Mashpi Lodge (Galapagos and Ecuador) - 17th August (Day 4)

It rained most of the night and we awoke to light rain and dense fog. After a leisurely breakfast we took a bus up to the Hummingbird Garden near to the lodge entrance gate. Here there was a good range of hummingbird species including Green Thorntail, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Empress Brilliant, Velvet-purple Coronet, Violet-tailed Sylph, Crowned Woodnymph, White-whiskered Hermit, Brown Inca and Andean Emerald. Other species included White-throated Quail-dove, Glistening-green Tanager, Golden-naped Tanager, Flame-faced Tanager, Moss-backed Tanager and Golden-collared Honeycreeper.

Glistening-green Tanager - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Glistening-green Tanager - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Golden-naped Tanager - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Golden-naped Tanager - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Flame-faced Tanager - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Golden-collared Honeycreeper - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Toucan Barbet - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

White-throated Quail-dove - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

White-throated Quail-dove - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Velvet-purple Coronet - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Velvet-purple Coronet - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Green Thorntail - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Purple-bibbed Whitetip - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Empress Brilliant - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

White-whiskered Hermit - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Purple-bibbed Whitetip - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Violet-tailed Sylph - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Empress Brilliant - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

We headed back to the lodge for 10:30, packed our bags, checked out of the room and had lunch with a couple of beers. Estoban collected us at 12:30 and we began the journey bag to Quito. A short way from the lodge gates we encountered a small flock containing two Black Solitaire, Sulphur-rumped Flycatcher, Rose-faced Parrot and Orange-breasted Fruiteater.

Thereafter we basically drove back to Quito. We did a brief stop at the Pululahua Reserve View Point, this is a view of the crater of the Pululahua volcano, one of only two inhabited volcano craters in the world, the other being the phenomenal Aogashima in Japan. We then stopped at the very touristy monument on the equatorial line inside the Mitad del Mundo Touristic Complex where we saw Black-tailed Trainbearer and Sparkling Violetear before heading to the Wyndham Quito Airport Hotel. We arrived at the hotel at 17:30, showered and then spent the evening meeting the group for the next leg of the trip - Galapagos.

Pululahua Reserve View Point, the 'mountains' are the rim of the volcano - Quito, Ecuador