This morning we left the hotel at Rhodadero to drive a short distance to an area good for chestnut-winged chachalaca, El Valle. A picnic breakfast was swiftly done and then it was down to the serious business of bird spotting. The birds were soon seen as they came out of roost.
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| Minca balcony |
We then continued on to Minca Lodge where we sat on the balcony watching hummingbirds and drinking fruit juice, coffee and eating delicious chocolate brownies. Long-billed hermit, long-billed starthroat, steely-vented hummingbird amongst the main participants.
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| Violet-crowned woodnymph |
Soon it was time to continue up the mountain to tonight's destination - El Dorado. On the way we stopped to look for birds and added a brilliant sighting of black-and-white owl to our list. Whooping motmot, scaled piculet, streak-capped spinetail, black-backed antshrike, pale-eyed pygmy-tyrant and social flycatcher all made appearances. We finally arrived at our destination, spending some time birding in the garden and by the hummingbird feeders where green violetears, blossomcrown,Santa Marta woodstar and lazuline sabrewing used the free food source; before moving onto the track outside for a great view of a female golden breasted fruiteater. Black hawk-eagle was spotted overhead. Sickle-winged and band-tailed guan were in the same tree near the lodge and black-breasted wood-quail enjoyed the compost heap nearby.
Finally we got settled into our rooms and had dinner. A great surprise was hot showers as we had been told to expect cool/tepid/cold showers all the way. Two nights in prospect.
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