Southern Ecuador - The High Andes to the Southwest Coast Saturday 17 January to Sunday 1 February 2009 with Gary Rosenberg as leader. Cost: £2510 plus about £1030 for flights This tour can be taken in conjunction with the Ecuador - La Selva Southern Ecuador and La Selva combined Cost: £4630 plus about £1030 for flights Please note there is no single occupancy available at La Selva Lodge and also may not be available at Tapichalaca and Buenaventura. Maximum group size: 8 with 1 leader. |
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Ecuador is one of the most avian-rich countries in South America and about 1600 species have been recorded within its narrow borders. We begin this tour amidst the magnificence of the high Andes, with their spectacular tanagers and brilliant hummingbirds, all of which can be easily accessed from the montane cities of Loja, Zamora and Macara. We’ll stay in comfortable hotels throughout, including three new lodges right at the birding locations, and explore dramatic areas such as the Podacarpus National Park, where splendid forested peaks give way to rich páramo. We’ll visit both the Cajanuma and Río Bombuscaro sections of the park, two of the most scenic and ornithologically exciting areas in the country. Near the town of Vilcabamba we’ll bird, and stay at the Tapichalaca Reserve, whose potential is exemplified by the recent discovery of a sensational antpitta new to science! The trip will conclude on the coast with a journey down to Guayaquil, where we’ll search for the rare El Oro Parakeet and Long-wattled Umbrellabird in the western foothills at Buenaventura, while staying at their new Umbrellabird Lodge and visit both the Jorupe Reserve near macara and the Santa Elena Peninsula to look for the ‘Tumbesian’ specialities of the region.
Day 1: The tour begins in London with a flight to Quito. Night in Quito. Day 2: A daytrip out of Quito to Papallacta Pass will be our introduction to high Andean birding. The road climbs up out of a dry valley to the high pass above treeline and here we’ll search for high-elevation species such as Ecuadorian Hillstar, Blue-mantled Thornbill, Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, Bar-winged and Stout-billed Cinclodes and Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant. On the eastern side of the pass there are a few intact patches of Polylepis woodland where we’ll look for Giant Conebill and Black-backed Bush-Tanager while scanning the skies for Andean Condor. Before returning to Quito we’ll have lunch at Guango Lodge on the east slope of the Andes where feeders attract hummingbirds such as Tourmaline Sunangel, Mountain Velvetbreast and the incredible Sword-billed Hummingbird. Night in Quito. Day 3: We’ll take a very early flight to Loja, the largest city in southern Ecuador. We’ll spend the first part of the day birding the dry valley near Catamayo. Many of the ‘Tumbesian’ endemics are possible and we’ll look for Elegant Crescentchest, Collared Antshrike, Tawny-crowned Pygmy-Tyrant and Tumbes Sparrow. Later in the morning we’ll drive back through Loja and cross over a high pass on our way to the eastern foothills around the town of Zamora, gateway to the Río Bombuscaro section of Podacarpus National Park. Outside Zamora we’ll travel a section of the old highway through patches of rich subtropical forest where we’ll look specifically for Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. We’ll also watch for Torrent Duck and Torrent Tyrannulet along the river, fancy hummingbirds such as the Long-tailed Sylph and a variety of flycatchers including Cinnamon, Cliff and Lemon-browed. In the Andes, subtropical forest is synonymous with Tangara tanagers and we’re likely to see a superb array including Paradise, Golden-eared and Flame-faced, just to name a few. We’ll keep alert for less-common species such as Yellow-whiskered Bush-Tanager and the gaudy White-capped Tanager. Our destination is a new lodge recently opened up along the entrance road to the Rio Bombuscaro. Night at Copalinga Lodge in Zamora. Days 4-5: The Río Bombuscaro section of the park is just five minutes from Copalinga Lodge. This area has only recently become accessible and the birding is extraordinary. Some of the spectacular species regularly seen along the river are the rare and local White-breasted Parakeet, Coppery-chested Jacamar, Chestnut-tipped Toucanet, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Blue-rumped Manakin and Orange-eared Tanager. We’ll search for several Río Bombuscaro specialties including Ecuadorian Piedtail, Equatorial Graytail and the newly described Foothill Elaenia. Our birding experience will be enhanced by the beauty of the park with its impressive vistas of untouched rainforest. Night at Copalinga Lodge in Zamora. Day 6: After another morning along the Río Bombuscaro searching for some of the more elusive species such as Plain-backed Antpitta and Northern White-crowned Tapaculo, we’ll drive back to Loja, stopping again along the lower section of the old highway to look for mixed-species flocks rich in gaudy tanagers. At the high pass between the two cities we’ll hike down a small section of the old highway in search of more high-elevation species such as Mouse-colored Thistletail, Blue-backed Conebill and Golden-crowned Tanager. Our destination will be Tapichalaca, one of the Jocotoco Foundation's reserves, and we'll stay at a small lodge that the foundation has built on the property. Night at Tapichalaca. Day 7: We’ll spend the next two days in the Tapichalaca area concentrating on a new trail at Quebrada Honda. This area is not well known but its potential is vast, as indicated by the discovery of a new and incredible species in 1997, the Jocotoco Antpitta. We’ll have the better part of two days to explore this enticing place looking in particular for specialties such as Golden-plumed Parakeet, Flame-throated Sunangel, Orange-banded Flycatcher, Chestnut- crested Cotinga, Red-hooded Tanager and Plushcap. We may even spot the new antpitta! The roadside birding near Tapichalaca can be exciting as well and in the past we’ve seen Golden-plumed Parakeet and a variety of tanagers including Gray-hooded Bush-Tanager and Black-headed Hemispingus at the higher elevations, and sensational tanagers such as Flame-faced, Saffron-crowned, and Metallic-green at the lower elevations. On one day we’ll travel farther south to the town of Valladolid where we hope to find Marañon Thrush, Rufous-fronted Thornbird, and Silver-backed and Black-faced Tanagers. The hummingbird feeders at the lodge have a nice variety of highland species, including Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Collared Inca, and both Amethyst-throated and Flame-throated Sunangels. By staying right at Tapichalaca, we will avoid a nearly one and a half hour drive from Vilcabamba. Night at Tapichalaca. Day 8: After a final full morning at Tapichalaca, we'll work our way back to Loja, spending the late afternoon at Podacarpus National Park, one of South America’s great national parks, with protected habitats ranging from Amazonian lowlands to high-elevation páramo. The Cajanuma section, only 20 minutes from our hotel in Loja, has breathtaking vistas of rich temperate forest and is home to many high-elevation Andean species including Black-and-chestnut Eagle, the decidedly local Bearded Guan, as many as 15 species of hummingbirds including the stunning Rainbow Starfrontlet, Gray- breasted Mountain-Toucan, Barred Fruiteater and Black-crested and Russet-crowned Warblers. We’ll watch as well for dazzling mixed-species flocks of tanagers that often contain both Hooded and Buff-breasted Mountain-Tanagers. Night in Loja. Day 9: We’ll have all day to explore the upper reaches of the Cajanuma section of Podacarpus National Park, listening along several forest trails for the mournful song of the Undulated Antpitta and looking for Chestnut-naped and Rufous Antpittas as well as Ocellated Tapaculo, White-browed Spinetail and Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant. In the afternoon we’ll leisurely stroll down the road in search of mixed-species flocks of tanagers possibly including Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Golden-crowned Tanager and as many as four species of Hemispingus tanagers. At dusk we’ll watch the road for Band-winged Nightjar. Night in Loja. Day 10: We’ll leave early this morning and travel south to Macara on the Peruvian border to two new Jocotoco Foundation reserves at Utuana and Jorupe. These new reserves contain prime habitat for many of the “Tumbesian” specialties such as Amazilia Hummingbird, Scarlet-backed Woodpecker, Ecuadorian Piculet, Henna-hooded and Rufous-necked Foliage-Gleaners, Blackish-headed Spinetail, Watkin’s Antpitta, Gray-breasted Flycatcher, Pacific Eleania, Gray-and-gold Warbler, Black-capped Sparrow, and White-edged Oriole. Along the road to Utuana, we’ll look for Chapman’s Antshrike, Three-banded Warbler, Black-cowled Saltator, and Bay-crowned Brush-Finch, and at the Utuana Reserve, we’ll have a chance for the rare Gray-headed Antbird, Pied-crested Tit-Tyrant, Jelski’s Chat-Tyrant, and Piura Hemispingus. Hummingbird feeders at Utuana have numbers of both Rainbow Starfrontlet and Purple-throated Sunangel, both very local species in southern Ecuador. At dusk, we'll try for Peruvian Screech-Owl and Spectacled Owl, both found at Jorupe. Night in Macara. Day 11: After a final morning at Jorupe or Utuana, we’ll begin our journey to Guayaquil via Buenaventura, one of the most exciting birdwatching destinations in southwestern Ecuador. This is the last stronghold for the local El Oro Parakeet, and if we’re lucky we may encounter a flock. The birding here can be fantastic and we’ll look for such birds as Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Bronze-winged Parrot, Golden-headed Quetzal, Guayaquil Woodpecker and Pacific Tuftedcheek. Night in Umbrellabird Lodge. Day 12: We’ll spend the entire day birding Buenaventura, again looking for El Oro Parakeet as well as a wide array of foothill species including Gray-backed Hawk, Pale-mandibled Aracari, Red-headed Barbet, Club-winged Manakin, Bay and Whiskered Wrens, Silver-throated and Rufous-throated Tanagers and Yellow-bellied Siskin. We’ll drop down a bit lower for our lunch stop where on past tours we have encountered Gray-cheeked Parakeet, Speckle-breasted Wren and Ecuadorian Thrush. We’ll spend the afternoon in the lower section of the Buenaventura Reserve where in 2004 we watched a Long-wattled Umbrellabird on its nest, only the second nest of this species ever found! We’ll have an excellent opportunity for this rare species, as we’ll visit a “lek” in the late afternoon, one of the few display sites known for this incredibly local species. Other birds in this lower-elevation forest include White-bearded Manakin, Western Slaty-Antshrike, Chestnut-backed Antbird, Song Wren and many others. Night in Zaruma. Day 13: We’ll spend one more morning at Buenaventura, where we’ll visit the garden and see an amazing variety of hummingbird species including Emerald-bellied Woodnymph, Green Thorntail, Violet-bellied Hummingbird, Baron’s Hermit and Violet-tailed Sylph. After a final turn down the trails at Buenaventura, we’ll drive to Guayaquil, stopping along the way for such birds as Savannah Hawk and Peruvian Meadowlark. Before we arrive in Guayaquil, we’ll pass the Manglares de Churute area where we have a chance to see Horned Screamer along the highway. Night in Guayaquil. Day 14: Today we’ll make a day trip to the Santa Elena Peninsula. The road from Guayaquil to the coast passes through some interesting dry forest where we are likely to see a variety of “Tumbesian” specialties, some of which we may have missed near Macara, such as White-tailed Jay, Short-tailed Field-Tyrant, Gray-and-white Tyrannulet, Baird’s Flycatcher and Snowy-throated Kingbird. On the coast the main attraction is the Ecuasal salt ponds. Here we’ll see an amazing array of wintering shorebirds as well as local coastal species such as Gray-hooded and Kelp Gulls, White-cheeked Pintail and Chilean Flamingo. Along the beach we can expect large numbers of Brown Pelicans and Magnificent Frigatebirds but we’ll also search for Gray Gull, which occurs here in small numbers. We’ll return to Guayaquil in the mid afternoon in time for our flight back to Quito. Night in Quito. Day 15: There will be time to rest or perhaps take a city tour before transferring to the airport after lunch to catch an overnight flight to London where the tour ends on Day 16.
The ground arrangements for this tour are organised by our American associates WINGS.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
Last updated May 2008. |
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