Musings From Paradise

Recommendations by three birding friends inspired Sooney and me to do our version of a celebratory trifecta. Her 75th, my 80th, and our 50th. Given the diversity of this nearly 3-week adventure, I’ve broken it down into 3 parts, including a photo gallery representing each leg of the trip.

We sandwiched several days both before and after our 21 days in Ecuador for a visit with Jim and Carol in Coral Gables, FL. As in previous trips to Costa Rica and Panama, Carol joined us on this adventure, and in this post I’ve expanded on the highlights of our journey (February 28th to March 19th).

Our itinerary was prepared by Mercedes Rivadeneira who, with her daughter Kelly, run Puembo Birding Garden, a friendly lodge in the suburbs of Quito. She arranged all the transportation to and from the airports, a day-long tour of the colonial section of Quito, and provided us delicious food and comfortable lodging when we were in Quito. The city tour happened to coincide with the celebration of Carnival, a vibrant national holiday in Ecuador, with parades featuring costumed dancers, music, and a blend of traditional and indigenous celebrations, including water and foam fights. Fortunately, water wasn’t favored in the chilly weather, but it was tough escaping the foam (we got blasted by a couple of stalking middle-school-aged boys with mischievous smiles—all in good fun and, as the vendors claimed, the foam doesn’t stain).

After acclimating ourselves to Quito’s 9,350′ elevation, we headed off in Edwin’s car, soon leaving the highways for miles on mountain roads. Our routine would be to get up early, hit the road with binoculars, camera, and an extra battery and, at some point,  get a walk in each day. Having an Ecuadorian guide with a car was indispensable, and we grew to be good friends with Edwin Pérez, sharing, laughing, and learning much during the long drives some days required.

We arrived at Reserva Zuro Loma (elevation 10,500′) and were treated to an entirely different variety of bird species than we’d experienced in Quito. This was our introduction to the uniqueness of these birding destinations. We were on the western slope of the Andes, and elevation and habitat generally determined what birds would appear (of course, there were exceptions). No sooner did we reach the viewing area (including hummingbird feeders, native  flowers, and a bird bath) than all the excitement begin. Dozens of species, coming and going at supersonic speed, some to the right, some in the shrubs on the left; it was personally a little disconcerting to have so much going on all at once. My comfort zone back home is to focus on a single species whenever possible and take enough exposures to assure a couple keepers. Fortunately, things quieted down for the Equatorial Antpitta performance a little farther down the trail. I soon got the hang of it, and after an hour or so we loaded up and continued on our journey to our first night’s accommodation at the Guaycapi Lodge. For a bonus, we lunched and birded at the Ristorante Mirador Guaycapi and popped into another lodge, Bellavista, looking for a Speckled Bear that had recently been seen. In summary, that first day netted 86 bird species, most of them LIFE birds. Whew!

Guaycapi Lodge is a tasteful collection of structures in a beautiful setting. The buildings are constructed thoughtfully and oriented so that from each room’s deck, visitors are bathed in sunlight framed by blue sky and billowy clouds. Moments later, we would be enveloped in moist, dense clouds, a predictable occurrence characteristic to a “cloud forest.”

During our stay at Guaycapi, we birded the road adjacent to the lodge, visited the secretive lek of the weirdly-handsome Cock-of-the-Rock, and were practically overwhelmed by the variety of species visiting San Tedeo Birding Garden and the  Sendero Frutti Tour grounds. The owner of Frutti, originally an orchardist, discovered that it was far more profitable (and a lot less work) to plant native vegetation and welcome birding tourists. From his balcony we easily spotted 33 species flying in and out of the adjacent shrubs bordering his property. Again, this validated our tour organizer’s thoughtful planning to introduce us to the varied elevation and habitats characterizing interior Andean valleys.

The dining balcony of Guaycapi Lodge was remarkable. On our final morning, our daily unique fresh fruit juice consumed along with plenty of delicious, dark coffee, a breeze picked up and we were entertained by seven Scissor-tailed Kites, a member of the hawk family, that soared on thermals in search of insects (their preferred diet). It would have been delighted watching them above us, but our location on a ridge allowed us the advantage of viewing the birds below us with the dense forest as a backdrop. Of course, the omnipresent clouds transformed the valley with its numerous drainages on a moment’s notice. Truly memorable, and a wonderful introduction to Ecuadorian birding lodges. Our next stop was the Sachitamia Lodge, a favorite of our guide, Edwin. It served as our base for 3 nights and provided us access to productive day trips and expansive grounds to explore on the 600 acre property.

After settling into our bungalow a short distance from the dining area, we gathered in the expansive lodge to discuss the excursions planned for the next day:: Refugio Paz de Los Aves, and the Milpe Bird Sanctuary. All that planning was preempted by yet another delicious dinner followed with a surprise birthday cake our guide arranged for my 80th birthday. His enthusiasm was contagious, and staff and other guests joined in singing and clapping along to Feliz Cumpleaños.

The Paz brothers have created quite a birding destination, with the key players being the secretive 5 species of Antpittas residing on their property. We weren’t the only group visiting that morning, and the significance of us traveling as a private tour with a car was profoundly evident compared to the hoards piling on-and-off their vans and caravanning throughout the grounds. Central to the visit is the reception area, with feeders and kitchen. The combined families welcome guests with a tasty empanada-like pastry, delicious coffee, and plenty of bird feeders.

Our visit coincided with a school holiday, and a 5-year-old befriended Sooney who taught her a Spanish song (Mariposa), one of many from Sooney’s vast collection of children’s literature and music. As we prepared to depart, she made it a point that I shouldn’t miss seeing a very special bird and, taking my hand, positioned me beneath a towering tree. She pointed into the lower branches and politely whispered, “Toucan Barbet” (referring to one of the special birds frequenting the reserve). What a lovely environment in which to spend your childhood!

The following day was another long one. The lodge packed a great lunch (in reusable screw-lid insulated containers) and off we headed to the Mashpi-Amagusa Reserve. This place is way off the beaten path, but that wasn’t unusual for our itinerary. In fact, after birding the reserve, we continued on to the Cuevas de los Tayos, the cave of the reclusive Oilbird. This was an out-and-back journey of over an  additional hour each way, so we were going to see that bird or else!

We pulled into a small collection of houses to grab the key; chickens were running about and a handsome rooster reigned over the flock. It was another 10-minutes on a muddy road to the locked gate and, to our surprise, it was blocked by silt from an overflow emerging from the deep gorge. Edwin, his canvas shoes fully submerged, fiddled with the gate and finally succeeded in opening it. We waded carefully to the entrance of the cave, and a narrow path led up a small one-person platform where we could take turns viewing the roosting Oilbird. Sooney actually saw a second bird raise its head behind the nearest bird. The cloudy day didn’t help the visibility; it was difficult even with binoculars. After a short while we returned to an nearby restaurant and, for the cost of Edwin’s Coke, we parked and ate our “box” lunch. It was a long slog returning the way we’d arrived, and a cold beer in the Sachitamia Lodge was a well-deserved reward for a challenging day.

Our travels to the Mindo region in the western foothills of the Andes completed, we began our final morning at dawn hunkered down in the blind built to observe the moth trap set up on the Sachatamia property. These devices are framed, white sheets about the size of a queen-sized bed that are illuminated by a suspended bulb. They attract moths and insects that will, in turn, become a snack for visiting birds. One never knows what will swoop in for a tasty bite, however, and a number of interesting species showed up. There were also some grapes and other delicacies attached to a perch adjacent to the blind. After the better part of an hour we had a wonderful sighting of a very special bird: the  endangered Long-wattled Umbrellabird. With that behind us, we stretched our legs a bit on some of the trails at Sachatamia, climbed their sturdy tower for a 360° of the property, and then headed back for a couple nights at Puembo Birding Garden before heading to points east…and some very serious elevation.