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Archive for June, 2021

Ecuador 2021: San Isidro (Part 5 of 6)

Posted in Travel for Birding, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 25, 2021| 3 Comments »

We arrived at Cabañas San Isidro on the evening of April 29 in time for a wonderful dinner, our first of the fantastic meals served there. Our rooms were large and beautiful; mine had floor-to-ceiling glass walls on one side providing a view of the surrounding forest. The restaurant and deck area was lovely, too, with birds nearly always in the nearby trees.

We spent all day April 30 birding around the lodge and on the entrance road. Above is an Inca Jay or Inca subspecies of Green Jay, depending upon which taxonomic authority you follow. If you have seen Green Jays in South Texas, you will think that this bird looks quite different. And, if you enjoy taxonomic discussions, check out Why is the Inca Jay not a Green Jay?

A few of the other birds that I saw right from the deck are shown below. A lovely little Pale-edged Flycatcher was a regular in the trees by the deck.

Earlier, when we observed Russet-backed Oropendolas nest building at Limoncocha, Xavier promised me that I would get good close looks later in the trip. As promised, I saw them every day while we were at San Isidro.

Another regular in the deck area was Scarlet-rumped Cacique. Every morning, I found one in the exact same spot on the deck rail above the moth sheet.

The most intriguing bird at the lodge is the mystery owl. It is in the genus Ciccaba, but otherwise no one can determine what it is! It looks similar to the other Ciccaba species found in Ecuador, Black-and-white Owl and Black-banded Owl, but neither of those are found at an elevation this high. This owl has been found only in a small area near the San Isidro lodge. There are also some minor plumage differences between this owl and the other Ciccaba species. People like to categorize birds, but more importantly birders need to report them. So, eBird created a taxon just for this owl, the “San Isidro Owl (undescribed form).” This beautiful creature was heard calling during our dinner every night.

We started May 1, our second day at San Isidro, by birding around the lodge again. A nice feature of the lodge is the moth sheet below the deck. The area around the sheet is like a typical yard, much more open than the moth blind at WildSumaco. The birds that come to feast on the moths are not particularly skulky otherwise, but it’s nice to get such good looks at them. Below, a pretty Cinnamon Flycatcher enjoys a moth for breakfast.

I liked the moth sheet for more than the bird food it provided. Because the sheet was in the open, I could walk right up to it and view the amazing moths. I photographed several dozen species and I am still trying to identify them, a harder task than I expected. Below is a small sample of the moth bounty. Look closely, especially at the second one, and note that all of the following moths are head up.

After watching hummingbirds, other birds, and moths for a short time, we made our second attempt to see an antpitta, which had not cooperated the first day. It was slower to come for worms than any that we had seen previously, but it was worth the wait. I think that this White-bellied Antpitta was the prettiest of the seven that we saw during the trip.

In the afternoon we went to La Brisa hummingbird feeders where Gorgeted Woodstar (top left photo below) was a life bird. The Collared Inca (top right) was one of my favorites at the lodge at San Isidro. The Chestnut-breasted Coronet (bottom left) did not like it as much as I did, though, as they were very possessive of the feeders. They seemed to particularly dislike the Collared Inca and spent an inordinate amount of time chasing it away. We saw Chestnut-breasted Coronets and Fawn-breasted Brilliants (bottom right) at both La Brisa and our lodge.

One of the most beautiful hummingbirds on the east side of the Andes is Long-tailed Sylph. Watch for it in the slow-motion video below that I took at Cabañas San Isidro.

On May 2, we started the day by heading out to the nearby countryside. It was a beautiful morning as you can see in the photo below. I enjoyed the scenery almost as much as the birds.

On Borja Road, we found a small group of Red-breasted Meadowlarks. It was very exciting to see these beautiful birds.

Our attention switched back to the landscape when we saw gas, steam, and ash plumes rising from Reventador, one of Ecuador’s most active volcanoes. Xavier had only seen this once before, so I felt privileged to share this beautiful and impressive sight.

Next we headed to Concierto de Aves to see some special birds. After watching hummingbirds around Victor and Nilda’s home, we walked down a country road that paralleled a little creek. The Fasciated Tiger-Heron in the creek was a very welcome surprise.

Below, Xavier and me on the road which led to the larger stream. We left the road to walk a trail through the forest that weaved in and out of the stream. Victor and Nilda helped me on the steep parts of the path and through the water. I could not have done it without them!

Our reward at the end of the trail – a female Andean Cock-of-the-rock on her nest. You might be wondering why she is orange instead of red. That’s because we are on the east side of the Andes and this is a different subspecies than the one in northwest Ecuador. There are actually four subspecies; two are red and two are orange.

We were able to see this gorgeous bird so well because once again Xavier had carried a scope on the trail through the forest and creek. Her nest is actually quite well hidden on the side of the mountain by the waterfall. The walk to see the Cock-of-the-rock was one of the most beautiful and amazing adventures of the entire trip.

Nilda and I walked back along the road together and although she does not speak English and I don’t speak Spanish (a deficit that I really need to remedy), we managed to communicate. Nilda saw me photograph a flower, so she took me to see these beauties.

And, all too soon our time at San Isidro was over. This fabulous day was my last with Xavier, but I would have one more day of birding on the way back to Quito with Francisco. Stay tuned for my last post on this wonderful trip to Ecuador with Neblina Forest.

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Ecuador 2021: Limoncocha (Part 4 of 6)

Posted in Travel for Birding, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on June 8, 2021| 1 Comment »

Limoncocha was different; really different. Many of the birds were strange and bizarre. It was quiet and peaceful, wonderful, almost magical. I had never heard of Limoncocha before the trip, but Xavier suggested it because of a Harpy Eagle nest. And who would say no to that? There would be much more than the eagle, though. eBirders have reported 520 species in the Limoncocha Biological Reserve.

The reserve is on the Napo River, about 230 miles east of Quito, near the little town of Limoncocha. It is one of the most bio-diverse areas on the planet, but its flora and fauna have been continually threatened by nearby oil activity since 1975.

After the drive from WildSumaco, we arrived at the headquarters of the Limoncocha Biological Reserve in the early afternoon. We left our car there and were transported to our lodge on the edge of the Limoncocha lagoon, inside the protected area of the reserve, via a motorized canoe.

After putting our things in our cabins, we immediately left to see the eagle nest. It was a 20-minute boat ride back to the reserve headquarters and then a short drive. Next was what was described as a “20 minute boat ride followed by an easy 20-minute walk along a flat trail.” Apparently, that was true when the trail was dry, but there had been rain the previous few days and the trail was flooded. Our local guide, Wymper, told Xavier that I would not be able to walk the trail and that they were going to carry me! I protested that I didn’t need to be treated like a princess, but Wymper insisted. Obviously, they had done this before as they were prepared with a stretcher that I sat upon while they carried me the last third of the trail. There were tree roots and other unseen obstacles under the water making it very difficult to walk, especially while carrying me.

I was impressed by the efforts of these men getting us to the eagle nest and by the wonderful covered platform they had built there, a respectful distance from the nest tree. And, Xavier had walked the flooded trail carrying a scope so that we would have good views. We did not see either adult as one of them had made a food drop a few hours earlier, but at only 4-1/2 months old, this baby already looks like a Harpy Eagle.

The massive Harpy Eagle is a “holy grail” bird for serious birders. Adults have a six to seven foot wingspan, talons the size of grizzly bear claws, and they weigh 9 to 20 pounds (females are larger than males). Compare that to a Bald Eagle, not a small bird, that tops out at 14 pounds. These apex predators hunt mainly in the canopy and consume a variety of prey, but they have a propensity for small monkeys and sloths. Their large range extends from Central America throughout most of South America, but they are rare everywhere. Sadly, the population is believed to be declining due to habitat loss and direct persecution. Harpy Eagle is classified by BirdLife International as Near Threatened.

After we spent an hour or so watching the eaglet, we retraced our route back to the lodge in time for a simple but tasty dinner. Limoncocha Ecolodge never had hot water and had electricity for only a couple of hours each day, but it was clean, safe, and comfortable.

We started the next day, April 28, on the lagoon at 5:39 am. Hoatzin could be the poster bird for Limoncocha. There were many of them around the lagoon, including a female on a nest right by the dock for the lodge.

We saw a Limpkin, a very familiar bird from all my trips to Florida, but it looked quite different from the Limpkins I knew. Later, I learned that there are several subspecies and the Limpkins in South America are “brown-backed.” Below, the Limpkin at Limoncocha on the left and a Limpkin from Florida on the right.

We also saw an Azure Gallinule that morning. My photos are not as good as I’d like, but most were taken from a boat and we were never as close to the birds as we’d been when feeder watching.

We returned to the lodge shortly after 8:00 am for breakfast and then we drove to the town of Limoncocha for a little birding there. That’s after a boat ride to get back to the car. The lodge is accessible only by boat. We didn’t see as much as we’d hoped for, but I enjoyed watching a small colony of Russet-backed Oropendolas building their nests.

On the boat trip through the lagoon, as we headed back to the lodge, we saw a beautiful Cocoi Heron.

And, a family of Red-capped Cardinals.

After lunch and a little rest, we spent more time on the lagoon. It was nice seeing many Snail Kites, one of the few familiar birds there. This immature bird was especially cooperative.

One of my biggest surprises was a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl that we first heard, and then saw, in the top of a tree on the far side of the lagoon. This was the bird that I missed in Texas a few years ago, so it was especially sweet to get it on my life list.

Limoncocha lagoon teems with all kinds of wildlife. We saw mostly birds, but I was thrilled to also see these Proboscis Bats roosting on a tree.

Black-capped Donacobius had caught my eye when I was preparing for the trip by reviewing photos of birds seen in the Amazon basin. We saw them earlier, but Xavier and Wymper worked that afternoon to find these shy birds again so that I could have a better look and get photos.

Just before dark, Wymper found our last target, perhaps the most bizarre bird of all the Amazon, a Horned Screamer. This delightful blog post, Screaming Unicorns, includes a video link. This National Geographic article describes the sharpened bone spurs on the wings of these unusual birds. Even a Harpy Eagle wouldn’t mess with these huge birds!

In a day and a half, I had 18 life birds. But, wait, there’s more! After our final boat trip back to the reserve headquarters on our last morning, we had one more bird to see. Antpitta #6 of the trip was White-lored Antpitta, trained to come for worms by a local birder.

When I think back on these two days and nights at Limoncocha, it truly feels magical – the lemon-green lagoon, fantastic birds, fishing bats, glow worms. Striated Herons so thick they jumped out of the way by the dozen when we powered the boat through shallow areas. Common pauraque calling in the wee hours of morning.

Limoncocha is more accessible and much more affordable than the fancier lodges two hours farther down the Napo River. If you are interested in a trip like this, I recommend Xavier Munoz of Neblina Forest.

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