The Deskbound Birder: Mashpi Amagusa, Upper Mashpi Road (NW Ecuador)

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.