Milpe & Silanche

Pre-breakfast birding around the lodge garden was very productive.   The lamp in the car park had attracted moths which were resting in the shrubs beneath, which attracted a wide variety of birds to take advantage of this free takeaway.   Social flycatcher was most active, even using a puddle for a quick drink between snacks.   Red-eyed vireo, slate-throated gnatcatcher, dusky bush-tanager, buff-fronted foliage-gleaner, tropical parula and blackburnian warbler were also present.  Palm, blue-and-yellow, lemon-rumped, yellow-throated and grey-and-gold tanagers were also joining in the feeding frenzy and a black faced dacnis moved about in the background.

Green-crowed Woodnymph

We just had time to check the hummingbird feeders where the most numerous species was brown inca, with white-belled woodstar, empress brilliant, rufous-tailed hummingbird, buff-tailed coronet, velvet-purple coronet seen.

After breakfast we drove to Milpe around 20km away.   Lying at around 1000m this area gave the opportunity for some new bird species.   Hummingbirds performed well around the feeders near the visitor centre.   Richard and Mike purchased the slimline Birds of NW Ecuador booklet - far easier in the field and around 1.999kg lighter than the Helm Birds of Ecuador!

Green Thorntail  Andean Emerald

Green thorntail females were buzzing around, joined by green-crowned woodnymph, andean emerald with its pure white front, green-crowned brilliant also utilised the feeders.   After much patience we finally saw a male green thorntail, and even more thrilling a white-whiskered hermit - hermits are always a favourite of mine.

Ornate Flycatcher

We dragged ourselves away from the feeders to do the forest trail, club-winged manakin were at lek, and although we heard several males, we only caught a glimpse of movement.  Ornate flycatcher was spotted nearby and I managed a quick photograph through the telescope.   Black-cheeked woodpecker and guayaquil woodpecker were near the centre, and a red-faced spinetail presented us with a challenge.

Soon it was time to move off for lunch and another venue.   On the way we spotted, white-collared swift, great and cattle egret, black and turkey vulture, and of great delight to all an american swallow-tailed kite, a favourite for several of us, so much so that we pulled the bus to a sharp halt and disembarked to watch.   The kite joined in a kettle of vultures and rose up to give us a great opportunity to enjoy the "swallow tail".

Double-Toothed Kite

The Silanche reserve (also part of the Cloud Forest Group) lies at only 300m, and gave us some more superb birds, two mixed feeding flocks brought us tanagers galore, tennessee warbler, lesser greenlet, marble-faced bristle-tyrant, streaked xenops, lesser greenlet, cinnamon and black-and-white becard, spotted and wedge-billed woodcreeper, dusky-capped and streaked flycatcher to name but a few.   Throughout lunch we could hear a rufous-tailed jacamar.

After our picnic lunch we started on the trail - abandoning the tower after at least half-an-hour of birdless activity - and what a great decision that was!   Our guide heard monkeys ahead and as we raced forward a family group of around 6 white-faced capuchin monkeys moved through the trees.

Within minutes our guide noticed a bird of prey acting strangely.    It was in fact a double-toothed kite, and appeared to be struggling to fly, preferring to run up and down the branches in a squirrel cuckoo style, flapping its wings.   After we had watched for a while, the bird flew off through the trees.   This brought a second, juvenile, double-toothed kite to our attention.   This bird simply sat on its perch looking around, sometimes appearing to watch us, but seemingly unperturbed at our presence.  After watching, and photographing for a while, we had to move on, but after discussion decided that the first bird must have been a parent trying to distract us with its odd behaviour.   A fantastic piece of bird behaviour to watch.

We returned to the tower around 3.30 pm when the heat of the day had passed, and there was a little more activity.   We heard bronze-winged parrots and followed their calls as they flew behind the screen of the forest.   Red-headed and orange-fronted barbet, red- and yellow-rumped cacique were spotted, buff-fronted foliage-gleaner and azara's spinetail were also added to the list for the day.   Golden-chested, red-browed and blue-whiskered tanagers were joined by golden-olive woodpecker, black-striped woodcreeper, pacific hornero, yellow margined flatbill, golden-faced tyrannulet and both striped and squirrel cuckoo.

Choco Trogon

On our return to the bus, we ended up with some folk in the car park, whilst others were on the trail, and still more remaining on the tower.   The tower duo managed to see turquoise jay and as they called to the few of us on the trail below I heard a trogon, I scanned the trees and spotted choco trogon on a branch high above us.   Hard to view and direct others, and even harder to digiscope, but at least I got a record shot.   As we returned to the lodge, southern rough-winged swallow were gathering on the telegraph wires.

Tired but happy, we enjoyed a dinner of excellent soup served with popcorn croutons, fresh local trout, followed by an ice cream dessert which challenged some of our group (Mike esp.) resulting in me breaking it into smaller pieces so that it thawed more, and Richard spoon feeding him and offering to wind him like a baby!   Strange folk, birders.