The Travelling Naturalist Holidays & Limosa Holidays Galápagos & Ecuador, Oct-Nov 11 Trip Report. Galápagos & Ecuador

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1 Galápagos & Ecuador 27 th October 13 th November 2011 Our vessel in the Galápagos Islands, the MV Beluga, between North and South Seymour. J.L. Muddeman Leaders John Muddeman (The Travelling Naturalist) Silvia Panchana (Galápagos naturalist guide) The crew of the Beluga Norby López (mainland Ecuador guide) Hannibal (mainland bus driver) Introduction I was going to start with This was a trip of three halves..., referring to the fact that everyone stayed for both the Galápagos half of the trip, and also for the very contrasting mainland extension, which being so different was indeed Like a another holiday, as was said by several group members. Since the mainland week itself was almost split neatly into two halves thanks to the weather, the original first line almost worked, but I ll try again... We stand dead still on a narrow forest trail, with only the sound of water drops falling from the clouds condensing in the canopy. A quite shrill voice suddenly cuts through the gloom, Sha-ki- 1

2 ra?!. Angelii-to?!. José-é?!. Que vengas!. A snigger runs through the group, since it seems so surreal, but just minutes later we stood in amazement as one of the most difficult tiny birds of the forest undergrowth an Ochre-breasted Antpitta sat quietly on a tiny twig, twitching its hips slowly, and mechanically, from side to side, as it contemplated us, and the estate owner (and wild bird trainer ) Angel Paz, as he threw little pieces of worm onto the forest floor for it to feed on... This was just one of the outstanding moments of the entire trip, but hardly better than numerous others we experienced, in terms of either quality and/or overall experience found throughout the course of the holiday. The remarkable Galápagos, still undoubtedly the best-kept island group in the world for the range of endemic wildlife still inhabiting its shores and waters, never fails to impress, and we encountered a bit of everything from tropical penguins, an owl roosting out on an open lava field, trees, bushes and the ground littered with nesting seabirds at arm s length and even to the extraordinary sight of five long dark grey shapes appearing from nowhere and swimming around close to the surface and under the boat as one cruise member (but not of our party!), and a self-proclaimed shark magnet, tried to go for a short swim... And rats aren t normally high on people s interest list, but if it s the endemic Santa Fé Rice Rat, then things are truly different! The mainland extension, to the cloudforests of the extraordinary backbone of South America, the Andes, also produced its share of moments, from the unfeasibly long bill of the Sword-billed Hummingbird carried so carefully in the air, though the sheer variety of colourful birds, from diminutive hummingbirds through to garish cock-of-the-rocks and the huge Woody Woodpeckers, amongst others. The diversity of plants is virtually unparalleled too, and among them were a number of superb orchids, which at least we could name (mostly!) to the right family, unlike so many of the other thousands of plants! All of these combined, together with almost completely dry, but relatively cool and overcast weather, to make a truly superb trip. Because of their contrasting nature, the two parts of the trip are presented separately below. And while I make no apologies for the length of this bumper report, since I hope it contains all the details required to bring the memories flooding back, I do apologise for it being the latest report I ve ever handed in! Please note that I have included the pictures within the report and have highlighted the relevant species names in bold to indicate what they are. Read on for more details... Daily diary Thursday 27 th October Heathrow via Madrid to Quito, or from Miami! A long day, but forming an excellent start, with everyone reaching the final destination fine and with all the luggage arriving correctly too! After clearing immigration and customs at Quito we were met by Esteban and taken smoothly to the hotel, where we were very pleasantly surprised by undoubtedly the fastest and smoothest check-in I d ever experienced. We re-grouped for a drink and light dinner in the hotel café, which certainly wasn t as fast, but settled us down nicely for a good night s sleep. OK, most people woke up between 2 and 4 a.m. given the 6-hour enforced shift on the body clock, but this also provided time for sorting out our soft bags which were due to go onto the boat, while leaving the larger hard cases behind in storage. Friday 28 th October Quito via Guayaquil to Baltra, Galápagos Islands. Our excellent breakfast from 6 a.m. was followed by a swift exit at 0645 and we were through check-in and more controls at the new terminal at Quito airport in just minutes! Brilliant! A wait 2

3 in the pre-departure lounge then followed, which gave us time to look through some of the many books for sale including several new wildlife guides before heading S to Guayaquil. The plane virtually emptied of Ecuadorians, it was refuelled, and then it almost filled again, this time principally with Germans, before setting off over the Pacific Ocean. The flying was definitely beginning to get a bit tiring when we finally started to descend straight to Baltra. A bumpy runway made slowing more interesting, especially since the cabin door had flown open on a roughish touch-down, and we could see the red barriers at the end of the runway looming rather too fast for comfort But some heavy braking combined with clouds of dust finally brought us to a halt in time and so we had finally arrived. This was Galápagos! The first look out is interesting, since the scrawny-looking leafless bushes in a rocky parched landscape are far from what many visitors imagine they will meet on a tropical island, but are in fact very typical of so much of the basal zone of much of the Enchanted Islands. The sun was beating down, but the temperature was an excellent 26 or 27ºC and a light breeze meant that this was very pleasant! A flock of Darwin s finches fought for scraps thrown from the airport café, but we concentrated on getting through the entry system and recovering our bags, before walking out to meet Silvia our guide, and a crew member from the Beluga, our vessel for the week. A few minutes were then spent waiting for our transfer to the boat, so postcards and even the odd sun hat were bought, and then we were off down to the little jetty where we finally set eyes on the Beluga. Not before looking skywards at wheeling frigatebirds, a high passing Great Egret and a Brown Pelican and Blue-footed Booby or two however! The sea-lions lounging in the shade under the jetty were barely even noticed! Our first panga ride took us to our vessel, where after a short introductory talk by Silvia we were off to our rooms for a short break before our first lunch on board. This was followed by another intro to the crew and then we were out on deck taking our first proper look at the wildlife around, with particular interest shown to the two female Magnificent Frigatebirds perched on the mast of the rear deck, plus several males which also flew slowly and close past. Several Common Noddy, Galapagos Shearwater and Elliot s Storm-petrels flying parallel to the boat were also excellent species representative of the islands avifauna, and watched as we cruised W along the N coast of Santa Cruz. Our afternoon trip was a walk through the arid, Incense Tree-dominated landscape of the Cerro Dragón area. Galápagos Land Iguanas were one of our main targets here, but after taking in our first blackish Marine Iguanas and gaudy Sally Lightfoot Crabs, plus noting a rather sad-looking Great Blue Heron taking a long siesta, we quickly found that a couple of shallow brackish pools just behind the dune ridge were very attractive to a number of shorebirds. Here we noted American Oystercatcher, Black-necked Stilt, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Least and Western Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated and Grey Plovers and even a delightful trio of Wilson s Phalaropes, plus a small group of White-cheeked Pintail! What a start! But there were a few tricky finches to start to look at, with Small and Medium Ground Finches happily being identified (in the end!), plus noisy Galápagos Mockingbirds and more furtive Mangrove Warblers and even a couple of brief Galápagos Flycatchers. Pride of place probably goes to a very large, and colourful male Galápagos 3

4 Land Iguana though, which wandered up the path towards us before turning off and starting to eat whatever scraps of edible vegetation it could find, though another male further on posed rather more happily for the photographers. We returned much later than expected, and boarded the boat just after sundown, with a fine red sky as we went in for a snack a little before dinner! A fitting end to a superb afternoon! Saturday 29 th October Santa Fé a.m. and South Plaza p.m. We were moored until 4 a.m. when we started our transfer. We arrived at Santa Fé before breakfast, which was at 7 a.m. and then took the pangas for a wet landing on a very shallow beach given the low tide. Bluefooted Boobies, Brown Pelican and a Lava Heron on the rocks, plus a large shoal of Yellow-tailed Surgeonfish both by the boat and en route ashore were all admired. A good look was taken at the Galápagos Sea-lions on the beach, a strange bristly apparently producing a painful sting fire-worm which rose out of the sand when disturbed by Carol s boot, plus our first pair of Galápagos Hawks, were all noted before we even started moving! A good walk along a trail through dry scrub and very tall cactuses was very rewarding, with two different Santa Fé Rice-rats, a few Santa Fé Land Iguanas and a (Central) Galápagos Snake! Darwin s finches kept us on our toes once again, but included Common Cactus Finch as well as Small and Medium Ground Finches, and a couple of excellent Galápagos Doves. But Galápagos Hawk juveniles stole the show with up to five flying and perching very close and giving stunning close views. A first snorkel for the most experienced gave us an introduction to the sea life here, with large numbers of Yellow-tailed Surgeonfish, Mexican Hogshead, Panamic Sergeant Major and cardinalfish along the rocks, but three (mostly!) resting White-tipped Reef Sharks and two Diamond Stingrays stole the limelight! A snack was followed by lunch, then we cruised off to South Plaza off Santa Cruz. A young male Great Frigatebird perched on the Beluga, plenty of Galápagos Shearwaters and Elliot s Stormpetrels were watched en route, then lots of birds including dozens of Swallow-tailed Gulls and up to 8 Red-billed Tropicbirds were observed from the deck while we were moored in the channel between the two Plaza islands. Our walk around the cool and breezy South Plaza in the afternoon enabled us to enjoy an abundance of Marine and Galápagos Land Iguanas, Galápagos Sea-lions, Mangrove Warblers, Swallow-tailed Gulls including some chicks, a few Lava Gulls and even Galápagos Shearwaters racing low over the cliff-tops, plus the different and lower bushy Opuntia cacti and the ground carpeted with a mat of the endemic Sesuvium edmontoni. Back on the Beluga, we finally held the 7 p.m. intro cocktail where we met the crew (held over from the night before), and then dinner was taken as usual after a magnificent day on the islands. 4

5 Sunday 30 th October San Cristóbal: Cerro Brujo a.m. and Punta Baquerizo Moreno p.m. Cruising in to our destination early morning produced a sighting of a large whale for Sally, but it was well behind the boat and so unfortunately impossible to identify. We were now into our daily drill, with a 7 a.m. breakfast followed by 8 a.m. exit and a wet landing on the lovely fine-sand beach near Cerro Brujo. We spent the next couple of hours strolling down and then back along this beautiful site, taking in the shallow pool behind the dunes, the beach itself as well as the rocky outcrops along the shore. Crowning the small dune ridge the telescope allowed us views of the pool behind complete with 14 Wilson s Phalaropes, and nothing else! Another small pool behind the dunes held a Spotted Sandpiper and a couple of White-cheeked Pintails for a lucky few. The main walk along the beach produced much more though, with our first Chatham Mockingbirds, plenty of Small and Medium Ground Finches and Mangrove Warblers, particularly along the upper beach. The very low tide revealed large areas of rocks and pools and these were naturally interesting to a range of shorebirds, including several Semipalmated Plovers, Wandering Tattlers, a few Least Sandpipers and a lone Sanderling. Blue-footed Boobies and a few Brown Pelicans fished the shallows, while a few Galápagos Sea-lions were hauled out on the beach and the wonderfully reddish Ghost Crabs scuttled across the sand, at remarkably high speed if approached, since their holes were much higher up the beach, but the best feeding was ever further down near the water line! The late morning snorkel was taken by Kicker Rock, where the vertical cliff drop-offs and deep channel between the rocks produce ideal conditions for deeper water species, such as Green Turtles and sharks. The water was obviously rich in nutrients though, with millions of small fish fry taking advantage, and visibility poorer than hoped, but a few of us saw a shark or two drifting past below, Dave saw a Spotted Eagle-ray and we all saw turtles and masses of colourful fish and marine invertebrates on the walls, including three or four different sea-urchins, Chocolate chip and Panamic Sea-stars, plus a few corals amongst others. The afternoon was taken up with a visit to the Interpretation Centre close to the capital on San Cristóbal. A Galápagos Sulphur butterfly en route there, plus a tiny Galápagos Blue just before the centre were both seen by a few. After a quick tour of the centre, particularly showing the human side of former and current life on the islands, we took a walk up and onto Frigatebird Hill. A small Eastern Galápagos Whip-snake and a few San Cristóbal Lava Lizards, with their very white stripes were noted too, as well as a Great Frigatebird roost on the trees. The return was via a small beach covered in large, but fortunately calm, male Galápagos Sea-lions and also coincided with the town s annual procession, with the virgin taken out and paraded around for all to admire. Monday 31 st October An eventful day! The wet landing at Gardner Bay was good, despite some swell, and the walk along the beach rapidly enlivened by the noisy and inquisitive Hood Mockingbirds, plus Large Cactus Finch which in the absence of cacti was more interested in the sea-lion nostrils!, Small Ground Finches and our first Brown Española: Gardner Bay & Punta Suarez. 5

6 Warbler Finch. A couple of Barn Swallows hawking back and forth raised a few eyebrows, but less familiar fare included a few Galápagos Hawks flying around, a Wandering Tattler which ran and fed Sanderling-like along the waveline and a few Pacific Green Turtles floated along just under the surface shortly beyond. The rocks at the far end housed a few feeding Marine Iguanas, here with the large reddish patches characterizing this island s form, and as we sat and watched, so a little light rain even set in. This produced some excellent behaviour from the small group of Large Cactus Finches in the adjacent bushes which started to nibble the leaves and so drink from the accumulating rain drops! A couple of Brown Warbler Finches came out of the bushes onto the rocks too, one taking a quick wash in a tiny pool, and a couple of the Española Lava Lizards put in a bit of a display, with a fine black-throated male raising itself up to look bigger to some unseen rival in the vegetation. The walk back was quiet, but the end also much livelier when a Galápagos Hawk caught a large male lava lizard and started to eat it in view, and then two rival groups of Hood Mockingbirds had a couple of noisy stand-offs on the beach right beside us! Lunch was taken on the move to Punta Suarez, where we moored away from the notable breakers coming around the point, but the swell was still noticeable. Unfortunately, Dave and Gill were both sat end on to the table, and when two glasses started to fall off, Dave reacted to catch them. The swell caught him unbalanced and when they both fell backwards he hit his head on the door frame, requiring medical attention in the form of stitches a little later on, from a doctor on a large nearby ship which came in Gratefully, apart from being a bit sore and having to miss out on the snorkel, this was all that happened! Punta Suarez is famous as the only foot access to part of the Waved Albatross colony which breeds on the island. Indeed, apart from a tiny number of pairs on the Isla de la Plata adjacent to mainland Ecuador, this is the only breeding site for this critically endangered species. Despite having already seen a couple of them cruising over the sea in the morning, here we were able to walk along the low cliff tops and admire not only several adults cruising back and forth, sometimes directly over our heads, but also a number of fluffy brown youngsters in amongst the low rocks in the scrub-free part of the headland. But not only is this area good for the albatrosses, but it is excellent for other seabirds too, with a few Red-billed Tropicbirds rushing noisily back and forth early on, plus large numbers of Blue-footed including plenty of large young and even greater numbers of the very smart Nazca Boobies, which were in pre-breeding mode, but setting up small territories and actively defending nest sites. Moderate numbers of Swallow-tailed Gulls were present along the cliffs too, while a single adult Yellow-crowned Night heron showed for most as well. Small birds were relatively abundant too, with plenty of the inquisitive Hood Mockingbirds, lots of the very pretty Galápagos Doves, Small Ground Finches, one or two Large Cactus Finches and a Brown Warbler Finch. Many more Española Lava Lizards were noted than in the morning, including the notably red-throated females, and there were heaps of the reddish-toned Marine Iguanas as well. Several Galápagos Hawks, including two blackish morph adult males were seen extremely well, while the Galápagos Sea-lions here also seemed to be doing much better than on some of the other islands, including lots of small pups in crèches or simply wandering about clumsily and often amusingly along the trails, one even suggesting where the food should go...! The sea swell continued to increase, being particularly evident at the blow-hole at the end of the walk, but when we retraced, high tide had been reached and the waves were breaking high enough to come over the retaining bank of black lava boulders, before filtering down and across the 6

7 path back. The last four indeed played stepping stones to get across the torrent, while the causeway back to the little concrete jetty was periodically being washed over by the largest waves Meaning wet boots and feet for most! Phil junior indeed did well to simply stand his ground as one freak white top came across up to thigh height! Fortunately, we all got back on the pangas fine and some smart timing by the boatmen meant we were out and through the worst section of waves without further incident. Further good boat handling meant we all safely boarded the Beluga too, despite the swell pitching the steps up and down, and we went in after a very memorable day! Dinner was taken from 1845h after we started our night cruise towards Puerto Ayora, and once we arrived at around 11 p.m. we had a more restful latter part to the night. Tuesday 1 st November Santa Cruz: Darwin Research Centre & Cerro Mesa. The morning dawned relatively cool and overcast, ideal for visiting the Darwin Research Centre on the edge of Puerto Ayora. The pangas dropped us at a small jetty where several quite large male Marine Iguanas held court over a very variable number of females in the harems. The water adjacent to the jetty and backed by Red Mangroves held plenty of fish, with Concentric Pufferfish, Black-tailed Mullet and Yellow-tailed Damselfish readily seen. Red and White Mangroves lined the walk out, with Button Mangroves in the upper, drier part. Common Cactus Finches were well seen, a Galápagos Sulphur flew past and a Galápagos Blue perched beautifully with its wings open. Galápagos Mockingbirds, Small, Medium and several Large Ground Fiches were all seen as well, though the walk was principally to look at the breeding program for the Giant Tortoises and to discuss the status of the different races and their origins, including Lonesome George, who was being exercised in his pen by park keepers. The abundant quite small Galápagos Lava Lizards were in full breeding condition and the males feisty and even fighting on occasions. The return walk was punctuated by visits to the local shops, though a few of us were lucky to find a young Woodpecker Finch feeding in the mangrove right beside the road. The local openair fishmongers was THE place to watch however, with two sea-lions one on each side under the fishmonger s and clients feet respectively plus some twenty Brown Pelicans, a frigate bird and even a couple of Lava Gulls nearby, all keeping an eye open for an opportunity to grab a morsel of free food! The pangas left exactly on time, so I needed a water taxi to get me back on board 5 minutes later, but still in time for lunch! Australian Mike then joined the Beluga, but only went on board after our afternoon excursion into the Santa Cruz highlands. A slight delay at the beginning was needed to hand in our washing to a local launderette, and we were off to Cerro Mesa. This was a lovely estate, with replanting of native trees being undertaken along the trails in order to get a little of the natural forest back, and the site was good for Giant Tortoises too, with two, including a hissing male, seen at close quarters. The birds were good too, with several Small Tree Finches of most note amongst lots of ground finches, plus a pair of 7

8 Common Gallinules (the New World form of Common Moorhen) and their two chicks on a pond with a number of White-cheeked Pintails. Plenty of dragonflies, including pairs in tandem, were present over the pond, apparently mostly being Spot-winged Gliders, as we d also seen by the coast in the morning, but a great surprise was in store at the site's other pool, where the usual tortoises were absent, when a slight detour into a wet part (partly to avoid the numerous ants attacking the uncovered legs of several of the party!) put into flight large numbers of tiny colourful damselflies. The males were extraordinary, with black-marked lemon-yellow abdomens and black and white thoraxes, while the females were either a dull bluish-black or black-marked orangey-red! These were Citrine Forktails, the species being remarkable not only since the males are the only odonate in the world to have the coloured cell on the forewing away from the leading edge, but also since the only population of parthenogenetic individuals (i.e. not requiring males for fertilization) is found in this species, in the Azores! We returned to taste some very refreshing lemon-grass tea at a farm house, and fortuitously this delayed us long enough that only one or two were on the bus when a Short-eared Owl was spotted circling close to the nearby peak before if drifted off behind the building and down out of sight. There was just time again at the port to go and pick up our still warm and freshly ironed washing and head back to the pangas, though yours truly once again arrived 2 minutes late and used the local water taxi services again... We rested in the gentle swell of the Puerto Ayora bay until about 2 a.m. before starting our cruise N. Wednesday 2 nd November An overcast start, improving and quite sunny midday, then clouding over again in the afternoon. Ideal! With decent light from 0530h onwards, we gradually assembled on the viewing decks from then until breakfast. Indeed we were still passing the NW corner of Santa Cruz at the start, so entered and passed through deeper water from then on, almost until our destination. This is good for improving the chances of seeing cetaceans and the more pelagic seabirds, and indeed we saw some new things. A few very distant Bottle-nosed Dolphins were only seen briefly by Tony, but at least one of the three Galápagos Petrels which were cruising around was noted by almost everyone. About half an hour from our breakfast we also suddenly noted a group of grey shorebirds flying low over the water, and some 35 to 40 Rednecked, plus a very few Red Phalaropes sped quickly over the water s surface, even coming down briefly before whizzing off again. Chi We moored just outside the entrance channel between Chinese Hat and Santiago, where we could see the water was very clear with rocky patches scattered across the extensively sandy bottom. We took the pangas in for a wet landing on a small and remarkably smelly beach! The few sea- 8

9 lions were virtually all with small or medium-sized pups, and obviously this was a favoured corner for them. While perhaps not inspiring at first sight, Chinese Hat came up trumps, first with a large mixed flock of Small Ground Finches and Galápagos Doves among the small bushes including remarkably green bushes of Galápagos Tomato on the very rocky slopes, and then with Galápagos Hawks, once again... Three adult and a young Galápagos Hawk kept us entertained for a considerable time, mainly relating to the youngster s playful attitude, including hovering just a metre above us at one point, but also noisily asking an adult for food, and also getting too inquisitive to an also slightly inquisitive immature sea-lion, finally leaving it when the sea-lion lunged out at it! But the main interest fell on the adult hawks behaviour around two pupping sea-lions. Two females had given birth, one to a still-born pup, and we spent some time watching the mother with the live pup, as the three hawks watched on from nearby rocks. Another very small pup looked like it was being denied food, but in fact was very healthy, and mum kept an eye on it as it clumsily wandered around her, including falling over her head on a couple of occasions, as it started the long process of getting coherent in its movements, despite being just 2 or 3 days old. We moved on to the end of the trail, noting a bit of bamboo and other wood as storm-blown flotsam as we went (the first we d noted), plus a Wandering Tattler, a few Marine Iguanas, Galápagos Lava Lizards coming up to moult and masses of Sally Lightfoot Crabs. The sun started to appear as we returned, meaning lots of lava lizards had appeared from their hideaways, but once again it was the Galápagos Hawks which stole the show, including some close fly-bys. The female sea-lion with still-born pup was now looking a bit more recovered, though apparently pining the absence of movement, so was picking the corpse up by the scruff of the neck and dragging it, complete with attached afterbirth, slowly down towards some bushes. A little bit gory, but of course, this was an opportunity the hawks couldn t miss, and despite the constant calling of the youngster to an adult, which finally came down to feed, its constant whining got it nowhere until the adult dropped a bit by mistake! This also happened again, though the youngster also finally went towards another adult feeding on the afterbirth when the first moved away, and appeared to take more direct interest in the potential meal on offer. At which point we decided to move on. Sea-lion pooh was removed from soles of shoes (for the unlucky few, though greatly appreciated by the rest!) we boarded the pangas and headed back to the boat, though nine of us were out shortly afterwards for the snorkel along the edge of the channel. Our Swedish companion on the boat, Victoria, once again was true to form and had barely entered the water when she reappeared making the shark signal! And the first of several lovely White-tipped Reef Sharks was swimming elegantly past below us in beautifully clear water. The clear, relatively warm water and masses of fish along the rocky edge were a treat, and with a bit more confidence in their ID we saw almost 25 different species, including colourful large Bluechinned Parrotfish, stunning Blue-and-gold Snappers and wrasse amongst others. When lunch was called we were loathe to get out, despite being cold! After lunch on board as usual, we headed off, but crept slowly past the rim of a caldera in order to try and see the saline pool inside. While we could only see a small bit at a time, as we drifted past so we saw most of it bit by bit, and while 9

10 unfortunately no flamingos were present (unlike what we d hoped), it was a lovely spot and remarkable example of a volcanic structure. A couple of pairs of Swallow-tailed Gulls and a Nazca Booby perched on the cliff, plus a few White-cheeked Pintails on the water were spotted however. We cruised to Sullivan Bay, and had time for a snooze. While 5 of the 7 potential snorkelers discovered too late that the leaving time was 2:30 and not 3 p.m., as thought, when the 2 returned frozen through and not having seen a lot, it was clear that fortune had smiled on them! We all had good looks of the Galápagos Penguins perched on the rocks in two different spots around the bay (since it s actually a channel) however, thanks originally to some keen spotting by Tony and the fortunate fact that we could use the scope on board in quite still conditions. The later afternoon was taken up with a walk across the astonishing black lava field bordering the bay. A dry landing dropped us directly onto some stunning lava formations, with the large buckled plates of pahoehoe or ropey lava here having been formed only 150 years ago. The black surface, with its smooth, rippled, ropey or bubbled surface was perfectly walkable, but in stark contrast to the quite colourful beds of lava underneath, which were weathering to other colours where it was cracked or open. Exploded bubbles and even a couple of spatter mounds were clearly visible too. Pure fate had left a couple of taller ash cones, from a separate eruption as red islands amongst this engulfing sheet, and towards the upper edge, other patches of still earlier land, still complete with plants had been surrounded too. Not surprisingly, little was alive on this area, but a number of Large Painted Locusts and one tiny dark grasshopper were present, while a few Mollugo plants had established in tiny cracks and pockets of forming soil, and even a few Lava Cactus plants had somehow also rooted. The ash supported just one, singlestemmed Candelabra Cactus! We returned just before dusk, had another fine dinner, listened to Silvia s discussion of the following day s events and headed to bed. Some indeed, went before the 9 o clock watershed, though those venturing outside to look for stars were met, surprisingly, with hungry mosquitoes instead! So much for mozzies not being over salt water...! Thursday 3 rd November Genovesa: Darwin Bay & Prince Phillip s steps. We started N a little later than originally planned in order to maximise our chances of seeing something en route, since we would be arriving around 0730h. Despite not seeing any signs of cetaceans, as hoped, we did see a few birds of particular note from 0530 onwards, including a flyby immature Arctic or Pomarine Skua / Jaeger, a few Galápagos Petrels and a single Elliot s, several Galápagos and 4 or 5 Band-rumped / Madeiran Storm-petrels, apart from hundreds of Galápagos Shearwaters. The thick cloud and even light rain at one point didn t bode too well, and most were in fleeces given the cool and breezy conditions! Close to Genovesa an unfamiliar bird flapped low out towards us head on, and only when it veered upwards and then around us could we 10

11 appreciate our first Red-footed Booby. From then on in we were escorted by increasing numbers of both Red-footed and Nazca Boobies, especially curious fledglings, with the brown morph of the former species far outnumber-ing the white morph here. This also heralded our arrival to Genovesa proper and our entry into the enormous flooded caldera of the volcano peak, the crown of which forms the island. Passing the wide entrance we entered into a huge natural circular bay, with low cliffs all around the home to hundreds of boobies, Great and Magnificent Frigatebirds, tropicbirds and Swallow-tailed Gulls, making a superb arrival with all up on board. Naturally, mooring in a caldera is tricky, especially when like this one it is up to 300m deep, but we headed to one part near a sandy beach where the white sand on the bottom could be seen well and was a mere 8m down. Threats of landing on coral rubble on the wet landing meant sandals were best, but little was to prepare us for what we encountered. The large numbers of boobies and frigatebirds passing overhead along the cliffs were impressive, but the beach behind was simply covered in nesting Swallow-tailed Gulls, with the trees and rocks bearing nesting and preening Red-footed and Nazca Boobies respectively. A young Yellow-crowned Night Heron right behind the beach was the first of several dozen, including adults, which we admired on the walk, which took us past hundreds of nesting birds in total. Indeed, we quite quickly switched from working out what the different birds were, including plenty of Great Frigatebird nests down to knee-high level, to just listening, watching and to some degree, analysing their behaviours. Galápagos Doves and a few finches were also noted, the latter here being mostly Sharp-beaked Ground Finches, but with plenty of Large Ground and even a couple of Large Cactus and Green Warbler Finches too. With no-one else present, and the birds utterly unconcerned with our presence, it was simply magic. The path around the back of the beach passed low scrub and mangrove trees, rock outcrops, and then even paralleled a very shallow channel of water, which despite being separated off from the caldera proper, was connected each high tide, and held plenty of small fish. Darwin Bay was a beautiful spot, and exactly what everyone had envisaged the Galápagos would be like! Indeed, with a few sea-lions on the beach, small Marine Iguanas on the rocks alongside the Sally Lightfoot Crabs, a pair of noisy Lava Gulls displaying on the dunes and a few Hudsonian Whimbrels, Ruddy Turnstones and Wandering Tattlers along the channel, this truly summarized the essence of the Galápagos. We walked slowly and carefully around, captivated by the scene (and to a degree by the smell!) and eventually reassembled on the beach just after the sun had broken through, with blue skies blazing overhead and the temperature soaring, rather like the frigatebirds! Back on board a certain degree of trepidation was felt when Victoria announced she was going to take a swim off the ship. Her now well-known proclamation of being a shark magnet was borne true when just moments after jumping in, three large grey shapes swam slowly around below! These were large Galápagos Sharks, and the thought of seeing these was too much for first Phil, 11

12 and then John, so they joined the fray. Seeing no less than five appear simultaneously was enough for Victoria, though true to form, with Phil in the water (a self-proclaimed shark repellent!!!), only a couple reappeared and quite deep down, but they were still exciting to see using the snorkels! Hundreds of large silvery fish had gathered in the shade of the boat s hull, and these made a stunning sight too, especially when disturbed by approaching sharks! The deep-water snorkel was taken after lunch along the far side of the crater and despite hopes of possibly even seeing Hammerhead Sharks, just one White-tipped Reef Shark was seen by Phil (of all people...!). However, several Moorish Idols, Yellowfin Surgeonfish, two groups of Golden Cow-nosed Rays, plus Diamond Stingray and Marbled Ray were seen by different members of the group, making it well worthwhile. We returned with inquisitive fledged Redfooted and Nazca Boobies coming down low over our heads, Red-billed Tropicbirds shrieked as they sped past in small groups overhead and even ungainly-looking Brown Pelicans looked great in the sun. Stunning! Taking the pangas for a dry landing in the afternoon, we passed quietly close to the boulders at the base of the cliffs where a few Galápagos Fur Sea-lions were hauled out, including one large and chunky-headed bull. Climbing up the steep steps didn t prepare us for our sudden arrival onto the flat top, where dozens and dozens of Nazca and Redfooted Boobies nest. Various finches, lots of Galápagos Mockingbirds and Galápagos Doves made it an eventful walk, especially when we suddenly came out of the low Incense Tree scrub and woodland to be faced with a rather flat, bare and reddish lava field stretching out to the cliff edge beyond. Frigatebirds and boobies were present in their hundreds, not only as nesting birds scattered across the whole area Redfooted in the trees, Nazca on the ground and a few Great Frigatebirds in very low bushes but also passing in and out to sea from the rest of the island to feeding areas not far offshore. These must have been rich, given the numbers present, and a single Waved Albatross cruised slowly along and then round the corner and out of sight. Galápagos Shearwaters and a few Galápagos Storm-petrels flashed back and forth almost along the cliff edge, but try as we might, their only predator here, the Short-eared Owl, remained unfound. Try as we might that is, until we were returning, and there, closer than expected, but in full view (though the cryptic plumage meant it was almost impossible to see), was a superb Short-eared Owl sitting out on the lava, waiting for supper! Shark repellent Phil may be, but sharp-eyed owl finder he was, and we were naturally delighted by this terrific find. The 7 p.m. cocktail came, the captain addressed us and hoped that we d had a better time than we d originally hoped, and we responded in kind to thank the crew for their hard labour and good humour, as well as a spotless boat. The slight delays to proceedings meant several people went to bed later than planned, but a few even stayed up in order to visit the bridge in order to celebrate crossing the equator on our way down to Black Turtle Cove, where we moored for the remainder of the night. 12

13 Friday 4 th November Black Turtle Cove mangrove panga ride; return to Quito. At 6 a.m. sharp we were boarding the pangas for a ride into the Black Turtle Cove mangroves. It was cool and almost calm, and remarkably quiet off the ship, especially given little bird activity. Cruising in we detoured for a dark shape in the shallows, and a lovely frying pan, AKA Marbled Ray was working its way slowly along the edge a few inches down. Further ahead a few birds caught our eye, including a flying Great Egret and the first of several Lava Herons we saw, and Pacific Green Turtles poked their heads out of the water in a few spots and their shapes could just be seen under the surface. Entering a narrow channel we cut the engines and the boatmen used a paddle to guide us along, even to manoeuvre us to where a few White-tipped Reef Sharks were also cruising gently along beside and occasionally underneath us. A small group of turtles largely ignored us given that they were males trying to access a large female which had gone into some low branches, and so denied them the chance of mating. A few fish were seen, though once we were back out using the engine again, so a fine Spotted Eagle-ray was watched close from one panga and another Marbled Ray or two were again in the shallows. Our exit coincided with a rising tide, and a fine flock of Blue-footed Boobies were entering and gathering, either on the water or on a series of rocky bluffs near the entrance, giving a fine display of their remarkably blue feet in the early morning light. Arriving to the boats we also saw a fine Nazca Booby fly over, an Elliot s Stormpetrel flitted past and several Magnificent Frigatebirds were gathered over the Beluga. Breakfast was taken on the run to Baltra Bay, the bags were gathered at 8 a.m. sharp and taken onshore by the crew, and then we disembarked a little later for our last and very short panga ride to the bus stop! This had now acquired a lovely shiny blue roof, but the outside walls were clearly on the point of being constructed and we noted how tough hand mixing large quantities of cement is! A bit of a wait for the first bus ensued, but this also worked in our favour, since not only was the last Marine Iguana found sleeping on the verge close by and a lovely Queen Butterfly a Monarch relative, flapped close beside us for a considerable time as it failed to make headway into the light onshore breeze. Taking the bus to the air terminal we checked in quickly and painlessly, had our passports stamped, posted our last postcards, bought a few souvenirs, and once the second call for the flight was made, went through to the pre-departure lounge before quite quickly then catching the flight back. This was great, since we also discovered it was a direct flight back to Quito, without passing through Guayaquil, and being much less than half full we had plenty of space to play with. Part two of the tour was now beginning, but after being picked up from the airport we were straight out for a couple of hours to walk around the old centre of Quito with Esteban. With clear blue skies and a very pleasant temperature, plus very little traffic given it was a national holiday, it was lovely. We even had time to contemplate the large numbers of Eared Doves and Great Thrushes in the city, plus a few Rufous-collared Sparrows and even a flock of Brown-bellied Swallows by the Panecillo monument at the end. 13

14 We finished with a generally very good meal in the hotel restaurant before turning in for a wellearned night s rest. Despite the relatively cloudy and cool conditions sometimes making photography a bit more challenging, this was definitely preferable to blazing sun, as I well know from experience. The locals were even suggesting that the wet season was coming in early this year and we even experienced a tiny shower of rain one day, leading to some interesting leaf-licking and bathing behaviour by a couple of the Darwin s finches. Naturally, the islands lend themselves to some superb wildlife spectacles, and the particular highlights and memorable moments were varied. The antics of the 5 young Galápagos Hawks on Santa Fé and also those on Chinese Hat, the Waved Albatross adults and chicks at Punta Suarez, the remarkable Swallow-tailed Gulls at various locations, the exquisite Galápagos Doves, sometimes feeding down to just a metre or less away, the Land and Marine Iguanas of various sizes and colours, especially those of the latter clinging to the rocks and feeding in full view at low tide in Gardner Bay, and of course, the constant challenge of working out what all those finches were! But it was not just the wildlife per se which remains ingrained in our memories, but also the surroundings and experience of certain sites as whole. Punta Suarez was remarkable for its seabirds and even the excitement of landing and embarking on the pangas at a potentially tricky site, but also epitomised for the group the problems of mass tourism which is beginning to affect the islands. Genovesa, which I ve long wanted to visit, was a true highlight, with the incredible seabird colonies of Prince Phillip s Steps but especially Darwin Bay, for many also epitomising the true essence of Galápagos (and what it should be), and further enhanced by us being the only group visiting on land each time... The extraordinary fish market in Puerto Ayora was like I ve never seen it, with the fishmonger and buyers literally tripping over the two sea-lions who patiently waited to be fed scraps, despite even occasionally having their flippers trodden on, and the landing area covered with shivering pelicans! The numerous snorkelling sessions as a whole were also voted a highlight, not just because of the sightings of turtles, sharks and rays (including two shoals of Golden Cow-nosed Rays), amongst thousands of fish, but also because they revealed at first hand the enormous variety and abundance of fish and invertebrate life present under, as well as above the surface. The Galápagos Sharks we saw while looking down from the deck of the Beluga when moored in the extraordinary Genovesa caldera also left an indelible mark. And of course, the trip to the highlands of Santa Cruz, with a walk through habitats where Giant Tortoises still roam freely, and completely different conditions to those just a few hundred metres below. Very best wishes, John Muddeman ( Before reading, please note that the bird names and list follow the taxonomy and names used by F. Gill and M. Wright (updated July 2011), Birds of the World: Recommended English Names. Princeton University Press. This differs significantly in order, but only slightly in the common and scientific names used when compared to most field guides currently in use (and even the checklist!). Most significant name changes or alternative names are also included to minimise the confusion! 14

15 GALÁPAGOS SPECIES LISTS BIRDS - AVES GEESE, SWANS & DUCKS - Anatidae White-cheeked Pintail Anas bahamensis : 3-5 Cerro Dragón on 28th, 2 Cerro Brujo on 30th, 8-9 Cerro Mesa on 1st, and 3 Bainbridge Rocks at sea on 2nd. PENGUINS - Spheniscidae Galápagos Penguin Spheniscus mendiculus : 5 from the boat around Sullivan Bay on 2nd. ALBATROSSES - Diomedeidae Waved Albatross Phoebastria irrorata : Plenty, including 6+ chicks Punta Suarez on 31st, and one briefly in flight off Prince Phillip s Steps on 3rd. >> PETRELS & SHEARWATERS - Procellariidae Galápagos [Dark-rumped] Petrel Pterodroma phaeopygia : 3 at sea on 2nd, and 4-5 at sea on 3rd. Galápagos Shearwater Puffinus subalaris : Common, widespread and seen daily except on 4th, with 100s on 2nd and 3rd. STORM-PETRELS - Hydrobatidae White-vented/Elliot's Storm-petrel Oceanites gracilis : Small to moderate numbers at sea on 28th, 29th, 30th, a few Puerto Ayora on 1st, plenty on 2nd, and singles at sea on 3rd, and Black Turtle Cove on 4th. Wedge-rumped Storm-petrel Oceanodroma tethys : Only noted at sea and over Genovesa on 3rd, but in moderate number. Band-rumped/Madeiran Storm-petrel Oceanodroma castro : Four were noted at sea early on 3rd. HERONS & BITTERNS - Ardeidae Yellow-crowned Night Heron Nyctanassa violacea : 1 Punta Suarez on 31st, and lots Genovesa on 3rd. Lava Heron Butorides sundevalli : Widespread in small number, with 1-3 seen daily from 29th to 2nd, plus several Black Turtle Cove on 4th. Striated Heron Butorides striata : Just one on the rocks Cerro Brujo on 30th. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis : Singles Cerro Dragón on 28th, and South Plaza on 29th, lots Cerro Mesa+ on 1st, and 1 Baltra on 4th. Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias : One Cerro Dragón on 28th, 2 Cerro Brujo on 30th, and singles Puerto Ayora on 1st, Sullivan Bay on 2nd, Prince Phillip s Steps on 3rd, and Black Turtle Cove on 4th. >> Great [White] Egret Ardea alba : One flying high over Baltra on 28th, and 4 Black Turtle Cove on 4th. Snowy Egret Egretta thula : A good find was one on the rocks at Cerro Brujo on 30th. TROPICBIRDS - Phaethontidae Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus : South Plaza on 29th, 15+ Punta Suarez on 31st, and lots Genovesa on 3rd. FRIGATEBIRDS - Fregatidae Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens : Common, widespread and seen daily throughout. Great Frigatebird Fregata minor : Generally less common but easily overlooked amongst the Great Frigatebirds: 1 male perched on Beluga on 29th, lots Punta Baquerizo Moreno on 30th, and lots Genovesa on 3rd. PELICANS - Pelecanidae 15

16 Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis : Quite common, widespread and seen in small number daily. GANNETS & BOOBIES - Sulidae Blue-footed Booby Sula nebouxii : Common, widespread and seen daily throughout. Nazca Booby Sula granti : Generally much less common than Blue-footed, but seen daily except on 1st, and including large numbers breeding Punta Suarez and Genovesa. Red-footed Booby Sula sula : Very localised, but an abundant breeder on Genovesa on 3rd. >> HAWKS, EAGLES & allies - Accipitridae Galápagos Hawk Buteo galapagoensis : After a clearly excellent breeding season, one of the most memorable birds of the Galápagos: 2 adult + 5 juvenile Santa Fé plus 1 adult South Plaza on 29th, several Española on 31st, and 7-8 various sites Sombrero Chino and over Santiago on 2nd. RAILS, CRAKES & COOTS - Rallidae Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata : A pair + 2 chicks on the pool at Cerro Mesa on 1st. OYSTERCATCHERS - Haematopidae American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus : 3 Cerro Dragón on 28th, 2 Cerro Brujo on 30th, 2 Punta Suarez on 31st, and 2 Sombrero Chino on 2nd. >> STILTS & AVOCETS - Recurvirostridae Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus : 2 Cerro Dragón on 28th. PLOVERS & LAPWINGS - Charadriidae Grey/Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola : 2 Cerro Dragón on 28th, and 3 South Plaza on 29th. Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus : 3-4 Cerro Dragón on 28th, 6+ Cerro Brujo on 30th, and 1 Puerto Ayora on 1st. SANDPIPERS, SNIPES & allies - Scolopacidae [Hudsonian] Whimbrel Numenius [phaeopus] hudsonicus : Sometimes treated as a full species: 1-2 Cerro Dragón on 28th, 1 South Plaza on 29th, plenty various sites on 30th, 3-4 Sombrero Chino on 2nd, and 4 Darwin Bay on 3rd. Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius : Just 1 briefly Cerro Brujo on 30th. Wandering Tattler Heteroscelus incanus : Quite common, widespread and seen in small number daily, except on 4th. Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres : Quite widespread: 2 Cerro Dragón on 28th, plenty South Plaza+ on 29th, 2 Cerro Brujo on 30th, 1 Puerto Ayora on 1st, and 2 Darwin Bay on 3rd. Sanderling Calidris alba : 1 Cerro Brujo on 30th. Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri : Two had us working hard to identify them properly at Cerro Dragón on 28th. Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla : 5+ Cerro Dragón on 28th, and 2-3 Cerro Brujo on 30th. Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor : 3 Cerro Dragón on 28th, and 14 Cerro Brujo on 30th. Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus : at sea on 2nd. Grey/Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius : 2-3 hid well amongst the Red-necked flock at sea on 2nd. GULLS, TERNS & SKIMMERS - Laridae Lava Gull Larus fuliginosus : Excellent numbers of this endangered species: 1-2 Cerro Dragón on 28th, 2-3 South Plaza on 29th, 2 Cerro Brujo on 30th, 4 adult + 2 juvenile Puerto Ayora on 1st, a few various sites on 2nd, several various sites on 3rd, and 1 Baltra on 4th. >> Swallow-tailed Gull Creagrus furcatus : Lots South Plaza on 29th, lots Punta Suarez on 31st, 2 pairs BB on 2nd, and many dozens Genovesa on 3rd. Brown/Common Noddy Anous stolidus : 15+ at sea on 28th, 20+ South Plaza+ on 29th, plenty Kicker Rock on 30th, and 16

17 plenty on 2nd. SKUAS - Stercorariidae Pomarine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus : An immature bird, probably this species (and not Arctic Jaeger/Skua) at sea as we approached Genovesa on 3rd. PIGEONS & DOVES - Columbidae Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata : Noted in Quito at either end of the tour on 28th, and especially on 4th. Galápagos Dove Zenaida galapagoensis : Common, widespread and seen daily on the islands, being particularly numerous on 31st and 2nd. CUCKOOS - Cuculidae Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani : 3 Cerro Dragón on 28th, 1 Punta Baquerizo Moreno on 30th, several CM+ on 1st, and a few Baltra on 4th. OWLS - Strigidae Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus : One briefly over Cerro Mesa on 1st, but a superb perched bird Prince Phillip s Steps on 3rd. TYRANT-FLYCATCHERS - Tyrannidae Galápagos Flycatcher Myiarchus magnirostris : 2 Cerro Dragón on 28th, 1 Punta Suarez on 31st, and 6+ Cerro Mesa on 1st. > SWALLOWS & MARTINS - Hirundinidae Brown-bellied Swallow Notiochelidon murina : A large flock over the Panecillo, Quito on 4th. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica : 2 Gardner Bay on 31st, and 1 over the bay Puerto Ayora on 1st. MOCKINGBIRDS & THRASHERS - Mimidae Galápagos Mockingbird Nesomimus parvulus : Common, widespread, inquisitive and seen on 6 days on all the islands we visited where it occurs! >> Española/Hood Mockingbird Nesomimus macdonaldi : The endemic species on Española, where seen in numbers on 31st. San Cristobal Mockingbird Nesomimus melanotis : The most discrete species, endemic to San Cristóbal, and seen well there on 30th. THRUSHES - Turdidae Great Thrush Turdus fuscater : A few noted in Quito at the start and end of the tour, on 28th, and on 4th. 17

18 NEW WORLD WARBLERS - Parulidae Mangrove Warbler Dendroica erithachorides : Common, widespread, very attractive and noted daily in variable number. >> TANAGERS, NEW WORLD FINCHES & allies - Thraupidae Large Ground Finch Geospiza magnirostris : Several Puerto Ayora on 1st, and also Genovesa on 3rd. Medium Ground Finch Geospiza fortis : One of the main headaches while identifying finches was with these, but we noted the species at various sites on 28th, 29th, 30th, 1st, and at the airport on 4th. Small Ground Finch Geospiza fuliginosa : The most common and widespread finch, seen widely and daily except on 3rd. Sharp-beaked Ground Finch Geospiza difficilis : Plenty on Genovesa on 3rd. Common Cactus Finch Geospiza scandens : Singles Santa Fé and South Plaza on 29th, and a few Puerto Ayora on 1st. Large Cactus Finch Geospiza conirostris : Good numbers Gardner Bay on 31st, and 1 Darwin Bay on 3rd. Small Tree Finch Camarhynchus parvulus : Several Puerto Ayora and Cerro Mesa on 1st. Woodpecker Finch Camarhynchus pallidus : Just 1 juvenile seen by about half the group Puerto Ayora on 1st. Green Warbler-Finch Certhidea olivacea : 1 Cerro Mesa on 1st. The two Warbler-finches in this list have only recently been formerly split as separate species. Grey Warbler-Finch Certhidea fusca : Plenty Gardner Bay and Punta Suarez on 31st, and a few Genovesa on 3rd. MAMMALS - MAMMALIA MICE, RATS, VOLES & GERBILS - Muridae Santa Fé Rice Rat Oryzomys bauri : Two Santa Fé on 29th. Brown/Norway Rat Rattus norvegicus : One, apparently this species, bounded across the track Cerro Mesa on 1st, and a dead one, again probably this species Sullivan Bay on 2nd. SEALIONS / EARED SEALS - Otariidae Galápagos Fur Seal Arctocephalus galapagoensis : Four seen from the pangas at very close range Prince Phillip s Steps on 3rd. Galápagos [Californian] Sea-lion Zalophus [californianus] wollebakei : Abundant, widespread and seen daily in moderate to large number at all sites. >> RORQUALS - Balaenopteridae Great whale sp.?? : A large great whale, probably a Northern Minke, Bryde's or Humpback, was seen distantly at sea on 30th. MARINE DOLPHINS - Delphinidae [Common] Bottle-nosed Dolphin Tursiops truncatus : Just one very briefly and distantly seen at sea on 2nd. REPTILES - REPTILIA Tortoises - Testudinidae Galápagos Giant Tortoise Geochelone elephantopus : Two Cerro Mesa on 1st. 18

19 Sea Turtles - Cheloniidae [Pacific] Green Turtle Chelonia mydas : Plenty noted at sea either from the boat, while snorkelling or occasionally from beaches on 6 days, with closest encounters for many from the pangas from 28th to 3rd, and in Black Turtle Cove on 4th. Iguanas - Iguanidae Marine Iguana Amblyrhynchus cristatus : Noted widely and daily, except on 3rd, in variable number at most sites. >> Galápagos Land Iguana Conolophus subcristatus : Two mm Cerro Dragón on 28th, South Plaza on 29th, and 10+ Darwin Bay on 3rd. Santa Fé Land Iguana Conolophus pallidus : A new species for us for this tour, with 4-5 Santa Fé on 29th. (See below right for picture) Neotropical Ground Lizards - Tropiduridae Galápagos Lava Lizard Microlophus albemarlensis : Good numbers noted: plenty Cerro Dragón on 28th, various sites on 29th, various sites on 1st, various sites on 2nd, and finally on Baltra on 4th. Española Lava Lizard Microlophus delanonis : Abundant Española on 31st. San Cristóbal Lava Lizard Microlophus bivattatus : A few of this strikingly patterned endemic species on San Cristóbal on 30th. Colubrid or "Harmless(!)" Snakes - Colubridae E Galápagos Racer / San Cristóbal Snake Philodryas biserialis eibli : A small one was noted by a few people at Punta Baquerizo Moreno on 30th. Galápagos Racer/Snake Alsophis dorsalis dorsalis : A superb adult was seen by most of the group Santa Fé on 29th. BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS - LEPIDOPTERA Large-tailed Skipper Urbanus galapagens : One Santa Fé on 29th, and 2 Cerro Mesa on 1st. Galápagos Sulphur Phoebis sennae marcellina : Just singles Punta Baquerizo Moreno on 30th, and Puerto Ayora on 1st. Galápagos Blue Leptodes parrhasioides : Just singles Punta Baquerizo Moreno on 30th, and Puerto Ayora on 1st. Queen Danaus gilippus : One flying around us repeatedly by the dock on Baltra on 4th. DAMSELFLIES & DRAGONFLIES - ODONATA Citrine Forktail Ischnura hastata : 40+ Cerro Mesa on 1st. Spot-winged Glider Pantala hymenaea : 1 Santa Fé on 29th, several Puerto Ayora on 1st. Striped/Calvert's Glider Tramaea calverti : 3+ Cerro Dragón on 28th, were either this species or the very similar T. cophysa. >> OTHER SELECTED INSECTS - INSECTA Large Painted Locust Schistocerca melanocera : One Cerro Dragón on 28th, and plenty Sullivan Bay on 2nd. Small Painted Locust Schistocerca literosa : Two, apparently this species Santa Fé on 29th, and 1 Prince Phillip s Steps on 3rd. small grasshopper sp.?? : A very small grasshopper on the lava field was a curious find on 2nd. 19

20 Yellow Paper Wasp Polistes versicolor : Quite common and a bit of a nuisance on beaches, especially when dopey in dull weather. Noted on 28th, 29th, 30th and on 1st. Galápagos Carpenter Bee Xylocopa darwini : 6+ Cerro Dragón on 28th, several various sites on 29th, and on 30th, plus on 1st, and several Darwin Bay+ on 3rd. Galápagos Ladybird Cyloneda sanguinea : A few Punta Baquerizo Moreno on 30th. Australian Ladybird Rodolia cardinalis : An individual of this species which has successfully been introduced to combat the invasive cottony cushion scale on the islands: 1 Puerto Ayora on 1st. Cottony Cushion Scale Icerya purchasi : Only specifically noted on Puerto Ayora on 1st. Galápagos Green-eyed Horsefly Tabanus vittiger : Just 1, though it did take a nibble in the process, Cerro Brujo on 30th. OTHER SELECTED TAXA Sally Lightfoot Crab Grapsus grapsus : Abundant and widespread, seen daily at all coastal sites on all islands. Semi-terrestrial Hermit Crab Coenobita compressus : One Santa Fé on 29th, several on 30th, 1 SC on 2nd, and several on 3rd. Ghost Crab Ocypode gaudichaudii : Holes in beach Cerro Dragón on 28th, lots on beach Cerro Brujo on 30th, and plenty of holes Darwin Bay on 3rd. >> Fiddler crab sp. Uca galapagensis / helleri : Plentiful Darwin Bay on 3rd. Chocolate-chip Sea Star Nidorella armata : Noted on 2nd. Panamic Cushion Star Pentaceraster cumingi : Noted on 30th, and on 2nd. Green Sea Urchin Lytechinus semituberculatus : Seen on 2nd. White Sea Urchin Tripneustes depressus : Noted on 2nd, and on 3rd. SELECTED FISH - PISCES Galápagos Shark Carcharhinus galapagensis : 5 Darwin Bay on 3rd. Blacktip Shark Carcharhinus limbatus : 1 Black Turtle Cove on 4th. Whitetip Reef-Shark Triaenodon obesus : 2 Santa Fé on 29th, 1 Kicker Rock on 30th, several Sombrero Chino on 2nd, 1 on 3rd, plenty Black Turtle Cove on 4th. Marbled Ray Taeniura mayeri : Singles on 31st, and on 3rd, plus 2-3 Black Turtle Cove on 4th. Diamond Sting Ray Dasyatis brevis : 2 Santa Fé on 29th, singles on 30th, 31st and 3rd, and 1+ Black Turtle Cove on 4th. Golden Cow[-nosed] Ray Rhinoptera steindachneri : 20+ in two groups Genovesa on 3rd. Spotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus narinari : 1 Kicker Rock on 30th, 1 Sombrero Chino on 2nd, and 2+ Black Turtle Cove on 4th. Manta Ray Manta hamiltoni : 2 lobbing themselves out of the water at sea on 2nd, and another doing the same on 3rd. King Angelfish Holacanthus passer : Noted on 29th, 30th, 31st, on 2nd and on 3rd. Three-banded Butterflyfish Chaetodon humeralis : A pair Sombrero Chino on 2nd. Yellow-finned Surgeonfish Acanthurus xanthopterus : Plenty on 3rd. Razor/Yellow-tailed Surgeonfish Prionurus laticlavius : Noted on 29th, 30th, 31st, 2nd and on 3rd. Moorish Idol Zanclus cornutus : 1 Genovesa on 3rd. Yellow-finned Tuna Thunnus albacares : 2 Genovesa on 3rd. Galápagos/Silver Mullet Mugil galapagensis : Plenty Puerto Ayora on 1st. White Mullet Mugil curema : Seen on 3rd. Black-striped Salema / Brown-striped Snapper Xenocys jessiae : Seen on 29th, and on 2nd. Blue-and-gold Snapper Lutjanus viridis : Plenty Sombrero Chino on 2nd. Giant Damselfish Microspathodon dorsalis : Only seen on 29th. Galápagos Ringtail Damselfish Stagastes beebei : Noted on 30th, and on 2nd. Yellow-tailed Damselfish Stagastes arcifrons : Seen on 29th, at Puerto Ayora on 1st, also on 2nd and on 3rd. Panamic Sergeant Major Abudefduf troschelii : Noted on 29th, on 2nd and on 3rd. Scissortail Chromis Chromis atrilobata : Plenty Sombrero Chino on 2nd. Spotted Cabrilla Epinephelus analogus : Seen on 31st and on 2nd. Panamic Graysby Cabrilla Cephalopholis panamensis : Noted Sombrero Chino on 2nd. Pacific Creolefish Paranthias colonus : Seen on 29th, on 30th and on 2nd. 20

21 Bumphead Parrotfish Scarus perrico : A few on 3rd. Bluechin Parrotfish Scarus ghobdan : Seen on 29th, 2nd and on 3rd. Spinster Wrasse Halichoeres nicholsi : Seen on 2nd. Cortes Rainbow Wrasse Thalassoma lucasanum : Noted both on 2n, and on 3rd. Mexican/Streamer Hogfish Bodianus diplotaenia : Noted on 29th, 30th, 31st, 2nd and on 3rd. Blacktip Cardinalfish Apogon atradorsatus : Either Blacktip or Pink Cardinalfish were noted on 29th, 30th, 31st, 2nd and on 3rd. Panamic Fanged/Large-banded Blenny Ophioblennius steindachneri : Seen on 29th, 30th and on 2nd. Giant/Hieroglyphic Hawkfish Cirrhitus rivulatus : Only noted on 30th. Bullseye/Concentric Pufferfish Sphoeroides annulatus : 1 Cerro Dragón on 28th, several Puerto Ayora on 1st, and a few Sombrero Chino on 2nd. Guineafowl Pufferfish Arothron melaegris : Only noted on 3rd. Balloonfish Diodon holocanthus : A few Sombrero Chino on 2nd. Orangeside/Yellow-bellied Triggerfish Sufflamen verres : Seen on 30th and on 2nd. Reef Cornetfish Fistularia commersonii : Noted on 31st and on 2nd. Galápagos Garden Eel Taenioconger klausewitzi : 3 Sombrero Chino on 2nd. Flying Fish sp.?? : Several at sea on 29th, plenty at sea on 31st, 1 at sea Genovesa + a dead one in seabird colony Darwin Bay on 3rd. MAINLAND EXTENSION Saturday 5th November Quito, Yanacocha, Nono-Mindo Road, Séptimo Paraíso The day dawned quite fine and clearing, so it looked good. After a good breakfast we met in the foyer at 7 where Norby was already waiting, and after a few last-minute bits and bobs, we were off through a quiet Quito. We stopped for a cashpoint, to pick up water and get a few snacks, and headed out via the old brick-making quarter close to the city and started the long climb up to the Yanacocha Reserve. A roadside stop produced a young Variable Hawk over a nearby hilltop, plus a pair of Southern Yellow Grosbeaks, Black Flowerpiercers and a brief Tawny Antpitta. A superb Black-tailed Trainbearer perched on bare twigs of a Eucalyptus off to one side was a good find too. Working our way up through the grazing and agricultural land we eventually started seeing small fragments of the original species-rich vegetation of the temperate zone, with some fine views out given the steep terrain. The entrance into the Yanacocha reserve was by some small buildings, where apart from using the facilities we also took our first looks at the higher altitude hummingbirds here at 3400m asl. A Great Sapphirewing came in to feed, its wings characteristically flickering rhythmically as it fed, while aggressive Buff-winged Starfrontlets kept most others at bay! A couple of more discrete orangey Shining Sunbeams perched in the bushes too, giving excellent views. The walk of a couple of km along the side of the mountain was almost immediately shrouded in cloud, of varying thickness, but at least this kept bird activity higher. Our first birds were actually a small group of Black-chested Mountain-tanagers a scarce species which perched up at length on top of the dense bushes, and this lifted our spirits given the near-absence of bird sound in general. Norby checked a small rock outcrop for a nightjar he d flushed from there the week before but without success. However, as we stood on the opposite side of the track for a few moments, another group of visitors flushed it as they passed, since it was nesting within inches of the edge of the main path! Having taken a look long enough to try and check its characters despite assuming it was a female Swallow-tailed Nightjar we moved on, and despite several other groups also passing and taking a look at the nest, when we returned several hours later, it had returned and was sitting, much to our relief. It wasn t until looking at the pictures much later 21

22 that the rich and varied colouring revealed its true identity as a Band-winged Nightjar. The walk at this altitude was quite tough going at times, but got better and with regular stops, especially for the various flowers which included a number of fascinating orchids (both terrestrial and epiphytic), we weren t too bothered by the absence of hummingbirds at two intermediate distance feeders. Although Norby and Tony had walked on, the rest of us, at a more leisurely pace, stopped to see if a small flock of birds in the trees would come over. And they did. Though it was difficult to look up against the white cloud and with some cloud between us and the birds, we managed to see a fine selection of the local species, including Pearled Treerunner, Spectacled Whitestart, Superciliaried Hemispingus, Blue-backed Conebill, White-throated and White-banded Tyrannulets, a fly-over Bar-bellied Woodpecker, a lovely Rufous-naped Brush-finch (which we saw even better on our return) and a flock of Rufous Spinetails. The hummingbird feeders at the end of the track were alive with birds, including numerous Sapphire-vented and a few Golden-breasted Pufflegs, plus a stunning female Sword-billed Hummingbird and a couple of Tyrian Metaltails in addition to those we d seen earlier. Unfortunately the large numbers of biting midges present were attracted by us being there, and we had to leave quite quickly (though it was getting quite late anyway!). Picnic lunch was taken by the entrance, despite the midges there, and to our delight, a Tawny Antpitta came out onto the grass beside us, giving superb and prolonged views. This was presumably one of those which should have come out later when the local ranger went to feed them, but failed to appear! We dropped down through the agricultural zone to the west, and a little over an hour later took an extended walk along the roadside. Once again this was plenty of walking with just one flock providing almost all the interest, but it was excellent. A flock of Band-tailed Pigeons were the first birds, and then a superb White-capped Dipper was well found on the river by Sally. The flock was kicked off by a male Masked Trogon, followed immediately by a Turquoise Jay, and then a mixed flock including a Blue-capped Tanager, a group of Hooded Mountain-tanagers and a Blackburnian Warbler. A Peregrine circling high over, despite the thickening cloud and light drizzle was good too. We boarded the bus, headed down and made one last stop. Looking across the valley, despite the drizzle, we were guided by the loud sounds coming from the dense forest opposite. Suddenly a bright red flash caught our eye, and then another, and finally two stunning male Andean Cock-of-the-Rocks perched up in full view in the canopy for us to watch at leisure as they displayed noisily at each other. A fantastic few minutes! It was quite late, but notable traffic coming up the road, plus a muddy wet surface slowed our progress down both to, and then on, the main road, and we were more than aware of intense traffic returning towards Quito, almost at the end of the national 5-day holiday. This slowed our progress even though we were headed against the great majority, but did provide one of the most amusing moments of the day, as we crawled through a town, with a large sign announcing the Pollo erótico restaurant y supermarcado!!! We finally reached Séptimo Paraíso at 7 p.m., as dinner was being served, so we took our things to our rooms, came straight down, and continued all the way through to finishing a double call-over before we finally went to our rooms to unpack! It had been a long, but very fulfilling day! Sunday 6th November Séptimo Paraíso pre-breakfast, Angel Paz, Séptimo Paraíso p.m. The early risers met outside at 0530h This may have seemed early, but a Common Potoo flying over a little after first light was just reward! Rufous Motmots boomed from the forest, the frogs went quiet and the day started to take over rapidly from the night. The increasingly rich variety of squeaks, grunts, pips, whistles and all manner of other calls and songs emanating from the trees were unravelled for us by Norby, while even in the half light a few birds were identifiable, 22

23 such as the first Black-winged and Buff-throated Saltators, Golden Tanager, Tropical Parula and the first of numerous Lemon-rumped Tanagers. As the light increased so we saw more and more, including White-lined, Blue-grey, Palm, Blue-capped, Beryl-spangled and a stunning pair of Swallow- Tanagers, Social, Golden-crowned and Dusky-capped Flycatchers, fly-over Red-billed Parrots, Cinnamon Becard, Marble-faced Bristle Tyrant, Slaty Spinetail, Scaly-throated Foliagegleaner, Ecuadorian Thrush and Orange-bellied Euphonia amongst others. This was a serious and stunning introduction to Neotropical birdwatching, and all from the car park!!! Leaving the lodge after breakfast at 0745h, we headed to the nearby Angel Paz reserve. This is the name of the farmer owner, who is single-handedly responsible for creating a means of observing the normally exceptionally reclusive group of birds called antpittas, in the field. He trains wild birds to come in to earthworms, and the results are stunning. True to form we arrived when serious groups are normally leaving, so we headed almost immediately and carefully down the quite steep, but good, forest trails. Not before stopping to observe a stunning female Orange-breasted Fruiteater feeding in a tree though! Angel and his brother were soon off searching the dense forest undergrowth, leaving us waiting, but very quickly beckoned us on, and we were almost immediately rewarded with the astonishing sight of a group of Darkbacked Wood-quails walking towards us along the trail as they fed on the fruit he provided! There were even a couple of chicks, but one truly incredible moment was when these birds suddenly all froze, in midmovement, and stayed disturbingly still for almost a minute before relaxing again and resuming their activity. We moved down a short distance again, and were told to wait while the brothers were off again. But this was highly rewarding too, with a couple of brief Toucan Barbets, a Golden-headed Quetzal, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Olivaceous Piha and difficult to see, but stunning, Scaled Fruiteater from where we stood! Despite assuming that this would be a no-show, we were finally beckoned forward a few metres again, and after some waiting, an exquisite baby robin in the form of a delightful tiny Ochre-breasted Antpitta was well watched by all. We now understood why she was called Shakira too, since as it sat on a branch it periodically gently twitched its body from side to side the whole time, and in true Ecuadorian humour, this hip movement from a pretty little Columbian could only lead to it receiving one name! The mixture of whistling and name-calling began to get amusing and yet the brothers were working intensely to try and show us their birds. Finally once again we were called forward, this time for a Moustached Antpitta called José. Unfortunately José is still quite shy, and so only those on one side saw him as he stood behind a log, despite a couple more of us seeing him briefly bounce across the forest floor as he came and then left. Try as we might, he wouldn t return, and we decided to call it a day, though taking in a roosting Common Potoo en route! The Giant Antpitta was completely absent, probably given the very late hour, but we still considered ourselves very lucky to have seen what we had. We returned, with a couple of stops, to take a coffee and tasty fried plantain banana ball break! However, the birds en route were also great, including Brown Inca and Fawn-breasted Brilliant at the hummingbird feeders, and a mixed flock included Thick-billed Euphonia and a small group of Blue-winged Mountain-tanagers. Even watching from the viewpoint as we took coffee produced a stunning male American Kestrel on wires and the first flying American Black Vultures. We then took Angel with us and headed along a new driveable track for another antpitta It was a long wait, though much helped by watching the antics at an Orange-breasted Fruiteater nest with two chicks, plus a number of butterflies were on the wing in the broken sunshine. However, finally, there just a few feet underneath us on a steep bank, was a Yellow-breasted Antpitta, which gobbled up a number of worms before finally vanishing again. The walk to the bus produced the first Tropical Kingbird and a small group of perched Blue-and-white Swallows. 23

24 It was now seriously later than our planned return time, so the lodge was informed. And a good job too, since an unexpected stop along the entrance drive produced one of the sightings of the day! Norby had been tipped off, but fortunately Angel and family came past as we were about to leave empty handed. We all got out, and guided by Angel, looked up to see a simply stunning male Lyre-tailed Nightjar perched at its daytime roost beside a steep bank! Its enormous tail, seemingly two feet long or more, hung straight down and moved very gently in the breeze, but the bird calmly sat still as we found an angle to photograph it and we again felt incredibly privileged to have been able to observe such an extraordinary bird. A very late sit-down lunch was taken at the lodge, but a bit of free time was followed by a watch at the hummingbird feeders before we walked to the main road and back along the entrance drive. Brown Violet-ear, Greencrowned Woodnymphs, Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds, a Green-crowned Brilliant, Brown Incas, Purple-bibbed Whitetips, Booted Racket-tails, White-whiskered Hermits, Andean Emeralds and White-bellied Woodstars were all present and represented a fantastic selection of the hummingbird groups present in Ecuador! A pair of Chocó Toucans as we walked, plus a few Yellow-throated Bushtanagers and a brief fly-by Broad-billed Motmot and high fly-over Palemandibled Araçari were new on the walk to the road, though a high Rufous-bellied Nighthawk as we returned was only seen by one or two of the group. A few of us also rounded off with a look at the various garden lights after dark, which produced a small frog, numerous moths, a male Dobsonfly and a huge Katydid as the most notable beasties! Monday 7th November Milpe, Silanche, Mirador del Río Blanco, Milpe A fantastic day at lower elevation, but still reached at a sensible time after leaving the lodge at 0645h. But not before looking at the huge Katydid that we d found at a light the night before, plus a couple of interesting moths! We bought entry permits for both reserves, which are run by the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation, and after a very quick look around the Milpe car park, which was quite good for tanagers and humming-birds, we headed off down the road to Silanche. The track down from San Pedro Maldonado was busy given the traffic from the quarrying activities there, but the area beside the river at the bottom is still remarkably good despite the noise and disturbance. A few Scrub Blackbirds displayed in some trees, a Pacific Hornero called and flew over, a Green Kingfisher fed in the river where we disturbed a resting female Blue-winged Teal, and our first, albeit distant, Southern Rough-winged Swallows and Pale-mandibled Araçaris were also properly seen. A Grey-breasted Crake called a couple of times from the lush riverside vegetation too. Moving on down towards the reserve required making an important series of stops. One was for a fine Striped Cuckoo on the wires, another was ostensibly for a flock of circling Swallow-tailed Kites but also produced Blue-black Grassquit, Yellow-bellied Seedeater, Common Tody-flycatcher and a stunning male Guayaquil Woodpecker, while another was by the river Silanche, where a Buff-rumped Warbler was seen by David and the first of two Masked Tityras for the day was in a treetop! 24

25 The reserve proper involved going up the canopy tower first, then a circular walk through the forest on wide trails, finishing off with lunch in/by the tower, followed by a final watch from the top. This was exceptionally productive and produced a series of fantastic birds ranging from tiny Purple-chested Hummingbird, Golden-faced Tyrannulet and Dot-winged Antwren up to some other star birds such as Purple-throated Fruit Crow and Collared Forest-falcon! Other birds included good views of Ruddy and Dusky Pigeons, numerous fly-by Bronze-winged Parrots, a couple of superb Squirrel Cuckoos, Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift, Blue-chested Hummingbird, Purplecrowned Fairy, a female Western White-tailed Trogon, lots of Pale-mandibled Araçaris, 5 Blackcheeked and 2 Golden-olive Woodpeckers, Orange-fronted Barbet, White-bearded and Bluecrowned Manakins, Streaked Flycatcher, Plain Xenops, Plain-brown, Wedge-billed and Spotted Woodcreepers and 2 Red-rumped Caciques, to illustrate the variety, but the tanagers were impressively diverse too: Grey-hooded Bush-, Guira, Scarlet-browed, White-shouldered, Silverthroated, Bay-headed, Golden-hooded and yet another Chocó endemic, the striking Grey-and-gold were all new! Further colourful variety was added by Purple and Green Honeycreepers and for a lucky few, a Yellow-tufted Dacnis. It was just too busy to take it all in, but most saw the majority, despite some frenetic moments when flocks moved through, but it was great fun trying to keep up, even if our necks hurt from peering vertically up at the canopy! We finally dragged ourselves away and started the route back. Most of us in fact had fallen asleep when we were awoken by the call of having reached our afternoon coffee stop. Not having been before, it was a great surprise to suddenly look out from the back of the establishment over the wide valley of the Río Blanco, which lay hundreds of metres way below us, from the top of a hanging valley! Black and Turkey Vultures flew past in front and below us, giving excellent views, as did large numbers of White-collared Swifts, so that we could finally really appreciate their striking pattern instead of being burned-out against the white cloud above. Other birds here included a selection of hummingbirds at the feeders, including plentiful Green Thorntails, superb Silverthroated Tanager and Thick-billed Euphonia at some bananas, a Chocó Toucan in Cecropia trees in a nearby garden and even a flock of Neotropical Cormorants, two snowy Egrets and a Spotted Sandpiper on the river! A small dark Buteo suddenly plunged down from on high among the vultures, dropping many hundreds of feet in seconds, and it took some time for us to work it out, since it was a dark morph bird with very few visible features! It was a classic Short-tailed Hawk though. We ended at Milpe again, where lots of birds were around the entrance, including a Snowythroated Kingbird and Stripe-headed Woodcreeper as well as plenty of different tanagers including a few Flame-faced and a Fawn-breasted. A walk down to the famous Club-winged Manakin lek drew a blank for that species, but did produce a superb Broad-billed Motmot just feet away, plus a couple of Golden-winged Manakins feeding up in the top of the canopy. The extremely loud booming frogs here were quite a feature too! We returned to the lodge at 1830 to find another large group had arrived. Dinner was taken at 1915h and after finishing call over around 2115h we were mostly straight off to bed after a long, but very rewarding day! Tuesday 8th November Séptimo Paraíso, Cumbayá, Tablón, Papallacta Pass, Guango Lodge The pre-breakfast outing saw a fine selection of the usual birds, plus a number of new ones, including a male Red-headed Barbet, Chestnut-collared Swift, Smoky-brown Woodpecker, Redfaced Spinetail, Fawn-breasted Tanager and a couple of Tricoloured Brush-finches. Just after breakfast, we gathered around the hummingbird feeders again, and apart from the usual selection of species a Fawn-breasted Brilliant put in a showing and a House Wren finally appeared in front of all! 25

26 The journey took us first through valley after valley of steep cloudforest-clad slopes, which looked gorgeous in the sunny conditions. Few birds were seen, but the impossibility of stopping on the main road meant we continued without stopping until having passed N Quito. Sue noted a perched hawk on a stump, which was almost certainly a juvenile Broad-winged Hawk, a juvenile Harris Hawk flew over the bus shortly after stopping at the Mitad del Mundo monument and Phil noted a probable Aplomado Falcon perched in an arid highland area. Other raptors included four Variable Hawks over the edge of Quito and large numbers of Black Vultures throughout. We continued to the rather more upmarket-looking dormitory town of Cumbayá, where we made a comfort stop, refuelled and grabbed a coffee or hot chocolate, cold drinks and sweets. We were soon back on the road and heading up towards the pass heading towards the eastern Amazonian part of Ecuador. Stopping on a small side road we took a short walk through native scrub, and while a Streak-throated Bush-tyrant was the first bird to catch our eye, we also saw a few small birds in the scrub, including a superb Black-tailed Trainbearer, a White-crested Elaenia and a lovely Tufted Tit-tyrant, plus a young Black-chested Buzzard-eagle planing back and forth across the slopes. A few butterflies were on the wing in the sun as well, including a stunning Juno Fritillary and a couple of blues, though a rather elusive Scarlet-bellied Mountain-tanager turned us back to the birds again and a group of sparring Carunculated Caracaras were flying back and forth over the top of the ridge way above us. We turned off the main road again as we climbed, this time onto the old road going to the pass, and climbed very slowly up looking for birds and other wildlife as we went. A number of goats on the hills raised our hopes temporarily, but again, apart from numerous colourful flowers, little else was noted. It was lunch now, so we stood beside the vehicle in lovely mild, wind-free conditions to eat our packed lunches, with nothing to disturb us. A couple of birds finally put in an appearance, including a singing Grass Wren in a field below us and a smart Brown-backed Chat-tyrant. We picked up Sally who d gone ahead for a walk and thanks to this watched a few Plumbeous Sierra-finches on some open ground. Higher up we also took a good and slow walk (given the altitude!) along a fairly flat section of the road, picking up Variable Hawks, Stout-billed Cinclodes, Glossy Flowerpiercer, a lovely Andean Tit-spinetail, a fly-catching female Rainbow-bearded Thornbill and a feeding male Bluebacked Thornbill of most note. With thick black cloud and lightening rolling along the opposite slope we hopped back in the bus and continued up. We took a track off at the pass itself, and then got out to look at a few birds. Both Stout-billed and Bar-winged Cinclodes were present, but it was tricky as rain set in. Shortly ahead, when stopping to talk at the park entrance, the guard pointed out two lovely White-tailed Deer feeding out in the open on the adjacent páramo. The cloud then lifted sufficiently at a nearby lake to see two Andean Teal, despite it still raining, but we turned around and started the journey down given the weather. A quick stop at the bottom of the Papallacta Lake was unrewarding, and despite lifting cloud, the rain continued at Guango after our arrival there. The lodge was in different habitat once again though, with the numerous feeders attracting plenty of birds, including Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Collared Inca, Long-tailed Sylph and Tourmaline Sunangel, plus a pair of Sword-billed Hummingbirds with their incredulously long beaks. 26

27 Being temperate cloud forest, it was cool and damp, but sitting down to dinner we were treated to the local hot punch plus a freshly made tomato soup for starter, which were excellent. The rest of the meal, including stuffed chicken legs was superb too, and with a fire crackling away near the entrance we were all particularly cheerful and at home here. Wednesday 9th November Guango Lodge, Baeza bypass + Quijos River, Cabañas San Isidro The day dawned fine and clear. With hot sun for much of the previous week, the flowers were abundant and hummingbird activity at the feeders less than usual, so we had a bit of a lie-in! Indeed, meeting at 0630h there were remarkably few hummers, though the early risers did get a brief look at a female Mountain Velvetbreast, which otherwise failed to show. A nice selection of species was present before breakfast, including a Buff-tailed Coronet and a couple of Sword-billed Hummers, and we were out again at around 0815h. An oil pipeline cuts a broad swathe through the forest here and makes an excellent trail too. We followed this parallel to the river for some way, particularly admiring the large numbers of butterflies present (even though most remain unidentified!). Not before leaving most of our heavy clothes behind though, given the powerful sun! Moderate numbers of small birds were seen as we went, including a pair of Mountain Wrens, a few Blue-and-black Tanagers, a cracking Black-crowned Warbler and the first of plentiful White-tailed Tyrannulets and the first of a couple of Canada Warblers. A large bird gliding across the valley was a huge Black-and-chestnut Eagle, though it pitched into the trees just out of sight. A look from a bridge over the river gave glimpses of Plushcap and Blackcapped Hemispingus as well as a fine White-capped dipper, plus our first Torrent Tyrannulet as well. Try as we might for other species along the river, nothing else showed on the river itself, though an Andean Guan dropped quickly out of a tree and into a huge bamboo stand, and while trying to relocate this we enjoyed great views of a Slatybacked Chat-tyrant. We finally returned to the lodge for another sit-and-wait session on the hummingbirds, coffees and teas in hand, while we waited for lunch! Norby sat with the group, helping to ID the hummers coming in while I went off for a wander to look at the butterflies. I was back very soon however, having found a good mixed flock moving through, and by intercepting it near the upper cabins we managed to see a few birds which were either new or hadn t been seen by some of the party members before. Three Pearled Treerunners, a Blue-backed Conebill, a couple of Grey-hooded Bush-tanagers and a couple of Black-capped Hemispingus were very welcome, even if a little tricky to locate at times as these pip-squeaks went past! Once again we sat down and this time it took a little longer for me to return, but this time we almost all went off to see a roosting Torrent Duck down on the river! Our careful approach paid dividends, since although it woke up after a while, it then started displaying and calling given our presence, giving remarkable views. A wing-flap even showed the large spurs on the wing bend. It was a truly remarkable sighting and at close range. Light rain had now set in as we returned shortly before lunch and persisted throughout, intensifying to become a downpour and so delaying the packing and vehicle loading a little. However, we finally got away and after heading down the valley for a while, the cloud lifted a 27

28 little and our afternoon birding along the Baeza Bypass was largely dry. This was excellent, and the overcast but well-lit cool conditions helped increase bird activity greatly. This was largely in modified agricultural habitats, but included great scope views of Sparkling Violetear, Red-billed Parrot, stunning Blue-necked Tanagers, a Black-capped and eastern Blue-grey Tanagers and a stunning male Summer Tanager. The open fields held a few Variable seedeaters and Chestnutbellied Seedeaters, though it was only much later that we finally got good views of the dinky Yellow-browed Sparrows. The startling colour of the male Red-breasted Blackbird certainly made it easy to locate, but not so the Southern Lapwings in the same field, and we all wondered how a Roadside Hawk had managed to appear in the middle of the field on some bamboo when none of us had seen it arrive! Russet-backed Oropendolas became more frequent, a flock of Black-billed Thrushes produced a good final stop, though another male Torrent Duck on a river and a passing Merlin which went past at enormous speed and under the bridge we were on, were very memorable too! We finally climbed up the last section of the bypass and soon reached Cabañas San Isidro shortly before (the unseen) sunset. We decanted to our rooms, and a few of us assembled on the platform above the meeting room in order to take a look around. A calling Collared Forest-falcon was the only thing heard until we came out for dinner, shortly before 7 p.m., when to our delight, the San Isidro Owl was right outside our cabins! This gave excellent views to half the group, and when I returned a little later, the other half saw the pair! A brilliant start here! Thursday 10th November Cabañas San Isidro: lodge area, forest trails, main road p.m. The early risers were out at 0530h only to find it rather dark still. However, there was plenty of dawn chorus sound to get us going, and one of the first birds was a Highland Motmot on the ground. We barely moved from the area by the car park, since the safety lights left on at night attract large numbers of insects, and naturally, large numbers of birds first thing. The list of new birds grew thick and fast, though with a fly-over Rufous-bellied Nighthawk, plus Inca Jays, Tropical Kingbirds and Rufous-collared Sparrows kicking things off. A few Pale-edged Flycatchers, a pair of Barred Becards, a few Brown-capped Vireos and a couple of Black-billed Peppershrikes were carefully teased out from among the numerous small birds flitting about the dense foliage. A couple of Subtropical Caciques joined the fray and numerous Canada and Blackburnian Warblers distracted us regularly too. A rather sad note was when one of the workers brought in an owl he d found on the roadside nearby, only for us to be able to contemplate a stunning Rufous-bellied Nighthawk in the hand, which seemed unable and/or unwilling to fly. Breakfast was taken at 0630h and we were off sharpish an hour later. But not before Phil senior had a Tamandua (small anteater) cross the path right in 28

29 front and most of the group getting views of a perched White-capped Parrot or two! A trail close to the dining room led us to a feeding point, and within seconds of arriving, a superb pair of White-bellied Antpittas bounced out and gave us lovely views as they fed on some worms. What a difference to just 5 years ago when it refused to show for us! Passing the cabins and heading off down the Cock-of-the-Rock trail, we then had a remarkable silent vigil as we waited for another antpitta to appear at some worms left on a leaf, on a log. As I remarked later, this had to be the longest and most silent wait for a bird of any Travelling Naturalist or Limosa group I d ever experienced, and certainly the longest I ve ever contemplated a particular leaf in my life! It was very worth it however, and despite a few mozzie bites and serious doubts that it would appear, we were finally treated to the sight of a rare Peruvian Antpitta, which suddenly came out of the forest, hopped onto the log, grabbed a few worms, thought a little, and then dropped off, not to be seen again! The remainder of the morning was spent taking a circular route through the astonishing cloudforest here, with the sun filtering through the canopy to produce an ever-changing mosaic of sunspots. This increased the temperature and the humidity and dozens of butterflies appeared too, being both forest-floor and middle and upper-reaches species. The birds were few and far between, but it certainly wasn t bad going, especially with a Strong-billed Woodcreeper, various Saffron-crowned Tanagers (for those not suffering from tanager neck!), a pair of Golden-headed Quetzals, Russetbacked Oropendolas and, rarest of all, a noisy female Napo Sabrewing, perhaps new for the reserve! The walk back was quite tough, being uphill, but the butterflies at the top were simply stunning and an excellent reward, and most reassembled shortly afterwards to contemplate the hummingbird feeders where Speckled Hummingbirds, Bronzy Inca, Fawn-breasted Brilliant and Green Violetear were new for virtually all of us. The wind was picking up and cloud rolling in over surrounding mountains, but we continued to bask in the sunshine. The sunshine had also brought out at least three species of dragonfly and three species of damselfly had been noted in the forest sun patches too. One dragonfly, very reminiscent of a Migrant Hawker, even came into the dining room at lunch and required rescuing! The afternoon walk, from 1530h onwards was after a welcome siesta, and now in still but overcast conditions. Ideal, we thought, though the birds proved to be generally very skittish and hard to watch. However, the walk down the main road was very interesting, and amongst others we noted two Olivaceous Woodcreepers, a few Glossy-black Thrushes, two Emerald Toucanets, everyone finally got to grips with Saffron-crowned Tanagers and a male Yellow-naped Honeycreeper was a bit special. The bus brought us back, and the San Isidro Owls appeared in the last vestiges of light as we contemplated the forest canopy below us from a viewpoint. 29

30 Friday 11th November Cabañas San Isidro: lodge area + main road a.m., transfer to Quito The early morning vigil around the lights, this time from 6 a.m. for an hour, revealed almost all the same species as before, plus a Rufous-crowned Tody-flycatcher a diminutive and very attractive beast, a couple of Black-eared Hemispingus, and near the breakfast room, several White-crowned Elaenias and a female Summer Tanager. The rest of the morning was taken up with a walk down the main road, almost exactly as the previous afternoon, but in the hope of seeing a few more of the forest birds. It was also actually rather quiet, but did include highlights of a Smokey-brown Woodpecker, a superb singing Plushcap in full view, and after watching a noisy mixed group of Russet-backed Oropendolas plus Subtropical and Northern Mountain Caciques, we also found a stunning pair of Emerald Toucanets coming to a nest carrying food. The first brought in a huge cicada, which was at first refused, then the second a large oval fruit which was also refused at first! Once again the adults changed over, and the cicada appeared to be eaten while the fruit was not! This went on for a while with the birds changing over and occasionally entering the hole completely, but we never saw the final outcome as we eventually dragged ourselves away from these stunning birds. The increasingly sunny weather also meant it was getting hot, and the butterflies and other insects were superb. These included a fine selection of blackish forest butterflies, with varying patches of pink, red or orange on the wings and or body, plus a wide selection of others, including Silver-plated Skipper, a few large and colourful Heliconius spp., and amongst almost 30 others, also the showy Red Mapwing! Four or five dragonfly species were also noted on the wing, while the bright blue damselfly of the forest the day before Argia medullaris was also seen well. The fine weather also finally enticed a few raptors out at last, and two or three Turkey Vultures glided over, a fine Bat Falcon flew over carrying prey and a distant pair of circling Barred Hawks proved that they were regular here as suggested by the lodge s list! Cloud bubbled up later, with thunderstorms threatening, but we returned to the lodge dry in the coach to take an early lunch at 1130h. We loaded up the bags afterwards, found the last new bird of the trip in the form of a fine Rufous-chested Flycatcher almost beside the bus, and were away by The plan was to try and see something of the high tops, assuming the weather was OK, but as we neared the Papallacta Pass, the cloud was down, it was chilly, rainy and windy, and it remained that way virtually all the way into Quito where it was just 15ºC. We reached our hotel in 3 _ hours and settled in to relax a bit before heading out for a fine dinner in one of Quito s oldest restaurants, La Ronda. Phil also set the trend for the following morning by going out to the local artisans market to buy local goods. 30

31 Saturday 12th November Quito a.m. then transfer to London p.m. into 13th Phil and Phil started off their day early than the rest of the group, leaving the hotel at 0730h to catch their morning flight back to the states. A dull but dry start meant that the rest of us dismissed the possibility of taking the cable car trip up, but went to the artisans market instead. Some even went there and back on foot to get some good exercise. Tony and Sue also returned via the excellent Botanic Garden in the park, and despite seeing a few fleeting birds, saw nothing knowingly new! We took lunch in the hotel, where yet another wedding reception was underway, watched the England versus Spain football match at the same time (!), and then killed an hour or so after a late check-out. The flight from Quito left bang on time and we got to Guayaquil early, and then the fun started. A message came over the intercom stating that all passengers for Madrid had to disembark with all their luggage, but wasn t understood by most of the passengers. Asking one of the cabin crew if this was correct she said we were to stay on board, but called through to the cockpit to check, only for the captain to repeat that indeed we all had to get off with all our belongings. We went through a full security check (!) then waited for almost 90 minutes (admittedly in a rather nice Guayaquil airport) before getting back on, this time with a drugs check as we went through, causing us to be late! To cap it all, a bag was then found on the aircraft floor which didn t belong to anyone on board and we had to return to the stand where the anti-drugs squad checked it and apparently took it away, and we finally left an hour late... Fortunately the flight went smoothly, most people even sleeping well, and we arrived an hour late to Madrid, still leaving time for the connection to London. I would like to express my sincere thanks to you all for making this such an enjoyable trip. Once again it also fulfilled someone s dream, with Number 24 of the Tropical Birds set of Brooke Bond Tea cards, dating from 1961, finally being seen, 50 years on the Scarlet Cock-of-the-Rock! Thanks to a certain collector s website, we can all now appreciate this achievement too! It was very much a trip of two halves, though very complementary, with the relatively sedate pace of seeing lots of the same and nearly the same at wonderfully close range on the Galápagos under Silvia s tutelage only really repeated by the hummingbirds at feeders on the mainland under Norby s eye, though sedate the hummers were not! The almost everything s different in a flock in the forest canopy on the mainland factor certainly kept us on our toes there too! The highlights and most memorable moments were too many to express in detail here, but ranged widely from Ángel Paz s wonderful hospitality and of course, his antpittas, through the sight of an entire family piled up and around a tiny motorbike, plus the surprising and simply stunning views from the Río Blanco viewpoint, the amusement of finding the Erotic chicken restaurant while stuck in a traffic jam, the remarkable sights and sounds of the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek, the wonderful organisation at Guango and the homeliness of the place, and of course, that stunning pair of Emerald toucans coming to feed chicks at a nest hole on our last full day in the cloudforest. I hope to blog a photopage on my website for both Galápagos and the extension, which will be viewable on and if you have any pictures which you think will be of interest, please don t hesitate to send them to me. I greatly look forward to seeing you all again soon. My very best wishes to all, John Muddeman 31

32 MAINLAND SPECIES LISTS BIRDS - AVES TINAMOUS - Tinamidae Little Tinamou Crypturellus soui : One heard Silanche River on 7th. NEW WORLD QUAIL - Odontophoridae Dark-backed Wood Quail Odontophorus melanonotus : 8-10 Ángel Paz on 6th. GEESE, SWANS & DUCKS - Anatidae Torrent Duck Merganetta armata : Single males upper Quijos River and lower Quijos River on 9th. Blue-winged Teal Anas discors : A female Silanche River on 7th. Andean Teal Anas andium : Just 2 Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. HERONS & BITTERNS - Ardeidae Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis : Recorded on 3 days: Plenty Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, plenty from Mirador del Río Blanco on 7th, and plenty again Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Snowy Egret Egretta thula : Two down on the river from Mirador del Río Blanco on 7th. CORMORANTS - Phalacrocoracidae Neotropic/Olivaceous Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus (=olivaceus) : 20+ Mirador del Río Blanco on 7th, and 1 in flight lower Quijos River on 9th. NEW WORLD VULTURES - Cathartidae Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura : Recorded on 3 days: At least 3 various sites on 6th, plenty various sites on 7th, and 2 Cabañas San Isidro and several Quito on 11th. [American] Black Vulture Coragyps atratus : Noted on 4 days with Lots Ángel Paz and other sites on 6th, lots various sites on 7th, and again on 8th, and lots around Quito on 11th. FALCONS & allies - Falconidae Carunculated Caracara Phalcoboenus carunculatus : 8-9 at distance Tablón & Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. Collared Forest Falcon Micrastur semitorquatus : Recorded on 3 days: Two seen chasing noisily around forest Silanche River on 7th, and one heard morning and evening Cabañas San Isidro on 9th, and on 10th. American Kestrel Falco sparverius : A stunning male Ángel Paz on 6th, and 2-3 en route on 8th. Aplomado Falcon Falco femoralis : A large perched falcon, probably this species, was noted by Phil en route on 8th. Merlin Falco columbarius : A juvenile flew under the bridge we were standing on at lower Quijos River on 9th. Bat Falcon Falco rufigularis : An adult carrying prey was watched circling low over the Cabañas San Isidro forest on 11th. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus : A large single, probably a young female, was watching circling high over the forest along the Nono-Mindo Road on 5th. HAWKS, EAGLES & allies - Accipitridae Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus : A flock of 8 of these elegant raptors were watched moving over the Silanche River forest on 7th. Barred/Black-chested Hawk Leucopternis princeps : A high circling pair was noted over the Cabañas San Isidro forest on 11th. Harris's Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus : A juvenile flew low over the road behind the bus close to the Mitad del Mundo monument en route on 8th. Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus : A juvenile was watched flying several times low over a hillside at Tablón on 8th. Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris : Just 2 Baeza bypass on 9th. Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus : One juvenile en route on 8th, and 2 perched in palms en route near Cabañas San Isidro on 9th. Short-tailed Hawk Buteo brachyurus : A single dark morph bird Mirador del Río Blanco on 7th. Variable/Puna Hawk Buteo polyosoma poecilochrous : A juvenile en route near Yanacocha on 5th, and 4 over Quito en route plus 4-6 Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. Black-and-chestnut Eagle Oroaetus isidori : A lovely adult or near-adult crossed the valley Guango Lodge on 9th. 32

33 RAILS, CRAKES & COOTS - Rallidae Grey-breasted Crake Laterallus exilis : Heard calling Silanche River on 7th. PLOVERS & LAPWINGS - Charadriidae Southern Lapwing Vanellus chilensis : Two Baeza bypass on 9th. SANDPIPERS, SNIPES & allies - Scolopacidae Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius : One Mirador del Río Blanco on 7th, 1 lower Quijos River on 9th. GULLS, TERNS & SKIMMERS - Laridae Andean Gull Larus serranus : 8-10 en route Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. PIGEONS & DOVES - Columbidae Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon Columba livia : Noted on 5 days with A few Quito on 5th, a few en route on 7th, lots en route on 8th, and plenty Quito on 11th, and again on 12th. Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata : 12+ Nono-Mindo Road on 5th, and lots Ángel Paz on 6th. Ruddy Pigeon Patagioenas subvinacea : 3-4 Silanche River on 7th. Dusky Pigeon Patagioenas goodsoni : One seen and several plenty heard Silanche River on 7th. Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata : Noted on 4 days with plenty Quito + on 5th, plenty en route on 8th, and lots Quito area on 11th, and on 12th. White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi : Heard singing Ángel Paz on 6th. PARROTS & allies - Psittacidae Maroon-tailed Parakeet Pyrrhura melanura : Heard Milpe and a flock of 10+ seen briefly in flight Silanche River on 7th. Red-billed Parrot Pionus sordidus : 7 Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and 1 Baeza bypass on 9th. White-capped Parrot Pionus seniloides : Plenty in flight Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and heard there on 11th. Bronze-winged Parrot Pionus chalcopterus : Several small groups in flight various sites on 7th. CUCKOOS - Cuculidae Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani : 3-4 Silanche River on 7th, several Baeza bypass + on 9th. Striped Cuckoo Tapera naevia : One Silanche River on 7th. Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana : Two Silanche River on 7th. OWLS - Strigidae "San Isidro Owl" Strix sp. cf hulula : Superb views of the pair at Cabañas San Isidro on 9th, and again on 10th. POTOOS - Nyctibiidae Grey/Common Potoo Nyctibius griseus : Singles in flight Séptimo Paraíso and perched Ángel Paz on 6th. NIGHTJARS - Caprimulgidae Rufous-bellied Nighthawk Lurocalis rufiventris : Recorded on 3 days: One in flight Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and another bird unable to fly seen in the hand at Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and on the ground on 11th. Band-winged Nightjar Caprimulgus longirostris : A female of this species on a nest Yanacocha on 5th was our first record for this species on this tour. Lyre-tailed Nightjar Uropsalis lyra : A male with 1 1/3 rd of its remarkable outer tail (!) roosting Ángel Paz on 6th. SWIFTS - Apodidae Chestnut-collared Swift Streptoprocne rutila : A few over Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. White-collared Swift Streptoprocne zonaris : Noted on 4 days with 12+ Nono-Mindo Road on 5th, lots Séptimo Paraíso and plenty Ángel Paz on 6th, lots Mirador del Río Blanco on 7th, and plenty again Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift Panyptila cayennensis : Two briefly over Silanche River on 7th. HUMMINGBIRDS - Trochilidae White-whiskered Hermit Phaethornis yaruqui : Singles Milpe & Silanche River on 7th, and Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Tawny-bellied Hermit Phaethornis syrmatophorus : One Ángel Paz on 7th. Napo Sabrewing Campylopterus villaviscensio : A female Cabañas San Isidro was probably the first record for the area on 10th. White-necked Jacobin Florisuga mellivora : Several Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and 2 males there on 8th. 33

34 Brown Violetear Colibri delphinae : A single Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and again on 8th. Green Violetear Colibri thalassinus : A few Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. Sparkling Violetear Colibri coruscans : Noted on 4 days with One Baeza bypass on 9th, a few Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th, and several Q on 12th. Black-throated Mango Anthracothorax nigricollis : A female Silanche River on 7th. Green Thorntail Discosura conversii : Several various sites lowland sites on 7th. Green-crowned Woodnymph Thalurania fannyi : Recorded on 3 days: several Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, several Mirador del Río Blanco on 7th, and several Séptimo Paraíso again on 8th. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Amazilia tzacatl : Recorded on 3 days: Plenty Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, various sites on 7th, and Séptimo Paraíso again on 8th. Andean Emerald Amazilia franciae : Recorded on 3 days: several Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, plenty various sites on 7th, and plenty Séptimo Paraíso again on 8th. Blue-chested Hummingbird Amazilia amabilis : Several Silanche River on 7th. Purple-chested Hummingbird Amazilia rosenbergi : Several Silanche River on 7th. Speckled Hummingbird Adelomyia melanogenys : Recorded on 3 days: One Nono-Mindo Road on 5th, plenty Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. Fawn-breasted Brilliant Heliodoxa rubinoides : Recorded on 3 days: several Ángel Paz on 6th, singles Séptimo Paraíso and en route on 8th, and 2-3 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Green-crowned Brilliant Heliodoxa jacula : Recorded on 3 days: One+ Ángel Paz on 6th, plenty Mirador del Río Blanco on 7th, and plenty Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Buff-tailed Coronet Boissonneaua flavescens : Just 1 Guango Lodge on 9th. Chestnut-breasted Coronet Boissonneaua matthewsii : Noted on 4 days with Common and dominant at Guango Lodge on 9th, again on 10th, and at Cabañas San Isidro on 11th, and on 12th. Velvet-purple Coronet Boissonneaua jardini : One briefly Séptimo Paraíso on 6th. Shining Sunbeam Aglaeactis cupripennis : Two Yanacocha on 5th, and 1 Guango Lodge on 9th. Mountain Velvetbreast Lafresnaya lafresnayi : Just 1 female Guango Lodge early on 9th. Bronzy Inca Coeligena coeligena : 4-5 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Brown Inca Coeligena wilsoni : 1-2 Ángel Paz and 1+ Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and 1 Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Collared Inca Coeligena torquata : Noted on 5 days with A male Nono-Mindo Road on 5th, 1 Guango Lodge on 8th, plenty Guango Lodge on 9th, 1-2 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and 1 there on 11th. Buff-winged Starfrontlet Coeligena lutetiae : Plenty Yanacocha on 5th. Sword-billed Hummingbird Ensifera ensifera : Recorded on 3 days: A female Yanacocha on 5th, a 'pair' Guango Lodge on 8th, and again on 9th. Great Sapphirewing Pterophanes cyanopterus : Plenty of this impressively large species Yanacocha on 5th. Tourmaline Sunangel Heliangelus exortis : Good numbers Guango Lodge on 8th, and again on 9th. Sapphire-vented Puffleg Eriocnemis luciani : Plenty Yanacocha on 5th. Golden-breasted Puffleg Eriocnemis mosquera : Despite the biting midges (!), 3-4 Yanacocha on 5th. Purple-bibbed Whitetip Urosticte benjamini : Two-3 Séptimo Paraíso on 6th. Booted Racket-tail Ocreatus underwoodii : Plenty of these stunning tiny birds Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and again on 8th. Black-tailed Trainbearer Lesbia victoriae : Two en route on 5th, and several Tablón on 8th. Tyrian Metaltail Metallura tyrianthina : Recorded on 3 days: 2-3 Yanacocha on 5th, 1 Tablón on 8th, and several Guango Lodge on 9th. Blue-mantled Thornbill Chalcostigma stanleyi : One male Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. Rainbow-bearded Thornbill Chalcostigma herrani : A female Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. Long-tailed Sylph Aglaiocercus kingi : Noted on 4 days with Plenty on the E slope at Guango Lodge on 8th, and on 9th, and also Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. Violet-tailed Sylph Aglaiocercus coelestis : Singles Séptimo Paraíso and Ángel Paz on 6th, and 1-2 Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Purple-crowned Fairy Heliothryx barroti : A 'pair' Silanche River on 7th. White-bellied Woodstar Chaetocercus mulsanti : Recorded on 3 days: A female Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, lots of these bumble bee-like hummers Séptimo Paraíso and Guango Lodge on 8th, and again Guango Lodge on 9th. Gorgeted Woodstar Chaetocercus heliodor : Just 1 female Guango Lodge on 9th. TROGONS - Trogonidae Western White-tailed Trogon Trogon chionurus : A female Silanche River on 7th. Masked Trogon Trogon personatus : A male Nono-Mindo Road on 5th, a pair or three birds Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Golden-headed Quetzal Pharomachrus auriceps : Recorded on 3 days: One Ángel Paz on 6th, a pair + others plenty heard Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and 1 + another heard Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. KINGFISHERS - Alcedinidae 34

35 Green Kingfisher Chloroceryle americana : One Silanche River on 7th. MOTMOTS - Momotidae Highland Motmot Momotus aequatorialis : One at dawn, Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Rufous Motmot Baryphthengus martii : Recorded on 3 days: Their booming calls heard daily Séptimo Paraíso on 6th - 8th, plus also heard Milpe on 7th. on 6th, heard sp on 7th, heard sp on 8th. Broad-billed Motmot Electron platyrhynchum : Recorded on 3 days: One briefly seen and another heard Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, singles Silanche River and Milpe on 7th, and heard Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. TOUCANS & BARBETS - Ramphastidae Emerald Toucanet Aulacorhynchus prasinus : Two Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and a pair feeding nestlings there on 11th. Pale-mandibled Araçari Pteroglossus erythropygius : One Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and lots Silanche River+ on 7th. Chocó Toucan Ramphastos brevis : A pair Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and 1 Mirador del Río Blanco on 7th. Orange-fronted Barbet Capito squamatus : 3+ Silanche River on 7th. Red-headed Barbet Eubucco bourcierii : A male Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Toucan Barbet Semnornis ramphastinus : A pair briefly Ángel Paz on 6th. WOODPECKERS - Picidae Black-cheeked Woodpecker Melanerpes pucherani : 5+ Silanche River on 7th. Smoky-brown Woodpecker Veniliornis fumigatus : Recorded on 3 days: Heard Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and one seen excavating a nest hole there on 8th, plus 1 Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Bar-bellied Woodpecker Veniliornis nigriceps : Just one heard and then seen in flight Yanacocha on 5th. Golden-olive Woodpecker Piculus rubiginosus : Two Silanche River on 7th. Crimson-mantled Woodpecker Piculus rivolii : Recorded on 3 days: 1 Ángel Paz on 6th, 1 Tablón on 8th, and 1 Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Guayaquil Woodpecker Campephilus gayaquilensis : Two males + 2 females Silanche River on 7th. >> MANAKINS - Pipridae Golden-winged Manakin Masius chrysopterus : Two-3 Milpe on 7th. Blue-crowned Manakin Lepidothrix coronata : One male Silanche River on 7th. White-bearded Manakin Manacus manacus : One seen + several plenty heard Silanche River on 7th. COTINGAS - Cotingidae Masked Tityra Tityra semifasciata : A 'pair' Silanche River on 7th. Barred Becard Pachyramphus versicolor : A pair Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and a female there on 11th. Cinnamon Becard Pachyramphus cinnamomeus : Recorded on 3 days: At Séptimo Paraíso, 2 on 6th, and singles on 7th, and on 8th. Orange-breasted Fruiteater Pipreola jucunda : A female and then a pair attending a nest with 2 chicks Ángel Paz on 6th. Scaled Fruiteater Ampelioides tschudii : Two briefly Ángel Paz on 6th. Andean Cock-of-the-rock Rupicola peruviana : 4 males Nono-Mindo Road on 5th, and heard Ángel Paz on 6th. Olivaceous Piha Snowornis cryptolophus : One Ángel Paz on 6th. Purple-throated Fruitcrow Querula purpurata : At least 4 Silanche River on 7th. TYRANT-FLYCATCHERS - Tyrannidae White-crested Elaenia Elaenia albiceps : Recorded on 3 days: One Tablón on 8th, 1 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and 5 there on 11th. White-throated Tyrannulet Mecocerculus leucophrys : Two Yanacocha on 5th. White-tailed Tyrannulet Mecocerculus poecilocercus : Plenty Guango Lodge on 9th. White-banded Tyrannulet Mecocerculus stictopterus : Recorded on 3 days: Plenty Yanacocha on 5th, plenty Guango Lodge on 9th, and several Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Tufted Tit-Tyrant Anairetes parulus : One Tablón on 8th. Torrent Tyrannulet Serpophaga cinerea : Two-3 at rivers en route on 9th. Golden-faced Tyrannulet Zimmerius chrysops : Lots Silanche River on 7th, and 1 Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Marble-faced Bristle Tyrant Pogonotriccus ophthalmicus : Recorded on 3 days: Two Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, 1 Silanche River on 7th, and 1+ Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. 35

36 Rufous-breasted Flycatcher Leptopogon rufipectus : One Cabañas San Isidro was our very last new species on 11th. Ornate Flycatcher Myiotriccus ornatus : Just 1 Ángel Paz on 6th. Scale-crested Pygmy Tyrant Lophotriccus pileatus : Lots heard Silanche River on 7th. Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher Poecilotriccus ruficeps : 3-4 Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Common Tody-Flycatcher Todirostrum cinereum : One Silanche River on 7th. Cinnamon Flycatcher Pyrrhomyias cinnamomeus : Recorded on 3 days: One Guango Lodge on 9th, 5 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and 3+ there again on 11th. Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans : Noted on 5 days with One Nono-Mindo Road on 5th, 2 Ángel Paz on 6th, 2-3 various sites on 9th, and singles Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and on 11th. Smoke-colored Pewee Contopus fumigatus : Recorded on 3 days: One Ángel Paz on 6th, and 2 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. Streak-throated Bush Tyrant Myiotheretes striaticollis : One Tablón on 8th. Slaty-backed Chat-Tyrant Ochthoeca cinnamomeiventris : One Guango Lodge on 9th. Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant Ochthoeca fumicolor : 4+ Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. Social Flycatcher Myiozetetes similis : One Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and several Silanche River on 7th. Golden-crowned Flycatcher Myiodynastes chrysocephalus : Recorded on 3 days: Two Séptimo Paraíso and heard Ángel Paz on 6th, and heard Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. Streaked Flycatcher Myiodynastes maculatus : Several Silanche River on 7th. Snowy-throated Kingbird Tyrannus niveigularis : One Milpe on 7th. Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus : Noted on 6 days with Abundant, widespread and seen in variable number each full day at numerous sites. on 6th, y on 7th, y on 8th, y on 9th, y on 10th, y on 11th. Dusky-capped Flycatcher Myiarchus tuberculifer : Singles Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and Silanche River on 7th. Pale-edged Flycatcher Myiarchus cephalotes : 3+ Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and plenty there on 11th. ANTBIRDS - Thamnophilidae Dot-winged Antwren Microrhopias quixensis : Several Silanche River on 7th. Long-tailed Antbird Drymophila caudata : One + plenty heard Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and another seen + plenty heard there on 11th. Dusky Antbird Cercomacra tyrannina : One Silanche River on 7th. TAPACULOS - Rhinocryptidae Unicolored Tapaculo Scytalopus unicolor : Recorded on 3 days: Heard Yanacocha on 5th, and again Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and on 11th. ANTTHRUSHES & ANTPITTAS - Formicariidae Rufous-breasted Antthrush Formicarius rufipectus : Recorded on 3 days: Heard only: Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, Milpe on 7th, and Séptimo Paraíso again on 8th. Moustached Antpitta Grallaria alleni : A difficult individual at Ángel Paz on 6th. Chestnut-crowned Antpitta Grallaria ruficapilla : Heard Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and heard again there on 11th. Yellow-breasted Antpitta Grallaria flavotincta : A superb individual Ángel Paz on 6th. White-bellied Antpitta Grallaria hypoleuca : A superb pair Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Tawny Antpitta Grallaria quitensis : Singles en route and at Yanacocha on 5th, and heard at both Tablón and Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. Peruvian Antpitta Grallaricula peruviana : A single of this rare and extremely difficult-to-see species Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Ochre-breasted Antpitta Grallaricula flavirostris : A stunning little bird, "Shakira", at Ángel Paz on 6th. OVENBIRDS - Furnariidae Stout-billed Cinclodes Cinclodes excelsior : A few Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. Bar-winged Cinclodes Cinclodes fuscus : A few also Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. Pacific Hornero Furnarius cinnamomeus : Two Silanche River on 7th. Andean Tit-Spinetail Leptasthenura andicola : Two Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. Rufous Spinetail Synallaxis unirufa : Plenty Yanacocha on 5th. Azara's Spinetail Synallaxis azarae : Recorded on 3 days: Plenty heard but not seen Tablón on 8th, Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. Slaty Spinetail Synallaxis brachyura : One Séptimo Paraíso on 6th. Red-faced Spinetail Cranioleuca erythrops : Singles Ángel Paz on 6th, and Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Pearled Treerunner Margarornis squamiger : Noted on 4 days with Two Yanacocha on 5th, 3 Guango Lodge on 9th, 1 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and 2-3 Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Streaked Tuftedcheek Pseudocolaptes boissonneautii : One Nono-Mindo Road on 5th. 36

37 Spectacled/Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner Anabacerthia variegaticeps : One Séptimo Paraíso and 2 Ángel Paz on 6th. Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner Philydor rufum : One Séptimo Paraíso on 6th. Plain Xenops Xenops minutus : One Silanche River on 7th. WOODCREEPERS - Dendrocolaptidae Plain-brown Woodcreeper Dendrocincla fuliginosa : One Silanche River on 7th. Wedge-billed Woodcreeper Glyphorynchus spirurus : One Silanche River on 7th. Strong-billed Woodcreeper Xiphocolaptes promeropirhynchus : One Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Spotted Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus erythropygius : Singles Silanche River and Milpe on 7th. Olive-backed Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus triangularis : Two Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and 1 there on 11th. Streak-headed Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes souleyetii : One Milpe on 7th. Montane Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes lacrymiger : By far the commonest woodcreeper and noted on 6 days: 2 Ángel Paz on 6th, 1 Séptimo Paraíso on 7th, singles Guango Lodge on 8th, and on 9th, 1-2 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and 2 Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. >> VIREOS - Vireonidae Black-billed Peppershrike Cyclarhis nigrirostris : 1-2 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. Brown-capped Vireo Vireo leucophrys : Several Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus : Several Silanche River on 7th, and 1 Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. CROWS, JAYS & MAGPIES - Corvidae Turquoise Jay Cyanolyca turcosa : Recorded on 3 days: One Nono- Mindo Road on 5th, heard Guango Lodge on 8th, and 2 seen there on 9th. Inca Jay Cyanocorax yncas : Recorded on 3 days: Four Guango Lodge on 9th, and lots Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. SWALLOWS & MARTINS - Hirundinidae Blue-and-white Swallow Notiochelidon cyanoleuca : Noted on 6 days with Common, widespread and seen in moderate to large number each full day. on 6th, y on 7th, y on 8th, y on 9th, y on 10th, y on 11th. Brown-bellied Swallow Notiochelidon murina : Recorded on 3 days: 6+ Yanacocha on 5th, plenty Puerto de Papallacta and area on 8th, and plenty Guango Lodge on 9th. Southern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx ruficollis : Several at various lowland sites on 7th. WRENS - Troglodytidae Sedge/Grass Wren Cistothorus platensis : One singing in a pasture Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. Plain-tailed Wren Thryothorus euophrys : Heard Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. House Wren Troglodytes aedon : Noted on 4 days with One Séptimo Paraíso on 8th, 1 Baeza bypass on 9th, 1-2 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and 1+ there again on 11th. Mountain Wren Troglodytes solstitialis : Recorded on 3 days: A pair Guango Lodge on 9th, and singles Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. White-breasted Wood Wren Henicorhina leucosticta : One briefly Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and heard there on 11th. Grey-breasted Wood Wren Henicorhina leucophrys : Noted on 6 days with By far the commonest wren: just two singles seen at Séptimo Paraíso and Guango Lodge, but heard in variable number each full day at numerous sites. on 6th, y on 7th, y on 8th, y on 9th, y on 10th, y on 11th. Southern Nightingale-Wren Microcerculus marginatus : The simple, but beautiful descending and decelerating series of whistles of this species was a feature of Silanche River on 7th. GNATCATCHERS - Polioptilidae Tropical Gnatcatcher Polioptila plumbea : One briefly Silanche River on 7th. Slate-throated Gnatcatcher Polioptila schistaceigula : One with the Tropical Gnatcatcher briefly Silanche River on 7th. THRUSHES - Turdidae 37

38 Andean Solitaire Myadestes ralloides : Recorded on 3 days: Heard Nono-Mindo Road on 5th, lots heard Ángel Paz and a few Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and 1 finally seen Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus : Recorded on 3 days: several various sites on 7th, 1 Séptimo Paraíso on 8th, and 1 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Great Thrush Turdus fuscater : Noted on 5 days with Plenty Q and high Andes on 5th, plenty in high Andes again on 8th, and again on 9th, and seen again Q on 11th, and again on 12th. Glossy-black Thrush Turdus serranus : Several Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. Black-billed Thrush Turdus ignobilis : A flock of 10+ Baeza bypass on 9th. Ecuadorian Thrush Turdus maculirostris : 1-2 Séptimo Paraíso on 6th. DIPPERS - Cinclidae White-capped Dipper Cinclus leucocephalus : One Nono-Mindo Road on 5th, and 1-2 lower Quijos River on 9th. FINCHES & allies - Fringillidae Thick-billed Euphonia Euphonia laniirostris : Recorded on 3 days: 1-2 males Ángel Paz on 6th, several various sites on 7th, and 1 Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Orange-bellied Euphonia Euphonia xanthogaster : Noted on 4 days with several both Séptimo Paraíso and Ángel Paz on 6th, several various sites on 7th, several Séptimo Paraíso again on 8th, and several Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Olivaceous Siskin Carduelis olivacea : 5-6 Baeza bypass on 9th. NEW WORLD WARBLERS - Parulidae Tropical Parula Parula pitiayumi : Two Séptimo Paraíso and 2+ Ángel Paz on 6th. Blackburnian Warbler Dendroica fusca : Noted on 6 days with One Nono-Mindo Road on 5th, 2 Séptimo Paraíso + 1 Ángel Paz on 6th, 1 Séptimo Paraíso on 8th, several various sites on 9th, and plenty Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. Canada Warbler Wilsonia canadensis : Recorded on 3 days: A migrant to the E slopes: 2 Guango Lodge on 9th, 6+ Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and several there on 11th. Slate-throated Whitestart Myioborus miniatus : Noted on 4 days with Two Ángel Paz on 6th, 2+ Milpe on 7th, and plenty Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and also on 11th. Spectacled Whitestart Myioborus melanocephalus : Recorded on 3 days: Plenty Yanacocha on 5th, plenty Guango Lodge on 9th, and 2 Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Black-crested Warbler Basileuterus nigrocristatus : Singles Guango Lodge on 9th, and Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Russet-crowned Warbler Basileuterus coronatus : 1-2 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and 2 there on 11th. Three-striped Warbler Basileuterus tristriatus : 3+ Ángel Paz on 6th. Buff-rumped Warbler Phaeothlypis fulvicauda : One very briefly Silanche River on 7th. NEW WORLD ORIOLES & BLACKBIRDS - Icteridae Russet-backed Oropendola Psarocolius angustifrons : Recorded on 3 days: Plenty Baeza bypass on 9th, and Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and also on 11th. Red-rumped Cacique Cacicus haemorrhous : Two+ Silanche River on 7th. Subtropical/Scarlet-rumped Cacique Cacicus uropygialis : Recorded on 3 days: Heard Baeza bypass on 9th, and plenty seen Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. Northern Mountain Cacique Cacicus leucoramphus : 6-8 lower Quijos River on 9th, and plenty Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Scrub Blackbird Dives warszewiczi : 4+ displaying Silanche River on 7th. Red-breasted Blackbird Sturnella militaris : Two Baeza bypass on 9th. BANANAQUIT - Coerebidae Bananaquit Coereba flaveola : Several various sites on 7th. BUNTINGS, NEW WORLD SPARROWS & allies - Emberizidae Rufous-collared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis : Noted on 7 days with Remarkably common and widespread, this lovely little bird was seen daily, except on 7th, in often large number and at numerous sites. on 5th, y on 6th, y on 8th, y on 9th, y on 10th, y on 11th,??. Yellow-browed Sparrow Ammodramus aurifrons : After persistent searching, we finally saw 1 very well, and heard plenty of others all the Baeza bypass on 9th. Pale-naped Brush Finch Atlapetes pallidinucha : Two Puerto de Papallacta on 8th, and a pair with nesting material Guango Lodge on 9th. Tricolored Brush Finch Atlapetes tricolor : Two for the early risers Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Rufous-naped Brush Finch Atlapetes latinuchus : One was seen very well by all at Yanacocha on 5th. Slaty Brush Finch Atlapetes schistaceus : Two seen well Guango Lodge on 9th. 38

39 TANAGERS, NEW WORLD FINCHES & allies - Thraupidae Black-capped Hemispingus Hemispingus atropileus : Two Guango Lodge on 9th. Superciliaried Hemispingus Hemispingus superciliaris : 3-4 Yanacocha rank amongst those birds with the oddest-sounding names! on 5th. Black-eared Hemispingus Hemispingus melanotis : Two Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and 2-3 there on 11th. Grey-hooded Bush Tanager Cnemoscopus rubrirostris : Two in a mixed feeding flock Guango Lodge on 9th. White-shouldered Tanager Tachyphonus luctuosus : A male Silanche River on 7th. White-lined Tanager Tachyphonus rufus : A female Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and 2+ Silanche River on 7th. Lemon-rumped Tanager Ramphocelus icteronotus : Recorded on 3 days: Lots Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, lots various sites on 7th, and lots Séptimo Paraíso again on 8th. Blue-grey Tanager Thraupis episcopus : Noted on 6 days with Quite common and widespread in small - moderate number, especially on 7th - 9th. Noted daily each full day at various sites. on 6th, y on 7th, y on 8th, y on 9th, y on 10th, y on 11th. Palm Tanager Thraupis palmarum : Noted on 6 days with Quite common and widespread in small - moderate number, especially on 7th - 9th. Noted daily each full day at various sites. on 6th, y on 7th, y on 8th, y on 9th, y on 10th, y on 11th. Blue-capped Tanager Thraupis cyanocephala : One Nono-Mindo Road on 5th, and 2 Séptimo Paraíso on 6th. Hooded Mountain Tanager Buthraupis montana : 8-10 Nono-Mindo Road on 5th, 1 Guango Lodge on 9th. Black-chested Mountain Tanager Buthraupis eximia : 3-4 Yanacocha were a great find on 5th. Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager Anisognathus igniventris : Remarkably elusive, with just 2 Yanacocha on 5th, and one flighty bird Tablón on 8th. Blue-winged Mountain Tanager Anisognathus somptuosus : Recorded on 3 days: 5-6 Ángel Paz, though these had a yellow crown, which isn't a feature of ANY Ecuadorian mountain-tanagers! on 6th, 7-8 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and several again there were typical-looking birds. on 11th. Fawn-breasted Tanager Pipraeidea melanonota : Noted on 4 days with One Milpe on 7th, 1 Séptimo Paraíso on 8th, 2 Baeza bypass on 9th, and 1 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Grey-and-gold Tanager Tangara palmeri : 6+ Silanche River on 7th. Golden Tanager Tangara arthus : Common in the mid- and low-level forests on the W slope, and seen in good numbers overall at Séptimo Paraíso and Ángel Paz on 6th, and again Silanche River and Milpe on 7th. Silver-throated Tanager Tangara icterocephala : Single Silanche River and Mirador del Río Blanco on 7th, and 2 Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Saffron-crowned Tanager Tangara xanthocephala : Plenty Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and several there on 11th. Flame-faced Tanager Tangara parzudakii : 3+ Milpe on 7th. Bay-headed Tanager Tangara gyrola : Plenty Silanche River + Milpe on 7th, and plenty Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Golden-naped Tanager Tangara ruficervix : Two Ángel Paz on 6th. Blue-necked Tanager Tangara cyanicollis : Noted on 4 days with Two Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, 1 Silanche River on 7th, 2-3 Séptimo Paraíso on 8th, and several Baeza bypass on 9th. Golden-hooded Tanager Tangara larvata : Two Silanche River on 7th. Beryl-spangled Tanager Tangara nigroviridis : Noted on 4 days with A bit elusive but finally well seen by all: 1 Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, 3+ Séptimo Paraíso on 8th, 2 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and 2 more there on 11th. Blue-and-black Tanager Tangara vassorii : Several Guango Lodge on 9th. Black-capped Tanager Tangara heinei : Two Baeza bypass on 9th, and 3 Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Swallow Tanager Tersina viridis : Recorded on 3 days: Excellent views this year: a pair Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, 4+ Milpe on 7th, and the same pair again Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Yellow-tufted Dacnis Dacnis egregia : One briefly Silanche River on 7th. Purple Honeycreeper Cyanerpes caeruleus : Several Silanche River on 7th. Green Honeycreeper Chlorophanes spiza : One female Silanche River on 7th. Golden-collared Honeycreeper Iridophanes pulcherrimus : One male Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and a pair there on 11th. Scarlet-browed Tanager Heterospingus xanthopygius : Two Silanche River showed excellently on 7th. Guira Tanager Hemithraupis guira : Several Silanche River on 7th. Cinereous Conebill Conirostrum cinereum : One Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. Blue-backed Conebill Conirostrum sitticolor : Two Yanacocha on 5th, and 1 Guango Lodge on 9th. Glossy Flowerpiercer Diglossa lafresnayii : Two Yanacocha on 5th, and 1 Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. 39

40 Black Flowerpiercer Diglossa humeralis : Recorded on 3 days: several en route + Yanacocha on 5th, 2 Puerto de Papallacta on 8th, and plenty Guango Lodge on 9th. White-sided Flowerpiercer Diglossa albilatera : One Guango Lodge on 9th, and a pair Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Bluish Flowerpiercer Diglossopsis caerulescens : Several Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again on 11th. Masked Flowerpiercer Diglossopsis cyanea : Noted on 5 days with Quite common and widespread: 3+ Yanacocha and en route on 5th, 2-3 Guango Lodge on 8th, plenty Guango Lodge on 9th, 1-2 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and 1 again there on 11th. Plumbeous Sierra Finch Phrygilus unicolor : 4 Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. Blue-black Grassquit Volatinia jacarina : One Silanche River on 7th. Variable Seedeater Sporophila corvina : Recorded on 3 days: A male Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, 3+ Silanche River on 7th, and plenty Baeza bypass on 9th. Yellow-bellied Seedeater Sporophila nigricollis : A male Silanche River on 7th. Chestnut-bellied Seedeater Sporophila castaneiventris : A singing male Baeza bypass on 9th. Yellow-faced Grassquit Tiaris olivaceus : A female Séptimo Paraíso and a singing male Ángel Paz on 6th. Common Bush Tanager Chlorospingus ophthalmicus : One Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and several there on 11th. Yellow-throated Bush Tanager Chlorospingus flavigularis : Recorded on 3 days: 4-5 Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, 1 Séptimo Paraíso on 8th, and 2 Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Summer Tanager Piranga rubra : A stunning male Baeza bypass on 9th, and a female Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Plushcap / Plush-capped Finch Catamblyrhynchus diadema : A singing bird Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. GROSBEAKS, SALTATORS & allies - Cardinalidae Southern Yellow Grosbeak Pheucticus chrysogaster : A pair en route near Yanacocha on 5th. Buff-throated Saltator Saltator maximus : Recorded on 3 days: 2-3 Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, 1 Silanche River on 7th, and 4+ Séptimo Paraíso on 8th. Black-winged Saltator Saltator atripennis : 2 Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, and 2+ again there on 8th. MAMMALS - MAMMALIA AMERICAN ANTEATERS - Myrmecophagidae Southern Tamandua / Collared Anteater Tamandua tetradactyla : One crossed the small trail in front of Phil Senior between the breakfast lounge and the cabins at Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. RABBITS & HARES - Leporidae Forest/Brazilian Rabbit Sylvilagus brasiliensis : Just 1 Guango Lodge on 9th. SQUIRRELS - Sciuridae Red-tailed Squirrel Sciurus granatensis : Recorded on 3 days: One Ángel Paz on 6th, and several Cabañas San Isidro on 10th, and again, though one near the car park had a snub face and looked like it could have been a different species. on 11th. AGOUTIS & PACAS - Agoutidae Black Agouti Dasyprocta fuliginosa : One on a trail at Cabañas San Isidro gave good views on 10th. CAMELS - Camelidae Llama Lama glama : Domestic animals seen in the high Andes on 9th, and again on 11th. Alpaca Vicugna pacos : Domestic individuals seen en route on 9th. DEER - Cervidae White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus : Two of the small local race seen right beside the Puerto de Papallacta on 8th. AMPHIBIANS - AMPHIBIA Frog sp.?? : Single tiny brown frogs were noted near the lights, at night, Séptimo Paraíso on 6th and 7th. Tree-dwelling frogs spp.?? : Noisy tree-dwelling presumably mostly leptodactylid frogs, were noted nightly in the cloudforest areas, such as Séptimo Paraíso, Milpe, Guango and Cabañas San Isidro. BUTTERFLIES - LEPIDOPTERA 40

41 SKIPPERS - Hesperiidae Dalla Skipper sp. Dalla sp. : Several of these spotted-winged skippers were noted trapped inside the windows at Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. cf Ludens Skipper Ludens cf. ludens : A single of this lovely small stripy skipper at Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Silver-plated Skipper Vettius cotyna : A couple of this lovely small white-marked skipper at Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Flat [Skipper] sp.?celaenorrhinus sp. : A single black skipper with orange wing patches at Cabañas San Isidro on 11th remains unidentified, but looks similar to Southern Flat. WHITES, YELLOWS & SULPHURS - Pieridae cf Puna Clouded Yellow Colias cf euxanthe : Several Guango Lodge on 9th. Sulphur sp. Eurema cf arbella/salome/xanthoclora : One or two Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. HAIRSTREAKS, COPPERS & BLUES - Lycaenidae Callanga Blue Leptotes callanga : A male Tablón on 8th. METALMARKS - Riodinidae Metalmark sp. Semomesia or Mesosemia sp. : One Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Metalmark sp. Necyria bellona/ingaretha/duellona : One Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. BRUSH-FOOTED BUTTERFLIES - Nymphalidae Clearwings - subf: Ithomiinae Terra Clearwing Ithomia terra : One Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Baizana Clearwing Oleria baizana : One Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Padilla Clearwing Oleria padilla : One Ángel Paz on 6th. Clearwing sp. Episcada / Pteronymia sp. : One Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Tropical Brushfoots - subf: Biblidinae Citron Perisama Perisama oppelii : One Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Perisama sp. Perisama sp. : One Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Admirals & Gliders - subf: Limenitinae Smooth-banded Sister Adelpha cytherea : A couple at Silanche River on 7th.?Olynthia Sister Adelpha cf olynthia : One Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Saunder's Sister Adelpha saundersii : One Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Vanessids & smaller Fritillaries - subf: Nymphalinae Banded Mapwing Hypanartia dione : One Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Keferstein s Mapwing Hypanartia kefersteini : One Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Red Peacock Anartia amathea : A few at various sites in the cloudforest. Brazilian Lady Vanessa brasiliensis : One Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Lamplight Actinote Actinote ozomene : Plentiful Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Neleus Altinote Altinote neleus : At least one Ángel Paz on 6th. Larger Fritillaries & Heliconians - subf: Heliconiinae Dione Longwing Dione moneta : One-two Tablón on 8th. Telesiphe Longwing Heliconius telesiphe : A few Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Owls & Morphos - subf: Brassolinae Owl butterfly sp. Caligo sp. : A stunning individual Silanche River on 7th. BROWNS & RINGLETS - Satyridae?Thieme's Satyr Pedaloides cf ascona : A few Guango Lodge on 9th. White-banded Nymph Manerebia inderena : A few Guango Lodge on 9th. DAMSELFLIES & DRAGONFLIES - ODONATA BLUE-TAILED & RED DAMSELFLIES - Coenagrionidae Damselfly sp. Argia medullaris : Several bright blue males Cabañas San Isidro on 10th and 11th. 41

42 Damselfly sp. Mesamphiagrion dunklei : A few Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. DARNERS, HAWKERS & EMPERORS - Aeshnidae Darner sp. Rhionaeschna cornigera : A male Cabañas San Isidro on 10th and an egg-laying female there on 11th. CHASERS, SKIMMERS & DARTERS - Libellulidae Cannaphila vibex : A male Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Erythrodiplax ines : Two males Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. Macrothemis hahneli : A mating pair Cabañas San Isidro on 10th. Sympetrum gilvum : A male Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. OTHER SELECTED TAXA Other than the above there was a wide range of creepy, crawly and fluttery things (especially moths at Séptimo Paraíso, including a couple of large hawk-moths) just about everywhere, except in the páramo. It is impossible to do justice to them here, though of particular note was the enormous Dobson-fly at lights at Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, the leaf-cutter ants and their nest holes at Silanche River on 7th, the green katydids (leaf-like crickets) daily at Séptimo Paraíso from 6th 8th, the large millipedes at various sites from 5th 7th, the column of tiny ants at Séptimo Paraíso on 6th, the tiny metallic black grasshoppers at Ángel Paz on 7th, and abundant stingless bees there on the hummingbird feeders the same day. We also noted single stick insects at Yanacocha on 5th and Cabañas San Isidro on 9th, the hanging paper nest covered in tiny black wasps at Cabañas San Isidro on 9th, two-flash and three-flash fireflies at Cabañas San Isidro on 9th and 10th, plus the large yellow adult firefly beetle there on 11th. Another remarkable beetle was a stunningly coloured red-and-yellow striped click beetle at Cabañas San Isidro on 11th. There were plenty more butterflies too, especially during the sunny spells at Guango Lodge and Cabañas San Isidro, but for the moment they defy identification! John Muddeman, December 2011 The Travelling Naturalist 2011 A selection of pictures follows which didn t fit easily into the report! I hope that some of these might help you in naming what you photographed too! All photos John L. Muddeman. Adelpha cf olynthia Adelpha cytherea Adelpha saundersii 42

43 Altinote neleus Oleria baizana Hypanartia dione Perisama oppelii underside Perisama oppelii upperside Heliconius telesiphe cf Ludens ludens Unknown butterfly sp. Tropical cicada Vanessa brasiliensis Tropical tiger-beetle sp. Orchid Yanacocha 43

44 Andean Gull Chestnut-breasted Coronet Red-footed Booby at sunset A slightly malformed firefly beetle Juvenile Great Frigatebird Yanacocha Large hawkmoth sp. A feisty juvenile Nazca Booby Orchid A male Española Lava Lizard 44