THE WATERFALLS

 3/?/21

I decided to sleep in today and eat here at the place where I’m staying.  I had hash browns and scrambled eggs with juice and coffee.  Afterward I talked to Tatiana about going to the waterfalls which I’ve heard and read about.  And after talking to Javiar about birding there, I had hopes of photographing dippers and possibly seeing the White-tailed Hillstar, a hard to get hummingbird. They prefer rushing streams and falls for their habitat.  The name of the place is: “Sanctuario de Cascadas,” or Sanctuary of the Cascades. 

She said it was best to hire a taxi as it is about 2 miles to the entrance, which was all uphill, which was a good idea.  I figured I could walk back if I was ambitious.  So she called a taxi and I was transported up there.  To hike the trails one must hop on a cable car and head across a canyon to the other side where the trailheads start.  

I suspect it was 350-400 feet over the river below, and most people hope the cable lasts until you reach the other side.

I have to admit the view was splendid, but you really cannot enjoy
it while holding on inside the cable car and hoping the cable holds.

I could tell it was a long way from the trailhead to the river below, and took it slow.  There was a family who crossed just before me, and the elderly lady was carrying a walking stick.  I sensed this would be a little much for her.  I let them pass me by half way to the bottom as I wanted to go slow and find some birds.  Before long I saw her coming back up the trail, so I knew it did not get any easier.  Another person I let pass me by had a mini boom box and was blaring music as he walked, completely ruining the ambiance of the place.  I was glad to be out of the range of his music after a bit.

A map of the trail system and the guide explaining it all

Here is the guy with the boom box

Here is the elderly lady with the walking stick.
I met her again going back up the trail 10 minutes later

There were 3 options for hiking trails.  I opted for the one which had 5 small waterfalls as I felt this would be best for finding the dippers.  Along the way I found 3 pairs of Three-striped Warblers, an Andean Solitare and a Golden-crowned Flycatcher, and ALL my pics of them turned out fuzzy, so a bit of a let down.

There were 2 bridges just downriver from the first falls, and I headed to the lower one first.  Just before reaching it, there was a “small” landslide which may have been the reason for the small stream now running down the middle of the trail.  The family which passed me by were there, and a couple of teenagers had splashed around in the water.  I passed them by and went to the bridge.  I hung around for a bit in case my target birds came by, but they did not.

I then retraced my steps through the stream and continued on to the next bridge not far upriver, just below the falls.  Just as I was reaching the bridge I thought I heard it - the song of a White-capped Dipper.  It was really faint, and with my compromised hearing, I had my doubts.  But as soon as I stepped onto the bridge I saw one below me.  Then a second one appeared, and I was able to take a few pics.  But just as I saw the dipper, the White-tailed Hillstar actually landed on the cable that supports the bridge!  This was right in front of me, less than 10 feet away.  I tried to get his pic, but the camera was just having a hard time focusing on the bird.  As I write this I think the bird was just too close for the setting on the lens.  I needed to flip the switch from long distance to under 10 feet.  Sometimes you are so surprised and fixated on getting a shot of a bird that you forget you need to address the settings sometimes.  

A pair of White-capped Dippers

One of the dippers went upriver and I was able to walk the trail across the bridge in that direction also, but somehow he managed to fly past me downstream.   So I sat along side the trail waiting for either the dippers or the hillstar to return.  While waiting I went through my pics, deleting ones I knew I’d not keep.  In about 10 minutes the hillstar came by, and perched on a branch across the river, so I was able to get one so so pic.  If he stayed just one more second it would have allowed the focus on my camera to adjust and the pic might have been about as perfect as I could hope for. 

White-tailed Hillstar.  It has been given another name
now, but I cannot remember it.

I waited around for another 10 minutes for the dippers but they did not show.  Instead 4 teenagers came down the trail, so I figured it was time to go.  It was a long and tedious walk back up the trail for this 66 year old.  It was even slower going than coming down, as you might expect.  There was a small eatery at the top and I bought some Gatorade. It was then back on the cable car and back to the other side.  

By now it was warming up so I shed my lightweight jacket and long-sleeve shirt.  It was a pleasant walk downhill, once in a while finding a few birds along the way.  A few hundred meters along and there was a guy coming the other direction.  He looked more like a gringo and we stopped to chat.  Turns out he was Rudy Gelis,  one of Ecuadors top birders!  He has done plenty of bird guiding, but, like all the other guides, he was out of work for the last year.  So I was able to glean a lot of good info about birding here.  

Rudy Gelis

If awards could be given for a warped sense of humor, Rudy might just win it.  He was happy to run into someone from the states down here birding and to talk to.  He is a botanist by training and now into orchids.  And since he has lots of time on his hands, he was glad to offer birding info helpful for me.  We exchanged contact info, and he has since made some lodging suggestions for near the airports of Quito and Guayaquil.  Shortly after we parted I saw this Cinnamon Becard.

Cinnamon Becard

When almost down I spied a pair of Blue-and-Black Tanagers, certainly a lovely bird. Once down on the flats I saw a large bird on the power line which turned out to be the appropriately named  “Hook-billed Kite”, and he let me get close enough for good pics.

Female Hook-billed Kite

My pedometer said I’ve walked 5 miles today, and, walked up 30 flights of stairs, so guess I’m getting my exercise.  Hopefully it will equate to a good night’s sleep.