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REMOTE ECUADOR

The Wonders of the Chocó

Friday 3rd September - Sunday 19th September 2010
(17 days)

Leader: János Oláh

Group Size Limit: 9

Tour Category: Easy at times, but mostly Moderate (and two or three optional fairly Demanding trails)

This tour produces a fantastic set of hummers including the Velvet Purple Coronet which is easily seen in the Mindo area nowadays (Pete Morris)

(Note: This is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)

Although only a relatively small country, Ecuador holds an extraordinary 1600 bird species, more than any other country of a similar size and not far behind the avifaunas of its far larger neighbours, Colombia and Peru. Ecuador is so amazingly diverse that a single trip cannot possibly do it justice, and most birders leave after their first visit with an overwhelming desire for more.

During this exciting adventure we shall be concentrating on the northwest of the country, the Chocó. Designated as Birdlife International’s endemic bird area number 41, the Chocó region covers the humid forest belt stretching from southwestern Columbia to northwestern Ecuador and is home to about 90 range-restricted species, of which 75 occur in Ecuador. The main focus of this tour will be to seek out as many of these special birds as possible, including some of the most difficult Chocó endemics, like the enigmatic and super-elusive Banded Ground-Cuckoo, the rare Baudó Guan and the awesome Rufous-crowned Antpitta. Seeing any of these superb birds would be amongst the experiences of a lifetime for most birders! In addition, we will also be trying for the similarly exciting and once poorly-known, but now relatively straightforward to find, Giant and Moustached Antpittas in the Mindo region, while in the far north of Ecuador we will explore some remote patches of highland forest that hold some interesting specialities, including the amazing Crescent-faced Antpitta, surely the prettiest of them all, and the recently-described Chestnut-bellied Cotinga.

After starting our travels in Quito, we will investigate some splendid patches of temperate cloudforest high on the slopes of Pichincha volcano, where hummingbird feeders attract such iridescent jewels as Sword-billed Hummingbird, Golden-breasted Puffleg and Rainbow-bearded Thornbill.

We will then descend to the Mindo area where those who have visited the area before will surely be able to catch up on some uncommon birds they missed previously, and where the feeders now feature such amazing creatures as Velvet-purple Coronet, Purple-bibbed Whitetip and Empress Brilliant. At the Mindo Loma Reserve and elsewhere in the Mindo area we will look for such seldom-seen birds as Cloudforest Pygmy-Owl, Hoary Puffleg, Uniform Treehunter and Orange-breasted Fruiteater. A morning visit to Angel Paz’s ‘antpitta forest’ should result in unforgettable views of the once almost mythical Giant, Yellow-breasted and Moustached Antpittas. Seeing these rare and skulking birds is definitely an astonishing and unmissable experience when visiting Ecuador! Those of us who have toiled for days scouring the understorey of the cloudforest for the briefest of glimpses of these ultimate prizes can certainly appreciate what a golden opportunity Angel has given us all.

After visiting a Lanceolated Monklet territory, we will head for the Jocotoco Foundation’s Río Canandé Reserve, which protects some beautiful primary foothill forest, a habitat which is disappearing all too fast in Ecuador. This area has recently gained prominence due to sightings of the very rare and elusive Banded Ground-Cuckoo. While we should consider ourselves lucky to come across this spectacular bird, a lot of other interesting species can be found here, including such threatened Chocó endemics as Rose-faced Parrot, Scarlet-breasted Dacnis and Plumbeous Forest-Falcon, and the area is also home to other stars like Plumbeous Hawk, Chocó Screech-Owl, Purple-chested and Tooth-billed Hummingbirds, Chocó Poorwill, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Pacific Flatbill and the dazzling Blue-whiskered, Rufous-winged, Moss-backed and Golden-chested Tanagers.

From this great reserve we will venture further northward and take a boat journey to Playa de Oro in the drainage of the Cayapas River. Based at a comfortable lodge, we will explore the vast forests of the Cotacachi-Cayapas Reserve, where such dream birds as Baudo Guan and Broad-billed Sapayoa are possible. Here we have our best chance for the elusive Rufous-crowned Antpitta, nowadays thought to be a giant gnateater rather than a true antpitta, which sometimes joins raiding army ant swarms attended by Bicoloured, Spotted and Ocellated Antbirds. Other sought-after birds that inhabit the forests in this area include Semiplumbeous Hawk, Stub-tailed Antbird, and Scarlet-and-white and Lemon-spectacled Tanagers.

Towards the Colombian border, we will visit the swamp forest of Humedal de Yalaré where we will seek out such goodies as Brown Wood-Rail, Five-coloured Barbet, Stripe-billed Aracari and Black-tipped Cotinga.

Afterwards we will head into the foothills again to visit the Awa reserve near Lita in the Mira river valley. From here we continue to the high Andes of northernmost Ecuador where we will hope to find the recently described and hard-to-find Chestnut-bellied Cotinga, the unique Black-thighed Puffleg, the neatly patterned Crescent-faced Antpitta and the dazzling Masked Mountain-Tanager in the windswept elfin forests of Cerro Mongus.

This amazing journey will be rounded off by investigating some remnant habitat patches in the northern valleys which may yield such goodies as Ecuadorian Rail and Blue-headed Sapphire.

Birdquest has operated tours to Ecuador since 1989.

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels/lodges are mostly of normal Birdquest standard. At Río Canandé we will stay at the simple reserve headquarters lodge, where there are five rooms with bunk beds and private bathrooms, but no electricity. Road transport is by small coach and roads are variable in quality.

Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy or moderate, but there are two or three optional harder walks.

Climate: Rather variable. In the Chocó lowlands most days are rather hot and humid, with a mixture of sunshine and overcast conditions. A fair amount of rain should be expected as the Chocó region has up to a metre of precipitation annually and even during the ‘dry’ season there is considerable rainfall! In the mountains conditions are similar, but temperatures range from warm and pleasant to cold.

Bird Photography: Opportunities are worthwhile.

Tour Price: £3460, €4083, $5709 London/London (or £2680, €3162, $4422 Quito/Quito). Price includes all transportation (including all flights), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.

Single Room Supplement: £225, €266, $371. Anyone having to share a room at Río Canandé will be given an appropriate refund.

Deposit: £350, €413, $578. If booking more than 12 months before departure, the initial deposit is only £150, €177, $248.

If we are lucky, the rare White-faced Nunbird will also be seen as it was on our last Remote Ecuador tour! (Pete Morris)

The stunning Scarlet-and-white Tanager is one of several superb tanagers that we will be looking for during the tour (János Oláh)

All five Bangsia tanagers are very special, none more so than the superb Golden-chested Tanager (János Oláh)

Other interesting tanagers on this tour will include the localized Rufous-throated Tanager (János Oláh)

... the smart Lemon-spectacled Tanager (János Oláh)

...and the glowing Emerald Tanager (János Oláh)

View Map Download Detailed Itinerary 467kb

Report From September 2006/October 2006 Report From September 2008 9 photos View Gallery Photos From REMOTE ECUADOR

With its glowing violet tail, the Violet-tailed Sylph is certainly one of the best looking hummingbirds in Ecuador (János Oláh)

Brown Inca is another one of the Chocó endemic hummingbirds that we will be looking for during the tour (János Oláh)

... and the stunning Empress Brilliant too (János Oláh)

Ecuador is a brilliant country for antpittas! On our last remote Ecuador tour we saw 9 species! This is the Rufous Antpitta of the high elevation Andean forests (János Oláh)

This superb Giant Antpitta is 'just' a supporting cast alongside the more localized Chocó antpittas! (János Oláh)

The superb Canandé Reserve is home to specialities including this Spot-crowned Antvireo (János Oláh)

... and the localized Rose-faced Parrot (János Oláh)

In the swamp forest of Humedal de Yalaré the loud-mouthed Black-breasted Puffbird is still relatively common (János Oláh)

We also should see more widespread goodies such as Barred Puffbird (Pete Morris)

... and the canopy dwelling Cinnamon Woodpecker, the only Celeus woodpecker species on the west side of the Andes (János Oláh)

The diminutive Cloudforest Pygmy Owl is a fiesty hunter of the mossy forests... (János Oláh)

... whiah are inhabited by the subtle coloured Moss-backed Tanager (János Oláh)

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