Birds Out Back – San Isidro Lodge
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Day 7 of our 10-day Ecuador Tour was a bit lighter than most of the other days. Although we were still up and at ’em early, after visiting a couple of reserves we were back at San Isidro in the early afternoon.
Our first stop of the morning was a high mountain pass with a little roadside chapel – truckers stop there to pray for a safe journey down the mountainside. Misty/rainy conditions prevented us from getting good views of the birds that were flitting around the trees.
We then stopped at Wayra Reserve which was a little mom and pop stand carved out of the jungle.
Although Bananaquits are quite common I enjoyed watching this one forage in the purple flowers as I sipped some excellent coffee offered by Wayra’s proprietors.
We walked over to a ledge which overlooked a large valley and below we could hear the rushing of a fast-moving river. Tony shared with us that the river was one of the many Ecuadorian water sources feeding into the Amazon River Basin. It was so beautiful there we just had to get a selfie.
There were some raptors soaring overhead, catching the thermals coming up the walls of the valley. I snapped away at several of them and when I posted the picture below Tony was astounded! It’s of a Black-And-White Hawk Eagle and somehow he missed it as it flew overhead – it would have been a Lifer for him!
On this day we actually got back to San Isidro Lodge at a reasonable hour so I relaxed on the deck facing the jungle at the back of our cabana.
As I sat there I noticed a small mixed flock of birds coming by and grabbed my camera. This Bluish Flowerpiercer foraged for nectar in a tree’s flowers. Look closely at the orange blossoms and you will see many holes where the Flowerpiercer has poked its beak through the sides of the flower in search of food.
Several Scarlet-rumped Caciques were also foraging along the edge; this one appears to be eating the flower’s pistal.
Also seen out back, a Speckled Hummingbird feeds on some pink flowers. If you look carefully at its right foot, its claws have pierced the petals of the flower to steady it during feeding.
Still more to come from Ecuador. Hope you are enjoying the journey so far!
Links to previous posts of our Ecuador Birding Trip:
How to prepare for and get the most from your bird tour
https://ebird.org/tripreport/325895
Our Ecuador Birding Trip – Preliminary Data
Our Bird Tour In Ecuador – Overview
Birding a City Park in Downtown Quito, Ecuador
Out of Quito to Reserva Yanacocha
Into Mindo Valley – Sachatamia Lodge
Mindo Valley – Reserva Amagusa
Reserva Amagusa – Hummingbirds and Toucanete
Ecuador Day 4 – Sendero Fruitti Tour
Refugio Paz de la Aves in Mindo Valley
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