Explorations of an Ecologist: A quick trip to Ecuador: Part 3 (Mindo Valley, Papallacta Pass)

Part 1: Intoduction, Mindo Valley (March 24, 2019)
Part 2: Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary (March 25, 2019)
Part 3: Mindo Waterfall Trail, Papallacta Pass (March 26, 2019)
Part 4: Guango Lodge (March 27, 2019)
Part 5: Papallacta Pass (March 27, 2019)
Part 6: Travel to Sani Lodge, first night hike (March 28, 2019)
Part 7: First full day at Sani Lodge (March 29, 2019)
Part 8: Second full day at Sani Lodge (March 30, 2019)
Part 9: Amazonian river islands (March 31, 2019)
Part 10: Last nighthike, final morning at Sani Lodge (March 31 - April 1, 2019)

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March 26, 2019

For our last morning in Mindo Laura and I decided to explore part of the Via a Las Cascades, or the Waterfall Trail. Starting from the edge of town by a fast flowing river inhabited by White-capped Dippers, the trail (really, a gravel road) travels up into the hills above the town, passing through farmland, scrubby areas and eventually lower montane forest.

Via a Las Cascades, Mindo, Ecuador

This track is popular with tourists since many of the "standard tourist activities" I mentioned in my last post can be done from here. However due to the variety of habitats, it can also be quite birdy all along the road. Last November I spent a full day at Via a Las Cascades, walking all the way to the end of the road and back, and seeing over 100 bird species by the end of the day.

Via a Las Cascades, Mindo, Ecuador

Our time here would be somewhat limited since in the afternoon we hoped to explore the Papallacta Pass, located beyond Quito high in the Andes. We gave ourselves about three hours on the Waterfall Trail. While in November I parked at the river and walked all the way up the road, due to time constraints we drove past most of the scrubby and farmland areas into the nice forest near the end. As a result our species total was much lower (around 60).

Yellow-throated Toucan - Via a Las Cascades, Mindo, Ecuador

One of the birds we encountered was a new one for me - two vocalizing Dark-backed Wood-Quails - but everything else was a repeat. We encountered a few nice mixed flocks and enjoyed great views of a number of tanagers which were new to Laura. We heard a Club-winged Manakin from a known lek (it would not come in closer) and picked up several other birds that were new to my Ecuador list (Whiskered Wren, Buff-rumped Warbler, Ochre-breasted Tanager, Purple Honeycreeper).

Yellow-bellied Seedeater - Via a Las Cascades, Mindo, Ecuador

Butterflies are frequently observed and quite diverse in the mountains of Ecuador. It appears that I did not photograph any of the showier species, but these three ones were unique in their own right. The first grass-skipper, below, was absolutely miniscule.

Apaustus gracilis - Via a Las Cascades, Mindo, Ecuador

Oressinoma typhla - Via a Las Cascades, Mindo, Ecuador

Unidentified skipper - Via a Las Cascades, Mindo, Ecuador

The songs of wood-wrens are familiar to anyone who has birded Central America or northern South America. In general, the White-breasted Wood-Wren is found in lower elevations while the Gray-breasted Wood-Wren is the common species in the Andes (there are several other wood-wren species with much more limited ranges). While walking the Waterfall Trail Laura and I enjoyed great views of a pair of Gray-breasted Wood-Wrens and they even provided a rare photo opportunity, though photographing these mouse-like birds was still not too easy.

Gray-breasted Wood-Wren - Via a Las Cascades, Mindo, Ecuador

Laura spotted this awesome saddleback caterpillar of the genus Acharia.

Saddleback caterpillar (Acharia sp.) - Via a Las Cascades, Mindo, Ecuador

With the clock ticking we made our way by vehicle back down the road. We took care to avoid the potholes, some of which were large enough to swallow our rental Chevrolet Spark. We packed up at the Air BnB in Mindo, Laura made one more friend (see below), we grabbed coffees from a small cafe and hit the road!

Making friends in Mindo, Ecuador

When planning this trip I wanted to fit in some time in the highlands east of Quito. This is a part of the country I had never explored before and is home to some truly iconic species (Spectacled Bear, Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, Giant Conebill, etc). Before leaving Mindo we booked an Air BnB high in the mountains in the town of Papallacta. This meant that we would have the afternoon of one day and the morning of the next to search these areas.

We made good time on the windy road to Quito where we stocked up on groceries and gas. An hour later found us at our first location in the mountains east of the city. Mark Dorriesfield had tipped me off on this location (El Tablon sideroad) - a small gravel road that leaves the main highway and accesses good scrub habitat where Giant Hummingbirds, Green-tailed Trainbearers and other species are found.

Exploring El Tablon sideroad, Ecuador

For an hour and a half Laura and I birded the scrub, picking up some good birds here and there. My main goal here was to find a Green-tailed Trainbearer and perhaps a flyover Carunculated Caracara since these were the main possibilities for species that I had not seen before. Right away we got off to a good start with this awesome lizard that Laura spotted - a Quito Whorltail Iguana (Stenocercus guentheri). Not to many reptiles can survive high up in the Andes and the Whorltail Iguanas are some of the few lizards in these high elevations. This particular species is an Ecuadorian endemic that is primarily reported from the mountains surrounding Quito.

Quito Whorltail Iguana - El Tablon sideroad, Ecuador

Hummingbirds were frequently noted. Tyrian Metaltails were the dominant "normal-tailed hummingbird" along with much larger Sparkling Violetears.

Tyrian Metaltail - El Tablon sideroad, Ecuador

Trainbearers were playing hard to get initially but we soon found some cooperative Black-tailed Trainbearers. Green-tailed Trainbearers were more elusive and while we did see two, they were distant on both occasions. Despite their name, the tail colour isn't the most reliable way of differentiating the two species since the right angle and good light is required to be certain. The bill length/shape and tail length are the best features.

Black-tailed Trainbearer - El Tablon sideroad, Ecuador

A noisy pair of Black-crested Warblers were very responsive to pishing.

Black-crested Warbler - El Tablon sideroad, Ecuador

I climbed a small ridge and found myself face to face with a Red-crested Cotinga. Cotingas are some of my favorite neotropic birds due to their unique colours and patterns, relative scarcity and difficulty in finding many species. The Red-crested Cotinga is quite common in the high elevations and gave us many viewing opportunities in the 30 hours or so we spent up here. While not as gaudy as some of its relatives, the Red-crested Cotinga is beautiful in its own right.

Red-crested Cotinga - El Tablon sideroad, Ecuador

Just before leaving we noticed a few raptors soaring overhead. Not only did we see our first Carunculated Caracaras but an Andean Condor passed over as well. Andean Condors are quite scarce in Ecuador but this seems to be one of the more reliable areas for them. Despite its height above us, the crazy wingspan of this bird was easily appreciated.

Andean Condor - El Tablon sideroad, Ecuador

Continuing on, we still had a few hours of light left which gave us the opportunity to check out one more area. We decided on a patch of high-elevation Polylepis forest that is home to Giant Conebills. Before arriving there, we drove over the Papallacta Pass at over 4,000 m in elevation. I was a little worried that our car wouldn't be able to handle the low oxygen levels but she had no issues!

Bozo (our clown car) - Papallacta Pass, Ecuador

We kept an eye out for Spectacled Bears but as expected they remained out of sight.

Bear crossing! - El Tablon sideroad, Ecuador

We found the area of Polylepis forest, parked on the roadside and walked up through the paramo habitat. It was very slow going since we needed to catch our breaths every few steps. Us lowlanders needed some time to get used to the elevation.

The landscapes were absolutely breathtaking. There is something about high elevation bogs and forests that I find captivating.

High elevation wetland near the Papallacta Pass, Ecuador

Polylepis forest near the Papallacta Pass, Ecuador

This is a bromeliad in the genus Puya which was a reasonably common consituent of the open paramo.

Puya sp. near the Papallacta Pass, Ecuador

Upon cresting the hill we were given an incredible view as the fog broke away. For as far as the eye could see there was nothing but grasslands, small pockets of Polylepis woodland, lakes and the surrounding mountains. The air was completely still and the silence was only broken by the occasional distant song of a Tawny Antpitta or Many-striped Canastero. I could have spent hours here just taking it all in.

Laguna Sucrus, near the Papallacta Pass, Ecuador

We listened for the call notes that would signify that a mixed flock was moving through the Polylepis since this is the best way to find a Giant Conebill. Unfortunately the forest remained completely silent and we soon had to cut our losses. I made a mental note to return the next day to investigate the much larger patch of forest found just down the road.

We rolled into the town of Papallacta. Located at approximately 3,300 m in elevation it is one of the highest vehicle-accessible towns in Ecuador.

Most ecotourists who visit this area stay in the nearby Guango Lodge, located a bit further down the mountain at an elevation of 2,700 m. We considered staying there but found this property on Air BnB instead. For a fraction of the price we had a whole cottage to ourselves, fully furnished with a kitchen as well. We met the host upon arrival and she even had a fire going in the fireplace. She didn't speak any English but Laura and I acquitted ourselves fairly well, I think. While I have had the occasional poor experience with AirBnB, most of them have been amazing and this one was no different.

Our Air BnB for the night - Papallacta, Ecuador

That evening we enjoyed a home-cooked meal, bottle of wine and crackling fireplace. I had service on my phone and made a plan of attack for the following day. The car did not need to be returned to the Quito airport until the evening, giving us a whole day of exploration in the high elevations.

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Saturday 10 August 2019

A quick trip to Ecuador: Part 3 (Mindo Valley, Papallacta Pass)

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