Barred Puffbird
by Luke Seitz
2010 Snowbird Special! - $200 off any MBT tour between 2 January – 21 March 2010 !!
Barred Puffbird
by Luke Seitz
Tour M01-W: “Cloud Forest Birds of Northwest Ecuador" (2010)
Our most popular tour is based just two hours from Quito amidst the lush, bird-rich cloud forests of the western Andes and the famous birding sites of the Yanacocha-Mindo-Tandayapa-Bellavista area. We begin the tour leaving early from your hotel in Quito to travel by private vehicle to Yanacocha Reserve at 9,900 feet/3300m elevation which is the site of the rare Ecuadorian endemic hummingbird, the Black-breasted Puffleg. The morning at Yanacocha shows us the beautiful forest that forms the beginning of the watershed of the Rio Mindo and also allows us good looks at many hummingbird species, including the amazing Sword-billed Hummingbird, the unforgettable Shining Sunbeam and the elegant Great Sapphirewing, as well as other high elevation species such as Andean Guan, Andean Pygmy-Owl, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Pearled Treerunner, Rufous Antpitta, Tawny Antpitta, Ocellated Tapaculo, Red-crested Cotinga, Barred Fruiteater, Rufous Wren, Blue-backed Conebill, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager and Hooded Mountain-Tanager. After lunch we continue down the old Nono-Mindo Road, birding en route along the Alambi River, searching especially for river-side specialties such as Torrent Duck and White-capped Dipper. We arrive at our lodge late in the day just in time to watch the late afternoon bird activity and the end-of-the-day gathering of hummingbirds at the feeders. Over the next 6 days we explore the entire Tandayapa-Bellavista-Mindo-Milpe-Pedro Vicente Maldonado area, from 6900ft/2300m elevation down to1500ft/500m elevation, among private nature reserves situated within the subtropical forests and foothills of the western Andes. Our trip lists usually result in some 300 species of birds seen, many of them rare and endemic species found only in the Chocó biogeographic region. With luck we may even see some of the mammals in the area such as the endemic Dwarf Red Brocket Deer, Tayra, Mountain Coati, and Two-toed Sloth.
Mindo and Northwest Ecuador are our backyard so we know the area better than anyone!
And for those who want even more birds, we can arrange a week-long stay for
you at an Amazon jungle lodge and/or a Galapagos cruise, either before or after
the regular tour.
2010 Scheduled group departures from Quito: 13-19 February FULL, 19-25 June, 21-27 November
2010 Price (based on double occupancy): $1370 per person. Min:3, Max:10.
For a detailed itinerary and conditions, contact us at jlyons@ecnet.ec
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Blackburnian Warbler |
Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager |
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| Green-and-black Fruiteater | Grass-green Tanager |
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White-bearded Manakin |
Pale-mandibled Araçari |
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| Happy Birders!! | Happy Birders!! |
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Ochre-breasted Antpitta |
Chestnut-crowned Antpitta |
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Tanager Finch |
Moss-backed Tanager |
Tour Q02-EE: "Birding the Chocó Lowlands" ( 2010)
The Chocó lowlands of northwestern Ecuador provide a dazzling assemblage of species, including many rare and endemic species. Our tour begins in Quito as we leave early for the drive to the Fundación Jocotoco’s new rustic and comfortable lodge in the middle of the 1100-hectare Río Canandé Reserve. We bird en route and throughout the Canandé area, staying 4 nights at Canandé. Then we head to the famous Rio Palenque Research Station, an interesting lowland forest where the Chocó Endemic Bird Area intergrades with the Tumbesian Endemic Bird Area.
The tour focuses on searching for the especially important and uncommon lowland endemics and specialties such as: Plumbeous Hawk, Plumbeous Forest-Falcon, Rufous-fronted Wood-Quail, Tawny-faced Quail, Brown Wood-Rail, Olive-backed Quail-Dove, Rose-faced Parrot, Red-lored Amazon, Bronzy Hermit, White-tipped Sicklebill, Tooth-billed Hummingbird, Purple-chested Hummingbird, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Orange-fronted Barbet, Five-colored Barbet, Stripe-billed Araçari, Lita Woodpecker, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Star-chested Treerunner, Western Woodhaunter, Griscom’s Antwren, Ocellated Antbird, Rufous-crowned Antpitta, Streak-chested Antpitta, Pacific Flatbill, Pacific Royal-Flycatcher, Gray-breasted Flycatcher, Ochraceous Attila, Speckled Mourner, Rufous Piha, Black-tipped Cotinga, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Red-capped Manakin, Green Manakin, Gray-mantled Wren, Golden-chested Tanager, Scarlet-thighed Dacnis, Scarlet-breasted Dacnis, Scarlet-and-white Tanager, Gray-and-gold Tanager, Emerald Tanager, Silver-throated Tanager, Blue-whiskered Tanager, Rufous-winged Tanager, Golden-chested Tanager, Lemon-spectacled Tanager, Tawny-crested Tanager, Scarlet-browed Tanager, Yellow-green Bush-Tanager, and much much more, always with the possibility of rarities such as Great Green Macaw and Banded Ground-Cuckoo.
Come help us discover the species found in these remote and beautiful Pacific lowland forests. It was one of our tours that found the first Brown Wood-Rail, the first Banded Ground-Cuckoo and the first known video of the species, the first Rufous-crowned Antpitta at Canande and the first Great Curassow sighted in Ecuador in over 20 years!!
Choco Lowlands Tour:
2010 departures (7d-6n): 13-19 November
(Min: 3 ; Max: 8)
For a detailed itinerary, prices
and conditions, contact us at jlyons@ecnet.ec
NOTE: This tour can easily be combined with a tour of the Mindo-Bellavista
area.
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Long-wattled Umbrellabird |
Rufous-crowned Antpitta |
Crested Owl |
By Charley Hesse |
By Charley Hesse |
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Laughing Falcon |
Crimson-bellied Woodpecker |
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Canandé River |
Canandé River |
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Searching for Tawny-faced
Quail |
Canandé Lodge |
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Spectacular forest in the Canandé Reserve |
Happy Birders!! |
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| Great Jacamar | Birding the Canande River | Orange-fronted Barbet |
| Photo by Dusan Brinkhuizen | Photo by Charley Hesse | Photo by Dusan Brinkhuizen |
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Black Hawk-Eagle |
Ochraceous Attila |
Lanceolated Monklet |
| Photo by Dusan Brinkhuizen | Photo by Dusan Brinkhuizen | Photo by Dusan Brinkhuizen |
Tour QPOS01: Remote and Rustic Ecuador: Playa de Oro - Shiripuno Expedition Birding
One of the last large areas of primary lowland Chocó forest is found at Playa de Oro. Birding in this remote area is superb, with difficult-to-find species such as Ocellated Antbird, Streak-chested Antpitta, Broad-billed Sapayoa, Five-colored Barbet, Lemon-spectacled Tanager among the common species seen. Parrots, toucans, macaws, guans are found in good numbers; tanager flocks can be great, including such specialties as Golden-chested and Scarlet-and-white Tanager and Scarlet-breasted Dacnis; manakin and cotinga leks and day roosts of owls and other nocturnal birds are always possible. The canoe rides and hiking the trails in the pristine forest with local guides are truly some of the best Chocó lowland experiences ever.
After a four-night stay at Playa de Oro´s Tigrillo Lodge you will return to Quito and then fly to Coca for the transfer to Shiripuno Lodge. Shiripuno is known as one of the most remote but nowadays accessible Amazonian sites for such elusive species as Nocturnal Curassow, Salvin´s Curassow, Gray-winged Trumpeter, Rufous Potoo, Fiery Topaz, Chestnut-winged Hookbill, Hairy-crested Antbird, Black-necked Red-Cotinga, Cinnamon Neopipo, White-crested Spadebill, Orange-backed Troupial and much more.
Accommodations are rustic but certainly adequate.
Tour begins and ends in Quito and can easily be combined with our Cloud Forest Tour.
2010 Scheduled Group Departure from Quito: 26 June - 8 July 2010
(Min: 3 ; Max: 8)
For a detailed itinerary, prices
and conditions, contact us at jlyons@ecnet.ec or jalyons593@gmail.com
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| Spotted Antbird | Bicolored Antbird at ant swarm |
| Photo by Dusan Brinkhuizen | Photo by Dusan Brinkhuizen |
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| Ocellated Antbird | Western White-tailed Trogon | Green (Chocó) Manakin |
| Photo by Dusan Brinkhuizen | Photo by Dusan Brinkhuizen | Photo by Dusan Brinkhuizen |
Tour Q01-E: "Birds from Paramo to Jungle" (2010)
This very birdy tour runs along the gradient of the eastern slope of the northern Andes and includes 2 days at high elevation páramo, 4 days amidst the eastern slope mid-elevation woodlands and foothill forests, and 3 days in Amazonian lowland forest. The tour begins and ends in Quito. We will pick you up at your hotel in Quito and head east to the vast, wind-swept paramo at Antisana Reserve where we will look for Andean Condor, Carunculated Caracara, Black-faced Ibis, Silvery Grebe, Blue-mantled Thornbill and other open-country species. We will also search for the beautiful and amazingly cryptic Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe as well as additional paramo specialties such as Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Tawny Antpitta, Ecuadorian Hillstar, Giant Conebill, Stout-billed and Bar-winged Cinclodes, Andean Tit-Spinetail, Streak-backed and Many-striped Canastero, Paramo Pipit, and Band-tailed, Plain-colored and Paramo Seedeater. We then spend the next 11 days birding at key sites down the eastern slope of the Andes and into the Amazonian rain forest, including nights in Papallacta, Guango, San Isidro, Archidona and at Gareno Lodge. Gareno is located within Huaorani Indian Territory where we can find Harpy Eagle, Rufous Potoo, Pavonine Quetzal, Napo Sabrewing, Lemon-throated Barbet, Warbling Antbird, Thrushlike Antpitta, Bare-necked Fruitcrow, Spotted Tanager and much more.
2010 Scheduled group departures from Quito (9 days/8 nights): 10-18 October 2010
For detailed itinerary and prices, contact us at jlyons@ecnet.ec
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Black-faced Ibis |
Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe |
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Golden-tailed Sapphire |
Black-throated Brilliant |
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Rufous Potoo |
Female Bicolored Antvireo
at nest by J. Fuhrman |
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| Harpy Eagle |
Tour MEP0I: Northern Ecuador Bird Photography Tour
This is a tour for folks who never get enough of photographing birds!
You will spend two full weeks (or can be split into just one week) among some of the finest bird photography sites in the world.
The first week is spent in the amazing zone of the western Andes, based near the key birding site of Mindo. Here you will visit numerous bird feeding stations at sites ranging from 500 meters elevation to 3300 meters elevation. Then you will travel to the high to find new species in the vast paramo zone at feeders and in open country before heading to additional key sites in the eastern Andes to photograph new species again at feeding stations and along easy trails. Your guide is an accomplished bird photographer who will help you find the right lighting and will arrange the feeders to get the best photos of the birds.
For those who want even more photo opps, we are happy to offer an extension to an Amazon jungle lodge with canopy tower.
2010 Scheduled Group Departure from Quito: 23 October - 5 November 2010
2011 Scheduled Group Departure from Quito: 26 September - 9 October 2011
(Min: 3 ; Max: 8)
For a detailed itinerary, prices
and conditions, contact us at jlyons@ecnet.ec
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Tour S01-G: “Birds of Southern Ecuador” (2010)
Rapidly becoming one of our most popular tours, Tour S01-G: “Birds of Southern Ecuador” is a 13-day/12-night tour which includes the southern birding areas of Jorupe, Utuana, Bombuscaro, Tapichalaca, Valladolid, Buenaventura, Santa Isabel, El Cajas. Among the many highlights of this birdy tour are the endemic El Oro Parakeet, the very rare Pale-headed Brush-Finch, the Long-wattled Umbrellabird and the amazing Jocotoco Antpitta.
Participants can join the tour from Quito or Guayaquil. We book all internal flights.
Itinerary:
Day 1 - Birding from Catamayo en route to Macara and the Jocotoco Reserve at Utuana-Jorupe (elevation 500m). This area is the gateway to northern Peru and is a key site within the Tumbesian Endemic Bird Area. Some 50 Tumbesian bird species occur here and the area is especially important for Tumbes Hummingbird, Gray-headed Antbird, Rufous-necked Foliage-gleaner, Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaner, Watkin´s Antpitta, Elegant Crescent-chest, White-tailed Jay, White-headed Brush-Finch and much more. Overnight Urraca Lodge.
Day 2 - Birding Jorupe-Utuana for such species as Purple-throated Sunangel, Red-masked Parakeet, Chapman´s Antshrike, Black-crested Tit-Tyrant, Black-cowled Saltator, more. Overnight Urraca Lodge.
Day 3 - Birding Utuana (1700m) for such species as Rainbow Starfrontlet, Piura Hemispingus, Black-crested Tit-Tyrant, Bay-crowned Brush-Finch, much more. Overnight Urraca Lodge.
Day 4 – Birding en route to Bombuscaro. Birding along the Loja-Zamora Road will provide the chance to see Violet-headed Hummingbird, Black-mandibled Toucan, Yellow-throated Tanager and much more. Overnight Cabanas Copalinga.
Day 5 - Birding Bombuscaro and Podocarpus National Park. Here we will search especially for Coppery-chested Jacamar, White-breasted Parakeet, Chestnut-tipped Toucanet, Black-cheeked Puffbird, Ecuadorian Piedtail, Equatorial Graytail, Foothill Antwren, White-crowned Tapaculo, Blue-rumped Manakin, Blue-naped Chlorophonia as well as for the many other Podocarpus specialties. Overnight Cabanas Copalinga.
Day 6 – Morning birding at Copalinga and afternoon birding en route to Jocotoco Tapichalaca Reserve (2100-2800m). Tapichalaca is best known as the site of the discovery of the stunning Jocotoco Antpitta. We will be staying at Casa Simpson, the lovely lodge inside the Reserve with hummingbird feeders right outside our windows and trails leading to the feeding area of the antpitta and through the beautiful forest which is home to the many other species found in this special site. Overnight Casa Simpson.
Day 7 - Birding Tapichalaca Reserve. Specialties include Andean Potoo, Bearded Guan, Dusky Piha, Golden-plumed Parakeet, much more. Overnight Casa Simpson.
Day 8 - Birding Tapichalaca Reserve and Valladolid area. Adjacent to Tapichalaca is the zone of Valladolid which hosts a number of Marañon Valley-Northern Peru specialities. Overnight Casa Simpson.
Day 9 – Mid-morning departure for drive to Buenaventura Reserve, with brief birding stops en route. Overnight Umbrellabird Lodge.
Day 10 - Birding Buenaventura Reserve for endemics such as El Oro Parakeet and El Oro Tapaculo and other specialities such as Pacific Royal-Flycatcher, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Gray-backed Hawk, Rufous-headed Chachalaca, and the numerous mixed species flocks often found in the reserve. Overnight Umbrellabird Lodge.
Day 11 - Birding Buenaventura early morning, mid-morning departure for drive to Yunguilla Reserve. Evening search for Buff-fronted Owl and other nocturnal birds at Yunguilla. Overnight Santa Isabel (700m).
Day 12 – Birding Yunguilla Reserve. One of the world´s rarest birds, the Pale-headed Brush-Finch was re-discovered in 1999 and is found only at this site. Other specialties include Andean Tinamou, Buff-fronted Owl, Little Woodstar, Purplish-collared Woodstar, Bluish Flowerpiercer, more. Afternoon drive to Cuenca. Overnight Cuenca.
Day 13 – Morning birding at El Cajas National Park and afternoon flights to GYE or Quito. Transfer and overnight in your hotel// or international departure.
2010 Scheduled group departures (13 days/12 nights): 30 January - 11 February FULL, 25 February - 11 Marzo ONLY 2 SPACES AVAILABLE, 28 November - 10 December
For more details and conditions, contact jlyons@ecnet.ec or jalyons593@gmail.com
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Jocotoco Antpìtta |
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| Chestnut-naped Antpitta | White-capped Tanager | |||||||||
| Photos by Dusan Brinkhuizen | ||||||||||
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PRE- AND POST- TOUR EXTENSIONS IN NORTHERN ECUADOR
These short extension tours can be arranged before or after any regular tour
that begins or ends in Quito. They can also be combined into or added to
a custom tour.
1. Highlands and Paramo Extension
We offer an extension to any tour in northern Ecuador to the beautiful highland zone outside of Quito. The tour focuses on the vast páramo zone of the Andes, with specialties such as Andean Condor, Ecuadorian Hillstar, Andean Snipe, Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, Carunculated Caracara and many other high elevation specialties. We also offer tours to Cerro Mongus for those folks who want to search for some of the most elusive high elevation birds in the northern Andes, including Imperial Snipe, White-throated Screech-Owl, Rufous-banded Owl, Black-thighed Puffleg, Undulated Antpitta, Rufous Antpitta, Crescent-faced Antpitta, Chestnut-bellied Cotinga, Black-headed Hemispingus , Black-chested Mountain-Tanager, and numerous other species. No camping but lodging is rustic. Contact us for additional details at jlyons@pi.pro.ec
Contact us for additional details at jlyons@pi.pro.ec
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| Short-eared Owl | Andean Guan | Andean Snipe |
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| White-throated Screech-Owl | Paramo Birding | Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan |
Photos by Charley Hesse |
2. The Amazon Jungle Tour Extension
We are also tour agents for various Amazonian Ecuador lowland jungle lodges, including Napo Wildlife Center, La Selva Jungle Lodge, Sacha Lodge, Shiripuno, Kapawi, Yuturi and Yarina, Gareno Lodge, and are happy to arrange your tour to these special sites.
The tour includes a short flight from Quito to Coca, motorized canoe trip down the Napo River, overnights at a jungle lodge of your choice, resident birding guide, and return flight to Quito. Contact us for additional details at jlyons@pi.pro.ec
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Amazonian Ecuador By Lisa Thurston |
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We are happy to design for you a custom tour of any or all of the key birding sites anywhere in Ecuador, including the Mindo-Milpe area, Yanacocha, Tandayapa, Bellavista, Lower Chocó Woodlands, Tinalandia, Rio Palenque, the Lita area, Volcan Cotopaxi National Park, Papallacta, Antisana, San Isidro, Cordillera de Guacamayos, Loreto Road, Tena, Gareno Lodge, Jatun Sacha, Podocarpus National Park and southern Ecuador, Machalilla, Isla de la Plata and coastal Ecuador, etc. In addition, we are tour agents for all of the Fundación Jocotoco reserves, including Buenaventura, Jorupe, Río Canandé, Tapichalaca, Utuana, Yanacocha, Yunguilla. We also run regular birding tours to Peru as well as custom tours to other South American countries.
These tours can be arranged for as few as 1 person or as many as 20 persons. For information, contact us at jlyons@pi.pro.ec.
We can also book for you a Galapagos cruise at any time of the year and offer specific Galapagos birding tours in conjunction with North American birding tour companies. For additional information, please contact us at jlyons@pi.pro.ec
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| Monster-size Galápagos Marine Iguana By Mynor Chacón |
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