Ecuador Tropical Birds

Itinerary

• Day 1 (April 28):  Arrive in Quito, Ecuador. Welcome Dinner at Hotel at 7PM followed by an orientation session.
• Day 2 (April 29):  We start the tour driving just 90 minutes out of Quito to Zuro Loma Reserve. This are is said to be the “soul of Ecuador’s Cloud Forest”, and an excellent location to get our first sights of the birds of the region. We hope to see a large assortment of hummingbirds as well as Andean Guan, Masked and Glossy Flowerpiercers, Yellow-breasted Brushfinch, and various tanagers and warblers.. In the evening, we arrive at our lodging for the next 5 nights. This gorgeous lodge is set within rich subtropical forest in the Andes of western Ecuador. Birds like the White-booted Racket-tail, Violet-tailed Sylph, Purple-bibbed White-tip, Purple-throated Woodstar, Buff-tailed Coronet, Brown Inca, and a variety of toucanets and tanagers can be observed up-close on the property.
• Day 3 (April 30):  Early risers can photograph Slate-throated Redstart, Toucan Barbet, Golden-bellied Flycatcher, and heaps of hummingbird species frequently found on the property in the early morning hours. We then make our way to a premier hummingbird location to practice this enticing style of wildlife portraiture, the world-famous Birdwatcher’s House. This location hosts two bird blinds that blend within the surrounding native forests, as well as beautiful native and non-native gardens for innumerable photo opportunities. Other birds to be seen here are the Turquoise Jay, Masked Trogon, and Risky Chlorospingus can be seen here. We return to our lodge for another relaxing evening of great conversations and helpful editing sessions.
• Day 4 (May 1):  On this day, the group makes their way to a beautiful tanager and hummingbird garden. There are some very interesting and regionally-specific species to be watched here like the Beryl Spangled Tanager, and Black Capped Tanager, to name a few. In the mid-afternoon, we return to our lodge to relax around the property, devote time to photograph the numerous bird species that frequent the lodge and its surrounding hiking trails, and perhaps conduct a group image review.
• Day 5 (May 2):  On our final full day, we head to a privately owned protected forest and a noted important bird area (IBA). This location is a favorite for birders due to its high biodiversity regions with chocó endemic birds like the Glistening-green Tanager, Black-chinned Mountain Tanager, Golden-naped Tanager, Golden Tanager, Flame-faced Tanager, Rose-faced Parrot, Orange-fronted Barbet, Toucan Barbet, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Mossbacked Tanager, Choco Vireo, and Long-wattled Umbrellabird. This reserve has been tended to by a family devoted to conservation for almost 30 years, and their diligent work has attracted hummingbird species like the Empress Brilliant, Velvet- purple Coronet, Violet-tailed Sylph, Brown Inca, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, and White-whiskered Hermit.
• Day 6 (May 3):  On our final day we climb our way up to the cloud forest. This protected reserve is a mini oasis for the increasingly threatened biosphere, a UNESCO designation the region earned in 2018. This region’s biodiversity is impressive, with six antpitta species (Giant, Yellow-breasted, Moustached, Chestnut-crowned, Scaled, and Ochre-breasted), dark-backed wood quail, lyre-tailed nightjar, and many hummingbird species. This location boasts a specialized blind to spot the Andean Cock-of-the-rock.  This is our final bird outing before heading back to Quito, where we will check into our lodging, enjoy one final group dinner, and prepare to depart the next day.