The Deskbound Birder: Green Thorntail

Showing posts with label Green Thorntail. Show all posts

Saturday, 17 August 2019

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

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

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

Thursday, 15 August 2019

Alambi and Mashpi Lodge (Galapagos and Ecuador) - 15th August (Day 2)

We were up at 06:30 and after breakfast we were collected by Gabriel's brother Esteban who was to transfer us from the Wyndham Quito Airport Hotel to Mashpi Lodge. We set off at 08:30 and wound our way along the busy motorways and dual carriageways skirting the west side of Quito and crossing the Equator at Ciudad Mitad del Mundo. We then climbed out of the dry inter-Andean valley in which the city is located and began to drop through humid forest down the western slope of the Andes enjoying the sight of the thickly forested valleys whose trees gained in height as we descended. Our first short stop was at the Alambi Hummingbird Garden. I don’t think I have visited a set of feeders with such a large number of hummingbirds, species we recorded were Purple-throated Woodstar, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Booted Racket-tail, White-whiskered Hermit, White-necked Jacobin, Brown Violetear, Sparkling Violetear, Green-crowned Brilliant, Crowned Woodnymph and Andean Emerald. Other species we recorded here were Golden-olive Woodpecker, Orange-bellied Euphonia and Lemon-rumped Tanager.

White-necked Jacobin - Alambi Hummingbird Garden, Nanegalito, Quito, Ecuador

Sparkling Violetear - Alambi Hummingbird Garden, Nanegalito, Quito, Ecuador

Green Thorntail - Alambi Hummingbird Garden, Nanegalito, Quito, Ecuador

Green-crowned Brilliant - Alambi Hummingbird Garden, Nanegalito, Quito, Ecuador

Golden-olive Woodpecker - Alambi Hummingbird Garden, Nanegalito, Quito, Ecuador

Tobias feeding Purple-throated Woodstar - Alambi Hummingbird Garden, Nanegalito, Quito, Ecuador

Our next stop was at Tulipe Museum, an archaeological site of ceremonial pools built by the Yumbo tribe from around 800AD. This is basically a series of stone lined pools set within the grounds of the museum. The only birds we saw here were White-whiskered Hermit, Blue-grey Tanager, Pacific Hornero and Black Phoebe. The pools were interesting if you like stone walls.

Tulipe Museum Archaeological Site

Driving onwards and into the Mashpi Conservation Area we stopped for around 30 minutes at the Amaguso Reserve and spent some time at the feeders here. Highlights were Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Glistening-green Tanager, Golden Tanager, Empress Brilliant, Green Thorntail and Velvet-purple Coronet. Heading further downslope we cleared the security at the gate to Mashpi Lodge and wound our way down the steep single track gravelled road through tall forest to Mashpi Lodge.

Golden Tanager - Amaguso Reserve, Mashpi, Ecuador

Glistening-green Tanager - Amaguso Reserve, Mashpi, Ecuador

Green Thorntail - Amaguso Reserve, Mashpi, Ecuador

Orange-breasted Fruiteater - Amaguso Reserve, Mashpi, Ecuador

We arrived at Mashpi Lodge at 14:15 and were immediately swept into a world of cloud forest dudes and impeccable hospitality. After a hot towel, introductory drink and welcome we were whisked to our lunch table where we enjoyed sumptuous foods from the buffet. Then to our room with 3x6m high glass window looking into the forest canopy. After dropping our bags we were summoned to the first of a series of programmed walks with our knowledgeable guide, Anderson. On this walk and other walks during the stay we were joined by a very pleasant French couple. Much to my dismay we walked a trail to a waterfall seeing very few birds – I am not a great fan of waterfalls particularly these tiny ones that are raved about locally but are mere trickles over a rock face, the only birds of note that I saw were a pair of Moss-backed Tanager and Dusky Antbird.

After the trail we went to the sky-bikes, basically these are giant tandems suspended on a wire which you peddle through the canopy. Despite the slightly cheesy sound this was a great way to see the forest canopy as we were suspended on our bikes at some 70m above the forest floor. Finally, we climbed the observation tower where we obtained great views across the forest canopy as the sun fell. Birds here were Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Swallow-tanager, Rufous-throated Tanager and Moss-backed Tanager.

After dinner and rather exhausted we crashed at around 21:00 to the sounds of the forest.

View from entrance gate to Mashpi Lodge

Swallow Tanager - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Moss-backed Tanager - Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Sky-bike at Mashpi Lodge

Links to Other Days of the Trip (Click to View)

14th August (Day 1) – International flight to Quito.
15th August (Day 2) – Mashpi Lodge.
16th August (Day 3) –Mashpi Lodge.
17th August (Day 4) – Mashpi Lodge and transfer to Quito.
18th August (Day 5) – Fly to from Quito to Galapagos Islands. Then sail to North Seymour Island.
19th August (Day 6) – Genovesa Island, Galapagos.
20th August (Day 7) – North-west Isabela Island and Fernandina Island, Galapagos.
21st August (Day 8) – South-east Isabela Island, Galapagos.
22nd August (Day 9) – Espanola Island, Galapagos.
23rd August (Day 10) – Floreana Island and Champion Island, Galapagos.
24th August (Day 11) – San Cristobal Island and Sante Fe Island, Galapagos.
25th August (Day 12) – Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos.
26th August (Day 13) – Fly Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos to Quito.
27th August (Day 14) – Antisana Ecological Reserve then fly Quito to London.

Saturday, 4 May 2019

Mashpi Amagusa, Upper Mashpi Road (NW Ecuador) – 4th May (Day 10)

After a 06:00 breakfast at Chontoloma Ranch we drove higher up the Mashpi Road stopping at a few birds sighted from the car including a Plumbeous Kite guarding its nest, a Swallow Tanager and a few mixed species flocks as we left the farmland for more forested areas. We arrived at Mashpi Amagusa at around 08:45 and first visited the main house where there were many Hummingbirds including Green Thorntail, Andean Emerald, Brown Violet-ear, Empress Brilliant, Velvet-purple Coronet and my favourite, Purple-bibbed Whitetip. There were good numbers of Tanager including Golden Tanager, Flame-faced Tanager, Golden-naped Tanager and the stunning Glistening -green Tanager which unfortunately arrived in a bout of fog and so did not show its plumage in all its shiny splendour.

We then birded down the road to the entrance to Mashpi Lodge where the highlight was a pair of Orange-breasted Fruiteater, the female on a nest and the male perched in the shadows of the same bush nearby. At the Mashpi Lodge entrance gate we birded the trail to the left and past the artists house. Here we had good views of Broad-billed Motmot, Emerald Toucanet and more distant views of Moss-backed Tanager and Chestnut-throated Solitaire. We then continued down the steep slope and down to the river and to a dilapidated building. This trail was fairly slow but we did record Tawny-breasted Flycatcher, Esmeralda's Antbird and Masked Trogon. Back at the artists house we walked up onto one of the upper balcony's of the property where a female Lyre-tailed Nightjar was roosting.

Driving a little way up the road to some higher feeders we spent a short while where we had good views of White-throated Quail-dove, Moss-backed Tanager, Toucan Barbet and Black-winged Saltator. At a stand of Heliconia, a long-shot, Gabrielle played a recording of White-tipped Sicklebill and amazingly within a very short while this amazing Hummingbird flew in and showed briefly as it fed amongst the Heliconia flowers, its obscenely curved bill well adapted to the unusual flower structure

After lunch in the attractive village of Pacto we drove the long bumpy road to El Chontal Oilbird Cave where we had excellent views within the cave of at least 15 Oilbird. On the outward journey a short stop produced a White-throated Crake before the drive to Mirador Bianco in Los Bancos for a two night stay.