placed in its own family. Nearby we observed a roosting Common Potoo, wonderfully camouflaged as a broken branch. Before heading back to Septimo for the remainder of the afternoon, we spent a little while on Alcivar’s small campy tower, adding sightings of Black-crowned Tityra, Pale-vented Pigeon, and Blue-necked and Swallow Tanagers. What a day!

Day 8 - Today we targeted one of the most outrageous of the Chocó endemics, setting out from the lodge well before dawn for a chance to see the bizarre Long-wattled Umbrellabird. We met our host Luis in the small village of 23 de Junio, and continued uphill as far as the van would take us; next we forded a small stream in our rubber boots and hiked up a muddy trail toward Luis’s family property where the umbrellabirds gather at their lek. As the sun rose, we found several males and females chasing each other through the treetops, the males’ strange necktie-like wattles dangling and bouncing as they hopped and flew. Before long, they dispersed to forage, and we devoured our pack breakfast, carried up to the observation site high on the hillside by Edwin and Luis. The hummingbird feeders were busy with Purple-bibbed Whitetips, Empress Brilliants, Brown Incas, Velvet-purple Coronets, and at least one sneaky Tawny-bellied Hermit, yet another new hummingbird that bumped our tally up to a remarkable 40 species. Chocó Toucans and Ruddy Pigeons gave good views nearby, and we were able to study the umbrellabirds again more distantly through the scope. On our hike down a Barred Hawk soared over a far hillside and White-thighed Swallows zipped past up close. Back at the village,e we were offered a snack of empanadas with coffee (impossible to resist!), and then headed back toward the lodge. A short stop by the Río Blanco gave us a final taste of birding in the lowlands, with Streak-headed Woodcreeper and Scarlet-rumped Caciques among others. After lunch and a little downtime, we headed for the town of Mindo, one of Ecuador’s most well-known ecotourism locations. First we drove to a bridge over the rushing Río Mindo, where we spotted a pair of White-capped Dippers working on building a nest on the rock face beside the river. Torrent Tyrannulets foraged nearby. Next we took some time to enjoy a little cultural activity: a chocolate tour! It was fun and enriching to learn all about the process of growing and making chocolate, from the plant to the final product. Back at the lodge we had our final dinner at Septimo Paraiso, and then turned in, tired from our long day.

Day 9 - We all deserved a sleep-in after the extremely early start the day before, so we started with breakfast at the very civilized hour of 6 am and then birded along the driveway at Septimo Paraiso. It was a beautiful morning, with a good amount of bird song but it was hard to get eyes on most things, with the charming Ornate Flycatchers being a notable exception. Crested Guans stood out as a highlight, and we saw Lineated Foliage-gleaner and Marble-faced Bristle-Tyrant reasonably well. By mid-morning, we checked out and headed to Milpe Bird Sanctuary for a few hours of birding. At Milpe we had good views of forest species like Pallid Dove, Chestnut-backed Antbird, and Tawny-breasted Flycatcher; a Speckled Nightingale-Thrush sang close by but was hard to see. Mixed flocks included some new species and others that we were able to get upgraded views of: Yellow-throated Chlorospingus, Northern Plain-Xenops, Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner, Slaty Antwren, and Plain-brown Woodcreeper. Hummingbirds were plentiful at the feeders, with Crowned Woodnymphs, White-necked Jacobins, and Green-crowned Woodnymphs making up the majority of the cast. As the morning came to a close we were able to call in an Olive-crowned Yellowthroat for views in the scope. From Milpe we headed back toward Quito, stopping first for lunch at the excellent Mirador Guaycapi restaurant, where the highlight was a sensational White-winged Tanager that Edwin spotted as it perched at eye level off the outdoor dining deck. After lunch we had a couple more short stops near the town of Calacalí, first to admire the monument to the Equator in the town plaza, then to take a stroll through an area of scrubby vegetation just across the western crest of the Andes and nestled in rainshadow that is the Inter-Andean Valley. We were able to add a few characteristic species of this novel habitat, such as Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, and Blue-and-yellow Tanager. A Peregrine Falcon and a Variable Hawk soared overhead, but Black-tailed Trainbearers with their extravagantly long tails stole the show. Finally time was up and it was time to return to Tababela for our farewell dinner and the conclusion of the tour. We ran through the day’s checklist for one last time, and reminisced about favorite sightings from the tour, and the Oilbird was voted the top bird of the trip in a landslide, with Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan and Giant Antpitta tied for second place. Incredible birds from a great tour. Until next time!

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