Ecuador trip

[JeffOver]

Hi all!! I'm back here in B.C--for those of you who don't know, I was in Ecuador for 2 months job shadowing a missionary down in Quito. I had a great time--I didn't want to leave, and most of the people there are so gracious and welcoming! Of course, birds was secondary but I did manage to see quite a few!! The only disappointing part was that I didn't see the toucans or other colorful cool-looking birds I was hoping for. We went to a place called Mindo for an overnighter, where apparently they have these birds, but I found it later they're not usually close by the hiking trails. You have to go in the bush a bit...which was all fine by me, until I learned that tourists usually take a guide with them, as there are a lot of poisonous snakes there as well!!! By the time I found that out, it was too late. Oh well! A good excuse to go back again!! ;D Anyway, the highlight was definitely Mindo, where there are about 400 species. The place we stayed at had hummingbird feeders with hummingbirds everywhere from 6:00 till 6:00!! Apparently throughout the year they have 23 species of hummingbirds, and I saw 12!!!! ;D Here's a list of the 42 species I saw and identified.--There were many unIDs, so I'm not including most of those. I was equipped with the only Ecuador field guide (very good guide, I must say, though rather big) out there by Robert S. Ridgely and Paul J. Greenfield, binoculars, and my new Canon Powershot S3IS. The results of the camera follow the list.

Possible Little blue heron
Cattle Egret
Black vulture (Mindo)
Swallow-tailed kite (Mindo)
American kestrel
Band-tailed pigeon
Ecuadorian Ground-dove
Pacific Parrotlet
Squirrel cuckoo (Mindo)
Smooth-billled Ani
-------------------------------------
Hummingbirds
White-whiskered hermit (Mindo)
Green thorntail (Mindo)
Booted racket-tail (Mindo)
Purple-throated woodstar (Mindo)
White-bellied woodstar (Mindo)
White-necked jacobin (Mindo)
Brown Violetear (Mindo)
Sparkling Violetear
Green-crowned brilliant (Mindo)
Rufous-tailed hummingbird (Mindo)
Andean emerald (Mindo)
Green-crowned woodnymph (Mindo)
Black-tailed trainbearer
Violet-tailed sylph (Mindo)
----------------------------------------
Slaty spinetail (Mindo)
Pacific Hornero
Vermilion Flycatcher (about the only easily identifiable flycatcher)
Masked water-tyrant
Blue-and-white swallow
Barn swallow
Great thrush
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Warblers
Blackburnian warbler (Mindo)
Slate-throated whitestart (Mindo)
------------------------------------------------
Bananaquit (Mindo)
Blue-gray tanager (Mindo)
Lemon-rumped tanager (Mindo)
White-shouldered tanager (Mindo)
Southern Yellow-Grosbeak
Variable seedeater
Yellow-bellied seedeater (Mindo)
Rufous-collared sparrow
House sparrow (these helped keep me from getting homesick )

Pictures
White-necked Jacobin (3 pictures)




Purple-throated woodstar (1 pic)


Rufous-tailed hummingbird (1 pic)


Andean emerald (1 pic)


Brown violetear (1 pic)


White-bellied woodstar (2 pics)

(Rufous-tailed hummingbird in the background)


Bananaquit (1 pic)


Green-crowned woodnymph (1 pic)


Green-crowned brilliant (2 pics)

(Brown violetear in the background)


Green thorntail (1 pic)


Black-tailed trainbearer (2 pics) (hung around the house I stayed at)

Here's a young one.


Rufous-collared sparrow (1 pic)


American kestrel (1 pic) (there was a pair always hanging around the house where I stayed in Quito)

I have seen them eating these large beetles!


Great thrush (1 pic) (similar to our American robin in behaviour and habitat--must have a reputation for eating eggs or small birds, because the black-tailed trainbearer did not like him at all!!)


Yellow-bellied seedeater (1 pic)


Variable seedeater (1 pic)


Swallow-tailed kite (1 pic)


Ecuadorian Ground-doves (1 pic)


Pacific Hornero (1 pic)


Southern Yellow-grosbeak (1 pic)


Masked water-tyrant (1 pic)


Vermilion flycatcher (2 pics--male and female)



Unidentified flycatcher (1 pic) (any suggestions?)


We also stopped at a butterfly place in Mindo--beautiful! These were in a large enclosed netted area, in order to facilitate better care of the eggs and what not. Sorry, the identifications are in Spanish.






I also picked up boat-tailed grackles in Miami during an 8 hour stop-over on the way there. On my way back I stopped in Ontario to visit my brother over the Easter weekend (felt more like Christmas with the snow) and added yellow-bellied sapsucker and eastern bluebird to my life list.

Overall, not a ton of birds, but the hummingbirds was a huge plus for me!!! It was a great trip and one I won't forget too easily. I did check the website faithfully, to see what was up out here. Speaking of which, I haven't heard any more about organizing birding walks. If it still counts for anything, Saturday mornings are great for me!! ;D
Chau,
Jeff

[Dave]

Wow, Jeff! Welcome home Awesome pictures of those hummingbirds. I see that the camera is working well. It will take me a long time to get to 12 species of hummers. I am only at 6 species right now.......and hoping my life Calliope stops by sometime. Nice butterfly pics as well. Sounds like you had a good experience, birds and non-birds alike.

Dave

[tmanson]

Jeff: Nice list of birds, and good pics. Great to see you had the opportunity to bird Ecuador, at such a young age ( acknowledging this was not the main purpose of your trip ). Thanks for sharing. Thor

Thor Manson
Hope, B.C.

[Gord]

Wow! Incredible birds with amazing colours. Glad you're back safe and sound and I was not disappointed after eagerly awaiting your report and pictures!

[b1schmor]

Jeff, great stuff. Just great to see all of those hummers. Glad to hear you had a good trip.
It is sure fun to see pictures of birds from other parts of the world.

Brent Schmor
Abbotsford

[deb&tony]

Hola Jeff! Really nice photos, I especially like the shots of the hummers at the feeders, and the sheer variety. They probably have to refill those feeders quite often, unlike mine here.
I have got to get a digital camera.

Deb
Hope,BC

[fouram]

Kudo's to you Jeff!!! Looked at your post when I got home last evening, very impressive to say the least! Green with envy over your shots of the various Hummers, as well as the rest of the Native birds that you had the opportunity to see. I hope that you get as much use out of your Canon as I have up till now ( you are obviously way ahead of me in your picture taking ability!) Now if only I could get a few Hummers that I had last year--and the ability to get them on the camera--I will be happy---regards--Al