We spent most of Day 2 at Refugio Paz de Las Aves. In the darkness just before 6am, our driver parked at a seemingly random place along a dirt road bordering the forest. As he shut off the car, he turned and simply said, "Esperamos." If I hadn't read about this tour, I'd have been quite scared at this point. Five minutes later, two additional vehicles parked behind us and a guide emerged to lead us thru the forest to a small structure. As we got closer, a loud noise was growing stronger. Monkeys? No, it was the reason for this early morning hike, the Cock of the Rock! We stood inside a blind and watched as a dozen brightly colored male birds danced and called loudly in vain to attract the attention of a female, though none were in attendance.
After an hour at the lek, we watched in amazement as 3 species of very shy antpittas came to the call of ,"venga, venga, venga" (come). They cautiously emerged for a bite of earthworms for themselves and a mouthful to take back to their young.
Now it was time for us to enjoy a fantastic breakfast while tanagers, barbets and toucanets visit the feeders near our table. It was incredible seeing such brilliant birds in such close proximity. Looking back, the bolon de verde (fried plantain ball stuffed with chicken and cheese) was the best I had throughout my entire stay in Ecuador. The cheese empanadas were amazing as well.
Before leaving, we took a hike thru the forest and found more interesting birds and other creatures.
From Vinicio we learned the history of this fantastic family-owned and operated refuge. In the 70s, the Paz family moved to the area to support themselves as farmers. In 2005 the farm was turned into a refuge after the discovery of the Cock-of-the-Rock lek. Angel, the owner, realized this may draw visitors and built a trail. Along the trail, another bird crossed his path, ate a worm and continued on. He decided to befriend the bird by offering it worms and calling to it. Pretty soon she would come when he called. When the first group of birders came and saw that Angel was able to call in a Giant Antpitta, it caused quite a stir. Antpittas are notoriously shy birds and extremely difficult to actually see. Since then, Angel has befriended 6 different species of antpittas on his property that all come when he calls. Refugio Paz is now known all over the world as the only place you are practically guaranteed to see some of Ecuador's shyest birds. I imagine they make more money now by protecting their land and showing birds to people, than they did farming or logging. This is a great example of conservation benefiting everyone.
Now it was time for us to enjoy a fantastic breakfast while tanagers, barbets and toucanets visit the feeders near our table. It was incredible seeing such brilliant birds in such close proximity. Looking back, the bolon de verde (fried plantain ball stuffed with chicken and cheese) was the best I had throughout my entire stay in Ecuador. The cheese empanadas were amazing as well.
Bronze-winged Parrot (above) Crimson-rumped Toucanet (below)
I discovered a new favorite- the Flame-Faced Tanager!
Golden-naped Tanager
female Red-headed Barbet (above) Toucan Barbet (below)
Blue-winged Mountain Tanager (above) Montane Woodcreeper (below)
Golden-headed Quetzal (above) Lyre-tailed Nightjar (below)
Plate-billed Mountain Toucan
From Vinicio we learned the history of this fantastic family-owned and operated refuge. In the 70s, the Paz family moved to the area to support themselves as farmers. In 2005 the farm was turned into a refuge after the discovery of the Cock-of-the-Rock lek. Angel, the owner, realized this may draw visitors and built a trail. Along the trail, another bird crossed his path, ate a worm and continued on. He decided to befriend the bird by offering it worms and calling to it. Pretty soon she would come when he called. When the first group of birders came and saw that Angel was able to call in a Giant Antpitta, it caused quite a stir. Antpittas are notoriously shy birds and extremely difficult to actually see. Since then, Angel has befriended 6 different species of antpittas on his property that all come when he calls. Refugio Paz is now known all over the world as the only place you are practically guaranteed to see some of Ecuador's shyest birds. I imagine they make more money now by protecting their land and showing birds to people, than they did farming or logging. This is a great example of conservation benefiting everyone.
Day 3
We spent Day 3 birding the tropical rain forest of Rio Silanche and Milpe Bird Sanctuary with our guide, Miguel Hipo. After seven hours of birding along the dirt road thru Rio Silanche, we had recorded 106 species of birds! It's places like this that demonstrate how valuable having a knowledgeable guide really is. Miguel would drive very slowly and when he heard the call of a bird we had yet to see, we'd all jump out and begin searching.
Rufous-tailed Jacamar (above) Collared Aracari (below)
Barred Puffbird (above) Choco Toucan (below)
Lineated Woodpecker
Lunch came with a view at Mirador Río Blanco. And while admiring the view, a hummingbird perched briefly on Nicole's hat!
After lunch we went to Milpe where we dipped on the Umbrellabird, but did see endemic Rose-faced parrots and our seventh species of woodpecker for the day!
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Black-faced Dacnis (above) Broad-billed Motmot (below)
We thanked Miguel again as we boarded a bus to Quito, where we would pick up an Uber to a hostal that was closed. At 11pm in the back of an Uber, I felt a bit like Seinfeld. Turns out a reservation is only as good as the person who receives it, and sometimes that person tends to overindulge in libations. After 30 minutes of sitting in the driveway with a very patient driver, a pajama-clad woman graciously welcomed us to her home and showed up to the childhood room of her adult daughter where we slept for 5 hours before starting again.
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