2018 Ecuador : Mindo Cloud Forest

Mindo Cloud Forest

Our second excursion from Quito was to Mindo Cloud Forest. This was a completely spontaneous decision. We had almost 4 days in Quito and we decided that we would go see the more natural environment around the city.

(Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)

We hired a driver and guide for the day. The first place that we stopped at was Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve, a collapsed volcano crater that is home to a diverse group of endemic flora and fauna. It is also the first national park in Ecuador and South America. However, we did not have a lot of time to spare and just made a stop at the rim to have a view of the crater and valley below.

Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve

But even during the brief time that we were there, a beautiful Scarlet-bellied Mountain-tanager stopped on a tree branch nearby to give us an excellent look in the bright morning sunlight. It is one of the most wide-ranging and abundant mountain-tanagers in South America, but a new one for me.

Scarlet-bellied Mountain-tanager

We proceeded to El Pahuma Orchid Reserve, a private orchid and nature reserve. This being an orchid reserve, there was a dazzling collection of orchids. I could spend a whole day admiring and photographing them, but, alas, I had to move along. I hastily grabbed a few shots of a few blooming orchids.

Orchid

We hiked toward a waterfall. At a stream crossing, I spotted a Masked Trogon resting on a tree branch. This would be the only trogon that I would see on this entire trip (and it was a new bird for me).

Masked Trogon

We would eventually hike the muddy and slippery Pacay Trail to reach a Waterfall (so is this the Pacay Waterfall?). With no lack of water in the cloud forest, this singing waterfall was reward enough for this short but demanding hike.

Waterfall

Hiking back, I spotted a Lesser Violetear, a hummingbird that I had seen in Costa Rica, in the orchid garden. I would see many more hummingbirds on this day.

Lesser Violetear

After lunch, it started to rain in the cloud forest. We stopped at a private bird sanctuary next. Here, many fruit-loving birds came to feed, and I frantically fired off my camera and in probably less than an hour (I lost track of time) I counted 16 new birds! It was a breathtaking experience. I will simply post these pictures alphabetically below. With the exception of a few (Blue-gray Tanager, Palm Tanager, Collared Aracari) that I had seen in Costa Rica before, and the Scrub Blackbird which I had seen in Guayaquil, most of these were new to me.

Black-capped Tanager (female)

Black-capped Tanager (male)

Black-capped Tanager (female) with Blue-gray Tanager in the background

Black-chinned Mountain-tanager

Black-winged Saltator

Blue-capped Tanager

Blue-gray Tanager

Blue-winged Mountain-tanager

Chestnut-tipped Toucanet

Collared Aracari

Dusky Chlorospingus

Flame-faced Tanager

Golden Tanager

Golden-naped Tanager

Lemon-rumped Tanager (male)

Lemon-rumped Tanager (female)

Orange-bellied Euphonia (male)

Orange-bellied Euphonia (female)

Orange-bellied Euphonia (male)

Palm Tanager

Red-headed Barbet (female)

Red-headed Barbet (male)

Scrub Blackbird

Strong-billed Woodcreeper

Toucan Barbet

White-lined Tanager

Golden and Flame-faced Tanagers

Next, we stopped at a private hummingbird sanctuary. Again, I had another breathtaking experience: the high-octane hummingbirds were flying rapidly about, and I clicked the camera shutter at almost equally rapid speed. I counted 10 new birds, including 9 hummingbirds and a Bluish Flowerpiercer, my only flowerpiercer of the trip, in less than an hour.

We would then head back to Quito after this. In all, I got 31 new birds for the day, my biggest birding day so far. As this was our second-to-last day in Ecuador, I would not get another new bird. My total number for the trip (without really taking any dedicated birding trip) is over 90 (including the Galapagos).