This was it. Our final two days of the Rockjumper Tour in Ecuador, and the day I might finally hit a major life goal: 1,000 life birds.
A Day of Discovery
On our drive into the Milpe Bird Sanctuary, we birded the farm fields and were delighted to find my new favorite bird, a Laughing Falcon. The preserve is in the Chocó-Andean foothills, and we went straight to the lookout tower, which was standing room only with all the other birders. From the canopy, we were at eye level with the birds, seeing a rare Red-lored Amazon (spotted by Mike!), a Guayaquil Woodpecker, and a very cooperative Barred Puffbird.
For lunch, we enjoyed a delicious meal of rice, chicken, and vegetables from our hotel, which travels well. Every restaurant in Ecuador has its own version of a hot pepper salsa called Aji, which adds a flavorful kick to every meal. After lunch, we walked the trails, adding many new birds, including our lifer Double-toothed Kite. Close to the parking area, we hit the jackpot, finding the Chocó-endemic Choco Trogon and Orange-fronted Barbets enjoying local fruits.
And then, with a drumroll, our guide Dušan located my 1,000th life bird: a Northern Schiffornis. It’s a rather drab brown bird with a pinkish tail, but I love it! The day also brought lovely sightings of a Blue-chested Hummingbird and a pair of nesting Rufous-tailed Jacamars. On our way back to the hotel, we were delighted to find a Yellow-tailed Oriole.
The Chocolate Farm and a Final Farewell
On our final morning, we packed up early to head to the Mashpi Chocolate Farm. You could smell the drying cocoa beans as soon as we arrived. We started our journey into the forest on a hot and slightly steep hike to find the Rufous-crowned Antpitta. Our guide, Alejandro Solano, has a special relationship with this bird, and we soon learned why—the bird had saved his life by repeatedly flying into his chest to keep him away from a coiled venomous snake. Other neat finds on the trail included a White-tailed Trogon nest and a flushed Great Tinamou.
After the hike, we enjoyed fresh bananas and learned about the chocolate-making process. Danilo let us sample the eight different artesanal candy bars made by his wife and local women. We even got to meet the goat that was born at 2:30 a.m. that morning! We brought back six bars of the artisanal chocolate, which we’re saving for a special occasion.
We piled into the Trogantours van with our guide, Dušan, and our driver, Nestor, for the last leg of our journey. A quick stop in San Miguel de Los Bancos for water landed us a bonus bird: a Saffron Finch, a migrant from Hawaii. We then headed back to the Milpe Bird Sanctuary to bird the feeders. We saw a Club-winged Manakin, a Crested Guan, and eight hummingbird species, including the stunning White-necked Jacobin. Everyone, especially Suzie, was thrilled to finally get a good look at the spectacular Blue Morpho butterfly.
As we headed back to Quito, we watched Dušan’s phone as we crossed the equator. We were paying more attention on this ride, taking in the beautiful murals and local homes with broken glass for security.
We were sad to leave our Australian friends, who had two more weeks of birding ahead of them. We truly enjoyed our time with Chris, Pru, Rich, Steve, and Suzie, and hope our paths cross again.
I left the United States with 785 life birds and came home with 1,018. Birding life is good.
Next up: Waterfall Challenge, Adirondacks
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