Category Archives: Ecuador Birding

Returning Home

The trip downriver to Sani Lodge was boring. Most of us slept part of the way.

The trip back was much different: the river was raging with waves and floating logs coming at us continually. At one point, we heard a loud report as the boat hit a log hard, and the pilot stopped. Crew were scrambling back and forth between the bow and stern, talking mainly in Kichwa. No one but us seemed concerned as we floated back downriver and the crew pumped hydraulic fluid into the steering system and fiddled with the engines. We got moving again but it was several hours of stopping to fix things, maneuvering to miss logs (which I think were debris dumped by the oil companies clearing land), and worrying about the flight to Quito we needed to catch. A three hour trip turned into four hours plus, with no rest stops, but we got to Coca, were shuttled to the airport, and soon were on a jet heading to Quito. Once there, we were reunited with our driver, Roger, who had driven our bus the first 8 days, and were dropped at a wonderful hotel not far from the airport. Hotel San José Aeropuerto has wonderful grounds and so, being birders with a last chance to bird, we wandered the grounds with great results.

Several llamas were grazing in the large courtyard

This Golden Grosbeak was a new bird for the trip.

As was this Vermillion Flycatcher

We were close to the airport for tomorrow’s flights home.

This Crimson-mantled Woodpecker was a life bird for all of us. Photo courtesy of Peg Ackerman

The last evening, we gathered for a wonderful dinner and and said our goodbyes since most had very early departures the next day.

The trip, in retrospect was great. Most of us got 300 to 400 life birds, saw some amazing sights, made new friends, and had fun along the way. North Branch Nature Center and particularly Chip did a marvelous job designing, organizing, and carrying out the trip. Gracias Amigos

A Visit to the Sani Isla Community

Sani Isla is a community of about 600 Kichwa indigenous people nestled along the Napo river deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The Sani Lodge is their main source of income but in looking to diversify, the women in the community expressed their desire to revitalize traditional handicrafts. The handicrafts could provide a new income stream from sustainably sourced forest materials and help promote the traditional artisan practices of the Kichwa, strengthening their self identity and celebrating their way of life while protecting their forest home. We visited them for lunch, and to experience some of their culinary and celebration practices. It was great to do a little to support their efforts.

Offloading at the community landing.

We were welcomed by some of the women of the community and fed some traditional food.

One of our welcomers

These palm grubs are an Amazonian delicacy, raw or cooked. Our guide asked for volunteers.

Chip, our leader was one of the brave who after biting the grub’s head off, proclaimed the treat tasty. Most of us were unconvinced.

Fish from the Napo River was cooked wrapped in palm leaves.

Eaten with your hands sitting in a circle

This guy opted for something else

After lunch, our guide gave a brief talk about hunting with a blowgun and asked for a volunteer to fire one. I stepped up and after instructions, completely “blew it” with the dart only going about 50 feet. Provided some post-lunch humor at least.

“Houston, we have a problem here.”

Then we had some face painting such as was done for celebrations and festivals.

Sally chose River Otter as her animal marking.

It was a nice outing. We bought chocolate and hand-made baskets and other items. Fifteen school kids joined us on the ride back to Sani Lodge, saving the school boat a run. Little did we know that the next day’s trip on the Rio Napo back to Coca would be much more hair-raising.

Sani Lodge – Boat Trip

On day three, we trekked over to Rio Napo, by canoe, then walking, to board the big motorized boat to see some parrots. We had to leave very early because there is only an hour window or so when parrots come to the clay licks for feeding. They eat a variety of berries and toxic fruits- the clay counteracts toxicity, acting as an antidote and antacid.

The clay licks are a riot of color and noise as hundreds of birds come and go.

We stopped on an island to view the parrots on the clay cliffs across the river.

We saw Blue-headed Parrots, Yellow-crowned Parrots, Mealy Parrots, Dusky-headed Parakeets, and White-eyed Parakeets. Image courtesy Napo Wildlife Center

Heading upriver, we passed the “school boat” picking up students for the Sani Community School.

We then motored a little further, disembarked to explore a small island in the river where we got a little exercise trudging through sand and saw a number of good birds.

An adult Black Caracara and a juvenile watched us patiently as we photographed them.

This far-off Oriole Blackbird was stunning through the scope.

The group and the guides

Our next stop, which I’ll cover in the next post, was a stop for lunch at the Sani Community Center.

Sani Lodge – Observation Tower

As I mentioned in the last post, I am a pilot who is afraid of heights. No fire tower climbing for me, thank you, and I have to watch out for any hikes that have drop-offs, and I usually drive in the center lane of big suspension bridges. So in reading about the trip, I was concerned about the tower at Sani. It’s “only” 100 feet tall, next to a big Kapok tree, nothing to it. Not!

We left by boat for a 30 minute paddle.

It was interesting traveling

Followed by a relatively short walk to the tower.

The first glimpse of the tower did not inspire confidence.

Nor did the second one

I was about the last to climb and it was challenging. The higher I got, the more of a death grip I had on the railing. But I made it, crossed the final catwalk to the platform and once there, was able to relax a bit and enjoy the scenery and the birds.

No hanging over the rails to see birds down low

In the far distance, we and heard Howler Monkeys

These Many-banded Aracaris were typical of the many birds we saw from the tower.

This Gilded Barbet was another lovely find.

We saw and or heard over 90 species in the five hours we were out — including a rare Harpy Eagle (spotted by our guide, Olger Licury.) It was a great outing.

Sani Lodge

After a three hour bus ride to the city of Coca, a gritty city built up in the 1990’s oil boom, we waited around for other passengers who would make the 3.5 hour trip down the Rio Napo to the Sani Lodge. The long covered boat was tiring at the end of a long day, and then we to the fifteen minute walk on boardwalk to a small tributary where indigenous paddlers brought us to the lodge – which is perched on the water and deep in the rainforest.

The Sani Lodge is owned and operated by the Sani Community, a group of 500 indigenous people who live along the river.

Here is an interesting writeup on the lodge.

Our guide was intense but an expert at spotting birds – and after birding, very interesting and funny.

You travel by boat to get anywhere from Sani Lodge.

Our native guide took one boat and Chip aptly handled bird-finding in the other

The stillness in the Amazon basin is amazing at both ends of the day. No airplanes, traffic noise, just birds, bugs, and other creatures.

We saw a lot of birds from the canoes — as well as a Caiman, monkeys, a sloth, and for a few, a big otter.

A Hoatzin, a pretty noisy large bird that has to be seen to be believed. Pronounced “watson”

A young Rufescent Tiger-heron close to the lodge.

The next post will tell how a pilot, afraid of heights, climbed a 150-foot observation tower – for the birds.

Isidro -2

This was not a “roughing it” trip — no sleeping on mats or eating rice and beans. We birded pretty intensely at times but always returned to great meals and nice beds. Even the box lunches were pretty amazing. Isidro was particularly special.

The light-filled bedrooms were surrounded by jungle and birds.

The artwork and decor was striking.

There is a wide variety of birds around and hummers everywhere.

On one of our outings, we stopped at a nearby village to bird and relax.

On a Sunday afternoon, kids and adults play futbol on the playground.

The local elementary school

Rest for the weary

I generally do not take pictures of food but the meals we returned to deserved some documentation for their artistry and taste.

An appetizer on the last evening

The entree

That evening, after a unproductive owl prowl, we rested for a long travel day by bus, boat, and canoe to the Amazon Rainforest and four exciting days with a whole array of birds and other wildlife.

Cabanas San Isidro

After some last minute hummingbird feeder checks, we boarded the bus for another scenic but windy trek featuring trailer trucks and buses and blind curves and “watch for birds, not the road ahead.” Off to the south the massive peak of Antisana – elevation 18,714′ showed itself.

Shortly, a “stop the bus” called came as one of our best spotters, Liz, saw two Torrent Ducks cavorting in the rushing water. We saw dippers, sandpipers, and other birds as we lined up along the highway with scopes and binoculars in action.

Cabanas San Isidro is a sister lodge to Guango and has a wonderful array of cabins and trails in a very birdy setting.

On our first bird walk the next day, we came across this Quetzal who posed for us in the fog. It was a great way to start the day.

The lodge had some nice resting places.

From where you could see one of the “it’s everywhere” birds, the Chestnut-collared Sparrow.

Guango Lodge

Located next to a busy highway and disturbed by recent pipeline work, Guango Lodge was not our favorite stay, although the food and accommodations were fine. We opted out of the bus trips and spent several nice walks on the trails.

The lodge had a wonderful river running past it.

And nice views

While watching the antics of Inca Jays, we also noticed some lovely flowers.

This private suspension bridge was a little to high for my comfort level but not Sally’s

Returning, we enjoyed some of the hummers flitting about the lodge feeders.

Crossing the Andes

We left the lush western slope of the Andes, heading toward Quito. As we descended into arid conditions caused by the mountains and warmed up for the first time in days as we took a short walk, spotting among other things, a Giant Hummingbird.

Further down the highway, we pulled off into a small community where the original monument marking the Equator stands. There is a larger one in Quito, aimed at tourists, but this apparently is the real deal.

Sally took some photos of the little community.

Crossing through Quito, we started a major climb up the eastern slope of the Andes, pausing for lunch where we met these school kids returning home.

Turning off the major highway, we explored the paramo, the higher terrain above the tree line where we encountered several new species, including Andean Hillstar hummingbird and this uncommon Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant. (Love that name)

We were climbing up to Papallacta Pass to try to find the Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe.

The pass is over 13,000 feet and was pretty raw and foreboding.

The view southeastward

It was an effort to get out of the bus and trek behind our guide but we all took our time and soon, just as we were thinking of heading back, a shout up ahead announced a sighting. We saw two seedsnipes — this shot pushed the limits of the SX-60 point and shoot.

A Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe at about 13,500′ msl

We did it and were soon back on the warm bus and backtracking down the windy dirt road to continue our journey to Guango Lodge. It was great to get down to an altitude where the air had some meat to it.

We arrived at the new lodge to find a new group of humingbirds – no rest for the weary.