Trip Date: April 2018 | Location: Ecuador
This adventure began in Quito, Ecuador, a trip planned to celebrate a milestone birthday for Sharon. We arrived in the city around 7 p.m., and the winding roads and hills immediately confirmed this was a place unlike any we had visited before. The sight of people at food carts made us eager to try the local cuisine.
Our destination was the Hotel Rio Amazonas, where we met our group for our very first dedicated birding tour with Rockjumper. After introductions and dinner, we headed to our room to take in the amazing view of Quito at night, perched at an elevation of 9,350 feet—the second-highest capital in the world.
Reserva Yanacocha: A High-Altitude Haven
The next morning, while Sharon managed a healthy dose of altitude sickness, we headed toward Reserva Yanacocha, situated at an even higher elevation of 10,500 feet. Our group piled into the Rockjumper van, where we enjoyed incredible views of Quito and the towering Volcán Pichincha. We were fortunate to have Dusan Brinkhuizen as our guide, joined by five great birding friends from Australia.
Everyone was eager to start, and we were immediately treated to a dazzling array of colorful birds at the feeders. During our six hours at the reserve, we saw an astounding 47 species! Nine new hummingbird species stole the show; here are pictures of two of our favorites
While we cannot name every bird from such a prolific day, some standouts truly stole our hearts: Red-crested Cotingas, Black-chested and Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanagers, Masked and Glossy Flowerpiercers, and Blue-black and Cinereous Conebills. As we took the Mindo-Nono road to our next destination, we picked up a Cinnamon Flycatcher and a Masked Trogon along the way.
Las Gralarias and a Tanager Explosion
Our home for the next night was the Las Gralarias Guest House,, a premier birding lodge with excellent food and exceptional onsite birding opportunities. The hummingbird feeders were a constant flurry of activity, and the lodge seemed to host every tanager imaginable: Flame-faced, Golden, Golden-naped, Blue-capped, Blue-winged Mountain, and Black-chinned Mountain Tanagers. We even spent considerable time coaxing a Spillman’s Tapaculo out on the Nunbird Ridge Trail.
A Jackpot of a Day
It was hard to leave Las Gralarias, but we had many more birds to see. We stopped at an open field where Spot-fronted Swifts were zipping around. Across the road, we hit the jackpot with sightings of a Golden-headed Quetzal and a Plate-billed Mountain Toucan—two birds we had dreamed of seeing. It was an intense 11-hour birding day that produced 70 species, including a favorite, the Squirrel Cuckoo.
Of course, it’s not always just about the birds. We were delighted to spot a Tyra at a banana feeder, two tarantulas, and a truly giant earthworm that our guide, Dusan, posed with for a photo.
We finished the day with an incredible 114 species and 99 “life birds” in just two days! Mike had predicted I might reach my 1,000th life bird on this trip; while 215 seemed like a tall order for six days, with a start like this, anything seems possible.
Come back soon to read about the rest of our trip!
Trip Summary:
Trip Totals: 114 species • 99 life birds
Next up: Ecuador, Part Two – Chasing the Cock-of-the-Rock
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