Birding in Ecuador: Part 1

Rob writes: It's been a few days since I returned from my trip to Ecuador but I'm just now getting the chance to write about the trip.

Ecuador was a spectacular country to visit. From the incredible diversity of birds to the wonderful lodges and friendly people, traveling in Ecuador is a fantastic experience. I'll be making several posts about my trip over the next couple of weeks.

After meeting my Sabrewing business partner, Brian, in Atlanta, we boarded our flight Quito. Our friend and guide for the trip, Edison Buenaño, met us at the airport and took us to Hotel Quito for the night. I had heard that the hotel property was decent for finding a few birds so I was up early the next morning to see what I might be able to find. After some time on the balcony, I added a few life birds such as the very common Great Thrush as well as Black-tailed Trainbearer.

The view from the top floor of Hotel Quito at sunrise.

Edison picked us up after breakfast and we headed for Reserva Yanacocha. Since I had never been to Ecuador, the lifers came fast! I ended up with 28 lifers here including three mountain-tanagers and 9 hummingbirds.

My first Sword-billed Hummingbird of the trip at Yanacocha.

After spending several hours exploring Yanacocha, we drove the Old Nono-Tandayapa Road towards Mindo. Since it was midday, the birding was rather slow during the first part of our drive but picked up significantly as we got near Mindo. We found a flock of birds and spend about 30 minutes sorting through all the species that were present.

Our final stop of the day was at a bird feeding station that a local has set up behind his house. Since Edison said that place was pretty new, we weren't sure what to expect but it turned out to be awesome! The hummingbird feeders were very active and Sickle-winged Guan came in for a banana late in the afternoon. Our first day ended with 71 lifers!

Once it was too dark to continue birding, we made our way to Septimo Paraiso which would be our home base for the next 3 days. Check back soon to read about out time birding on the Western Slope.

My First Trip to South America!

Rob writes: Tomorrow I will be leaving for my first ever trip to South America!

Ever since I started birding, I've wanted to go to Ecuador, and now, I'll finally get there. During the 12 day trip, we'll be birding in a huge variety of habitats and elevations which should lead to be pretty incredible list of species.

Check back on the NuttyBirder blog and Facebook page often for updates! I'll do my best to report on what we're seeing as much as our internet connections will allow. Also, after this trip, we'll be announcing future Sabrewing Nature Tours trips to this incredible destination.

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I'll be birding some on both the Eastern and Western slopes of Ecuador!