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 27, 2019
We left the cottage at the reasonable time of 7:30 AM and made the fifteen minute drive down the mountain to Guango Lodge. One nice thing about birding in the high elevations is that early mornings are not really necessary.
Situated at 2,700 m in elevation, the montane forest surrounding Guango Lodge is noticeably more diverse than the Polylepis patches at the higher elevations, and with a different mix of birds present. I read somewhere that you can visit Guango for three hours for the price of 5$ so that is how we had our morning planned.
One of the main attractions at Guango Lodge is the extensive hummingbird feeder setup. There must have been thirty or more feeders at different locations around the lodge!
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| Chestnut-breasted Coronet - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
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| Long-tailed Sylph - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
Most of the hummingbirds here I had seen on a previous trip to Colombia but there were a few new ones. Chestnut-breasted Coronet was one of them, and this species was easily the most common hummingbird present.
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| Chestnut-breasted Coronet - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
On the species description on the eBird website, the Chestnut-breasted Coronet is described as "belligerent" and I could not agree more. Some of them would spend seemingly every bit of energy chasing away all other hummingbirds from their preferred feeders.
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| Chestnut-breasted Coronet - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
The other new species of hummingbird for me was White-bellied Woodstar. At least six of these big bumble bees were counted in one corner of the garden.
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| White-bellied Woodstar - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
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| White-bellied Woodstar - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
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| White-bellied Woodstar - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
We noted eight hummingbird species in our first hour or so of observation which was less than I expected given how many individuals were around. Unfortunately we had no luck with Mountain Avocetbill (there are usually one or two around) or Sword-billed Hummingbird, but it was time to hit the trails.
Leaving the main lodge area we noticed a moth sheet that was set up a short ways away. Several moths could be seen clinging to the fabric or to the wooden supports, likely the remnants from the previous night's haul.
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| Amastus hyalina (above) and unidentified crambid moth (below) - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
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| Synchlora sp. - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
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| Pityeja histrionaria - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
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| Crambid moth (family Crambidae) - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
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| Hammaptera sp. - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
The most obvious natural feature at Guango Lodge is the Rio Quijos which runs through the property. A decent trail system had been cut through the montane forest following the river while a utility corridor also appeared to have great potential for birding. We made our way down the muddy trail to the river, keeping our eyes open for elusive Torrent Ducks that frequent this river.
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| Rio Quijos, Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
The Torrent Ducks remained hidden but we had success with some of the smaller birds. A big mixed flock moved through while Laura and I were walking along a ridge and due to the composition of the surrounding vegetation, they were practically at eye level. Capped Conebills, Spectacled Redstarts and Pearled Treerunners were the most common species in the flock but we saw many more, including Mountain Cacique, Black-crested Warbler, Turquoise Jay, Slaty and Pale-naped Brushfinches, Rufous Spinetail and more. One two occasions I heard Dusky Pihas calling but try as I might I could not get a visual. All in all it was a pretty birdy walk.
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| Strong-billed Woodcreeper - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
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| Cinnamon Flycatcher and Long-tailed Sylph - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
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| Pale-naped Brushfinch - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
The potential in the forest here seems high for a lot of species and I wished that I had more time to explore the trails here. Among my hoped for species, I "dipped" on Andean Potoo (there is apparently one staked out somewhere here), Bar-bellied Woodpecker, Slaty-backed Chat-Tyrant and Blueish Flowerpecker, as well as a whole host of species that I had seen before in Colombia and was hoping for a repeat encounter with. Just another reason to go back one day!
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| Slaty Brushfinch - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
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| Capped Conebill - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
The morning was initially quite cool with a heavy cloud layer but as the hours passed, the sun's intensity was enough to cause some butterflies to take to the wing.
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| Leptophobia penthica - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
The above butterfly was not opening its wings, which I wanted to see to help with its identification. Laura had a brilliant idea and shined her flashlight on the butterfly. Instinctively it spread open, presumably feeling the warmth of the "sun".
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| Leptophobia penthica - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
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| Pedaliodes asconia - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
The high rainfall levels here ensure that many different plants are flowering for much of the year. This species of Glory Bush is Tibouchina lepidota.
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| Tibouchina lepidota - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
Before leaving the lodge we made one more pass at the hummingbird feeder setup.
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| Tourmaline Sunangel - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
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| Long-tailed Sylph - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
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| Tourmaline Sunangel - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
With about fifteen minutes remaining until we needed to leave, the star of the show dropped in. A Sword-billed Hummingbird! Identified as the bird species with the highest bill length to body size ratio, the Sword-billed Hummingbird specializes by feeding on flowers with long corollas which other hummingbird species cannot access. It was pretty funny watching the Sword-billed trying to feed from some of the hummingbird feeders, since it needed to hover at a significant distance from the feeder due to its insane bill. In the photo below it is sticking out its tongue, making the bill appear even longer than what it is.
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| Sword-billed Humminbird - Guango Lodge, Ecuador |
Happy with our experience at Guango, we settled up the tab and hit the road. I forgot to mention, the 5$ entrance fee included tea, coffee and crackers as well. I highly recommend that any birders traveling through this area should stop and visit Guango - you will not be disappointed.
Laura and I hit the road and headed back west towards Papallacta. The day was still young and there were a few more birds I was hoping to find! That will be the subject of my next blog post.
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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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