Ecuador: Northwest Andes in Summer

The Andes of northwest Ecuador have some of the best and most accessible birding locations in all of South America, and they just keep getting better every year. This fairly short tour based in the Mindo-Tandayapa area offers a superb look at the incredible bird diversity of the Chocó bioregion that will delight first time visitors to Ecuador and returning travelers alike.

Our tour will spend time at two outstanding and comfortable accommodations: Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge, situated in the upper subtropical zone above the Tandayapa Valley, and El Séptimo Paraíso, lower in the Mindo Valley. Both locations are excellent bases from which to explore the surrounding areas, and also have great birding right on the grounds. Among the localities we’ll visit are the Tandayapa Valley, Mindo, Mashpi, the Paz de las Aves reserve, and the forest preserves at Yanacocha, Milpe, Silanche, and Amagusa—all of them within 15 minutes to 1.5 hours from our lodging. During our eight days of birding we should encounter about 300 species, possibly including some of western Ecuador’s most celebrated: Toucan Barbet, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Giant Antpitta, Oilbird, Lyre-tailed Nightjar, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, and as many as 40 species of hummingbirds and 50 dazzling tanagers overall. Finally, on top of the amazing birds, another highlight will be the chance to meet and bird with some of the local entrepreneurs who have established the small reserves that help make birding so accessible and enjoyable in Ecuador, while conserving the important natural habitats of their home region at the same time.

Day 1: The tour begins at 6:30 p.m. in Puembo near Quito’s international airport. Night in Puembo.

Day 2: We’ll leave early this morning for the temperate cloud forests on the outer slopes of Pichincha Volcano. Our destinations will be Zuro Loma and Yanacocha, two nearby reserves that are home to a number of interesting high-elevation species. We’ll watch the hummingbird feeders for the iconic Sword-billed Hummingbird, bossy Buff-winged Starfrontlet, and elegant Great Sapphirewing. Tanagers are abundant at this elevation, and we’ll especially hope to find mountain-tanagers, such as Scarlet-bellied, Hooded, and possibly the rare Black-chested. With luck we may be able to see Equatorial, Tawny, or Chestnut-naped Antpitta. After lunch at Yanacocha we’ll descend below the town of Nono through breathtaking temperate and subtropical forest along the famous Nono-Mindo road. Here we’ll look for White-capped Dipper and roadside mixed-species flocks containing a variety of tanagers, flycatchers, warblers, and other birds. We’ll arrive in the late afternoon at Bellavista Cloud Forest, our home for two nights. Night at Bellavista.

Day 3: On our full day based at Bellavista, we’ll concentrate on birding the upper subtropical cloud forest around the lodge and in the adjacent Tandayapa Valley, without the need to drive very far at all. We’ll begin by birding right outside our cabins, where eye-catching Turquoise Jays, Blue-winged Mountain-Tanagers, Masked Trogons, and Strong-billed Woodcreepers frequently visit an insect light at dawn in search of their breakfast. The scarce White-faced Nunbird and gaudy Toucan Barbet occasionally put in an appearance as well. Hummingbird feeders at Bellavista and nearby properties attract an outrageous variety of hummingbirds, including gems like White-booted Racket-tail, Collared Inca, Andean Emerald, Purple-throated Woodstar, and Buff-tailed Coronet. Walking along the road can bring exhilarating birding too, and we’ll hope to encounter mixed flocks that might hold Grass-green Tanager, Cinnamon Flycatcher, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, and Green-and-black Fruiteater. The striking Crested Quetzal and the incomparable Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan are both possible here. Night at Bellavista.

Day 4: Our second morning at Bellavista comes with an early excursion to look for the tricky, phantom-like Tanager Finch, a large sparrow known in Ecuador only from a handful of sites. After returning to the lodge for breakfast and a last chance to enjoy the bird activity at the feeders, we’ll check out with a pack lunch and take a longer drive (around 1.5 hours) down into the Guayllabamba River Valley to visit a dark and mysterious grotto home to a colony of Oilbirds that spend the daylight hours resting on steep rock ledges above a rushing mountain stream. These unique and bizarre birds, superficially similar to nightjars, are the only nocturnal, frugivorous bird species in the world, and they are known to use echolocation like bats! Their abrupt shrieking vocalizations combined with the somewhat spooky ambience of their hideout will provide for a memorable experience. After our visit with the Oilbirds we’ll have the rest of the day to make our way to Mindo; we may head straight for our lodge to check in or we may make some roadside birding stops en route. By late afternoon we’ll arrive at El Séptimo Paraíso Lodge, our home for the next five nights. Night at Séptimo Paraíso.

Days 5-8: We’ll have four full days to explore several of the most famous birding locations in northwest Ecuador. One morning we’ll depart before dawn to visit an Andean Cock-of-the-rock lek. The number of brilliant males attending the lek varies from day to day but the experience is never less than fascinating. We’ll visit the now-famous reserve managed by local farmer Angel Paz, where we hope to see a number of antpittas (Giant, Ochre-breasted, Chestnut-crowned, Moustached, and Yellow-breasted Antpittas are all possible) and other normally hard-to-see species.

On another morning we’ll visit the magical cloud forests of the Mashpi area, set at a similar elevation to the Mindo-Tandayapa area but on a different ridge of the Andes. This area is home to the marvelous Mashpi Amagusa Reserve, and hosts a plethora of species endemic to the Chocó bioregion of western Ecuador and adjacent Colombia, including Moss-backed Tanager, Black Solitaire, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Pacific Tuftedcheek, Chocó Vireo, and Indigo Flowerpiercer.

We’ll be sure to descend at least once to the steamy lower foothills, where diversity is highest and we can encounter a different range of birds. Here, widespread rainforest species are found alongside some Central American specialties at the southern end of their range and some species endemic to the Chocó region. We’ll search for prizes such as Orange-fronted Barbet, Guayaquil Woodpecker, Blue-tailed and Gartered Trogons, Purple-chested Hummingbird, and uncommon tanagers like Gray-and-gold, Scarlet-browed, and Dusky-faced.

Our lodge, El Séptimo Paraíso, is situated in a forested valley with good birding possibilities on the grounds and nearby, and we’ll hope to run into mixed-species flocks containing Spotted Woodcreeper, Red-faced Spinetail, Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, Slaty-capped Flycatcher, and Yellow-throated Chlorospingus. Also found around the lodge are some sought-after birds like Golden-headed Quetzal, Crested Guan, and Crimson-rumped Toucanet.

Hummingbird diversity is extremely high in the cloud forests of northwest Ecuador, and we can find 10 or more species at several sites. Given the popularity of hummingbird feeders at many small, local reserves, we can expect closeup encounters with extraordinary Chocó endemics like Violet-tailed Sylph, Empress Brilliant, Velvet-purple Coronet, Brown Inca, and Purple-bibbed Whitetip, surely a highlight experience. Nights at Séptimo Paraíso.

Day 9: We have the morning to look for anything special we may have missed, or we may visit a new area. Depending on the day’s program we may check out of Séptimo Paraso after breakfast or after lunch. In the afternoon we’ll drive back toward Quito, perhaps stopping in the arid country outside the city to search for a few species that we won’t see elsewhere. Possible species at this site include Ash-breasted Sierra-Finch, Band-tailed Seedeater, Golden Grosbeak, Tufted Tit-Tyrant, and Black-tailed Trainbearer. We’ll arrive back at our airport hotel in the late afternoon in time to rest a bit before a delicious farewell dinner. Night in Tababela.

Day 10: The trip ends this morning with transfers to the airport.

2024 Narrative

It was an amazing week on the western slope of the Andes, filled with too many highlights to mention here. We enjoyed very favorable weather as we explored a range of elevations and habitats, from high elevation temperate forest, to epiphyte-laden subtropical cloud forests, and the tall, steamy rainforest of the lower foothills. The landscapes were varied and impressive, as were the birds, headlined by coveted Chocó bioregion endemics like Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Moss-backed Tanager, Velvet-purple Coronet, Toucan Barbet, and Long-wattled Umbrellabird, in addition to some of the most spectacular and iconic birds in all of South America, such as Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Giant Antpitta, Lyre-tailed Nightjar, and the unique and bizarre Oilbird. Our group of enthusiastic, patient, and good-natured travelers formed a great team and the excellent company, including our tireless and well-loved driver Edwin, only enhanced the experience. Our tour was the perfect introduction to Ecuador’s mind-blowing biodiversity, and it’s hard to believe just how much we saw in only seven full days, with over 300 species recorded.

Day 1: All of the participants arrived a day early and wanted to go birding, so a day trip to Antisana high in the eastern Andes was arranged. Highlights included Andean Condor, Giant Hummingbird, and Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle. The tour officially started with our introductory meeting before dinner, and then it was off to bed early!

Day 2: After an early breakfast we met our driver Edwin and loaded the van to travel across the inter-Andean valley south of Quito in the dark, emerging on the slopes of the western cordillera around sunrise. The main event this morning was a visit to the private and locally-owned Zuro Loma Reserve, where we were met by Silvio and treated to an excellent feeder setup with a great variety of high elevation hummingbirds, tanagers, and other birds of the high Andes. Sword-billed Hummingbird was the clear crowd favorite, but the hulking Hooded Mountain-Tanagers also impressed, and the normally reclusive Equatorial Antpitta also delighted us with an appearance at the worm feeder. Mid-morning we took a hike up into the temperate cloud forest where Silvio showed us the now-famous White-throated Screech-Owl of Zuro Loma. As we drove upslope from Zuro Loma, we spotted a small flock of Andean Lapwings, and later a group of White-fronted Ground-Tyrants, a scarce austral migrant to Ecuador from southern South America. Our highest elevation of the morning was over 11,000’ feet at the Yanacocha Reserve, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch and picked up some new birds as well, like Shining Sunbeam, Black-chested Mountain-Tanager, and Andean Guan. Then as the clouds closed in it was time to depart, and we spent most of the afternoon driving down in elevation along the old Nono-Mindo road to the subtropical zone, with a few stops along the way to stretch our legs and see some common birds like Flame-rumped Tanager and Roadside Hawk for the first time. At the end of the afternoon we arrived at our accommodation for the next six nights, El Séptimo Paraíso near Mindo and enjoyed our first of many outstanding meals, frequently featuring the delicious soups that are typical of Ecuadorian cuisine.

Day 3: After breakfast at the very civilized hour of 5:45 we started by birding around Séptimo, and were rewarded with some great mixed flocks, producing first looks at common species like Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner, Chivi Vireo, Three-striped Warbler and Yellow-throated Chlorospingus, and some uncommon species like Marble-faced Bristle-Tyrant too. A friendly Ornate Flycatcher and a pair of Slaty Antwrens were particularly obliging, and we also spotted a couple of Crested Guans. By mid-morning we headed down the road to the Milpe area, where we visited the Milpe Bird Sanctuary, with its very busy hummingbird feeders being visited by throngs of White-necked Jacobins, Green-crowned Brilliants, and Crowned Woodnymphs. There were smaller numbers of other species too, and the tiny and handsome Green Thorntail and the nervous White-whiskered Hermit caught our attention each time they visited. In spite of the excellent hummingbird activity, the real star at Milpe had to be the large and impressive Chocó Toucan that dropped in to feed on bananas, causing much excitement among our group. At Milpe we also got our first looks at some of the tanagers that would prove to be fairly common throughout the week, such as Golden, Silver-throated, Flame-faced, Golden-naped, and Rufous-throated. Tearing ourselves away from the feeders, we walked along the road for a while before it was time to return for lunch, and picked up our first Collared Aracaris and Maroon-tailed Parakeets, as well as a migratory Snowy-throated Kingbird. After lunch at the lodge some of the group went out for roadside birding in the Mindo area, with the highlights being a showy Gray-lined Hawk flying above us, colorful Bronze-winged Parrots perched in a treetop, and a pair of White-capped Dippers visiting a riverside nest. Driving to our next site we experienced our first “stop the bus!” moment of the tour when a pair of spectacular Rufous Motmots were spotted outside the window. At dusk we made a special trip to a stakeout for the Lyre-tailed Nightjar and were rewarded with a showy male flying out from a cliff, silhouetted with its gloriously long tail against the fading sky. Dinner featured a champagne celebration for Dewey and Gretchen’s anniversary.

Day 4: Today we took breakfast with us, and set out early for the long drive to the Mashpi area.The morning was spent birding around the Amagusa Reserve, with their great array of feeders arranged thoughtfully by hosts Sergio and Doris and set in the magical, lush Mashpi cloud forest. Highlights were just too numerous to detail comprehensively! Highly sought-after tanagers such as Glistening-green and Moss-backed were seen repeatedly, and a group of handsome Black-chinned Mountain-Tanagers dropped in as well. Not just one but three White-throated Quail-Doves visited the scattered corn, momentarily pushing aside the more timid Chestnut-capped Brushfinch. And a small group of endemic Rose-faced Parrots approached for eye-level, up-close views right off the deck. On top of this, a rare Mountain Coati that has become fond of his banana handouts made an appearance below the fruit feeders. At the hummingbird feeders we were amused and enchanted by the antics of the elegant Velvet-purple Coronets, Violet-tailed Sylphs, and their colleagues, while a group of Swallow Tanagers tried to draw our attention to the treetops above. Later in the morning as we walked along the road with Sergio we got incredible views of the gaudy Orange-breasted Fruiteater and the localized Green-fronted Lancebill with its nest beside a little waterfall. Staking out a patch of lobster claw heliconia flowers for a while proved successful when the remarkable White-tipped Sicklebill stopped by to probe the flowers with its unique bill. When our time was up, we headed down the road to Sacha Guatusa to have our pack lunch and watch the fruit feeders maintained by our hosts Claudia and Willy. The celebrities here are the striking Gray-and-gold and Emerald Tanagers, both often difficult to observe in the canopy but at Sacha Guatusa they spoiled us with repeated, excellent views at the feeder. As we enjoyed coffee prepared by Claudia, we racked up one new bird after another, with Scarlet-rumped Caciques, Red-headed Barbets, Black-cheeked Woodpeckers all stopping by for a bite of banana. Collared Aracaris dropped in as well, providing stunning, binocular-filling views of their colorful plumage, fancy bills, and strangely-shaped pupils. Our quest to see the White-bearded Manakins making a racket in the nearby thicket was unsuccessful, but when a couple of Orange-fronted Barbets moved through the garden in a mixed flock a few minutes later, we forgot our disappointment. Scope views of a Ruddy Pigeon over the driveway capped off our short but very productive visit to Sacha Guatusa and we loaded the van to head back to Séptimo. Of course there were still birding stops to be made, and the drive back along the Guayabillas road included some really nice surprises. The muppet-like Barred Puffbird delighted us with its drawn-out whistled call as it perched above the road. David made everyone very happy when spotted a magnificent Guayaquil Woodpecker from the bus. And perhaps the most unexpected sighting of the day came when Edwin discovered a Tiny Hawk perched in the middle level of the forest with prey while we were walking along the road! After a quick stop for cold drinks, we made it back to Séptimo for dinner.

Day 5: Today we traveled down to our lowest elevation of the week to visit the rainforest around Rio Silanche. We fought with some rain for the first couple of hours, but still managed a foggy view of a Blue-tailed Trogon just after we arrived. To wait out the rain we enjoyed our pack breakfast at the sheltered picnic area and then spent some time birding from the lower platform of the canopy tower. As the rains subsided we ascended to the top level of the tower and spent a couple of hours reveling in the excellent activity in the nearby treetops, as a variety of birds were busy feeding on small fruits. Streaked Flycatcher, Sooty-headed Tyrannulet, Black-faced and Scarlet-thighed Dacnises, and Masked Tityra were all new for our trip list, and it was nice to get great views of some common species like Chocó Tyrannulet as well. When it seemed we weren’t picking up new species any longer we descended to the forest floor and went for a walk on one of the trails, bumping into a good mixed flock with some exciting finds like Black-striped Woodcreeper, Slate-colored Grosbeak, and Tawny-crested Tanager, but experiencing some quiet stretches as well. Before lunch at the picnic shelter we walked along the road and turned up some great birds, including a couple of Purple-throated Fruitcrows and what was the bird of the day for many, the tiny Lanceolated Monklet. In the afternoon we broke up the drive back to Séptimo with a stop at Frutti Tour to see what was coming to Marcelo’s feeder setup. We were rewarded by several new birds, including noisy Dusky-faced Tanagers, ornate Golden-olive Woodpeckers, and a couple of uncommon hummingbirds: the exquisite Long-billed Starthroat with its raspberry and blue colors, and the rarely-seen Bronzy Hermit, a write-in for our tour checklist. A few people managed brief views of a Great Antshrike singing from the thicket behind the feeders as well. We made it back to Séptimo with some well-deserved down time before another delicious dinner.

Day 6: This proved to be a day filled with one bucket-list bird after another. We started with an early breakfast and departed in the dark to make it to the famous Refugio Paz de las Aves to take in the display of a group Andean Cocks-of-the-Rock at their lek. The activity was frenzied and the cat-like sounds were just as strange as the appearance of this cartoonish member of the cotinga family. After a great show we left the blind and began to check various sites for the secretive forest birds that Refugio Paz is known for. At various points throughout the morning we were accompanied by Angel Paz, his brother Rodrigo, and his nephews Esteban and Andy. The Paz family lived up to their reputation as “antpitta whisperers,” and they were successful in showing us an astounding four species of antpittas: the diminutive Ochre-breasted (“Shakira”), the shy Yellow-breasted (“Willy”), the handsomely patterned Chestnut-crowned (“Andreíta” and “Andrés”), and the gargantuan Giant (“Juanito”. Icing on the cake came in the form of a timid Rufous-breasted Antthrush (“Pepito”) coming in for its worm breakfast and a fantastically-camouflaged Common Potoo on its day roost. In addition to the many forest skulkers, we saw some of the most prized species of this tour up close at the fruit feeders, including the unique Toucan Barbet and the outlandish Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, both endemic to the Chocó bioregion. The hummingbird feeders were busy with 15 species, including Fawn-breasted Brilliants, Purple-bibbed Whitetips, Buff-tailed Coronets, Andean Emeralds, and Tawny-bellied Hermits. Between trips into the forest to look for the various antpittas we were also treated to coffee and empanadas to break up the morning, and as if all that wasn’t enough, we saw a pair of Rufous-bellied Nighthawks and a spectacular Lyre-tailed Nightjar on their day roosts. By early afternoon we settled in for our long drive down to Chontal in the Guayllabamba River Valley for a chance to see the one-of-a-kind Oilbird, a nocturnal, colonial, fruit-eating species that is the only member of its family. We met up with our host Marcia, who led us into a dark grotto with a small river rushing below us, where we found several Oilbirds roosting on the steep rock faces and occasionally flying past. With water dripping on us from above and the alien-like shrieking and clacking sounds of the Oilbirds carrying over the din of the river, it was a full-sensory experience. In addition to the Oilbirds, we spotted some other new species like Striped Cuckoo, Southern Lapwing, and Yellow Tyrannulet. The last part of the afternoon was spent riding back to Séptimo Paraíso for dinner.

Day 7: A partial roster set out a few minutes after 4:30 for our trip to Recinto 23 de Junio on a mission to see the outrageous Long-wattled Umbrellabird. This excursion included a hike uphill and across a stream in rubber boots to reach the lek site, where we were greeted by a male umbrellabird showing off his incredible wattle. After a few minutes the umbrellabird disappeared and we had our pack breakfast, carried up the hill by our host Luis and the always-dedicated Edwin. While we waited for the umbrellabird to return we worked on getting our best photos of the abundant, multicolored, impossibly iridescent Velvet-purple Coronets visiting the hummingbird feeders, and made an effort to tease apart the mixed flocks in the area, which included Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner, Rufous-rumped Antwren, and, much to Deb’s delight, the Glistening-green Tanager that she had missed on Day 4! It was fortunate we arrived at the lek site when we did, since the umbrellabird never returned. As we made our way back down to the van, we added a few more new species, including Fawn-breasted Tanager and Olive-crowned Yellowthroat, which sat up and belted out its melodious song. Back in the village we enjoyed coffee with empanadas, and started the drive back to Séptimo, with a short visit to a beautiful waterfall, where we finally got a decent view of the furtive bird that produces the astonishingly loud song emanating from roadside thickets: Bay Wren. We also spotted Lesser Swallow-tailed Swifts, Masked Water-Tyrants, and our only Yellow-tailed Oriole of the week. Returning to Séptimo for lunch, we reunited with the crew that had spent the morning at the lodge and heard about their sightings, including Broad-billed Motmot, the usual impressive array of hummingbirds, and a Slaty-capped Flycatcher nesting near the pool. After lunch and some downtime at the lodge, we set off for an afternoon visit to the town of Mindo and a short and entertaining chocolate production tour. To cap off the afternoon we did a bit of roadside birding, punctuated by the Lineated Woodpecker that Ben spotted when it flew into a tree right above us. Returning to the lodge at dusk, it started to rain, and the planned owl walk was called off. We enjoyed our last dinner at Séptimo and packed our luggage for an early departure.

Day 8: We started with an early breakfast and then said farewell to Séptimo Paraíso and the staff who had treated us so kindly and headed up the road toward the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve in the upper subtropical zone. A short roadside stop did not produce the hoped-for Tanager Finch, but we did pick up a Crested Quetzal instead, and then we continued onward to the lodge to check out the activity around the moth light and feeders. Even at this stage of the tour we were able to add several new species to our trip list, including some real prizes like Turquoise Jay, Strong-billed Woodcreeper, and a very photogenic Masked Trogon. Less showy but still exciting were Russet-crowned Warbler, Tricolored Brushfinch, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, and Golden-bellied Flycatcher. A White-throated Quail-Dove and a Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan visited the fruit feeder, which seemed pretty neat until a Tayra, a large relative of the weasels and badgers, barged in and stole the show. Before leaving Bellavista we enjoyed a cup of coffee and took a short walk in the forest, finding a pair of Green-and-black Fruiteaters. And a White-throated Hawk, an austral migrant was seen soaring over the lodge. Next we walked along a ridgetop road through the gorgeous cloud forest, looking for mixed species flocks. We didn’t encounter much flock activity, but with some work we turned up a few new species, including Rufous Spinetail, Flavescent Flycatcher, and Gorgeted Sunangel, the 40th hummingbird species of the trip, nectaring at an intricate bromeliad inflorescence. “What do we win?” we joked — “a brain freeze!” came Gretchen’s hilarious answer. Yes, that’s a bewildering variety of hummingbirds! A soaring White-rumped Hawk was a nice addition to the species list and the second new raptor of the day. By late morning we started down the Tandayapa Valley toward lunch, but with a couple of stops along the way, first at the very productive Pacha Quinde Reserve, where the hummer feeders were among the busiest of the whole week and within minutes we had spotted 15 species. Here we added White-winged Brushfinch and White-tailed Tyrannulet, and were entertained by favorites like Toucan Barbet, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager, and Red-headed Barbet. Another roadside stop on the way to lunch provided our only Chestnut-bellied Chat-Tyrants of the trip. Lunch at Mirador Guaycapi was not just about the food, which was excellent; we also savored our last hummingbird feeders of the trip, once again enchanted by the hyperactive and pugnacious White-booted Racket-tails, Andean Emeralds, Brown Violetears, Purple-bibbed Whitetips, and others. Leah spotted the scarce Black-capped Tanager making an appearance at the fruit feeder, soon joined by a Black-winged Saltator, the electric Blue-necked Tanager, and numerous Thick-billed and Orange-bellied Euphonias. To break up the drive back to the Quito area we stopped for selfies at the equator monument and some birding in the remarkably different arid scrub of the inter-Andean valley. And then just like that we were having our farewell dinner, sharing our Top 5 birds of the trip, and saying goodbye!