Ecuador Trip Report - Espen Quinto-Ashman

Ecuador 16th July- 9th September 2015

After a long (18hr) flight via Bogota (where I’d already added 5 new species from out the window!- Brown-bellied Swallow, Tropical Kingbird, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Great Thrush and Andean Lapwing), I finally touched down in Quito airport, tired, but itching to go birding! I was picked up from the airport by one of Bellavista Lodge’s (where I’d be volunteering for the next 2 months) drivers, on the 2 hour drive to the lodge we made our way through Quito’s hot, polluted and busy streets and into the Cloud Forest, I managed another 3 new species: Black Vulture, Eared Dove and American Kestrel.

When we finally made it to the lodge I grabbed a bite to eat and Nelson Apolo, one of the guides there took me birding round one of the trails, new species came thick and fast.. 43 of them in fact! That evening I got two mammal ticks: Olinguito and Tayra. The next day I got lots more lifers, the best of which being a Common Potoo sat on one of the buildings at night!

A couple of days later I joined some visiting birders down to the Angel Paz reserve which has different species to Bellavista due to the lower altitude, highlights here included Band-winged Nightjar, Paraque, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Yellow-bellied Antpitta, Giant Antpitta, Ochre-breasted Antpitta, Rufous-breasted Antthrush, Dark-backed Woodquail, Golden-headed Quetzal, Swallow-tailed Kite and Olive-capped Yellowthroat.

The next day I did the same thing and headed down to Milpe where highlights included: Broad-billed Motmot, Orange-billed Sparrow, River Bank Warbler, Gira Tanager, Choco Toucan, Swallow Tanager, Golden-winged Manakin, Choco Warbler, Choco Tyrannulet, Guayaquil Woodpecker, Collared Aracari and Spotted Nightingale Thrush.

The next two weeks were spent birding Bellavista with highlights including Plushcap, Tanager Finch, Black-and-chestnut Eagle, Yellow-vented Woodpecker, White-throated Hawk, White-rumped Hawk and Rufous Tanager, I also finally saw Spillman’s Tapaculo and Chestnut-crowned Antpitta after hearing many! 

It was finally time for my trip to Gareno Lodge in the Amazon with Nelson, we headed down to Quito with Bellavista transport and from there hopped on a bus to Puyo (a short 9hr journey away.. I found buses in Ecuador tend to be a very cheap and fairly easy way to travel, unlike those back home, In fact it costs roughly the same for the 9 hour journey to Puyo as it would to get a bus from Hereford to my patch at Wellington GPs which takes 20 minutes….), we passed Sugar Cane, Yucca and Balsa Wood plantations on the journey and 9hrs later at 1am we stepped into the humid Amazonian night, found a hotel and quickly fell asleep, the next morning we were up early and headed to a café for breakfast, which involved sampling some of the local cuisine, including ‘chontacuro’- a type of palm-eating grub… not something I’m in a hurry to try again it has to be said! We got a taxi to a nearby reserve called Cascada Hola Vida where highlights included: Paradise Tanager, Yellow-headed Vulture, Thrush-like Wren, Magpie Tanager, Green Kingfisher and a group of Brown-mantled Tamarin monkeys!

That afternoon we got a bus to Tena where we spent another night. Very early the next morning a pickup truck with one of Gareno’s guides in picked us up from the hotel and we headed to Laguna Pikawe, our first stop on the way to Gareno, as we waited for it to get light the incredible bubbling calls of Russet-backed Oropendolas began emanating from the trees, when it was light enough we piled into a canoe and headed out onto the lake, new birds started appearing.. American Purple Gallinule, Chestnut-eared Aracari, Lettered Aracari, Striated Heron, Crested Oropendola, Orange-backed Troupial, White-bearded Hermit, Speckled Chachalaca, Grey-necked Wood Rail, Amazon Kingfisher, Slender-billed Kite, Gilded Barbet, Black-fronted Nunbird, Dark-billed Cuckoo and the prehistoric Hoatzin, whose young have spurs on their wings like little feathery dinosaurs! we also saw 2 new monkey species: Black-mantled Tamarin and Spider Monkey!!

Further along the road to Gareno and deeper into the Amazon we did some more birding, finding species including: Opal-rumped Tanager and Opal-crowned Tanager, Ornate Hawk Eagle, Black Hawk Eagle, Southern Lapwing, Black Caracara and White-winged Swallow. It was depressing how degraded the rainforest looked along all of the roads we’d been along so far, with most converted to agricultural land with just a few sad looking trees left standing and it was only now as we got closer to Gareno lodge did it feel like we were entering proper rainforest.

Finally we reached the lodge with just a few hours of daylight left, we were taken to the day roosts of two of my target species: Rufous Potoo and Crested Owl… what a fantastic start! In the fading light I managed a couple of new species including Yellow-browed Antbird and Spot-winged Antshrike around the huge army ant swarm, which I’ll warn aren’t fun when they start crawling up your legs and getting bitey… they’re no wood ants, these things have serious jaws! As it got dark the rainforest came alive, and the sound was just mind-blowing, an experience I’ll never forget! 

After dinner we went for a night walk to see what we could find, insects everywhere including a monstrous cricket with a body at least 3 inches long!, massive whip-scorpions and tarantulas, frogs, and a snake coiled up in a tree, we heard Tawny-bellied Screech Owl but they evaded our best efforts at finding them with their ventriloquist abilities. The next day we were up at the crack of dawn and the lifers again came thick and fast! The first of these being 2 Cream-coloured Woodpeckers leaving their roost in a bromeliad, another stint at the antswarm revealed a Peruvian Warbling Antbird, a Scale-backed Antbird and the amazing White-plumed Antbird! Highlights from the rest of the day included Boat-billed Flycatcher, Golden-headed Manakin, Olive Oropendola, White-fronted Nunbird, Green-backed Trogon, Speckled Spinetail, Fasciated Antshrike, King Vulture, White-browed Purpetuft, Spangled Cotinga, Screaming Piha, Blue-backed Manakin and Blue-crowned Manakin. Another night walk produced a probable Pit Viper sp, and the Tawny-bellied Screech Owls again evaded us.

The next morning proved why it’s called a rainforest, torrential rain all morning. Despite this we spent the whole morning birding, getting soaked to the skin but I added two new species, through fogged up bins. Late morning the pickup truck took us back to Tena, via the port town on the Rio Napo to see the group of White-faced Capuchin Monkeys who resided there. From Tena we got a bus back to Quito where I left Nelson who headed on elsewhere and I spent the night in a hostel there before heading back to Bellavista in the morning.

The next couple of weeks at Bellavista were a little quieter and I spent them targeting missing species, I added some good species though including: Tyrannine Woodcreeper, White-faced Nunbird and Barred Becard.

On the 16^th I headed up to Antisana reserve high in the Andes above the treeline, although it was a little touch-and-go as to whether we could get there due to the recent eruption of Cotopaxi Volcano which had covered the southern half of Quito in ash (although as usual the media blew it out of all proportion, if you’ll pardon the pun, and it wasn’t half as bad as made out, just a thin film of ash on all the cars was the only indication it happened…). But all was fine and I was soon birding in the high Paramo, highlights included: Andean Coot, Silvery Grebe, Andean Teal, Andean Ruddy Duck, Yellow-billed Pintail, Andean Condor, Black-chested Buzzard-eagle, Carunculated Caracara, Paramo Pipit, Giant Hummingbird, Ecuadoran Hillstar, Shining Sunbeam, Black-tailed Trainbearer, Andean Lapwing, Black-faced Ibis and Paramo Ground Tyrant. There was also a White-tailed Deer.

Back at Bellavista I managed to add few new species including Swallow-tailed Nightjar, Undulated Antpitta and best of all the Ocellated Tapaculo which I’d come so close to seeing so many times finally gave itself up, albeit briefly! A fantastic trio of birds! An Andean Slender Mouse Opossum also visited the bananas at Bellavista for two 
consecutive nights, which I was pleased with as it’s a hard species to catch up with!

A day hike down to Tandayapa yielded a few new species of which the highlight was a pair of stunning White-capped Dippers displaying on the stream which runs through the village, I could’ve watched them until dusk but I had a Lyre-tailed Nightjar to dip!

It was now nearing the end of my trip but I still had two more trips lined up to see a few more new species before I headed home, the first of these being another trip down to Angel Paz as I’d heard news of a family of the newly discovered Cloud-forest Pygmy Owl frequenting the area around the Cock-of-the-rock Lek. So I arranged transport down there, but soon learned that they’d not been seen all day today for the first time since they’ve been there, so things weren’t looking too optimistic, but the next day we headed down there anyway and as I’d expected there was no sign of any owls, there were however a pair of very cool Scaled Fruiteaters as some consolation, however, just as we were thinking of moving on one of the other birders who had been there for the lek shouted that the Cloud-forest Pygmy Owl was there, and there they were, bird of the trip for sure!

Cloud-forest Pygmy Owl

The next night back at Bellavista I went owling with Nelson and one of the other volunteers Saul, this proved fruitful with an Andean Pygmy Owl found, the closest cousin of CFPO, another great species!

My last trip away from Bellavista was to Silanche in the western lowlands, I got there for first light after spending the night in Pedro Vincente Maldonado, highlights here included Red-capped Manakin, White-bearded Manakin- mechanical clicking sounds and all, Scarlet-bellied Dacnis, White-whiskered Puffbird, Chestnut-mandibled Toucan, Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift, Red-masked Parakeet, Pacific Hornero, Gartered Trogon, White-tailed Trogon, Blue-whiskered Tanager, Little Cuckoo, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Brown-capped Tyrannulet and Tooth-billed Hummingbird. Back in Pedro Vincente Maldonado I noted my first House Sparrows of the trip- mega! And a single Snowy Egret on a stream.

My last week at Bellavista yielded just one new bird species- Marble-faced Bristle Tyrant.

On the 8^th of September I headed in to Quito for the final time and once I’d checked in to my hotel in Tababela I got a taxi to Quito Airport Pond, a little known site but well worth a visit for any birder with a few hours to kill in Quito! I saw some great species there and the birding was in total contrast to the rest of my trip! There were 2 Andean Gull, c25 Wilson’s Phalarope, at least 1 Greater Yellowlegs, several Lesser Yellowlegs, good numbers of Pectoral, Baird’s and Least Sandpipers, a Stilt Sandpiper (only the second highland record for Ecuador), several Pied-billed Grebe, a Blue-winged Teal amongst a group of Yellow-billed Pintail, and two Peregrine came through, flushing all the waders, it was like being back home already.

The next day I was on a plane home after a fantastic bird-filled 2 months where I’d racked up 415 species, a list of which I’ve included below, after each species I’ve added a note of where they were seen (that I can remember!)

Quito City: Q

Silanche: S

Cascada Hola Vida: C

Gareno: G

Bellavista: B

Tandayapa: T

Tony’s House: TH

Johnie’s House: J

Angel Paz: AP

Laguna Pikawe: L

Milpe: M

Antisana: A

Bogota Airport: BA

Puyo->Gareno journey: PG

Pedro Vincento Maldonado: PVM

Alambi: AB

Bellavista->Mindo road: BM

Birds

Speckled Chachalaca	L
Sickle-winged Guan	B, T
Dark-backed Wood Quail	AP, B
Andean Teal	A
Yellow-billed Pintail	A, QAP
Andean Duck	A
Pied-billed Grebe	QAP
Silvery Grebe	A
Black-faced Ibis	A
Striated Heron	L
Great Egret	BA, PG
Snowy Egret	PVM
Cattle Egret	Widespread open lowlands
Turkey Vulture	Widespread
Black Vulture	Widespread
Greater Yellow-headed Vulture	C, G
King Vulture	G
Andean Condor	A
Hook-billed Kite	B
Swallow-tailed Kite	AP, L
Black Hawk Eagle	PG
Ornate Hawk Eagle	PG
Black-and-chestnut Eagle	B
Double-toothed Kite	PG
Plain-breasted Hawk	B
Plumbeous Kite	C, PG
Slender-billed Kite	L
Roadside Hawk	Widespread open areas
White-rumped Hawk	B, TH, BM
Black-chested Buzzard Eagle	A, QAP
White-throated Hawk	TH
Short-tailed Hawk	B, S
Black Caracara	PG
Carunculated Caracara	A
American Kestrel	Widespread open areas
Bat Falcon	B
Peregrine Falcon	QAP
Grey-necked Wood Rail	L
Purple Gallinule	L
Andean Coot	A
Southern Lapwing	PG
Andean Lapwing	A
Greater Yellowlegs	QAP
Lesser Yellowlegs	QAP
Spotted Sandpiper	QAP, A, PG
Least Sandpiper	QAP
Baird's Sandpiper	QAP
Pectoral Sandpiper	QAP
Stilt Sandpiper	QAP
Wilson's Phalarope	QAP
Andean Gull	QAP
Rock Dove	Urban areas
Band-tailed Pigeon	B, T, TH
Plumbeous Pigeon	B
Ruddy Pigeon	M, G
Dusky Pigeon	S
Eared Dove	Urban areas, Open areas
Black-winged Ground Dove	A
Pallid Dove	M
White-throated Quail Dove	B
Red-masked Parakeet	S
White-eyed Parakeet	L
Maroon-tailed Parakeet	B, M
Barred Parakeet	B
Blue-headed Parrot	G
Red-billed Parrot	B, T, TH, J, M
Scaly-headed Parrot	B, M
Southern Mealy Amazon	G, PG
Hoatzin	L
Greater Ani	L
Smooth-billed Ani	Widespread open lowlands
Little Cuckoo	S
Squirrel Cuckoo	B,T, S, M
Dark-billed Cuckoo	L
Crested Owl	G
Andean Pygmy Owl	B
Cloud-forest Pygmy Owl	AP
Common Potoo	B, TH
Rufous Potoo	G
Rufous-bellied Nighthawk	B
Paraque	AP
Band-winged Nightjar	B, AP
Swallow-tailed Nightjar	B
Chestnut-collared Swift	B
White-collared Swift	Widespread
Short-tailed Swift	G, PG
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift	S
Rufous-breasted Hermit	Amazon
White-whiskered Hermit	S
White-bearded Hermit	Amazon
Tawny-bellied Hermit	B, AB
Straight-billed Hermit	G
Tooth-billed Hummingbird	S
White-necked Jacobin	B, TH, T, AP, J, AB
Brown Violetear	B, TH, T, AB, J
Green Violetear	B, TH, T, AB, J, AP
Sparkling Violetear	B, TH, T, AB, J, AP, Q
Western Emerald	TH, AP
Fork-tailed Woodnymph	G
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird	AB, AP
Andean Emerald	B, T, TH, J, AB, AP
Glittering-throated Emerald	C
Blue-chested Hummingbird	S
Speckled Hummingbird	B, TH, T, AB, J, AP
Fawn-breasted Brilliant	B, TH, T, J
Green-crowned Brilliant	AB
Empress Brilliant	J, TH
Buff-tailed Coronet	B, TH, T, J, AB, AP
Velvet-purple Coronet	J, TH, AB
Shining Sunbeam	A
Ecuadorean Hillstar	A
Mountain Velvetbreast	B, TH
Brown Inca	AP, TH
Collared Inca	B, J, TH, T, AB, AP
Giant Hummingbird	A, Q
Gorgeted Sunangel	B, J, TH, T
Purple-bibbed Whitetip	B, TH, AP
Booted Racket-tail	B, TH, J, T, AB, AP
Black-tailed Trainbearer	A, Q
Green-tailed Trainbearer	B, TH
Tyrian Metaltail	A
Violet-tailed Sylph	B, J, TH, AB
Wedge-billed Hummingbird	AP
Purple-crowned Fairy	S
Long-billed Starthroat	C
Purple-throated Woodstar	B, J, TH, T, AB, AP
Golden-headed Quetzal	AP
Crested Quetzal	B
White-tailed Trogon	S
Green-backed Trogon	G
Gartered Trogon	S
Masked Trogon	B
Green Kingfisher	C
Amazon Kingfisher	L
Ringed Kingfisher	C
Rufous Motmot	S
Broad-billed Motmot	M
White-eared Jacamar	L
Rufous-tailed Jacamar	S
White-whiskered Puffbird	S
White-faced Nunbird	B
Black-fronted Nunbird	L
White-fronted Nunbird	G
Orange-fronted Barbet	S
Gilded Barbet	L
Red-headed Barbet	TH, T, AB, AP
Toucan Barbet	B, T, TH, AP
Crimson-rumped Toucanet	B, T, AP, M
Lettered Aracari	L
Chestnut-eared Aracari	L
Collared Aracari	M
Plate-billed Mountain Toucan	B, AP, J
Choco Toucan	M
Yellow-throated Toucan	S
Yellow-tufted Woodpecker	L, C
Black-cheeked Woodpecker	S
Smoky-brown Woodpecker	M
Yellow-vented Woodpecker	B
Golden-olive Woodpecker	T, S
Crimson-mantled Woodpecker	B
Spot-breasted Woodpecker	L
Cream-coloured Woodpecker	G
Lineated Woodpecker	S
Powerful Woodpecker	B
Guayaquil Woodpecker	M, S
Chestnut-winged Cinclodes	A
Stout-billed Cinclodes	A
Pacific Hornero	S
Streak-backed Canastero	A
Rufous Spinetail	B, M
Azara's Spinetail	B, T, TH, J, AP, AB
Dark-breasted Spinetail	C
Red-faced Spinetail	M, B
Speckled Spinetail	G
Rusty-winged Barbtail	B
Spotted Barbtail	B
Pearled Treerunner	B, J
Streaked Tuftedcheek	B
Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner	M
Lineated Foliage-gleaner	B
Rufous-rumped Foliage-gleaner	C
Buff-fronted Foliage-gleaner	M
Striped Treehunter	B, J, TH
Plain Xenops	G
Streaked Xenops	C
Tyrannine Woodcreeper	B
Plain-brown Woodcreeper	C
Olivaceous Woodcreeper	C
Wedge-billed Woodcreeper	M, C, G, S
Strong-billed Woodcreeper	B, T
Buff-throated Woodcreeper	G
Spotted Woodcreeper	M, S
Streak-headed Woodcreeper	S
Montane Woodcreeper	B, T, TH, J, AP, AB
Fasciated Antshrike	G
Great Antshrike	L
Uniform Antshrike	T
Mouse-coloured Antshrike	G
Black-crowned Antshrike	S
Cinereous Antshrike	G
Spot-winged Antshrike	G
Streak-headed Antbird	B, J
Grey Antbird	C
Peruvian Warbling Antbird	G
Yellow-browed Antbird	G
Blue-lored Antbird	M
White-plumed Antbird	G
Bicoloured Antbird	G
Common Scale-backed Antbird	G
Rufous-breasted Antthrush	AP
Undulated Antpitta	B
Giant Antpitta	AP
Chestnut-crowned Antpitta	B
Yellow-bellied Antpitta	AP
Ochre-breasted Antpitta	AP
Ocellated Tapaculo	B
Spillman's Tapaculo	B
Blackish Tapaculo	B
Sooty-headed Tyrannulet	S
Black-capped Tyrannulet	B
Forest Elaenia	G
Grey Elaenia	G
White-cresed Elaenia	B
Sierran Elaenia	B
Brown-capped Tyrannulet	S
Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet	S
White-tailed Tyrannulet	B
Rufous-winged Tyrannulet	AP
White-banded Tyrannulet	B
Torrent Tyrannulet	AB
Yellow Tyrannulet	BM
Rufous-headed Pygmy Tyrant	B
Choco Tyrannulet	M, S
Marble-faced Bristle Tyrant	J
Streak-necked Flycatcher	B, T, TH, M
Olive-striped Flycatcher	BM
Ochre-bellied Flycatcher	G
Slaty-capped Flycatcher	M
Flavescent Flycatcher	B, T
Ornate Flycatcher	M
Scale-crested Pygmy Tyrant	T
Double-banded Pygmy Tyrant	G
Common Tody Flycatcher	S
White-throated Spadebill	M
Cinnamon Flycatcher	B, TH, J
Black Phoebe	T, AP
Smoke-coloured Peewee	B, J
Paramo Ground Tyrant	A
Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant	A
Masked Water Tyrant	S
Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant	B
Slaty-backed Chat-Tyrant	B
Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant	A
Piratic Flycatcher	S, C, G
Rusty-margined Flycatcher	S
Social Flycatcher	S, C, G
Grey-capped Flycatcher	C
Golden-crowned Flycatcher	B
Streaked Flycatcher	S
Boat-billed Flycatcher	G, BM
Sulphury Flycatcher	PG
Crowned-Slaty Flycatcher	PG
Snowy-throated Kingbird	S
Tropical Kingbird	Open areas throughout
Dusky-capped Flycatcher	G
Red-crested Cotinga	B
Green-and-black Fruiteater	B, TH, J, T, AP
Scaled Fruiteater	AP
Andean Cock-of-the-Rock	AP, TH, T
Spangled Cotinga	G
Screaming Piha	G
Golden-winged Manakin	M
Blue-crowned Manakin	G
White-bearded Manakin	S
Blue-backed Manakin	G
Red-capped Manakin	s
Golden-headed Manakin	G
Sulphur-rumped Myobius	G
Black-crowned Tityra	L
Black-tailed Tityra	G
Masked Tityra	M
White-browed Purpletuft	G
Barred Becard	B
Chestnut-crowned Becard	C
White-winged Becard	T
Pink-throated Becard	G
Brown-capped Vireo	B
Red-eyed Vireo	M,B
Turquoise Jay	B, TH, T, AP, J, AB
Violacious Jay	L, PG, G
White-winged Swallow	PG
Grey-breasted Martin	PG
Blue-and-White Swallow	Common Throughout
Brown-bellied Swallow	A
White-banded Swallow	C
White-thighed Swallow	G
Southern Rough-winged Swallow	C
Thrush-like Wren	C
Sepia-brown Wren	B
Plain-tailed Wren	B, TH, J, T, AB
House Wren	M, C, J
Mountain Wren	B
White-breasted Wood-Wren	G
Grey-breasted Wood-Wren	B, J, T, TH, M
Tropical Gnatcatcher	G
Slate-throated Gnatcatcher	S
Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush	BM
Spotted Nightingale-Thrush	M
Great Thrush	Common in Highlands
Glossy-black Thrush	B
Pale-vented Thrush	M
Ecuadorian Thrush	T, AB, AP
Black-billed Thrush	C, G
White-capped Dipper	T, AB
House Sparrow	PVM
Paramo Pipit	A
Hooded Siskin	A
Thick-billed Euponia	AB
Golden-rumped Euphonia	AP
Wite-lored Euphonia	G
White-vented Euphonia	L
Orange-bellied Euphonia	Common in forested areas
Rufous-bellied Euphonia	G
Olive-crowned Yellowthroat	AP
Tropical Parula	M
Black-crested Warbler	B
Riverbank warbler	M
Choco Warbler	M
Russet-crowned Warbler	B, TH, J, T, AB, M
Three-striped Warbler	B, M, T
Slate-throated Whitestart	B, TH, J, T, AB, M
Spectacled Whitestart	B
Crested Oropendola	L
Russet-backed Oropendola	Lowlands
Olive Oropendola	G
Yellow-rumped Cacique	Lowlands
Orange-backed Troupial	L
Giant Cowbird	S, PVM
Shiny Cowbird	C
Bananaquit	AB
Rufous-collared Sparrow	Common in Highlands
Yellow-browed Sparrow	PG
Orange-billed Sparrow	M
Chestnut-capped Brushfinch	B
Tricoloured Brushfinch	AP
Yellow-breasted Finch	BM
White-winged Brushfinch	B, J
Dusky Bush Tanager	B, T, TH, J, AP, AB, M
Yellow-throated Bush Tanager	C, M
Magpie Tanager	C
Black-capped Hemispingus	B
Western Hemispingus	B
Rufous-chested Tanager	B
Flame-crested Tanager	G
Tawny-crested Tanager	S
White-lined Tanager	T, AB
Masked Crimson Tanager	L
Silver-beaked Tanager	C, PG, G
Lemon-rumped Tanager	AP, M, BM, S
Blue-grey Tanager	C, G, AP, M, S
Palm Tanager	C, G, AP, M, S
Blue-capped Tanager	B
Blue-and-Yellow Tanager	Q
Hooded Mountain Tanager	B
Blue-winged Mountain Tanager	B, TH, J, T, AP
Grass-green Tanager	B
Orange-eared Tanager	C
Turquoise Tanager	C, PG, G
Paradise Tanager	C, PG, G
Blue-whiskered Tanager	S
Golden Tanager	M, AP, AB, T, TH, J, B
Silver-throated Tanager	AB
Flame-faced Tanager	AP, B, T, TH
Yellow-bellied Tanager	G
Bay-headed Tanager	M, S, G, C
Rufous-winged Tanager	S
Golden-naped Tanager	;
Metallic-green Tanager	B
Blue-necked Tanager	M
Masked Tanager	G
Beryl-spangled Tanager	B, T, TH, AP, M
Blue-and-Black Tanager	B
Opal-rumped Tanager	PG, G
Opal-crowned Tanager	PG, G
Swallow Tanager	M, C
Black-faced Dacnis	PG
Yellow-tufted Dacnis	S
Yellow-bellied Dacnis	PG, G
Blue Dacnis	PG, G
Scarlet-breasted Dacnis	S
Purple Honeycreeper	C, PG, G
Green Honeycreeper	C, G, S
Scarlet-browed Tanager	S
Guira Tanager	M
Yellow-backed Tanager	G
Capped Conebill	B, T, TH, J
Black Flowerpiercer	A, Q
White-sided Flowerpiercer	B, J
Masked Flowerpiercer	B, T, TH, J, AB, AP
Tanager Finch	B
Plumbeous Sierra Finch	A
Ash-breasted Sierra Finch	A
Blue-black Grassquit	M
Variable Seedeater	S, PVM
Yellow-bellied Seedeater	B, AP
Chestnut-bellied Seedeater	C
Thick-billed Seedfinch	BM
Chestnut-bellied Seed Finch	C
Band-tailed Seedeater	Q
Plushcap	B
Ochre-breasted Tanager	M
Golden Grosbeak	M, B
Slate-coloured Grosbeak	S
Buff-throated Saltator	T, AB
Black-winged Saltator	T, AB
Mammals
White-tailed Deer	A
Tayra	B
Olinguito	B
Kinkajou	B
White-eared Opossum	B, S
Adean Slender Mouse-Opossum	B
Western Red-tailed Squirrel	B, AP
Western Dwarf Squirrel	BM
Agouti	BM
White-faced Capuchin	Puerto Napo
Spider Monkey	L
Black-mantled Tamarin	L
Brown-mantled Tamarin	C
Dwarf Mouse	B
Arnoura Fistulata	B
Thomasomys sp	B
Oryzomys sp	B
Shrew sp	B

Ringers Report - October 2015

A monthly roundup of ringing highlights from young birders, whether it be birds ringed, rings read or controlled in the field or ringing recoveries reported from elsewhere. Bird movements are amazing!

Tim Jones, 24 - Spurn Bird Obs, East Yorkshire
Magical Spurn in mid-October, we struck gold on the 12th October during a morning's ringing at Kew. It started well with a steady flow of Goldcrests then a Radde's Warbler dropped into one of the nets, just a few hours later a Red-flanked Bluetail appeared on the fence in front of me! It gave other birders the run around before it was chased into the Heligoland trap by a Robin, a stunning 1w(3) female, (pointed tail shape and lack of blue in lesser coverts and duller blue-tail) a morning not to be forgotten and we finished on a 2-day total of 485 Goldcrests!

Espen Quinto-Ashman, 18 - North Ronaldsay Bird Obs, Scotland
The month got off to a great start with a surprise ringing tick of a juvenile Storm Petrel. Throughout the month, numbers were provided by falls of Redwing (early on mostly consisting of the paler Scandi/Russian race Iliacus and later in the month the darker Icelandic race Corburni), Blackbird and Goldcrest. Some of the more interesting species ringed included 2 Ring Ouzel, a Siberian Chiffchaff, Bramblings, a Yellow-browed Warbler and even a juvenile Gannet!

Daniel Wade, 2 - Getteröns Fågelstation, Sweden

I have been at Getteröns fågelstation in Varberg, Sweden for the duration of October as the resident ringer for the observatory.I ringed for 28 days out of 31 (the 3 days off due to bad weather) and captured 2405 birds of which I ringed 1600, which is officially my most productive month as a bird ringer to date. A fantastic site, with nets in reed bed and more traditional berry filled cover. 948 Robins, 356 Blackcap and 238 Chiffchaff have been ringed in October (the top 3 species for this month). A full report will be made once I have returned to England. Below: Twite and Arctic Redpoll

Dan Rouse - Bury Inlet, Swansea
October was the annual Oystercatcher catch on the Bury. A team of 7 of us set the cannon nets out the night before and were aiming of a catch of around 100-150, once we fired and raced down it was evident that we had underestimated the number. 504 birds later and all were ringed! A number of birds were first ringed before I was even born making them atleast 20 years old, A retrap from the SCAN ringing group up in North Wales which was a funny surprise, a bird from the 1960's and a control bird from Sweden! 
Full report here

Ringing Recoveries

Zac Hinchcliffe, 23

A Lesser Redpoll ringed on Bangor Mountain, Wales has been caught in Romsey, Hampshire. 307km away and 732 days since ringed.

Tim Jones, 24

A flock of Barnacle Geese rested on the beach at Spurn Bird Obs. 2 out of a flock of 97 had darvic rings on from Svalbard, 1 from 2004!

Wader Quest - an introduction by Rick and Elis Simpson

Wader Quest is a charity that aims to encourage more people to get involved in Community Wader Conservation projects by highlighting the need for such projects and for those that can’t get directly involved, to do so indirectly through Wader Quest.

I have been a birder nearly all my life - some 50 odd years, in that time life has become less tolerable for birds and not least among them the waders. While I have been alive 60% of the intertidal zone in the Yellow Sea has been destroyed, Lapwings have tumbled by 50% in the UK and now 48% of all known wader populations are in decline. The realisation that all is not well with the waders is a relatively new one, we watched from the sidelines as the Slender-billed Curlew slipped through our fingers, only reacting when it was too late.

Northern Lapwing 50% decline in the UK in 30 years

It was the Spoon-billed Sandpiper that brought everything into sharp focus, it became an iconic symbol of all that was, and is, going wrong and in looking at the threats which were nudging it ever closer to extinction, we realised that the same threats were also having a devastating effect on other previously common wader species.

Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Thailand.

If you were to go out into your local high street and stop 100 passers-by and ask them to name a natural environment that was being destroyed at an unsustainable rate, of those that would have the slightest notion of what you are talking about (such is the disconnect between people and the environment these days) I can almost guarantee that 100% of them would cite rainforests in one form or another.

The chronic problem that rainforest face is unrelenting, it has been going on all my life, it has been widely publicised and has been given much attention by conservationists with varying degrees of success, however the same cannot be said of the intertidal zone and other, mostly wetland habitats, upon which our favourite birds depend. For many years, these have been swallowed up piecemeal, the cumulative effect of which has been devastating and it all happened under the radar. Only now, due to one little enigmatic bird, when the problem has become acute and pivotal, has it come to our attention; hopefully though it is not too late.

It’s easy to turn people onto forest conservation, not so easy when you are trying to save mud! Photo: Elis Simpson

With the aim of widening awareness about these issues, Wader Quest devised and created, with the support of Birdwatching Magazine, the Wader Conservation November initiative. This is a series of events designed to draw attention to the plight of waders around the world and what better way to start it off than a world-wide event?

On the 7^th and 8^th of November this year we are inviting people around the world to go out and look at waders. We then ask them to let us know what they have seen. For our part we will compile a list of the waders seen around the world and participants will have their name published on the Wader Quest website in a roll of honour. They will also be entered into a Prize Daw, the prize of which is a wonderful signed Lars Jonsson wader poster and a set of Wader Quest wader pin badges.

Does it matter if you don’t see a huge number of species? Does it matter if you just see common species? Not one bit of it, a contribution containing a single abundant species is just as valid as one with several exotic species and this is because it is the taking part that is important, by doing so you are saying ‘Yes! I care!’

Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Hooded Plover  and Magellanic Plover; our three main projects so far. Photo: Elis Simpson

We also have initiated the first ever wader festivals in the UK at two locations, the Wirral Wader Festival (14^th and 15^th November) and the Wash Wader Festival (28^th and 29^th November); both are celebrations of areas of immense importance to waders in the UK and it would be fantastic to see some NGB members there to help us celebrate.

As young people you will want to believe that as you get older there will still be places such as these to celebrate, Elis and I are passionate about our waders and will continue to fight for their collective survival for as long as we can and we hope that you will also want to do the same so that, when you are our age, you will still be able to share the swirling flocks of waders and the huge high tide roosts they settle down to become with the next generation of birders that will follow behind you.

We must not let this become a thing of the past.

Becoming a Friend of Wader Quest costs just £5.00 a year; we hope that this low rate will make anyone who wants to, feel they are able to be part of our growing community of wader loving friends. Wader Quest is totally voluntary and 100% of all donations and Friends’ fees are used to assist lower budget wader conservation and research projects.

WADERS NEED LOVE TOO

#Inventabird – The Unspeakable Truth - by Robert Yaxley

Those of you who enjoy messing around on Twitter might have seen my attempts to rewrite Darwin’s theories by inventing a few bird species of my own. Thankfully, a few other crackpot mavericks – I mean ornithology enthusiasts - have joined me, united by the #Inventabird hashtag. Creations have been diverse, including the Money Buzzard, Dessert Wheatear, Black-throated USB Driver, as well as my own Shearwater Tit, Narwhal Sandpiper, Granny Knot, Fish-tailed Cowcreeper etc. My 9yo daughter has been inspired too, and has contributed with the Spager, a desert waterbird.

My inspiration, such as it is, came from a dream a few years ago. It went a bit like this: I was birding on Fair Isle with some friends, scouring the nooks and crannies for tired migrants, when someone fervently screeched “LOOK! IT’S BRITAIN’S FIRST CURLY WARBLER!!” Of course, I raised my dream Swaro’s, and there it was, a Cetti’s Warbler relative with a bubbly perm hopping around on the floor. And then I woke up, bedclothes akimbo...

 After all, why has Evolution given us the Sunbittern and the Kagu but not the Funny Tern or Swiss Toni’s Warbler? Nature decides, and as a result we are denied the Pants Falcon. So, I thought, why not make it happen? In all honesty, I also wanted to rediscover some of my drawing skills which I had let lapse several years ago, and this seemed an ideal way to get back into the drawing habit. It is really quite amazing how much you can learn about birds from drawing nearly-but-not-quites. I have been experimenting with various media, but at the moment quite enjoy using a fineline pen. Some birds, however, need colour, such as the beer-bellied sandgrouse (flesh pink) for which I have used watercolour pencils.

So – here’s a few images – enjoy. #Inventabird is, as always, a broad and welcoming community, so please feel free to add a few of your own!
   

Even some NGBs got involved with #Inventabird

Drew Lyness' Dessert Wheater is a personal highlight.

Winter is coming..

It's starting to feel and look a lot like Winter. Frost on the ground, Geese honking overhead and Redwings hopping about feeding in the trees. Winter is the time when the ducks, geese and swans take over the birding world and to me personally, the better-looking birds grace the British waters with their presence. There are many things that you can look for this Winter, starting with:

Swans! 

Bewick and Whooper Swans crash land in British waters with their very catchy-call. These two do look similar, but there are ways to tell them apart in the field.

©Jonathan Scragg

Whooper swans are larger than Bewick's with a triangular shaped head instead of the rounded shape of a Bewick. Bewicks are smaller (4ft), shorter necked, and a rounder head compared to a Whooper who is bigger (5ft), bulging breast, and longer necked.

© Drew Lyness

Whoopers will have longer bill, yellow will continue for 3/4 of the way to the bill tip so generally looks yellow-like at a distance. Bewick's on the other hand, have a smaller bill with the yellow only covering the basal half of the bill. The yellow patterns on each bird do vary.

Geese & Ducks!

©Amy Schwartz

Winter is the time to visit the coast, especially the WWT reserves, to witness thousands of geese 

©Drew Lyness

taking off and making an amazing noise! Pink-footed Geese and White-fronts are two species that arrive in great numbers and can often be seen. Things get a little more interesting with Geese such as Black Brants, Snow Geese, Bean Geese and Cackling Geese all possible things to rock up in Britain. My absolute favourite duck arrives in huge numbers in the Winter: Wigeon! Teal, Pintail, Wigeon are all common ducks that will be around this Winter. The more interesting and brain-fuzzling, if you haven't been on the birding scene for all that long, are three very similar species: (Great) Scaup, Lesser Scaup and Ring-Necked Duck. Winter sees me checking every Tuftie duck on Patch in the hope of one of the three. Great Scaup tend to have a green sheen to their glossy black heads, whereas Lesser Scaups have a purpleish sheen to the black and a small peak on its hind crown. Bill-wise: the Great Scaup will have a larger black nail on the end of its bill than Lesser (although not as large as that of Tufted Duck). Ring-necked Ducks will have light grey or brown flanks with a white spot towards the front, a peaked hint-crown and the banded bill is a general giveaway.

Ring-Necked Duck © Jonathan Scragg

Gulls!

© Gideon Knight

Early Winter is when the gull roosts really start to build up in numbers. Along with the usual Black-headed, Med, LBBG, GBBG, Herring and Common, there are usually one or two interesting gulls thrown in; Yellow-legged Gulls are one such species. Their backs are almost in the middle of Herring and LBBG in shape, more black in the wing with smaller mirrors, the beak is yellow, as are the legs, and the bill will have a large red spot on it. There is also a red eye-ring if you can manage to see it! Be aware of yellow-legged Herring Gulls!

©Gideon Knight

Caspian Gulls are similar to Herring and YLG but look longer-winged and longer, in general, with a mid-grey mantle, long black primaries, small dark eye a softer expression and long, pink legs. In 1w plumage, they have plain edged tertials unlike Herring's oak leaf pattern (a feature they share with YLG). They are the best looking out of all the 1w gulls. Little Gulls are also a regular sight during the Winter, these birds are easily picked out of a roost since they are truly tiny and in flight the wings will create a black 'W', adults have white wings. Other birds you may have the pleasure of seeing, although uncommon, are Ivory and Ross's Gulls. Next up are the white-wingers: Iceland and Glaucous... you can eliminate one easily: does it look like it wants to kill you? Yes? It's a Glauc. These birds are bigger and bulkier than a Herring Gull, have a stern look and the bill is bigger. A similar looking gull in some respects is the Iceland Gull. This bird also has a creamy-coloured plumage in 1W birds or a pale colour in adults. Icelands can be smaller than Herrings but are generally roughly the same size, the head is more round, the beak is smaller and they have a 'kinder' expression.

©Sam Viles

Returning Visitors!

©Jonathan Scragg

Winter is the time when your berry trees are filled with birds. Fieldfare and Redwing arrive back in the UK, both of these birds are fairly straight forward to ID, due to their distinctive plumages. One sight, which people will often travel to see, is that of a Starling murmuration. Watching these at dusk is a sight that every birder should witness at least once in their life; watching the birds create patterns in the sky is just mesmerising. Siskin, Brambling, Redpoll and Crossbills can be heard flying overhead, at feeders or in the bushes with other finches, and the brilliant sound of a Firecrest lurking in the bushes are all things to look forward to.  But not forgetting one of the most awaited arrivals to the Rowan trees of Britain: Waxwings. These perfect looking birds arrive annually along the East coast with some venturing further inland. The iconic look is unforgettable and seeing a flock of these is the highlight of the Winter for me. Another iconic bird of winter is the Bittern; that boom coming from the reed bed kickstarts winter. There is nothing like remembering how frustrated you were last winter, sitting in a hide for hours, wrapped up in every layer you could find, just to see a Bittern slowly move across the reeds for less than a minute, and then having to wait hours for another brief glimpse. One bird that is already pouring into the UK, is the Snow Bunting. These charismatic little birds visit our coastline for the Winter, although we don't get to see them in their sleek white plumage, they still look amazing in their Winter plumage and are just a delight to see.

©Jake Gearty

©Sam Viles

Rough-Legged Buzzard!
Ephraim Perfect has created a help guide to identifying Rough-Legged Buzzards from Common Buzzards. The reports for this species has already been seen on Birdguides and Rare Bird Alert with the reports coming from the east coast.

- Dan Rouse

Dan is an Environmental Educator for WWT Llanelli which is also her local patch. Currently conducting WeBS and NEWS counts for the BTO. When not in freezing in the field, Dan is a Trainee ringer with the Gower Ringing Group in South Wales. 
www.danrouse.org.uk

NGB Patchwork Challenge - September 2015

As ever during early autumn, migrants both rare and regular adorned the patches of various NGB members throughout September. From continental raptors to gripping garden rarities, September produced some top birds throughout this extremely competitive league though, yet again, there was little change in the results tables, with a few notable exceptions. 

Looking first at the comparative league and things remain largely the same excluding Josie Hewitt's monumental leap from 4th to 1st, edging Amy Robjohns out of the top spot and pushing former front runner James Common further down the rankings. Josie's rise to the top was aided and abetted by a host of familiar migrants including a long overdue Wheatear as well as Redstart and both Spotted and Pied Flycatchers. The latter of which notched while ringing. Whether or not Josie will keep the top spot is open to speculation with the following three competitors well within striking distance should their luck pick up during October. Further down the table Ash Baines jumps a place from 5th to 4th at his Starr Gate-Fairlawn Road patch and former front runner Jonathan Scragg falls to fifth place.

Pied Flycatcher - Josie Hewitt

The NGB points mini league the top ten remains exactly as it was in August with the exception of Drew Lyness and James Common changing places at ninth and tenth. Joe Stockwell appears unstoppable at the top of the table with Jonathan Farooqi and Anthony Bentley firmly lodged in second and third place respectively. Lower down the table things are less clear cut and a few good finds could shake up the rankings somewhat over the coming month. 

Moving on to the finds and highlights this month and the prestigious title of "NGB bird of the month" almost certainly goes to the superb Red-Footed Falcon unearthed by Jonathan Farooqi on his coastal north patch (a photo of which can be seen below). Jonathan also managed a Yellow-Browed Warbler while Ash Baines noted a Wryneck in addition to two separate Barred Warblers, also notching some real patch gold in the form of two Kingfishers, a real rarity on site. Other notable cases of patch gold throughout September include both Black Tern and Little Stint for Rhys Chivers and a patch first Reed Warbler for James Common at Stobswood. The first in almost a decade no less. In addition to his earlier triumphs Ash Baines also nabbed Black-Necked Grebe on patch and David Gomer was lucky enough to turn up a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in his East Anglian garden, a sight that would turn many birders (particularly us northerners) green at the gills with envy. Well done David!

Red-Footed Falcon - Jonathan Farooqi

Ringers Report- September 2015

A monthly roundup of ringing highlights from young birders, whether it be birds ringed, rings read or controlled in the field or ringing recoveries reported from elsewhere. Bird movements are amazing!

Craig Reed, 20 - Staffordshire

"September provided to be a good month attempting to net some lingering summer migrants left at our sites in Staffordshire. Reed Warblers, Blackcap and Chiffchaff provided the bulk but a couple of late(ish) Willow Warblers was a nice surprise. A number of Swallows were caught on one evening session and a ringing demonstration provided very productive with a feeding station been netted for the first time this autumn, and resulting in a large number of 'new' finches and tit species. The demo also included my first Stock Dove, a species that often seems to avoid the nets despite having decent populations at a number of our sites!"

Dan Rouse - Gower, Swansea

"September meant the BTO Cymru ringing course was brought to our Oxwich site. Throughout the course we had a number of good species including Stonechat, Whinchat, Swallow and plenty of finches. After the course, our usual sessions continued and some unexpected birds turned up which got everyone excited, these included Lesser Redpoll, Kingfisher and Skylark! Skylarks aren't too common on the site, though annual, but still a species I love seeing! We set up our pipit triangle with tape which resulted in 70+ Mipits and c10 Tree Pipits, we noticed there were wagtails going to roost at the bottom of one of our nets so the tape was played and 5 White Wagtails made an appearance!"

Tim Jones, 23 - Spurn Bird Obs, East Yorkshire

"A stunning juvenile Little Ringed Plover was only the 6th ringed at the observatory, a dusky juvenile House Martin was 'interesting' as was an influx of probable continental Dunnocks with big wings and white belly patches while ringing with Zac Hinchcliffe. September also brought some drift migrants including a Red-backed Shrike, Barred Warbler, several Redstarts and a Tree Pipit"

dark-rumped House Martin

probable conti Dunnock