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 at Milpe
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 canopy lookout tower, which was standing-room-only with all the other birders. From this vantage point, 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 rice, chicken, and vegetables, accented by Aji—the flavorful, spicy hot pepper salsa found in every Ecuadorian restaurant. The afternoon brought a flurry of new birds on the trails, including a lifer Double-toothed Kite and the Chocó-endemic Choco Trogon and Orange-fronted Barbets enjoying local fruits.
1,000th Life Bird
Then, with a drumroll, our guide Dušan located my 1,000th life bird: a Northern Schiffornis. It might be a rather drab brown bird with a pinkish tail, but I love it! The day concluded with sightings of a Blue-chested Hummingbird, nesting Rufous-tailed Jacamars, and a Yellow-tailed Oriole.
The Chocolate Farm & Farewell
Our final morning began with a visit to the Mashpi Chocolate Farm. You could smell the drying cocoa beans the moment we arrived. We embarked on a hot, steep hike to find the Rufous-crowned Antpitta. Our guide, Alejandro Solano, shared a moving story of how this bird once saved his life by warning him of a coiled venomous snake. Other neat finds on the trail included a White-tailed Trogon nest and a flushed Great Tinamou.
After the hike, Danilo educated us about the chocolate-making process made by his wife and local women. We sampled eight artisanal candy bars, and couldn’t resist bringing six bars home for a special occasion. We even met a goat born just hours earlier at 2:30 a.m.!
Our last leg took us through San Miguel de Los Bancos, where we picked up a bonus Saffron Finch. Back at Milpe, we revisited the feeders to see a Club-winged Manakin, a Crested Guan, and a stunning White-necked Jacobin. Suzie was particularly thrilled to finally spot a spectacular Blue Morpho butterfly.
Crossing the Equator
As we headed back to Quito, we watched Dušan’s phone GPS 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.
Trip Summary:
Trip Totals: 91 species • 47 life birds
Ecuador Totals: 287 species • 233 life birds
Check out our Ecuador eBird Trip Report here
Next up: Waterfall Challenge, Adirondacks – We participated in the Hamilton County Waterfall Challenge
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