Ecuador | Birding the Chocó-Andes Region with Grand Valley Audubon

Upon arrival in Quito, you'll be met outside the secured area of the airport and transferred to the hotel. Most flights arrive in the evening. No meals are included on this day. Quito's elevation ranges from 9,223 to 9,883 feet. To minimize your chances of experiencing altitude sickness, try to get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, consume high-carbohydrate foods, avoid alcohol and fatty foods, and avoid strenuous exercise at high elevations. Check in starts at 2 pm.

Enjoy breakfast and program orientation this morning at the hotel. Depart early for Mindo, making several stops en route along the Paseo del Quinde ecoroute, known also as Nono-Mindo Road. Your first stop is at Yanacocha Biological Reserve. Clinging to the slopes of Pichincha Volcano at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet, and comprising 2,371 acres of mostly elfin Polylepis forest, this protected area was established to safeguard the critically endangered and endemic Black-breasted Puffleg. Other high-altitude species include the Andean Guan, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Golden-breasted and Sapphire-vented Pufflegs, Great Sapphirewing, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Rufous and Tawny Antpittas, Ocellated and Blackish Tapaculos, Black-chested and Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanagers, Golden-crowned Tanager, and many more. After a picnic lunch in the reserve, continue driving with quick stops to look for stunners such as the Toucan Barbet, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, and Beautiful Jay. While driving down to the lower altitudes of the subtropical forest region, be on the lookout for the Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager and White-winged Brush-Finch. Next, stop at Alambi Cloud Forest Reserve, where 250 species, including 32 hummingbirds, have been recorded. The reserve covers a large range of altitudes (4,750 to 7,210 feet) and spans two major basins: the Alambi Valley and the pristine Goaycape Valley. Regulars include Brown Violetear, Booted Racket-tail, Fawn-breasted and Green-crowned Brilliants, and Golden and Silver-throated Tanagers. While at Alambi, stop to visit a plant nursery that's at the heart of a community reforestation project. Walk with a representative through the nursery and garden to learn more about the program and the various species of flowering plants being cultivated to restore Black-breasted Puffleg habitat. Continue to Mindo in time for another program orientation and dinner.

This morning, visit Milpe Bird Sanctuary, a 250-acre subtropical rainforest reserve with an altitudinal range of 3,350 to 3,770 feet and protecting an important tract of remnant forest in the Chocó foothills. The Chocó is an ecoregion and biodiversity hotspot that ranges from the Pacific coast of Colombia south to Ecuador, and it supports the largest number of restricted-range birds of any Endemic Bird Area in the Americas, with 62 species. Chocó endemics reliably found at Milpe include Pallid Dove, White-whiskered Hermit, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Blue-tailed (Chocó) Trogon, Chocó Toucan, Esmeraldas Antbird, Club-winged Manakin, and Rufous-throated Tanager. Endemics that require a little more luck include Plumbeous Forest-Falcon, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Glistening-green Tanager, and Moss-backed Tanager. The reserve is also famous for its numerous manakin leks, both Club-winged and Golden-winged Manakins. In the afternoon, visit the productive feeders at the family-run San Tadeo Birdwatching. The mix of birds here often includes standouts such as Violet-tailed Sylph, Red-headed Barbet, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Flame-faced Tanager, Black-capped Tanager, Golden-naped Tanager, and more Chocó endemics: Brown Inca, Velvet-purple Coronet, Empress Brilliant, Dusky Chlorospingus, and Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager. Return to the hotel for dinner.

Spend the day at Mashpi-Amagusa Reserve, a 320-acre protected area in the Chocó foothills that functions as a critical link between lower subtropical forest and higher montane forest at neighboring Mashpi Lodge. The altitude here ranges from 2,450 to 5,600 feet. The birding is fantastic along this corridor, with many Chocó endemics that are difficult to find elsewhere, such as Rose-faced Parrot, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Chocó Vireo, Moss-backed Tanager, Black Solitaire (seasonal), and Indigo Flowerpiercer; a few, like Long-wattled Umbrellabird, require a little luck. Feeders on-site have many of the same hummingbirds and tanagers seen at Milpe and offer another great opportunity for photos. Enjoy a boxed lunch during the excursion and return to the lodge in the afternoon.

Check out and start the day early with a visit to Refugio Paz de las Aves near Nanegalito (13 miles northeast of Mindo, at 4,590 feet). Angel Paz is the proprietor of this private reserve, and his story is an excellent example of community conservation. Angel was formerly a local logger who transformed his property into a haven for antpittas and Andean Cocks-of-the-rock over a decade ago. His early fame came quickly when he learned how to coax the rare and elusive Giant Antpitta into the open with earthworms. He now has six different species of antpittas staked out on his property: Giant, Yellow-breasted, Ochre-breasted, Chestnut-crowned, Moustached, and Scaled. Other incredible birds on the property include Lyre-tailed Nightjar, Rufous-bellied Nighthawk, Olivaceous Piha, Dark-backed Wood-Quail, Crested and Golden-headed Quetzals, and a fantastic mix of hummingbirds. Have lunch at Guango and visit their private reserve on the eastern slope above San Isidro at an elevation of 8,858 feet. Cooler and often shrouded in mist, habitats here include humid temperate forest, chusquea bamboo thickets, and swift mountain streams. The area is characterized by its more stunted trees, thicker canopy, cooler climate, and different bird and plant composition. The feeders at the lodge are often hopping with birds; enjoy close views of Sword-billed Hummingbird, Tourmaline Sunangel, Buff-winged Starfrontlet, Turquoise Jay, and more. Birds regularly found in the surrounding reserve include Torrent Duck, Andean Guan, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, White-capped Dipper, Slaty Brushfinch, Lacrimose and Buff-breasted Mountain-Tanagers, and Gray-hooded Bush-Tanager. En route to the hotel in Cosanga, make a stop at the Mitad del Mundo Monument. Then, arrive at San Isidro Lodge. The lodge's private reserve forms an important bridge between the Antisana and Gran Sumaco Reserves, and the area boasts a bird list of about 330 species, many of which are more easily found here than anywhere else in the country.

The cloud forest reserve at San Isidro Lodge encompasses nearly 3,000 acres on the eastern slope of the Andes at an elevational range of 6,069 to 7,874 feet, making this an ideal base to observe Andean birds from the lower reaches of the temperate zone down into the heart of the subtropical zone. Nearly 500 species have been recorded in the area, and several-such as the mysterious "San Isidro" Owl and Peruvian Antpitta-are extremely local and rare. Birds regularly encountered include Wattled and Sickle-winged Guans, Golden-headed and Crested Quetzals, Masked Trogon, Andean Motmot, Southern Emerald-Toucanet, Powerful and Crimson-mantled Woodpeckers, Speckle-faced Parrot, Chestnut-crowned and White-bellied Antpittas, the beautiful Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher, Black-billed Peppershrike, Green (Inca) Jay, Saffron-crowned Tanager, and Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia.

Today, visit Chontas, a place strategically located in one of the best bird watching areas in the country, as it is surrounded by two natural areas: Antisana Ecological Reserve and Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park. Approximately 130 bird species have been reported in the area. Along the path, which is 1.6 miles long and at an elevation range of 6,500 to 7,200 feet above sea level, you can observe and listen to different types of species of birds such as the Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Southern Emerald-Toucanet, White-bellied Antpitta, Masked Trogon, Golden-headed Quetzal, Dusky Piha, Wattled Guan, Andean Guan, Sickle-winged Guan, and different species of tanagers. Continue to Vinillos road, located at the right side on the road to Guacamayos Ridge, for bird watching along the road and paths.

Start the morning with some birding at the lodge, and then depart for Quito through the Cumbayá Valley. Have some time at leisure before attending a presentation by a local ornithologist to learn more about some of the species seen throughout the program.

Spend a full day birding along the trails at the privately owned Antisana Ecological Reserve (11,500 feet), whose varied ecological zones range from páramo to lowland rainforest. More than 70 bird species can be found here, including the Andean Cóndor, Giant Hummingbird, Carunculated Caracara, Black-faced Ibis, Speckled Teal, Andean Duck, Silvery Grebe, Slate-colored Coot, Andean Gull, Andean Lapwing, and Aplomado Falcon. At 18,900 feet, the snow-capped Antisana Volcano is the fourth highest peak in Ecuador, adding to the breathtaking Andean scenery that can be enjoyed along the lower elevation trails. This evening, reflect on the journey during an early evening farewell dinner at the hotel. Most international flights depart very late this evening or before dawn the next morning, so please be ready to check out of the hotel and travel to the airport immediately after the farewell dinner.

Arrival to United States. For those who are departing today, check out is at 12 pm.