Hummingbird Banding

While staying in Willcox, Arizona,  I learned of a place that does hummingbird banding near Sierra Vista. I just HAD to take Journey to this! Hummingbirds are her "spark bird" (the first one that got your attention and began an interest in birds). Having dozens of hummingbirds come within a foot of her in Ecuador made a huge, lasting impression!

 

We arrived to the (SABO) Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory's station at the San Pedro House just before 4pm, and all seven rows of seats were already filled under the pavilion! The banders gave a presentation on why and how they band these tiny, amazing creatures. It's very different from banding songbirds as we saw in the Yukon. The biggest difference is in how they capture them. Songbirds are captured when they fly into a mist net stretched between two poles. Hummingbirds have the unique ability to move like helicopters, they can stop on a dime, fly up down, backwards and forwards. When faced with a mist net, they were able to stop just before running into it, then fly up and over. They tried a few other methods and found a bonnet trap around a feeder works best. Once a bird comes to the feeder, at the push of a button, the net drops over the entire feeder. It happens in one third of a second! The bird is then transferred into a smaller enclosure and carried to the banding station for processing. Asher and Journey were both invited to transport birds. 

Nicole joined us and she even got to carry one! Think she was excited about it?

See the birds on the left ready to be processed? Here they will identify each bird. They've banded 10 different species of hummingbirds here over the past 27 years, but the day we were here in May, all of them were Black-chinned Hummingbirds. They will quickly record sex, age, measure their tail, bill and wing, and weigh them by folding a small piece of mesh over them and clipping to a scale. Black-chinned hummingbirds weigh about 3.6g. A penny weighs 3g. They will check their fat layer to indicate whether it is migrating or nesting nearby. 

Finally they will fit a tiny metal band on its leg. The bands are so small and must be precisely sized, so they are sent to the bander to create. This business card-sized piece of aluminum alloy contains 100 bands! Once formed they will fit a safety pin.

Next they hand the bird to a SABO volunteer who offers the bird some sugar water. Before the event began, numbers were handed out to those who arrived early. Those people have an opportunity to release a bird if their number comes up. Unfortunately all numbers had been given before we arrived, however one gentleman left early and asked that his number be given to a child. The volunteer picked Journey! 

Normally the volunteer would take you into the sun and let you take a few quick photos with your bird before placing it in your hand and letting it fly. It was determined that Journey's bird however had an egg inside and so it was important to release it as soon as possible. The bander invited Journey to the table and placed the hummingbird into her hand. It sat for a brief moment before speeding off to her nearby nest. What a cool experience for Journey! One that will be imprinted on her heart!

The entire process only takes about five minutes! 

While waiting for a bird to be captured, the banders would field questions. We learned a lot during those breaks. The information gathered from banded birds is invaluable and includes learning about migration, lifespans, health of populations. In 2006 they recaptured a banded Black-chinned Hummingbird who had been banded 10 years prior! 

Right up to the end they were eagerly encouraging more questions. You can tell these people are extremely passionate about what they do. I thoroughly enjoyed this event and highly recommend it for anyone, not just birders to see the process and learn how it benefits the birds and scientific community.

The public is invited to attend banding at the San Pedro House on Saturdays from the end of March to October 1, minus some days in between, so definitely check their schedule here. They also offer opportunities to attend private banding sessions in a different location.  

While you're there, make a donation to support the wonderful work they are doing!

*Peak migration is mid-April to mid-May, and August. Arrive at 3 if you want to get a number for a chance to release a bird.

Mindo

Our last 5 days in Ecuador was spent in Mindo, the cloud forest. This nature-lover's paradise is filled with magnificent birds, butterflies, insects among mountains, valleys and waterfalls. 

We stayed at the Green House which has a few bird feeders and a short trail thru the property to a river. This hotel is German owned, but was being run by a sweet couple from Venezuela who had fled their home country for safety and survival. Our room had a small balcony which made for good birding while relaxing. 

We were advised hiking to the seven waterfalls in the Mindo Nambillo Ecological Reserve was a must. So the next day we took a short taxi ride up the mountain behind our hotel to the Tarabita, a small open-air bench seat suspended by a cable stretched between two mountain ridges. It was a thrilling experience to look down over the spectacular gorge at the rushing river 500ft below! Once we arrived to the other side, we took the three mile Nambillo Cascades trail to see six amazing waterfalls. 

The trails were challenging- steep and muddy in places, so the kids were content with seeing only the six waterfalls, however, I wanted to also see Reina, which is a two hour roundtrip hike in the opposite direction. With about an hour until the last tarabita, I decided to go for it alone. While this trail was easier and I was moving quickly, so was the time. I began getting nervous. We'd been warned if you miss the last tarabita, you'll have to sleep on the mountain til the morning. And then I saw something among the trees. A bird. It was a female Andean Cock of the Rock! Wow, what s great sight! Even though I was probably just around the bend from the great Reina (or was I still a far way off?), I realized no waterfall could top finding a COTR on my own and decided to return to my family.

The last time I was in Mindo, I stayed at the Yellow House hostel with Nicole. They boast great birding and hiking trails, but we never saw the place in the daylight, so I was eager to check it out. I hiked it alone and had no problems, other than meeting a small herd of intimidating cows on the trail. The ranchers came up behind them and pointed the way for me to continue.

I had hoped to spot an Andean Bear, as they live in the area, but had no luck. I did so many birds and found a fascinating monkey snug caterpillar.

The bird feeders at the Yellow House draw beautiful tanagers, toucanets and hummingbirds. It's only a couple dollars to sit and watch. While in Mindo you must do it even if you aren't into birds!

One of my favorite parts of traveling is meeting people, and at our hotel we met a special family that was traveling the world by boat! After getting acquainted, we decided to walk to the mariposario, the butterfly farm, together.

Here we saw many different species of butterflies in various stages inside the live displays, but also we found eggs and caterpillars loose in the screened butterfly room. The butterflies would even land on you if you put the nectar on your finger.

I spent our last day birding again with my friend Nelson, specifically to find the Long-wattled Umbrella bird. (BTW- If you go to Ecuador, you must hire him to guide you to the most beautiful places and point out all the amazing creatures! apolonelson@gmail.com). 

Nelson picked me up from my room at 430am and we headed to a special part of the forest. We had to arrive before sunrise for the best chance at seeing the bird as it calls for a mate. After a short hike, Nelson points up in a tree, and there was our bird! It began calling while doing odd bowing movements which actually draws a female to the same tree above us. We kept watching as the sun came up and though he finally flew away, we got to see him a few more times later that morning. I was shocked to realize the bird controls his long wattle, which looks like a feather boa. Sometimes it would shorten, other times it stretched long and would spread the feathers out. So fascinating. It seemed he might get it caught in the tree's branches.

Afterwards, we picked up my family, and Nelson drive us to the airport. Along the way we stopped for lunch at a hotel with hummingbird feeders. My kids ever so slowly approached and placed a finger on the perch of a feeder. When a tiny hummingbird landed on them they were filled with joy and amazement! What a beautiful ending to five months of new experiences in Ecuador. We will definitely be back!

Birding Ecuador {Gareno Lodge}

Rodolfo Aguinda from Misahaualli Wildlife Center and his brother Sandro offered to guide Nicole and I on a trip to Gareno Lodge. We hired a driver and while it was still dark, squeezed six people into a 5-seater truck. The sixth person was brought along to cook lunch for us. Nearly all of the two hour drive was along an extremely bumpy, dirt road. We came to a security checkpoint run by an oil company, where we were given permission to continue.

Finally we arrived and began hiking down to the remnants of a structure along the river where the Fiery Topaz normally appears during a one hour window in the early morning. Unfortunately our driver was late picking us up, so we missed the bird. Argh!

Amazonian Trogon (below)

Interesting fungus to be found here.

 Spangled Cotinga (above)      Great Jacamar (below)

We hiked a little more before being driven to the lodge for breakfast, and I use the term lodge loosely. This lodge is not in operation any longer and appears to have only consisted of two small, very basic rooms and a communal covered platform with a small area for cooking. This is where they prepared and served our breakfast of scrambled eggs and tea.

We had been told Gareno was the only location near Misahuallí that has feeders. It turns out they only have one. It's a hummingbird feeder. They fill when you arrive, so birds are not accustomed to coming to it. We saw one bird come to it. Sandro brought a large cluster of green plantains to set out for the birds, but when we asked why no birds were coming to eat them, he explained it will take a few days for the plantains to ripen and the birds to find them. So, I guess we were feeding them just in case someone else wanted to venture all the way out here later. Very disappointing!

Insufficient sleep affects me just like a bad hangover. Five consecutive late nights and early mornings had finally caught up to me. I was exhausted and nauseous and could suddenly go no more. I laid in a hammock for 20 minutes to rest and then was informed that lunch was ready. What?! Half an hour after breakfast? Clearly they did not plan this out well.

On a sheet-less stained mattress I laid in one of the rooms desperate for sleep. If only I could turn off my brain. Half an hour later, I was again awake when Nicole came to get me. I was determined to see the Rufous Potoo, the other bird we came all this way for. We decided to see it and head home.

By the time we saw the bird, I somehow found new energy to continue on for a bit longer. We birded along the road for a couple more hours, racking up 85 species before calling it a day. We saw quite a few interesting critters, clusters of butterflies feeding from the puddles along the road, and this well-camoflauged frog with so many angles who played dead when Sandro picked him up.

Nicole and I spent the next day birding around my house in Shell and the following day we caught a bus to Baños where we said goodbye and parted ways. Another grand birding adventure for the two of us complete!