ECUADOR BIRDING TRIP - PART 1

                    ECUADOR BIRDING TRIP - JANUARY 2026

                                        INTRODUCTION:

On Tuesday, January 6, 2026, I left my home heading toward Quito.  I’d be picking up 3 friends for a 2 week birding adventure.  We’d been planing this for some 6 months, and it was now finally coming to fruition.  An entire book could be composed on those 2 weeks,  but it is best to break it up into 3 parts and highlight certain portions, along with another one or two for bird pictures.

My friends from Oregon, Aaron Beerman, Eric Clough and Mitch Ratzlaff, would be flying in to Quito about 12:30 AM on January 10, and take a taxi to the Springhills Hotel, a place Aaron and I have stayed at before.  This was Aaron’s 3rd trip to Ecuador, Eric’s 2nd, and Mitch’s 1st.  I really wanted it to be special for Mitch because of his first trip here. 

From Quito we’d head east “up” into the Andes Mountains, “down” the east slope to Cosanga, and over to Coca.  From there we’d be transported to the Shiripuno Lodge, a remote place in the Amazon basin.  After returning to Coca we’d head to the Wild Sumaco Lodge, then back to Cosanga, then Tena and then head west, up to Banos.  From there we’d head back to Springhills for the final day of birding in the Antisana reserve with hopes of finding condors.  

I had thought this itinerary through, brainstorming logistics til it seemed logical and doable.  Since I’d need to go to Quito to meet them, I decided to drive up the east side of the Andes.  A 5 hour drive landed me at the Buglas Reserve, east of the city of Zamora, where I finally saw my lifer Blue-fronted Lancebill.  The place is great for Spangled Coquettes and Cock-of-the-Rocks.  The scenery getting there and beyond was simply beautiful.  

The next stop was at Cabanas Tamiaju in Cosanga, where we’d later be staying.  The owner Toni is the most helpful of hosts.  She has hummingbird feeders which attracts a dozen regulars, and had just started a moth trap set up where a bed sheet was stretched in the immediate vicinity of a light, which attracts moths at night. Birds come to eat them first thing in the morning.  Her son Jhonny has become a decent bird guide who would help us and he had habituated a pair of White-bellied Antpittas to eat worms, which would a super treat for us. (Seeing the birds, not eating the worms.)

From there I birded a few spots en route to the high elevation town of Papallacta where I stayed for the next night before decending the west flank and reaching the Springhills Hotel late on Friday, Jan 9. I actually saw a Tapir near Papallacta!

                        PART ONE: QUITO TO COCA:

January 10:  After short nights rest, we were all primed and ready to go birding.  Around the hotel grounds we saw a Blue-and-Yellow Tanager, Sparkling Violetears, Rufous-tailed Hummer and the resident Vermillion Flycatchers.  After breakfast we drove back to just past the airport where there is a water impoundment.  Here we added both Yellow-billed and White-cheeked Pintails, Cocoi and Great Blue Heron, Neotropic Cormorants, a Golden Grosbeak and Slate-colored Coots.  The Great Blue Heron is a rare winter visitor to Ecuador and a first for me here.

BREAKFAST AT SPRINGHILLS HOTEL

At this point I must say that with 3 more sets of eyes and ears much better than mine, very little would be missed.  This was evidenced soon after heading upslope when Mitch spied a raptor perched on a power pole, which turned out to be our first Black-chested Buzzard Eagle. 

BUNDLED UP A BIT AS WE GET HIGHER IN ELEVATION

BLACK-CHESTED BUZZARD EAGLE

We took the “old” road to the pass, stopping often for birds as we saw them.  One good find was a Paramo Pipit, apparently lower in elevation than usual.  Other typical birds along the lower part of this road were Grass Wren, Yellow-breasted Brushfinch, Cinereous Conebill, and Black Fowerpiercers.   When we saw our first Shining Sunbeam Eric sang, “You are my sunbeam, my shining sunbeam.”  They really are a pretty little bird.  

SHINING SUNBEAM

A little higher up and the weather deteriorated some with drizzle and clouds, but we pressed on.  It would take a storm for us to raise the white flag.  Viridian and Tyrian Metaltails were added, as was Tawny Antpitta, Paramo Tapaculo, Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant, Plumbeous Sierra Finch and Plain Colored Seedeater.  We heard a hawk somewhere on  a cliff face and almost gave up looking for it, but Eric stayed focused and eventually located the Variable Hawk, a few of which we’d see later on.

Around noon we reached the check  point for continuing higher up toward the radar towers, and we all signed in.  I had been here the day before, and after checking in I took the car keys which were laying on the desk.  When I returned the gate was locked and the guard asked me about his keys.  It turned out that he had the same kind of car as mine and since the keys looked exactly like mine, I had taken them, assuming they were mine.  I apologized.  The weather was still not the best for birding, but we “saw” a Tawny Antpitta, Chestnut-winged Cincloides, an Andean Tit-spinetail, Red-crested Cotinga, and Eric saw a Many-striped Canastero.

Once we descended east from the pass the weather began clearing a bit, and at the restaurant by Lake Papallacta we spied a couple of Andean Gulls.  After going lower to the town of Papallacta and back up to our lodge, the weather was now decent, and we walked up the road past the hot springs resort.  To my memory none of us were suffering from altitude sickness, something I was concerned about.  

LUNCH AT THE RESTAURANT BY PAPALLACTA LAKE

We enjoyed this walk.  The sky was clear and birding was good.  We saw our first fly by Sword-billed Hummingbird, something high on everyone’s list.  (We’d see another at our leisure the next morning).  Here we’d add Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Pearled Treerunner, Tufted Tit-tyrant, Bar-bellied Woodpecker, Rufous Wren, Scralet-bellied Mountain Tanager, Blue-backed Conebill, and Supercilliated Hemispingus.  

As if someone was looking out for us, the clouds parted from Antisana, the huge mega monstrosity to our south.  Wow!  Snow covered and shining in all its glory.  A great way to end our first day! 

THE ANTISANA MASSIF IN THE BACKGROUND

That evening we chose a restaurant that appeared to be more patronized with plenty of clients.  Eric and I split a “Hawaiian pizza.”  There was not much in the way of pineapple on it and I can’t remember what the others had.  We usually ordered some kind of fruit juice, something not readily available in the states, which was appreciated during the entire trip.

After dinner we walked around the hot springs resort hoping for a Band-winged Nightjar hunting for moths in the street lights, and we caught a glimpse of one moth catching, and later heard him. 

CHECK OUT THAT LONG BILL!

After a brief pre-breakfast walk in which we more clearly saw the Sword-billed Hummingbird, we were off to the Guango Lodge, just down slope.  Here we sorted through the hummers at the feeders: Buff-tailed and Chestnut-breasted Coronets, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, White-bellied Woodstar, Tormaline Sunangel, Collared Inca and Long-tailed Sylph.  We next walked the trail across the road with high hopes of seeing the Gray-breasted Mountain Toucans which were being fed.  We were not let down.  What gaudy birds!

GRAY-BREASTED MOUNTAIN TOUCAN

Soon after a pair of Andean Guans came near.  We meandered further until reaching a huge washed out gully where birding was excellent with such finds as Streaked Tuftedcheek, Cinnamon Flycatcher, Smoky-bush Tyrant, Chestnut-bellied Chat Tyrants, Mountain Wrens, Common Chlorospingus, Grass-green Tanager, and Pink-billed Cnemoscopus.  Can you pronounce that name correctly?

We then walked along the river hoping for a dipper and Torrent Ducks.   We found a pair of the ducks, but no dipper.  En route back to the lodge we found Rufous-breasted Flycatchers and Beryl-spangled Tanagers.

Shortly after noon we descended the rest of the way down the eastern flank to the town of Baeza, and then south a short ways to the La Brisa hummingbird feeders and moth trap.  After paying the fee, we sat under a roof to watch the hummers come and go.  It has now raining!  New hummers for us were: Bronzy Inca, Peruvian Racket-tail, Green-backed Hillstar, Violet-fronted Brilliant, Lesser Violetear and Gorgeted Woodstar.  

GREEN-BACKED HILLSTAR

A short time later a bus load of birders arrived to check out the hummers, so we then walked the short distance up the hill to the moth trap.  Birds were still feasting on the moths attracted to the light from the night before: Montaine Woodcreeper, Pale-edged Flycatcher, Green Jays, Canada, Mourning and Blackburnian Warblers, Summer Tanager, Blue-necked Tanager, Saffron-crowned Tanager, and a Red-headed Barbet which not all of us saw.

When the other birders departed, we returned to the hummer feeders hoping for the Geoffoy’s Daggerbill.  No one of the bus load had seen it, and neither did the father/son team who had been there before us.  While waiting we enjoyed the Russet-backed Oropendulas coming and going and a Golden-collared Honeycreeper.  Just as we began our exit the daggerbill made a short visit to the expected feeder.  Cool.

We next retreated north a mile to Baeza where I had learned there was a Cock-of-the-Rock lek, and to be there around 4:00 PM.  This was another species high on the want list, and we were not let down.  We needed to go downhill a bit to reach them, and they were spread out among the trees and foliage.  These were lifers for Mitch and Eric, and once the mission was accomplished, we headed back to the car.  En route we saw 2 Southern Lapwings, 2 Scarlet-rumped Caciques and a Speckled-faced Parrot.

MALE ANDEAN COCK-OF-THE-ROCK
I TOOK THIS PHOTO EN ROUTE TO QUITO

Our lodging was about 20 minutes south, Cabanas Tamiaju.  Toni, the owner, is simply a great hostess.  She had plenty of birding info to relay as we needed.  The cabins and food were also of good quality.  We visited the hummer feeders and were only able to add a Greenish Puffleg.

The next morning the guys were at the moth trap early and saw Chestnut-capped Brushfinch, Long-tailed Tapaculo, Gray-breasted Woodwren, Scarlet-Rumped Cacique and Sharpe’s Wren.  

Then we were off to the Guacamayos Ridge, hoping to walk the Jumandy Trail. But as fate often has it, we soon got fogged in there and had to retreat to bird at a lower elevation.  But before doing so were able to list some 30 species such as: Chestnut-collared and White-collared Swifts, Green-and-Black Fruiteater, Barred Becard, Smoke-colored Pewee, Three-striped and Black-crested Warblers, Black-capped and Black-eared Hemispingus, Hooded and Lacrimose Mountain Tanagers and a Bluish Flowerpiercer.  

RHINOCEROUS BEETLE

We decided to bird the road on which the popular Cabanas San Isidro was as there is plenty of undisturbed forest lining the road.  We had both Toni (our guide), Jhonny (the guide for Rich and Silas) along.  With 8 set of eyes not much would be missed, and we added: Masked Trogon, Olive-backed Woodcreeper, Azara’s Spinetail, Streak-necked, Rufous-crowned Tody, Flavescent and Handsome Flycatchers, Blue-winged Mountain Tanager, Fawn-breasted Tanager and White-sided Flowerpiercer.  

We made sure we were back to Toni’s by 10:00 to watch Johnny feed the White-bellied Antpitta. It is really nice that some have habituated Antpittas so that birders can actually see them.  Otherwise, many would only have “heard only” checks on their list.

WHITE-BELLIED ANTPITTA

After brunch we were off to Coca, about a 3 hour drive.  Before turning left/east on the Loreto Road we saw our first of many Blue-headed Parrots.  An hour or so along the Loreto Road we stopped at Laguna Pachakutik, a newly formed birding stop.  The main attraction here were some Band-bellied Owls which Rita, the owner, showed us.  Also present were Violet Headed Hummingbird, Glittering-throated Emerald and Rufous-throated Sapphire, Swallow-taied Kites, a dark phase Short-tailed Hawk, Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, Masked Tityra, Black-capped Donacobius, Crested Oropendola and Magpie, Masked, Palm and White-shouldered Tanagers.  

BAND-BELLIED OWL

From there we decided to back track a bit to the Hollin Cascades.  This turned out to be a good idea as the host had hummer feeders and there were other birds in the vicinity.  The “star” of the show was a tame Mealy Parrot who could mimic a clucking hen and barking dog.  He was hilarious!  Some additions to the list here were: Wattled Guan, Chestnut-eared Aracari, Brown Violetear, Black-throated Mango, Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Torrent Tyrannulet, Lemon-browed Flycatcher, Violaceous Jay, Orange-bellied Euphonia, and Silver-beaked Tanager.  

HOLLIN CASCADE

CHESTNUT-EARED ARACARIS

We looked for some Carib Grackles as we passed through the city of Loreto, but dipped.  Farther along, needing a pit stop, we pulled off and saw about 100 Cattle Egrets lifting off to another location, along with one each of Snowy Egret and Cocoi Heron.  Also present were Yellow-headed Caracara, 2 Chestnut-fronted Macaws, Black-crowned Tityra, Gray-breasted Martin, and a Masked Crimson Tanager which we IDd sometime after the fact.  

I am personally glad for google maps as without it, we’d have gotten lost many a time.  Aaron was the navigator guiding us through the city of Coca to the El Auca hotel.  A nice place and we enjoyed a nice meal to end the day.  We each had a private room in some lesser expensive cabins which border a street, so noise was an occasional inconvenience.  Mitch got the AC going and could not figure out how to turn it off, so was rather cold for much of the night.

THE WELCOMING COMMITTEE. 

In the morning, after breakfast, we headed south over a bridge we’d later cross when going to Shiripuno, to a place Fernando (our guide for Shiripuno) recommended for birding before he’d pick us up - The Pitala Road.  This turned out to be productive with almost 40 species recorded.  Some good finds were: Speckled Chachalaca, Great-billed Hermit, Snail Kites, Green-backed Trogon, White-eared Jacamar, Gilded Barbet, Lettered and Many-banded Aracaris, Rufous-headed Woodpecker, Cinnamon-throated Woodcreeper, Bright-rumped Attila, Thick-billed Euphonia, Magpie and Masked Tanager.  

RUFOUS HEADED WOODPECKER

CINNAMON THROATED WOODCREEPER WITH LUNCH

A ways down the road and a pickup passed us, and a guy in the back flashed his pistol so it could be seen.  We figured it was now time to turn around.  As we were retracing our steps back to the car, Eric was in the rear and said, “You might want to check this out.”  Right next to the road was a Two-toed Sloth climbing a tree.  The rest of us did not notice him.  He must have been too slow in moving to notice.

TWO TOED SLOTH

The next portion of the trip is to the Shiripuno Lodge, a separate narrative. Upon reaching the river our list was 239.