Peter James Fullagar: Ecuador day 4

Maquipucuna Lodge

16 February - Saturday. We left Maquipucuna Lodge after an early breakfast to drive to Tandayapa, stopping during the morning to watch garden feeders for an hour at Alambe. Again it was dry at first with occasional sun breaking through the clouds. We drove on to eat our packed lunch at Pacha Quinde where an excellent array of sugar-feeders was present. By this time the rain was heavy again and we began to see the results - trees undermined, hillsides washed down on to roads, local bridges at risk. We were unaware of the serious flooding in the lowlands around Guayaquil to the south since we had seen no TV or newspapers.

Alamba

Birding along the road - Tandayapa

Vegetation along the Tandayapa road - the lower one is Selaginella sp.

Crowns of Cecropia (sp.?) in the rainforest canopy

On the equator!

We found the juvenile Common Potoo reported here perched at the top of a tall dead stump and in all today we recorded 20 species of hummingbirds. After our lunch-break the rain was relentless and we had a very wet drive to the Tandayapa Pass on the lower Nono/Mindo road and on to Los Bancos for our next 2 nights at the El Mirador del Rio Blanco.

Juvenile Common Potoo perched on a stump (EJP)

More spectacular roadside vegetation

A spectacular Butterfly - upper and underwings shown(images by EJP)

Today we saw 97 species with our only views of Spot-fronted Swift (2), Gorgeted Sunangel (2) Purple-bibbed Whitetip (4), a White-throated Quail-Dove, two Short-tailed Hawk, a Sierran Elaenia and a Tanager Finch. Four species were heard today but were not seen or heard on any other occasion. They were Green-and-black Fruiteater, Spillmann’s Tapaculo, Beautiful Jay and Black-striped Sparrow. We saw a Bran-coloured Flycatcher brooding three nestlings. Again Barred Parakeet was very numerous along with Chestnut-collared Swift, Andean Emerald, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Buff-tailed Coronet, Booted Racket-tail and Blue-and-white Swallow.