OUR FIRST (MINI) VACATION

Hi All,  

We’ve been itching to get out and explore since we’ve been here, and circumstances finally allowed us to take a short jaunt from January 8-11.  The main deciding factor is that our tenet from Austria is responsible, and we felt she could hold the fort down, feed our cat and dog, and water the plants.  That is, before she goes to the coast for a month or two next week.  The other factor was that our car is now working properly.

 We had our eyes set on a visit to the Manghurco area, a 6 hour drive to the east.  Once a year, for a couple weeks after the rainy season starts, the trees there blossom with many large yellow flowers, and people come from all over the country to witness the spectacle.  The place is remote and there is no lodging there, the nearest being some 2 hours away.  Another option is to camp there, and we have use of an inflatable mattress, so all we needed is a tent, which we were able to borrow. 

THERE ARE MILES OF YELLOW FLOWERED
FOREST AT MANGHURCO

                 But a few locals told us it is “really hot” there, and sure enough, the weather app implied over 90 degrees when we’d be there.  And while our car was running fine, the AC  quit last July, which we felt was essential for the long drive.  So we became disenchanted with the idea, not being able to tolerate the heat so well, and Rosie asked me to figure out some other place to go.  Hmmm, that should not be too hard. (On the far left on the map I highlighted the place where we would have gone in orange, so you can get an idea how much farther east it is). 

THE MAP GIVES A GOOD IDEA OF WHERE WE WENT.
BASICALLY EAST AND LOWER IN ELEVATION.

I knew of some birding hot spots near Macara and Sozoranga, a four hour drive from our home.  So I did my due diligence and figured out where we could stay near Macara, with intentions that when we left there, we could head back west  

and then south  to the very bottom of the country, weather permitting.  (That last part did not materialize due to weather concerns). 

We left mid morning, and after heading south from Catamayo, it was all new scenery.  At times the vistas were almost breathtaking.  While we would never leave sight of mountains, they were not as impressive as the main spine of the Andes.  Lots of hills and valleys, the roads were rarely straight, with the occasional small hamlet or town.  Driving through the small city of Cariamanga would have been puzzling if it were not for using the Google Map app.  

Most of this time so far we were gradually climbing in elevation.  At the pass we reached the hamlet of Utuana, which local birders know for the cloud forest reserve, and I made a point to stop here.  When we had left the sky was at least partially sunny, but now it was gray and overcast.  We parked at the entrance road and began walking in.  I find it intriguing how thick the vegetation in a cloud forest is, lots of moss on all the trees, and just how moist the area is.  Unfortunately it began to rain after about 10 minutes and we got soaked! We had to leave quickly with only 3 species on our bird list, 2 of which were heard only.  

The last hour of driving to Macara was all downhill, but first  we stopped in the town of Sozoronga, just a little farther along to eat lunch, and yes, by then, it had stopped raining.  This town is literally perched on a hillside so most of the roads go up and down, some rather steeply.  We found an area to park with a beautiful view.  This town forms the western part of a triangle with some undisturbed land patronized by birders. Little did we know we’d be back the next day on another jaunt. 

As we descended we could sense the temperatures and humidity increasing.  Eventually we reached the bottom where the terrain was flat and we paralleled a river the rest of the way to Macara, and the road was even straighter.  Just before reaching the city the road climbed a bluff which overlooked the city, and Peru was just across another, larger river.  We pulled over and took some photos. 

Notice those yellow trees?  They are the same as the ones where we would have gone, only there are miles and miles of them there.

We did not go into the city, but hung a right as our lodging was out of town a bit, which we found soon and checked in.  After getting settled, the manager offered to drive us up the hill so we could bird our way down.  We needed a walk anyway.  It was late in the day but the birds were still quite active, so it took us a while to get back.  When back I talked to the manager again, and I thought we had it arranged for him to take me much farther up the hill first thing in the morning.

When morning arrived, the manager was no where around and neither was his car.  His worker was going to accompany me up the hill…. walking.  I decided to take my car, and his worker thought he had to “guide” me up the hill for some reason, which turned out to be a waste of his and my time.  But most places where we stopped the birds were plentiful.  I should explain that birders use the eBird system, and one can find “hotspots” where birding is best.  That is how I knew this road was visited by others, so the lodging was quite convenient.  

I don’t remember what time I got back, but we had breakfast, and decided to take a drive where we could also hopefully go for a walk.  We went back down to the main road and hung a right, and went up in elevation to another “hotspot” road that went off to the right in about 20 miles.  It was actually quite level and we enjoyed a walk of over a mile one way, turned around and came back.  I should explain that in many birding situations, birds simply do NOT like pygmy owls, especially during nesting season.  So if you play a pygmy owl call a few times, you may get a response from various birds that come in to scold the owl.  They came in to check out the owl as expected.  I do this almost everywhere I bird now.  On the present walk it worked like a charm, and many other birds came to check it out, including this Peruvian Pygmy Owl:

 When back at the car we considered continuing farther on the same road since it was flat.  I told Rosie that it came out at Sozoranga where we ate lunch the previous day.  She was all in and so we took off.  This dirt/gravel road was in good shape, and the scenery was great.  Being quite level meant you would skirt around the various hillsides, and you’d never know what direction you were going.  We’d see a road across a canyon and be over there some 10-15 minutes later.  Once in a while we’d come into a small village.  Here is some scenery along the way:

OVER THERE WAS THE TOWN WE THOUGHT WAS SOZORANGA

We eventually spied a large town and figured it was Sozoranga, but when we got there learned it was not. The google map app was working then, and I determined we were only half way to Sozoranga.  Phew!  After that town the road was mostly 2 lane, and occasionally muddy from more usage.  After another 45 minutes or so we made it to SOZORANGA, hung a right, and headed downhill once again toward Macara.  

This time we went into Macara for lunch.  I expected it to be ramshackle and dirty, but to my surprise it was well kempt by Ecuadorian standards.  We drove around some of the main streets a bit looking for a restaurant, and finally decided on one that had “Israel” as part of the name.  We ate some kind of thing that was deep fried.  The lady told us the name of it, but I cannot remember.  I think it was chicken, cheese, and ? wrapped in dough and deep fried.  I placed a napkin on it to absorb some of the oil.  It was then that it sunk in why many Ecuadorians are getting overweight.  They eat a lot of food which contributes to that. 

From there we drove toward the big river that divides Ecuador from Peru as  I wanted to look over the rice fields to look for waterfowl.  There was a flock of Black-necked Stilts, one each of Greater Yellowlegs and Spotted Sandpiper.  Otherwise, plenty of Cattle Egrets and a few Great Egrets.  Comb Ducks were also a plenty.  Two raptors we saw were a Savannah Hawk and Crested Caracara.  At the end of the road was a gazebo-like building with a large porch overlooking the river, which was very muddy from the rains in the highlands.

A SMALL PORTION OF THE RICE FIELDS

THE GAZEBO PATIO WITH THE MUDDY RIVER

 We had hoped to find the road to where the trees with the yellow flowers were, but could not, so drove to our lodging.  Once there we could hear loud music, which is common in the country.  After a while I walked around to find the manager.  He was in the bar by the pool, sitting in a chair, asleep from way too many beers.  I needed to pay him for another night, so woke him up.  At least he turned the music down.  Later on, after dark, we needed to ask him something and I found him zonked on a couch, so left him be.  

We decided we had enough of that place, so I arranged to visit the Jorupe Reserve in the morning.  To do so we drove back toward town but hung a left before getting there, went a few miles to the entrance and drove another mile to the lodge and cabins. The name of the lodge is the “Urraca” Lodge.  We were greeted by the “Ranger,” paid the entrance fee, and were then free to roam around.  The dirt road continued farther and we opted to walk on it.  The birds were plentiful.  The whole area was in a large valley that was undisturbed by agriculture except for a few small farms in the lowest parts near a small river.

Now that the rainy season had reached the lowlands, all the trees had begun to leaf out, so the sights and smells were green and verdant, and bird song was continuous.  One feature of the entire area were the large Cieba Trees.  Pictures describe these better than words, so here are a few of them plus a couple of the general scenery there.

THE ROOF OF THE LODGE

THIS ONE LOOKS LIKE ITCOULD BE THE
FRONT LEG OF A BRONTOSUARUS 

 

Later that day a group of 4 from the University of Loja, not far from where we live, arrived to do some research on frogs.  One of them told me that the Cieba trees had no good use and no one has yet to figure out any benefits they might be to the forest.

I think it was close to noon when we got back and talked with the local management about spending the night there.  They called a lady named Paola who also spoke English.  I had recently corresponded with her regarding future lodging elsewhere in the Jocotoco system, so she recognized who I was, gave me a discount and also applied the entrance fee we had paid to the lodging fee, so we were set to stay for the night.

It was nice to be in a place which was clean, organized, and set up mostly for birders with a bird guide in residence.  Out back was a feeding station patronized by squirrels, chachalacas, jays and doves.  A few other birds would come there  when permitted by the bullying jays.  There was also a blind for the photographers.  

We were shown to our cabin and got settled in and were asked when we preferred lunch, which ended up being about 1:30  After lunch we walked the road back in the direction we came in from.  Even though it was in the heat of the day, the birds were still quite active, much to my satisfaction.   During these birding forays my camera was getting much usage, and I’ve decided to make another link for only bird pics, or this blog would be way too long.  I also wish I knew the bird songs here better, but that will just have to take time. 

    

THE DINING AREA NICELY SCREENED IN, TO KEEP OUT THE BEETLES

After getting back to the lodge area, I asked Leo (The Ranger) about owls, and he said there was a place to find the Buff-fronted Owl which we could go to, at 07:00.  So after dinner Leo went with the researchers from Loja while we went with Luis, the maintainance man.  We drove back to the highway and hung a left.  After a mile we pulled over and walked into a field and played the appropriate song.  In about a minute the hoped for owl responded, but after about 10 minutes of back and forth, he would not come in for a visual, so we left.  In  driving on the highway at night I met 3 cars coming toward me and one which came up in back of me.  All of them had their high beams on and did not lower them.  Some day I may write a blog about the poor driving habits of many in this country, which are dangerous and frustrating.  But light that was not sooo bright was the reflection of eye shine from the huge moths that crossed in front of my headlights. I did not know such was possible.

When we went to our cabin after owling, the porch light was on. I felt some crunching under my feet as we walked up the steps.  We quickly figured out the light had attracted a hundred or so small brown beetles, so we brushed these away from the door so as to keep them out.

MANY SMALL BROWN BEETLES

Later that night, while in bed, I heard another Buff-fronted Owl, as well as a Peruvian Screech Owl and a Spectacled Owl, the later a nice addition to my Ecuador bird list.

At daybreak I got in the car and drove farther into the reserve, past where we walked the preceding morning, found a place to park and walked both to the river and along the road.  The ambiance was gripping me with peace while the birding was also satisfying.  But I could only be gone a couple hours as we needed to eat breakfast and be off.  I wanted to be back at the Utuana Reserve where we had gotten rained out 3 days before.  

After breakfast we bid our good-byes and were off, back on the highway, heading “up” toward the pass at Utuana.  The sky was overcast and gray, actually a nice welcome from the heat, but after some 45 minutes I could see we’d probably be reaching and driving in the fog.  Sure enough, we got into the thick of it, turned the lights on, and had to drive about half as fast as we normally would.  At least there was very little traffic.  At one point I almost ran over a dog sleeping in the road, something  common here.  Livestock owners are in the habit of tying their horses or cows alongside the road to graze, and these are often partially out in the road, so you have to be on the alert to avoid them.   A few are also not even tied, which needs no further comment.  

At the Utuana Pass we kept going as it was raining now, and any hope of visiting the reserve would have to wait for a future time.  We were now descending toward Cariamanga and little by little the fog was lifting.  At Cariamanga we had to go through a military checkpoint.  I showed the officer in uniform the registration and my driver’s license,  and he waved us along.  However, we got lost in the city and had to ask directions a few times, eventually getting back on the main road.  

As we wanted a walk before we got home, we found a satisfactory road along a river.  So we drove in and parked.  The sky was still overcast so we did not have to walk in the brutal equatorial sun.  Afterward we drove the last hour to home.  

Little by little we are getting acquainted with the physical features of Ecuador, its people, and of course the birds.   We won’t be going on any more jaunts until our tenet returns.  The next one is likely to be a large loop to the south which goes up over a mountain range and into Zumba (see the map), a humid city in the lower SW portion of the country. However, before then, a couple friends from Oregon are coming in February for a birding trip, and a local birder/photographer friend will also be along.  If in the future you’d like to consider birding here, shoot me a note with your questions.   

WHITE-CAPPED DIPPER

                             WHITE-CAPPED DIPPER

In the mountains of western North America we have the American Dipper, and probably all who are reading this have seen one.  In the Andes Mountains of South America, from Venezuela into Bolivia, there is the White-capped Dipper.  I have seen one every time I’ve been to Ecuador, including after having moved here just over 8 months ago.  However, it took me all that time to find one in the Loja Province where I live.  

Many  birders keep various lists - Life lists, State Lists, County Lists, Year List, etc etc.  I enjoy such, trying to beat the odds of accumulating a list in a described area.  And so I have  lists for the country of Ecuador and also for the few provinces where I’ve been.  I now have over 230 species in the Loja Province.  I’ve been on many hikes along rivers which are seemingly perfect dipper habitat, and I was beginning to conclude that the White-capped Dipper was simply my jinx bird.  That is, until Thursday, December 12, 2024.

The 2004 Vitara I bought had this funky security system which was a royal pain in the rear end.  Each time I wanted to start the car I’d have to press 6 buttons on the key fob.  When I turned the car off, within 30 seconds the car automatically locked.  It used to have a loud alarm when it sensed something was amiss, but I dismantled that.  I finally found someone who could replace the security system, but he needed a few hours to do so.  So I texted Charlie, a birding/photographer friend from town, to see if he might want to go birding and try to photograph a few birds during that time.  He said he needed some “Photography Therapy” and all he then wanted was for me to pick a destination to go.

I thought about it overnight and when he picked me up, I suggested we go hike up the road/trail along the Yangana River, about 10 miles away.  Rosie and I had walked here a few months back, a nice shady jaunt along a small river.  The level walk started out as a road but ended up becoming a trail, which led to a family property and beyond.  I remarked to Charlie this was “perfect” dipper habitat.  

We enjoyed the ambiance of the quietness with a few bird songs to spice things up.  A male Summer Tanager began singing incessantly, but we could not find him, even though he was almost right next to us.  We only saw him when he flew off, his gleaming red body easy to follow.  A few Brown-capped Vireos were not cooperative to have their photos taken, but we finally managed to accomplish the “feat.”

As part of the trail was getting muddy, we went through the “gate” to avoid the mud and ended up walking toward the only house out this far.  When we were about 150 feet from it, we could detect a few birds in the trees above the river now below us, so stopped to ID them.  In short order the owner came over and we had a nice visit.  I ended up showing him a picture of a dipper and he affirmed they were in the river.  I was about to ask him if Torrent Ducks were there also, but he beat me to it, relaying that they were even farther up the river.

So we went back to the river and kept heading upstream.  We finally came to a place where we could go no farther because there was no more trail.  I decided that if I got onto the gravel bed in the middle of the river I’d be able to see farther upstream, trying for one last ditch effort to find a dipper.  I had to gingerly pick my way on exposed stones to get to it.

Once on the gravel bar I saw it - there was a dipper right in front of me.  I don’t know how I missed him, but due to the dark water with plenty of white rushing parts, the black and white bird tends to blend in.  He was not more than 10 feet from me, so I froze in my tracks.  Being so close I was just sure he’d flush, but he didn’t.  I did not feel I could even turn around to tell Charlie who stayed on the bank.  In about 30 seconds I felt I could slowly lower myself to the ground so as to not appear threatening, and the bird miraculously seemed to ignore me, hopping from stone to stone looking for food.  

Once in a crouching position I turned around and could see that Charlie was already well aware of the bird, ready to take pics.  My camera came to life, and I was able to take full frame photos at my leisure for 3-4 minutes, and then he flew downstream.  I arose, looked at Charlie, and we both gave each other a thumbs up with smiles from ear to ear.  I walked back over the stones and we began ecstatically looking over our pics.  But I had reset all my camera settings the night before, and the few pics I looked at were not looking so hot, so I decided I had better go down river and refind him with hopes of getting better pics.  

Luckily he was about 125 feet downstream, so we began forming strategies to get close again.  We found him on a dead branch some 3 feet over the water, a rather unusual perch for a dipper.  I took a few more distant photos, but ended up circling wide around him, and then crawled close so that I was about 15 feet away.  Those shots were better. 

After a bit he again flew downstream and this time I made sure Charlie went first so he could be the one getting close. We found him maybe 100 feet further down, and Charlie began taking pics at his leisure while I sat on a log getting rehydrated and looking over my second round of pics.  Five minutes later he was still in shooting mode, and it looked like he was awfully close, so I snuck up behind him to where I could take more pics, which worked out just fine.  

All the time while watching him, I only saw him dip his head into the water once.  I’m used to seeing the American Dipper go totally under and come up a few feet away.  So maybe the habits of this dipper are a little different. Here are a few shots of  American Dippers I took a few years ago: 

 

AMERICAN DIPPER

AMERICAN DIPPER

AMERICAN DIPPER

After another minute or two of bursts he flew downstream.  We decided we had bothered him enough and made no further efforts to photograph him.  We’d catch up with him along the bank a couple more times before he flew the opposite direction finally.  It was almost ironic that farther downstream we found another one.  

So that bird is no longer on the unfound list for Loja.  On the flip side, it is beneficial to have a few jinx birds, ones you just cannot find.  You know they are out there and so are motivated to get out and find them.  I suppose I’ll not run out of those kind here in Ecuador.  There are over 1600 species in the country and with 900 on my list, I have plenty more to find as I live out my life here.  And, by the way, my car security system is no longer to be loathed.  The key fob only locks and unlocks the car.  Phew!

Charlie Renideo has become a good friend and we’ve been out birding and photographing a few times now.  He probably has as much photography experience as I do birding, so we compliment each other, and he has given me some good tips for getting better pictures.  The photos that follow are his and used with his permission: