Explorations of an Ecologist: A quick trip to Ecuador, Part 2 (Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary)

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 25, 2019

Our alarms went off while the sky was still pitch black. Twenty minutes later we had dressed, thrown our day packs and lunch fixings into the back of "Bozo" (our rental car) and motored up and out of the valley containing the town of Mindo. The next hour and a half were mostly spent losing elevation as we made our way into the Chocó lowlands of the west. As the sky slowly lightened we could see heavy gray clouds and bands of rain off in the distance.

This part of Ecuador is just a sliver of its former glory, if one is only looking at the natural areas that remain. The Chocó rainforest which stretches from eastern Panama down the west side of Colombia into northwestern Ecuador is one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world due to heavy deforestation. In general, forests found in lowland areas are much more susceptible to the axe and saw compared to montane forests, simply because they are that much easier to access.

The Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary is a 100-hectare slice of forest that is owned and managed by the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation. The main feature at Rio Silanche is the presence of a canopy tower, though there are also several miles worth of trails. Unfortunately, Rio Silanche is practically an island since the surrounding forest has mostly been cut, but what is protected is an excellent example of Chocó rainforest. Many bird species found only in the Chocó can be found at Rio Silanche, although in recent years some of them have become much more scarce as surrounding forests have been cleared. Regardless, we were excited to explore this unique area! Though the weather gods had other ideas...

Entrance road to Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

We turned off the main highway and took the gravel road to the entrance gate, seeing our first Pallid Doves along the way. The rain had begun in earnest before we arrived but we put on our rain gear and braved the canopy tower anyways.

Unidentified mantis - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

I had a relatively short "hit list" of target birds, since I had explored the Chocó before in Panama and briefly in Colombia. I was really hoping for Blue-whiskered Tanager and Scarlet-breasted Dacnis, two Chocó specialties that are becoming increasingly scarce at Rio Silanche. Unfortunately we had no luck with these, but even in the rain we saw a few things from the tower including Chocó Toucans, Chocó Tyrannulets, a pair of Slate-throated Gnatcatchers and my first Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo. A White-tailed Trogon and Slate-colored Grosbeak also paid us a visit. Laura somehow managed to spot the mantis (pictured above) on a nearby tree.

Yellow-throated Toucan - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

Slate-throated Gnatcatcher - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

Once we had had enough of the rain we decided to put the scope back in the car and walk the main loop trail. At least under the cover of a tall canopy, the rain at ground-level was a little less intense. Birding was very slow but we enjoyed marvelling at the weird and wonderful plant life and fungi, including this strangely phallic one called a Strangled Stinkhorn (Staheliomyces cinctus).

Strangled Stinkhorn (Staheliomyces cinctus) - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

A number of small anurans were seen hopping in the wet undergrowth; they all appeared to be either Leaf Litter Toads (Rhaebo haematiticus) or an unidentified species of rain frog.

Leaf Litter Toad - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

Epipedobates boulengeri - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

These tiny, pink and green sombreros were quite eye-catching. They belong to the genus Heisteria.

Heisteria sp. - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

I had no idea what this was when we found it; further research has taught me that this is a species of Earthstar (Geastrum), which is a type of mushroom.

Earthstar (Geastrum sp.) - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

We enjoyed our walk despite the rain and resulting few bird species. As we rounded a bend, the sky appeared to brighten, the rain abated (except for the trees "raining" in the slight breeze), and a few birds began to sing. From right beside the trail the explosive call of a Rufous-fronted Wood-Quail rang out from somewhere unseen, deep within the undergrowth. This was a particular milestone bird for me since it was my 2,500th species (yes, I count heard-only). Back when I began birding this was a sort of flagship milestone since it represented about 1/4 of the world's birds, but now the global species list is creeping towards 11,000.

Following our hike we had a brief lunch stop at the car while contemplating our next move. The rain had mostly let up so we decided to give the canopy tower another whirl. While walking to the tower I was surprised to have a Black-headed Antthrush run across the trail, one of my target species.

Our second vigil on the tower produced a few new species, though the much anticipated canopy flocks never materialized. I couldn't even pull out a Purple-chested Hummingbird which seems to be relatively common in this area. Some new birds were added though, including a small flock of Black-faced Dacnis, a few tanagers, some Dot-winged Antwrens and a flyover Swallow-tailed Kite, eating what appeared to a frog while it circled above us!

Swallow-tailed Kite - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

We also enjoyed watching the antics of Widespread Eighty-eight Butterflies, so named due to the patterning of the underside of their hindwings. The one below looks more like an Eighty-nine Butterfly (or a Ninety-eight Butterfly, depending on which side you are looking at).

Widespread Eighty-eights - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

Widespread Eighty-eight - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

Numerological quips aside, they really are quite pretty butterflies and it was great to view them well. This damselfly is also a beauty, known as Argia limitata.

Argia limitata - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

We decided to spend our final two hours or so at Rio Silanche by walking a smaller trail found on the side of the road opposite from the parking area/tower/main trail. This proved to be a good choice as we observed several new species, avian and otherwise. A vocal Stub-tailed Antbird was not one I was really expecting (they are usually reported from along the entrance road), while a small flock of Dusky-faced Tanagers also appeared; another one of my targets down.

Dusky-faced Tanager - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

Down this trail we found a small lek of White-bearded Manakins though the males were being skulky and hard to see very well. A few other odds and ends appeared including Rufous Motmot, Checker-throated Antwren, Double-toothed Kite and several hummingbirds (Band-tailed Barbthroat, White-whiskered Hermit).

Euptychia sp. - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

Rufous Motmot - Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Ecuador

As we finished the trail the day was creeping on and it was now solidly mid-afternoon. With an hour and a half drive still ahead of us we decided to call it a day. As we drove down the bumpy gravel road, the heavens opened once again and the rains fell hard, putting an end to any thoughts of birding along the entrance road.

We arrived back in Mindo right before dusk, happy with a great day of hiking and birding despite the rain. That evening we celebrated by indulging in a wood-fired pizza. We were in bed early, excited for another busy day visiting some completely different habitats - stay tuned.

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Wednesday, 7 August 2019

A quick trip to Ecuador, Part 2 (Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary)

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