Birding Milpe Road
By Lisa Thurston

The best recommendations come from our guests. Below are some of their comments.

  • “ We were so thrilled and honored to be able to share all the beauty here in Ecuador and Reserva Las Gralarias. Thank you for all your care, good food, and especially Charley. He is so thoroughly professional, knowledgeable and made sure we had the best possible experience! The birds are (as we say in the States) TOTALLY AWESOME!” 2-8 June 2008, CB &EC, New Jersey, USA.
  • “ I've just returned from a marvelous 21-day tour of Ecuador. The focus, of course, was birds, and I and my friend saw quite a few - 516 total species, including 78 endemics and 356 lifers. Since Ecuador is relatively small, endemics include species that may overlap into surrounding countries.

    The areas we visited included both western and eastern slopes of the Andes in the north and the south of the country, plus three days in the Amazon region... Our last two days were spent at Cotapaxi and Antisana volcanoes. The trip was superbly put together by Jane Lyons of Mindo Bird Tours (jlyons@pi.pro.ec), and our guides were Charles Hesse in the north and Edison Buenaño in the south. Our guide in Amazonas was the resident bird expert, Oscar.

    Where to start? We had rainy weather virtually every day, but sometimes that was good, we learned. It was cool when we climbed into the Andes -- I think 14,000 feet was our high point -- and it was usually muddy. We saw a total of 63 hummingbird species, including Swordbill and both Green- and black-tailed Trainbearer. But my favorite was was the endemic Velvet-Purple Coronet.

    We had hoped to see some antpittas, and we were not disappointed. Two we found on our own: Tawny and Rufous. But the two most spectacular we saw at sites where the birds emerged to feed on worms thrown to them; these were the Giant and the Jocotoco, both endemics.

    We saw a number of lifers in the tanager group, such as Golden-collared Honeycreeper, Yellow-bellied Dacnis, Masked Flowerpiercer, plus Rufuous-chested, Saffron-crowned, Golden-eared, Golden-naped, Masked, Opal-rumped and Opal-crowned Tanager, in addition to these mountain-tanagers: Lacrimose, Scarlet-bellied, Blue-winged, and Buff-breasted.

    Cotingas included Red-crested, Plum-throated and Spangled, plus Green-and-black Fruiteater, Scaled Fruiteater, White-browed Purpletuft, Olivaceous Piha, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Purple-throated Fruitcrow and, my nominee for bird of the trip, Bare-necked Fruitcrow. The last we saw from the canopy tower. A close second was Toucan Barbet, beautiful and at the same time a bit strange with its outsize bill. Crested Owl was spectacular. Helping a passer-by get a look, I told her to ignore that brown leaf and find the bird to the left; it turned out that the "leaf" was a second owl, perched with its back to us. A visit to a parrot lick turned up four species…and a night walk produced a roosting Great Tinamou. A nighttime hike in the mud in the south produced Andean Potoo, Swallow-tailed Nightjar and the enormous Rufous-bellied Nighthawk.

    Other favorites: Chestnut-capped Puffbird, Many-banded Aracari, Ringed Woodpecker, Azara's Spinetail, Orange-fronted Plushcrown, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Hairy-crested Antbird (with a remarkably wide white eye-ring), Yelow-olive Flatbill, Swainson's Flycatcher, Wire-tailed Manakin, Beautiful Jay, White-breasted Parakeet, and Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher.

    Lifer warblers included Spectacled Whitestart, Black-eared Warbler, Citrine Warbler, Russet-crowned warbler and Olive-crowned Yellowthroat. We also saw lots of Blackburnians in beautiful plumage. Our very last bird, fittingly, was an Andean Condor,which soared fairly close on the Antisana volcano. What a trip! I'm ready to go back.” 31 January – 22 February 2008, JD, Bulgaria
  • “We had a blast!! The timing was great all of the time, thanks to Juan Carlos, who was a really good friend all week. Never have we had a guide quite like Charley… I gave him our old bird list from two years ago, and he quickly figured out where we needed to go in order to see the most lifers. We added 63 to the 213 lifers on the first trip--in spite of some rough rainy weather-none of which seemed to bother the birds. Dr. Harbin stayed behind at some of the feeders now and then for photography, and got some knockout pictures. The accommodations were great, and each was very different from the others, as you well know…We are looking for a possibility of Peru next year--will be in touch.” 9-16 February 2008, SS, Rome, GA, USA
  • “I just wanted to let you know what a great time Stuart, Dwayne and I had on our trip thanks to you. Charley and Juan Carlos were excellent. Every place that we stayed was wonderful as was the food. …You plan great trips. I hope to do another one with you soon. Thanks again. “ 9-16 February 2008, BH, Rome, GA, USA
  • “Many thanks for working with Sharon, Alice, and me to put together such a fascinating trip. So many birds, so many habitats, so many new experiences. Accolades to Alejandro. He is a superb guide. His knowledge of birds, their habits and habitats is impressive, and he is informative about plants and animals as well. He is concerned that everyone sees the bird in question, is congenial, and unusually considerate….Juan Carlos also deserves praise, not only for his excellent driving but for his charming manner. A splendid trip!” 26 December – 5 January 2008, SW, New York City, NY USA
  • “ Our trip totals: Papallacta with Alejandro: 46 species, 35 lifers… Alejandro was good company and definitely knows his birds and the area….La Selva (including Coca airport): 147 species, 136 lifers. Here we learned the challenges of jungle birding (this was harder than the jungle birding we did in India). Las Gralarias time with Edison: 199 species, 162 lifers. We had a great time with Edison! He was good company and also knows a huge amount about the plants and other wildlife which we greatly appreciated. We're definitely hoping to have the opportunity to bird in Ecuador with Edison in the future. Definitely a top-notch guide! Totals: 365 species, 345 lifers. Overall, some incredibly outstanding birding along with fantastic scenery, people, butterflies and other animals! Thank you for handling all of the arrangements. We enjoyed the trip immensely…We're definitely hoping to get back to Ecuador in the future and when we do, we'll definitely want to stay at Las Gralarias again.” 30 May – 14 June, KD, Denver, CO, USA
  • “ Thanks for planning such a wonderful trip for all of us! Looking back it seems like they were 2 unbelievable vacations rolled into one. You did a fantastic job! All of the places we stayed were great, as was the food, and of course the birding was fantastic! My only regret was not being able to squeeze more time into each day, but I guess that's out of my control! Las Gralarias is fantastic Jane, you have done such a great job creating it. I really enjoyed birding with Pablo - he was serious, but a great guide. I think Gary was a little worn out by the pace of the birding, but the rest of us were right on target with it. The Galapagos trip was also great! It was like being on another planet! Even though I knew a fair amount about the galapagos and what to expect, nothing can prepare you for the actual experience! The Coral 1 was a great boat and we had a really good bunch of people on board. I am still swaying today! “ 1-17 Jun 2007, MAB, Houston, TX USA
  • “I want to thank you for arranging an excellent field trip today [to Yanacocha Reserve]. All aspects were excellent and I enjoyed both Alejandro's and Mynor's company. The birding wasn't excellent mostly due to timing and just a quiet day out there, but that's nothing you can control! We very much enjoyed the day and all came home happy.” 5 June 2007, TC, Saratoga, CA, USA
  • “Our trip to Ecuador went perfectly, in part because of your wonderful assistance. Everything went so smoothly that we see no reason why we should not return soon. It was an easy trip and an outstanding trip. We saw so much and enjoyed our stay with you so very much. Being able to walk a couple of steps from our room to the overlook with the hummingbirds so close was truly wonderful. We also enjoyed the trails along with meeting Pablo and Jose….The Cock-of-the-Rock lek was a great experience and the antipittas and wood-quail were just the very best! I am sure you will see us again. Thanks for taking such good care of us!” 1-6 April 2007, EH & SS, Sacramento, CA, USA
  • “Barbara and I returned home yesterday…and I want to say that our birding trip to Ecuador far exceeded our expectations in every way, and you can be sure that we will be very strongly recommending Mindo Bird Tours to anyone who is considering birding in South America. We were very pleased with the accommodation in all places and with the wonderful birding opportunities afforded by the locations we visited, but it was Edison's expertise (and his interpersonal skills!) which was the most outstanding feature of the trip. Whilst I haven't yet checked thoroughly through our bird list, the total number of species seen exceeds 400; we had hoped we might see 300!...Thanks again for enabling Barbara and I to have the birding trip of a lifetime (will anything beat Sword-billed Hummingbird?!), and we will be in touch soon regarding next year's trip.” 1-16 January 2007, D&BH, Bull Creek WA , Australia
  • “I’ve had a great time here at Las Gralarias. Hospitality excellent, beautiful location. Alejandro has been an absolute gem as a guide.” 9-13 January 2007, ND, British Columbia, Canada
  • “ Thank you so much for wonderful hospitality and for all your efforst to help conserve Ecuador’s biodiversity. We have enjoyed every minute of our stay at Las Gralarias and you can be assured that we will return – sooner rather than later!” 1- 17 January 2007, D&BH, Perth, W. Australia and R&JH, Essex, UK.
  • “ Jane, you are doing a superb job in both ecotourism and conservation. Thanks for your warm and professional hospitality and loads of useful information and sharing of biological facts and passion for it.” 30 Dec – 5 Jan 2007, CG, Columbus, Missouri, USA
  • “ A wonderful visit – beautiful location, hospitality and birding…” 30 Dec – 4 Jan 2007, JG, DG, DG & KG, Ontario, Canada
  • “ Great place and hospitality - Thanks!” 30 Dec – 4 Jan 2007, FL, UK.
  • “ We have really enjoyed our stay here! Especially the “ghostly night birds” near Mindo town…. 27-30 December 2006, GK, Auckland, New Zealand & TF, Maryland, USA.
  • “ We had a great time with Edison and during our stay at Las Gralarias-- Fabulous lodge – we will be back very very soon – had too much fun! …Thanks so much for the terrific hospitality.” 9-16 December 2006, FB & SB, Knoxville, TN, USA
  • “ Everyday in our trip was so enjoyable. We saw a lot, we experienced and learned a lot. Thank you once more for arranging this wonderful trip for us. We are very much impressed by your substantial effort in habitat conservation, a difficult but meaningful task in nowadays world. Alejandro is great and Vito is a very good companion. Please send our thanks to them. We really hope to visit Ecuador and some other S. American countries if we have a long vacation.” 9-23 November 2006, R&PL, Hong Kong.
  • “We truly enjoyed our stay with you and conversations about shared experiences in Austin and Venezuela…We congratulate you for the wonderful lodge you run here. We hope we can host you in our country house in Italy some day.” 1-3 Dec 2006, RH & DOL, Washington, D,C, and Spoleto, Italy.
  • “ We have truly enjoyed our trip to Ecuador and al the arrangements you made for us have exceeded our already lofty expectations! Thanks so much!” 21 Nov- 8 Dec 2006, D&SH. Eugene, OR, USA.
  • “ What a fantastic experience, great birds, great food, great organization! We really enjoyed your company Jane and hope to see you again. We will have plenty of “emotions to recollect in tranquility”. 14-30 November 2006, GT & MO, Yorkshire, UK.
  • “ We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, and someday will return. Your trails are beautiful as are the birds. Our experience in Ecuador has been very rewarding, thanks to your efforts.” 19-30 November 2006 JW&LS, Old Lyme, CT, USA.
  • “Thank you for arranging such a wonderful nature and birding trip for us. All the people are so friendly and helpful. We are especially impressed with the effort of Las Gralarias Reserve in conservation of this precious piece of natural environment." 15-20 Nov 2006, RL & PC, Hong Kong.
  • “ We have had a lovely time for the five nights we have had here. Fortunately we brought good weather with us from your home town of Austin. 225 birds are not bad and you have arranged for three more days. Your hospitality was great and we love Edison. We’ll be back.” 11- 20 Nov 2006, J&ZH, MR, Austin, TX, USA.
  • “ This place is a treasure – even soaking wet! We have had a great time with you, Alejandro, the birds and the tarantula. Keep up the good work you do in preserving this special corner of the world!” 9-11 Nov, 2006 R&MH, Omaha, NE, USA.
  • “ We wanted to thank you for our arrangements for our recent trip to Ecuador. We enjoyed staying at Las Gralarias and visiting with you. The room was the best we have had to date in Ecuador. Edison was superb and he is a world-class guide. His patience is also infinite. We have not made order of all the chaos yet and the pictures are not all sorted. But we had a wonderful time. Thank you again for all your help.” 21 Oct – 11 Nov 2006, B&JL, Washington, D.C., USA.
  • “ We had a wonderful time in Ecuador. Thank you so much for your help in putting our trip together. Alejandro was a good guide. He was attentive and knowledgeable. The best part of the birding may have been at Papallacta Pass, since he was so interested in those LBBs you can only see in the fog at 15,000 feet on a wet, cold, windy day. We really liked the lodge at Papallacta. The hot springs were great….La Selva was probably the highlight of the whole trip, though, since we had never been that far into the Amazon basin--only to Amazonia Lodge in Peru, on the way to Manu, which wasn't nearly so low or so wet. The parrot licks were terrific and Jeff really enjoyed getting to see the Pygmy Marmosets and the Umbrellabird….Juan Carlos was a good driver and a good guide at Saquisili. We really enjoyed getting to Saquisili and Day of the Dead celebrations. I had colada morada three times…So everything worked out well. We bumped into Dennis again at the airport, on our way to La Selva. All the travel arrangements worked out perfectly. We liked the Charles Darwin, especially the location and the friendly hosts. We got to wander around Quito two afternoons, which we really enjoyed. It was almost perfect. (Another few tanagers and cotingas and manakins would have made it perfect!)…. Thanks, Jane, for everything. It was great seeing you again. We'll stay in touch and be back, maybe for a trip to Loja and Tumbes.” 21 Oct -3 Nov 2006, DB, Minneapolis, MN, USA
  • “ Jane, we have enjoyed this third trip to Ecuador that you have planned for us. Edison has done a great job with lots of patience and we have some wonderful photographs to show for it. Thank you for sharing your hospitality and lovely lodge.” 21 Oct-11 Nov 2006, B&J L, Arlington, Virginia, U.S.A.
  • “ Wow! Over 1000 photos! This was the most fantastic and amazing experience we’ve ever had. Everyone here is so friendly and helpful. I don’t understand Edison’s power over birds. He says “Stand here” and lo and behold, there’s your bird. We MUST come back!” 21-26 October 2006, DL, Bay Village, Ohio, USA.
  • “ Edison is amazing! Best bird guide ever! Love Ecuador – will be back someday! Great place Jane!” 21-26 October 2006, LB, Bay Village, Ohio, USA.
  • “ Great to return to a favorite place - 4th trip to Mindo. Thanks fore the great food and wonderful hospitality.” 22-26 October 2006, JB, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
  • “ Thoroughly enjoyed my stay, one of several over the years.” 19-25 October 2006, DS, Miami, Florida, USA
  • “ It was great meeting you. Thank you for making me feel so comfortable. What a great place you have and the birds have been fantastic... Hope to see you again soon.” 8-14 October 2006, EB, Reston, VA, USA
  • Trip report on SurfBirds.
    “This excursion was an opportunistic side trip out of Quito done in a 32-hour period. Mid-September is not the ideal season for visiting the cloud forest in Mindo, but the 12th and 13th were the dates that I was able to fit in my work/airline schedule.

    I appreciated every aspect of the stay at Las Gralarias. I like the fact that it is a biological research station and a conservation project with a hospitality component, so its raison d’être is conservation and not tourism. But the housing and the food were excellent, the hummingbird feeders right on our veranda were spectacular, and the welcome we received from Jane Lyons and the bird guiding were without a fault.

    We arranged the driver and vehicle through Las Gralarias so that we were picked up at our Quito hotel in the morning and dropped off again the following afternoon. The drive itself through the Andes was amazing for me, as this was my first time in South America. Most of the road was paved and in excellent condition although full of curves, but the final part of the drive is over a one-lane gravel path that follows a ridge.

    I experienced the cloud forest first hand as the drizzle and misting commenced in the early afternoon. We saw plenty of birds although mostly not in good light because of the rain. It did not rain the next morning, (we even saw some blue sky), but around noon the clouds rolled in. My guide said that this was typical cloud forest weather.

    Highlights for me were the hummingbirds, the Crested Quetzal, the Masked Trogon, and the Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan which all came out in the open for close looks. Other birds like Spillman’s Tapaculo and Azara’s Spinetail we could hear all around us but got just one-second visual sightings because they were almost always hidden behind foliage. I was very glad that I had downloaded the Las Gralarias species list and reviewed them in my field guide in advance of the trip.

    One other amazing sight which I will never forget was hundreds of different moths of all colors and sizes which gathered in the evening on the outside walls of our lodging. A number of new moth species have been discovered at Las Gralarias.” 12-13 September 2006, MC, Mali, West Africa

    Powerful Woodpecker
    By Tim Krynak
  • “Mary and I wanted to thank you for your fine work on the trip…We really enjoyed our time staying at your lodge. All of the arrangements worked out very well, and the people you chose to work with us were first-rate. The other lodges were great (well, it's early days for Jorupe House, but the staff there did wonders with what they had). Finally, of course, it was a pleasure to meet and talk with you… We hope to see you again on another trip to Ecuador!” 27 June – 19 July 2006, B&MH, Ohio, USA
  • “ Dear Jane, We have just about recovered from the truly magnificent tour you organised and have finally gotten all the figures together. 2006 - 19 days Total of 416 species (28 heard only), Total lifers = 274; 2005 - 28 days, Total of 428 (50 heard only). Total lifers = 424 This means that in just over one year we have seen or heard 702 different species in Ecuador, 698 of them lifers! The other thing that was new this year was how VERY WELL we saw the vast majority of the birds, old and new. I think this is partly due to our having attuned ourselves better to their habits but almost entirely to the way Edison really insisted in getting the bird for both of us ALL the time. We are so very grateful!...We were very happy to meet Pancho on another of your tours with a group of 4 really interesting Americans, to whom I shall be sending my report….All in all we had a wonderful time, totally exhausting again (I even rebelled one afternoon after an 8-hour nonstop morning!) and so memorable and successful. This is due to your meticulous organisation and to Edison, whose patience with us old fuddy-duddies is unbelievable….Another thing that takes a lot of the stress out of the trip is his driving style, which is so relaxed. As you know it's always stressful for an experienced driver to be driven;;;;but not with Edison!...Anyway, seeya and a mighty thank you once again!” 27 June – 17 July, 2006, B&C J, Paris, France
  • “ Steven and/or I ended up seeing 539 species of birds, plus an additional 43 heard only, during our three weeks in Ecuador. Very nice, especially considering we did not go to Amazonia!!! We are slowly going through our pictures and writing a trip report - we will send you a copy or a link when we are done. Thanks for a great trip!” 27 June – 19 July, 2006, JD, Athens, Ohio, USA
  • “Everything was great. 241 lifers! Over 500 spp. seen, many of them very special endemics. …Manu was fantastic but not long enough. Very many thanks for the great organisation!...We can’t thank you enough for the really great trip [to Peru]! We were really happy with the trip...! We'll be back!” 21 April – 6 May 2006, S&TB, Queensland, Australia
  • “Just a thank you for a wonderful holiday. All of the arrangements worked extremely well and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Edison was a very good bird guide and found lots of new birds for us, we also enjoyed his friendly company. All of the transfers worked well and all of the accommodation was lovely. We liked everywhere so if was impossible to say which was our favourite! Thank you so much for your organisation. We hope to go back to Ecuador again so will of course be in touch.” 13 April – 3 May 2006, A&PE, UK
  • “Met all our expectations and then soared way beyond them!.. Everything was new and exciting and when we trudged home in the evening we were greeted with care and great food. Thank you. “ 1 April 2006, NZ, South Africa
  • “Tacu fôr allt! Rum, fágel – suáoning, guide, mat har varit utmãrkt!” 27 March 2006, J-EN, Årmus, Danmark
  • “Thank you and all your staff for an excellent eight days. Beatriz is an excellent chef and all the rooms were kept immaculate for us. The many trails here at Las Gralarias provided us with many excellent birds…” 13-20 March 2006, B&AS, Beenham, UK.
  • “Great birds and a great time. Thanks Benji for your excellent guiding.” 10 March 2006, WK, Corrales, NM, USA
  • “Thanks for your gracious hospitality and for taking care of this special spot in the world.” 8 March 2006, CJ, Altadena, CA, USA
  • “ You made our stay here so enjoyable – good food – good birds – good service. Two looks at the Yellow-breasted Antpitta are unbelievable. Thanks.” 7 March 2006, LG, Wilsonville, OR, USA
  • “Giant Antpitta, Yellow-breasted Antpitta, tapaculos, beautiful tanagers and hummingbirds complemented by terrific food and a gracious friendly staff. Thanks for a great time. I’m lookin forward to southern Ecuador with Mindo Bird Tours.” 7 March 2006, MB, Portland, OR, USA
  • “Birding the western slope sure has changed!! Thanks to people like you there still is a western slope!!! Great place. Great birds. Where were all these birds fifteen years ago?!” 7 March 2006, PD, North Carolina, USA
  • “I just wanted to thank you for arranging Terry's and my tour in Ecuador last month. All accommodations, meals and service were wonderful!...All the people we met were very pleasant and helpful. …Thanks again, Jane, for putting together a fun and pleasant itinerary for us. The Mindo valley is a very special place and we would love to return some day.” 16-26 February 2006, KCS, Kansas City, MO, USA
  • “Absolutely wonderful! Superb birding in spite of the rain – excellent guides, good pace, fabulous birds. You have a lovely home and I felt very comfortable. Thank you for making my first visit to Ecuador so nice.” 18 Feb 2006, BS, Wilton, CT, USA
  • “Thanks so much for your wonderful hospitality! This is a great place and I just LOVE the forest and all its great birds. You and your staff have been excellent hosts. Hope we will return some day.” 23-29 January 2006, ST, Richmond, BC, Canada
  • “ I am finally getting time to thank you and Benji for a wonderful birding week in the Mindo Valley area. We had a wonderful time…. Both lodges (food and rooms) were more than adequate….Benji was a great guide.....he knew the birds, was very personable, and fit right in with our group. I hope he had as much fun with us as we did with him! It was a GREAT week...thanks!!!” 27 January -11 February 2006, JE, Washington, USA
  • “ Thank you so much for your flawless planning, for your warm hospitality, the birthday cheer and the loan of the boots…We want to especially thank you for arranging for Edison to be our guide. It takes a special person to enter into a fairly intense 15-day relationship with an old married couple like us, and he did it with grace and good humor… It was extremely helpful to have a very able guide available, and worth its weight in gold to be taken where the birds were…And then, there were the birds. My sighting records are now complete, but I have not yet added up the total…Birds like the Andean condor, the toucan barbets, the torrent ducks and the, what, over 50 species of hummingbirds were just fantastic. But for a long-time birdwatcher like myself, special memories will be things like watching a pair of sickle-wing guans preen after a rain storm, or the Andean lapwing chicks galumphing through the paramo grasses. At Milpe Road, a handful of anis spread themselves out along the top of a roadside shrub, like black socks, trying to dry out. At Papallacta Pass, a variable hawk carried a small rabbit in its talons to court its mate. And, yes, we did see seedsnipes at 13, 673'….Birding in Ecuador was a great experience. The country has well-developed tourist services, so the living was easy. Your plans worked impeccably. Edison was a dear. Juan Carlos was exactly where he needed to be, exactly when he needed to be there. Benji was a gentle and genial guide on our last day, at Antisana….And, if there is another time, we will be in touch with you!” 5-22 January 2006, GC, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA
  • “Thanks Jane for our best stay! You have a wonderful facility here with so much thought to detail. Thanks also for all your help and answers to our questions.” 23-29 January 2006, MT, Richmond, B.C., Canada
  • “Jane you certainly have made our trip worthwhile. Thanks for the great service and great hospitality.” 23-29 Jan 2006, JT, Vancouver, BC, Canada
  • “50 lifers today – and at a very comfortable setting. Thanks!” 7-9 Nov, 2005, GM, San Francisco, CA, USA.
  • “I’ve been printing our pictures from the Ecuador/Galapagos trip and re-living all the sights, sounds, laughter and good fellowship. It was a wonderful trip. We loved Las Gralarias and it is my dream to someday come back and just stay there for a week (or longer), feet up, watching hummingbirds. Believe me, of all the places we went, yours was the best of all.” 2-6 Oct 2005, SE, Webster,WY, USA
  • “Nous nous sentons a la maison a Las Gralarias. De bons repas, des beaux sourires et un bel environment. Mais nos avons surtout vu de tres beaux oiseaux : le Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan tout juste avant de quitter et trios especies de fruiteaters..nous n’en esperians pas tant! Merci.” 27 Nov – 1 Dec, 2005, PP &GR, CM & RB, Québec, Canada.
  • “Great birding, great food, relaxing surroundings. Thank you Jane for this delightful week and many thanks to Benjamin”. 19-24 Nov, 2005, JG, Montréal, Canada.
  • “Un gros merci Jane pour le chaleureux accueil. Le confort, la bonne nourriture et un super guide ont fair le succes de ces agradables tours a las Gralarias.” 19-24 Nov, 2005, AD, Québec, Canada
  • “Thank you so much for your hospitality! Great food, great birding, great company. A delight!” 14-18 Oct, 2005, LR & RT, Austin, TX, USA
  • “Spectacular hummers, wonderful hospitality, great food and excellent conversation. Who could want more? Thanks!” 2-3 Oct, 2005, KL, Exeter, PA, USA.
  • “Having a great trip thanks to your organization and guides. Marvelous stay here; you have wonderful trails and super house and lodging. Thanks.” 10-12 Oct, 2005, H&AH, Canada
  • “We are back home and adapting to somewhat different temperatures and a leaking hot water tank. Just thought you might appreciate some feedback on our trip, which really was fantastic. Ecuador is a very special place and no doubt we will plan to return…Sacha [was] Really wonderful, and time there or at an equivalent lodge should be a recommended add-on to anyone’s trip. Given the number of potential birds, especially the various antbirds, and the fact that the weather can be a factor, an extra 1-2 days beyond the standard package is never going to be wasted. In 5 full days we saw 270 species, 146 new for trip, 114 lifers!...We certainly enjoyed [Galapagos], the slowed pace and the mixed activities, and it provided a good break. The Darwin was a good boat with friendly attentive crew, good mix of passengers, and the guide…made an effort with the birds..We were on our own for seabirds and I was pleased with Elliot’s, Wedge-rumped and a dark-rumped (likely Madeira, photo to check) storm petrels, as well as dark–rumped petrels on the Santiago Island area of the trip. … All in all a very pleasant time with about 50 species, half lifers. …Together with Sacha the [East Slope ] really was our favourite part of the trip. There was the amazing variety, contrasts and beauty of the undeveloped country, wonderful and numerous birds, and a very enthusiastic and excellent guide in Edison. We found the timing and pace good and Edison has an excellent ear and eye and certainly did his best to call out some of the more reticent birds; some of which (e.g, Ocellated tapaculo) we saw very well. Accommodations were varied in what they offered but all were good, provided excellent food and warm welcome. For those not going further downstream, an extra day at Gareno might be very worthwhile…306 species, 217 lifers. On the West slope We saw a good number of birds- We stayed in some wonderful places (e.g. Bellavista, your house and property, Septimo Paraiso, Tinalandia), had some great experiences (e.g. Cock of the Rock) and were well cared for…So, Jane, all in all just a great trip in a beautiful country and organized by a true professional. Thank you. For the record (unofficial and by hand count at present) we saw 667 species of which 480 were lifers on the mainland, with an additional 45 species not seen on the mainland on Galapagos, of which 25 and perhaps 26 (photo to see) were lifers. Actually there could be 27 depending upon speciation of the Yellow Warbler…"  30 Sept – 4 Nov, 2005, A&HH, Canada
  • “ I’ve been printing our pictures from the Ecuador/Galapagos trip and re-living all the sights, sounds, laughter and good fellowship. It was a wonderful trip. We loved Las Gralarias and it is my dream to someday come back and just stay there for a week (or longer), feet up, watching hummingbirds. Believe me, of all the places we went, yours was the best of all…Thanks for your great hospitality.” 1-17 October 2005, SE, Webster, WI, USA.
  • “ Albeit late we still wanted to thank you for the great trip we had last september. Despite that the trip is already about 2 months behind us now we still think a lot about the great time we had and the beautiful birds we saw. We rarely had a trip that went so smoothly and hassle free. Great lodges, great food, great sceneries, great guide and beautiful birds. We really loved your place and you really gave us the feeling of being at home. Our total triplist ended up at 543 species with an additional 43 heard only. A really amazing number of birds which is to our opinion only possible to achieve in Ecuador. It is very hard to tell what the highlights were because all the places were very special. As far as bird numbers is concerned Loreto Road and PVM were top. The combination of great birds with beautiful scenery made Yanacocha and the western slope cloud forests the best places.Thank's again for the unforgettable trip which will be in our memories for ever!!” 2-19 September 2005, J&WW, Netherlands, RH, Germany
  • “Just a note to say thank you for organising our recent trip, the second leg went with clockwork precision down to La Selva and back. You might want to know we eventually saw 515 different species over the 3 weeks.This breaks down to 337 on the Mindo leg, a further 160 down in La Selva where we had the excellent Jose guiding us…The balance we saw ourselves back in Quito/Pichincha…The highlight was the very last bird of the holiday…the Andean Condor. Other highlights were the Violet Bellied Hummingbird, whose alternate name is Julie's Hummingbird, she was pleased with that ! We got 3 Amazonian Umbrellabirds on Rio Napo and I was pleased at last to see Sunbittern on Rio Nambillo…, also Sungrebe at La Selva and the Limpkin at Rio Palenque. With 38 new hummingbirds and 48 new tanagers I was pleased to just top my life list out at 3002 birds on the trip..” 8-27 October, B&JK, UK
  • “ We were very pleased with the trip--organization, leadership, places visited, and birds. Have not heard any complaints!! It was GREAT…The NAPO section also was good. No complaints there, either…We are still delighting in telling about the many interesting facets of our trip. This will go on for months!! Thanks again for a job well done…Great trip, and enjoyed meeting you and spending time with you after all those emails.” 24-31 October 2005, DC, Kentucky
  • “Great birds, nice places and very well organized. The routing was good – never drove too much..Thanks”. 24-31 October 2005, group comments, private tour, USA.
  • “ [We] really enjoyed this trip …We want to come back…We are looking forward to the Amazon and a different aspect of this very pretty country…Can’t wait to come back, I wicked loved it. Thanks for all the wonderful birds!” 24-31 October 2005, DC & LT, New Hampshire and Maine, USA.
  • “ We just wanted to say how much we enjoyed the birding trip you arranged for us with Diego. He was a great guide and had boundless enthusiasm and considerable skill in locating birds - even when to us, all was quiet. Thanks so much too for your excellent hospitality at Las Gralarias - it is always good to meet the people in person - and we really enjoyed our time with you… Very many thanks again for one of the best trips we have had for ages.” 16-20 September 2005, PA&SC, New Zealand
  • " Thank you for the great time at Las Gralarias and arranging our birding trip in Ecuador so well. We really felt like at home." 6-19 September 2005, J&WW and RH, Holland and Germany.
  • “ Fabulous place, wonderful birds, great trails, fantastic food and company – Thanks for a wonderful time!” 9-15 September 2005, MBS, San Diego, CA, USA
  • "Thanks for the lovely stay... you have a beautiful property! Will definitely be back for more birding and travelling." 9-15 August 2005, DK, Washington, D.C., USA
  • " Wow, what can I say about our stay with you in Mindo? Your place was pretty special indeed and our living quarters could not have been any better. It was such fun to finally meet you after almost a year's correspondence about visiting Ecuador, the cloud forest and the Amazonia area. I had expectations but nothing really came close to what I had envisioned our trip would be like once there. Thank you so much for your hospitality and the wonderful food! I absolutely loved the hummingbirds! I haven't seen that many species in the same place, anywhere. Seeing those gyrating wonders everywhere was special! Thank you again for all you did for us. Our hikes on your property and the birds we saw were great. Your food and staff were excellent. You have a special place there, I'm sure you know. Thank you for making all the arrangements for our trip plus Juan Carlos picking us up and delivering us safely." 29 July - 6 August 2005, MC, Paris, Texas, USA
  • " Thank you again & again for making this trip to Gralarias one we´ll always remember - such a wonderful place - a true gift for everyone and you´re such a gracious host...What delicious meals! Incredible trails!...We look forward to our next visit! Thank you again!" 17-31 July 2005, C&WH, Austin, Texas, USA
  • " Thank you Jane for arranging this wonderful introduction to Ecuador birding. Staying at Las Gralarias was very special. Sorry we cannot stay longer - maybe next time!" 7 July-5 August 2005, AB-W & DW, Hawaii, USA.
  • “ Wonderful place, very good service, top!” 10-12 May 2005, RR, Curaçao, Netherland Antilles
  • “ Wonderful! Thanks!” 10-12 May 2005, HG, Edam, Netherlands
  • “ Beautiful place! Giant Antpitta!! Thanks! Rooms luxury, good service, top location, we’ll send all the Dutch!” 10-12 May 2005, AN & RdH, Almere, Netherlands
  • " We had a fine trip (read more than fine..:-) ). Everything was well organized and with Pancho and Jorge we got along really well. Only complaints were in some places that the rooms were so big that you could get lost in them... With birds this trip was a huge success. We managed to see and hear + 660 species... It was my fourth visit to Ecuador and I still managed to see about 25 lifers and extended my Ecuador list to 1060 +. We had a lot of good sightings...Gareno was a really nice place. We had fantastic views of Rufous Potoo (there was also Nocturnal Curassows howling - while we were at sleep) and the general birding was really nice for example stunning views of singing Dugand's antwren..." 21 July - 7 August, 2005, TS, Helsinki, Finland
  • "After 4 wonderful days, it's hard to tear ourselves away. Everything is more than perfect here [at Las Gralarias]." 23 June 2005, B&C Jaggers, Fontainebleau, France
  • " Heavenly food, birds and company." 21 June 2005, ND, Austin, TX USA
  • "Thanks for great birding, splendid hospitality and especially for helping to save biodiversity. La Selva was excellent. Jose is truly impressive, and I greatly enjoyed my time with him. I added about 200 species to my trip list, just as you predicted. Highlights included Thrushlike Antpitta, Salvin's Curassow (!!)(great view), Agami Heron (fantastic view; tried hard for Zigzag but no luck), Sungrebe, Chestnut-belted Gnateater, Rufous-belted Tapaculo, all the possible Aracaris, Umbrellabird, Bare-necked Fruitcrow, Wire-tailed Manakin... Many of these were on my wish list. Thank you very much for arranging a very fine birding trip for me, and for your solicitude and care about the details. I hope to return to Ecuador before too long to add another 500 species or so :) and I'll certainly recommend to people that they contact you..." 27 March - 23 June 2005, DF, Stony Brook, NY, USA
  • "I just wanted to let you know that both Steve and I really enjoyed ourselves, and got to see a part of Ecuador that will surely stay in our memories. Steve was delighted with your guest facilities at Las Gralarias, in that he could get from bedroom to breakfast table in his stocking feet - you certainly made us feel at home. The hummingbirds were spectacular, and the other specialties like antbirds, toucans, quetzals, fruiteaters, all the colorful tanagers, woodcreepers and on and on were a marvel to see. Your organization and execution of the logistics went flawlessly, even when my arrival was delayed, and the Hotel Quito was a very satisfactory place to start and finish the tour. Edison was great - he is a good driver and didn't bounce us around on the bad roads, speaks English well, and sensed our abilities so that we didn't totally exhaust ourselves. Well, maybe we did, but it was fun doing it! .I ended up with over 150 new birds among the 375 species we saw or heard, so my personal objective of getting my world list to 3000 was easily achieved in the first few days. When you asked if there was anything I really wanted to see, I listed a few hummingbirds, Torrent Duck and Sunbittern. We got the hummers, except for the Sicklebill; were spectacularly successful, after a couple of tries, with the Torrent Ducks; and missed the Sunbittern. So that leaves a reason to come back. Thanks again for all your efforts in helping us have a successful trip." 18-30 March 2005, BL, Berkeley, CA, USA
  • "Just wanted to say thanks for a great trip. Everything went smoothly getting out of Quito yesterday, and the entire trip went without a hitch. Both guides were great. Of the 3 lodges we stayed at, I enjoyed yours the most. Your company, your insights, and your food were all very enjoyable." 18-15 March 2005, SL, San Ramon, CA, USA
  • "We do indeed have fond memories of Ecuador. It is one of the best birding trips we have taken. I am still tallying and recollecting all the birds we saw and going over the pictures we took. We saw a total of over 366 species, and I think about 350 of these were new to us (final tally pending). The tour was an outstanding experience from the first day to the last. The montane hummingbirds on the Yanacocha trail and at Loma Linda, mountain-tanagers at Bellavista, the exceptional rare encounters with the Giant Antpitta and White-faced Nunbird at your Reserva Las Gralarias, the large variety of tanagers around Mindo and Los Bancos., the deep forest trails and exceptional birds of Felipe's Finca and Septimo Paraiso Lodge, the open birding in the Pedro Vicente Maldonado area, all provided huge variety of habitat and an endless series of new birds for us, too numerous to list here. All of this was thanks to the unceasing efforts of our exceptional guide Edison Buenaño, whose good nature and friendliness was very much appreciated. We particularly enjoyed walking the forest trails of Las Gralarias, especially the steep hillside across the road from your lodge and thank you for preserving this lovely area from development..The day at Cotopaxi provided contrasting habitat and beautiful views in the high open paramo. We saw the local Ecuadorian Hillstar and other new birds..The Sacha trip was another rare experience which we enjoyed very much. After the first day we two were the only serious birders, with two excellent guides all to ourselves. Oscar Tapuey was indefatigable and persistent in showing us secretive birds and Pablo Hualinga provided sharp eyes and quick telescope set-up to give us almost impossible looks at birds hidden deep in the forest. Our favorite was a long steady look at the beautiful Collared Puffbird. Our final encounter with a Crested Owl, seeing its fearsome "eyebrows" and hearing its deep grunts, was an unforgettable experience. All of this pleasant, rewarding and trouble-free trip we owe to your careful and thorough arrangements! It was so nice to be assured of every pick-up and destination and the very best locations and guides for birding. Thank you! We hope someday to make another trip to S. America under your guidance.
    We are still going through pictures and will send some to you and also to Edison and to Oscar. I have attached one of your favorites here. I am also scheduled to write an article for our Newsletter for May-- will send you a copy." 18 Feb-4 Mar 2005, N&VM, Ithaca, NY, USA
  • “We all arrived home safely and very satisfied. The exact total number of species, seen and heard, is 670!! ..We had many highlights, for example a sighting of 2 Giant Antpittas …2 Sunbitterns …a Long-tailed Potoo within 5 metres form the trail in La Selva and many more….
    So, once again many thanks for your excellent service (and your patience!) and hope to see you in the near future in Ecuador.” 11-26 Feb 2005, HG, Netherlands
  • “First of all I must say that my wife and I were very happy with the trip. The Galapagos section of the trip was excellent. Your advice about a small boat was spot on. The Aida Maria was very good…For myself I saw 19 of the possible 21 endemics, the missing two being Large Tree Finch and Galapagos Crake....[On the mainland] In seven days I saw more species (236) than on a non-guided 10 days on the west side last year (201), and just as many new to me…We were lucky to see 5 Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe at the top of the antenna road…” 7-23 Jan 2005, DB, Warrington,UK.
  • “ Wonderful trip! …just wanted to drop you a note saying how much fun I had, at the Galapagos, it was like walking around in a National Geographic special! Total: 107 species of birds, 76 of which were lifers (including 8 of the 13 species of Darwin's finches) Thanks for all of your help, I look forward to making it back down…” 1-10 Jan 2005, CD, Austin, TX USA
  • “Many thanks for all your help and assistance in Ecuador. Thoroughly enjoyed my time at Las Gralarias and elsewhere in Ecuador… my trip to Papallacta with Pancho was very enjoyable, 11 new species of bird for me yesterday, but no Condors, drat! … Totalled up my trip list, 406 species in total , 166 new ones. Yesterday’s Sword billed Hummers at the Guango Feeders, though not new for me, were superb as the views were better than Peru, managed to video them from 4 feet away!! also videoed the Rufous bellied SeedSnipes. the weather was clear and sunny all day…Many thanks again, hope to return to Ecuador within 3 years and will contact you to arrange guides, travel arrangements etc when I get a "posse" of birding friends together to come there, shouldn’t be too difficult if I show them my video of the birds and scenery!!!” 24 Nov- 20 Dec 2005, SH, Southampton, UK
  • ”Just a note to tell you what a great time I had at your beautiful lodge, and how much I enjoyed meeting you. Did enjoy all …the birds I saw, especially the hummers, the quetzal, and my totem bird the powerful woodpecker… ” 18-21 Nov 2004, JR, New Hampshire, USA
  • “ We have all become big "pr" people for Ecuador and the islands. Your ears might be burning at times because your name has become a big part of the travel information that we spiel out to everyone we come in contact with. No words seem to adequately describe how much we enjoyed our time with you and your adopted country. I can tell you that the trip has definitely instilled the need to go back and see more. The time at your lodge was definitely a highlight... I felt completely at home with you and with Edison, who is a phenomenal guide. I take it back, it was nothing like home. I never felt so pampered. I wish you continued success with your lodge. It's gorgeous. Between Mike and Rich they took about 5,000 pictures, during the trip…” 4-20 Oct 2004, M,P & RK., Missouri and Texas, USA.
  • "I wanted to thank you for the great job you did in setting up our trip to Ecuador. You were very personable and knowledgeable to deal with. It was a great trip with wonderful memories...and lots of bird species seen and photographed. Eddy (Edison) was an absolute gem and we want him to guide us again in southern Ecuador and/or Peru. Everything was well taken care of including transportation, lodging and meals. It all went off perfectly and we never had to worry about a thing. That made the trip enjoyable and along with the birds - a wonderful birding adventure. I am busy going through 28 rolls of slides and all the digital photos I took. What a job to scan the slides and fix things up for printing and presentation. I am very pleased with some of the hummingbird photos. And thanks for guaranteeing the Velvet-purple Coronet. It was a beautiful bird but I think my favorite bird(s) of the trip ended up being the 2 sylphs... Thanks again for the great job and getting to meet you (you have a wonderful place to stay and bird). I look forward to dealing with you again for future trips." 2-19 Nov 2004, A&SH, Oregon, USA.
  • “The trip was fantastic, I enjoyed it very much. The total of 261 different species was the number we wound up with. Laurie saw the Little Tinamou, and I saw the Blue Dacnis, so we saw the same total of bird species. I want very much to come back, and see more Antpittas. In particular the Giant Antpitta, that has become the goal bird in my life. I would go on any trip with Edison, he was quite brilliant. The way the trip was set up I found fascinating, three different climates in one week….I could get very used to being in a place like Ecuador, and see those birds everyday…When I get set up for another trip, I will contact you and see what you have. Thank you for providing us with a fabulous time.“ 24-30 Oct 2004, JW, Boston, Mass, USA.
  • “Many thanks indeed for your kind hospitality on our last day in Ecuador. You have a very nice place … and our couple of hours birding in the morning added quite a few birds to our tally. (about 475 sp for the 12 days)…” 30 Oct 2004, NS, UK
  • “Thanks for organizing such an excellent trip, everything went smoothly and I had a fantastic time! The birds were incredible and in a few areas we virtually cleaned up (my trip total including time I spent near San Isidro before beginning the trip with Ron and Susan was 575 species!). I especially enjoyed the morning we spent on your property near Mindo.. a wonderful area (great for fruiteaters!). I would also like to add a recommendation for the guide we had at La Selva… He is almost undoubtedly the best guide I have ever birded with (and I have been in the field with a number of very well known ornithologists). …Thanks again for making the trip so enjoyable!” 30 July- 13 August 2004, JM, Boston, MA, USA
  • “Thank you again for all your many efforts in making our trip go so smoothly… I will most certainly recommend you to any/all friends wanting to visit Ecuador.” 27 June-8 July 2004, WD Los Angeles, CA, USA
  • “Guess you are on to another tour with someone else by now, but just wanted to e-mail you and let you know again how much we enjoyed birding with you last week. . .We had a great time with you, and really enjoyed both birding and getting to know you a little. You were right on about the total number of species we saw/heard, which was 209 (figured it out on the way home)! We thought that was great considering how quiet and motionless the birds were post-breeding this time of the year. We were VERY pleased to get the Black-breasted Puffleg, and the White-tailed Shrike-Tyrant, as those have been on our "want list" for a while now, as we told you. We got 20 lifers, including two "heard-only" species (Andean Pygmy-Owl, and Brown Wood-Rail) and had 33 species of hummers and 35 species of tanagers (and of course, we weren't really trying to get large numbers of birds, just trying to get some lifers. . .) …Again, was great to work with you, and we hope to again come to Ecuador in the coming years. Next time our "want" list will be just that much shorter!...Have a great "summer" there in Ecuador. We are still lamenting the fact our time was so short there on the west slope, but grateful for the time we did have. Ecuador is a wonderful country, and SO different than here in Ohio. . .” 29-31 July 2004, J&KS, Dayton, Ohio, USA
  • “We had a fine time the six of us and enjoyed the trip immensely. It was cold and frustrating on the east side, especially being rained out on the lowland ride on Saturday, but Edison worked diligently and constantly and, thanks to his efforts, we saw quite a bit in spite of the weather challenge. The hummingbird list alone was amazing to all of us, to say nothing of how well we saw each of the species. The seedsnipe could not have been more obliging, awaiting us in the parking area (probably hoping we’d let it hitch a ride with us to a more clement ecosystem). And, yes, it was very considerate of an Andean condor to fly in as our final tick on a very satisfying list. It was good to meet you and I am pleased that you could join us on the giant antpitta search. The image of that bird, like so many others Edison coaxed out, stays with me quite vividly.” 5-18 July 2004, JK, Boston, MA, USA
  • "Jane, I have been most appreciative of your promptness of response to our questions and to the quality and volume of information that you have so willingly provided. Your level of service has been outstanding. If the rest of the organization performs as you have we are in for an incredible experience!” 5-18 July 2004, TEM, Roswell, GA, USA.
  • “Thanks again for everything. We had our annual meeting of the local Audubon Society last night, and we told lots of people about the great time we had, and showed them pictures. I am enclosing below what I just sent out to our state birders' forum email list.” 19 March-4 April 2004, D. & E. D., Kansas City, MO, USA
  • ECUADOR TRIP REPORT TO MOBIRDS.....MARCH 19 - APRIL 4, 2004

    Ellie and I returned last week from two weeks including the equinox on the equator--where it's always equinox and always summer. We were delighted to find we hadn't missed the flowering bulbs and trees of spring in mid-America; down there there's the whole year to spread out the flowers.

    The first week was with a Carleton College alumni group and an Oregon Nature Conservancy group, based on the Lindblad ship Polaris, visiting seven of the islands with 44 bird species including 29 lifers including 6 of the 13 Darwin's finches (you may recall Darwin himself did not identify his specimens as to islands, since he did not yet realize the later evolutionary importance of the isolated islands. Everybody knows about the Galapagos and what to expect, and it does not disappoint. It is true that you have to be careful not to accidentally step on sea lions or iguanas, and may have to back up to get the bird photos you want. Most people also know Lindblad sets the standard for ecotourism, and the contribute 15% to conservation on the islands which has included nearly wiping out the feral goats on Santiago Island over the past ten years (with the result that new plant species are being discovered that previously had not had the chance to grow up to be recognizable). Three percent of the land of the islands is open to residential and farm uses; 97% is protected national park, and of that only 1% is open to tourists in carefully monitored walks led by licensed naturalist/guides. Recently the islands have also been closed to nearly all immigration from mainland Ecuador, and new training and certification for guides is now limited to legal island residents, giving an impetus to the kids to pay attention to classes in ecology and conservation so they can become interpretive naturalists for visitors.

    However, I am not sending this out to talk about the Galapagos, but to suggest while you are there to spend time birding on the mainland. We looked in Birding and other magazines, searched some websites, and contacted Mindo Bird Tours (www.mindobirds.com.ec,) operated by former Texan Dr. Jane Lyons (jlyons@ecnet.ec), which offered custom tours anywhere or everywhere in Ecuador, whenever desired-we wanted about a week following the Galapagos tour. Jane immediately replied with an example of an itinerary with pickup at the international airport in Quito from our return flight from the islands, and day-trips out from a lodge in the cloud forests above the town of Mindo, listing different bird specialties for each day. She sets up tours for from two to six people, including private vehicle, lodging, all meals and entry fees to private reserves. We replied that we'd also like to get into the highlands, hopefully see condors, and she said that would be fine, and assigned us one of the great young (27) birders, Edison Buenano, to pick us up and be our personal guide for the week. Edison's life list now includes about 1200 of the 1600 species in Ecuador, and he guides anywhere from the Amazon up and over the Andes and down to the western coast and on to the Galapagos, and he knows everywhere to go and what to expect at each stop, comes equipped with CD's of the calls to use in bringing out the specialties, and is great fun to travel with. We recommend MindoBirds wholeheartedly along with Edison---Jane contracts with about 5 other guides, and Edison also leads tours for another group but his first allegiance is to Jane's folks. While we did not get to see condors on our initial excursion up into the Andean highlands paramo and east slope due to clouds shrouding Mt. Antisana (when clear, Edison said he can set up his scope and there are always condors flying around the peak)---we drove through rain and sleet on our way to the lodge where we spent the first night, including relaxing in the hot springs. Then we went down into the Andean foothills forests, cloudforest, subtropical montane forest, and into the agricultural areas for the rest of the week, with nights at the excellent Sachatamiya lodge which has its own private forest reserve and a great chef. For our last day Ellie wanted to go to the famous native market in Otavalo, and Edison was happy to oblige; we had an early morning flight (6:30) out of Quito, so Jane arranged for him to take us to an excellent hotel, and for a driver to pick us up to take us to the airport the next morning---any arrangements we wanted. Our final list for seven days came to 191 species (plus 39 that Edison identified by sight or voice but we didn't get a good enough look at to count), of which 182 were lifers for one or both of us. In the past five year, a number of sites have built hummingbird gardens with feeders, so instead of just occasional sightings at flowering trees, we had 37 hummers at 5 sites including our lodge. There were also 35 tanagers and allies. Although we had previously been in Costa Rica (from Monteverde to both coasts), and in Peru (Lima, Cuzco, valley down to Machu Picchu, and Tahuayou river Amazon tributary near Iquitos), there was very little overlap in species from those sites. There were a few homies---turkey vultures and now house wrens are residents, and while the Swainson's thrushes and most species that come up here for a few months to raise babies had left the previous week, we did still have Blackburnians around. To me the highlight was the result of getting up at 3:45 for a flashlight climb up a steep switch-back trail over treeroots and rocks to what is described as one of the most accessible leks for the spectacular Cock-of-the-Rocks. About 8 males began calling in the dark before 6 am, and became visible from the primitive shelter as light began to filter through the trees. For the next hour they called, postured, knocked each other off perches, as they do every morning it's not raining so hard that no one climbs up to check. The girls show up in June or July, but the guys have dawn scrimmages year-round to keep in shape.

    So if you are going to the Galapagos, be sure to add on a week or two on the mainland, and contact Mindo Bird Tours with your desires. If your Galapagos excursion offers an extension to Cuzco and Machu Picchu, take that and then add on an Ecuador trip that Jane Lyons will be happy to arrange. The birds you see there won't be redundant of those in Peru. You'll probably want to get a copy of at least Volume II of The Birds of Ecuador by Robert Ridgely and Paul Greenfield (he was at Sachatamia lodge our first night there), although your guide will also have a copy, and you may want to take it to Kinko's to have the color plates removed and spiral-bound for ease in the field. Incidentally, I don't know how it is other seasons, but we saw few mosquitoes and slept with our screenless windows open in the lodge to the sounds of the frogs. If you have a chance to bird with Edison Buenano (there's one of those little squiggly Spanish things over the second "n" but I don't know how to get the computer to do that-it's Espanol for "GoodYear") you won't be disappointed. This trip puts me in sight of hitting 1000, and already makes 2004's list bigger than any other single year's, including the 158 I had after my first year of birding with Burroughs Audubon in 1949.
    --Dick Dawson
    5804 Charlotte
    Kansas City, MO 64110-3019
    816-361-9141
    dick_yodar_dawson@hotmail.com