After an unfortunately later than expected arrival at Quito’s Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre, I got a taxi to a hosteria near the airport for the first night. Getting in so late meant not enough sleep, but never the less I was awake at first light the following morning, listening to the early dawn singing of Rufous-collared Sparrows. These sparrows are kind of ubiquitous in the neotropics, and, I thought, a very fitting welcome to South America. Of course, once there are birds singing and it’s light out, it’s time to get out! Dressing quickly, I grabbed the binoculars and camera and went out to see what I could find on the hosteria grounds before breakfast.
Fog filled the valley, so it was a gentle start to birding. Sparkling Violetears (my first seen bird of the trip, and another pretty ubiquitous bird in the Andean valleys) whizzed around the flowers in the yard. Other common Andean birds were also about, such as Blue-and-white Swallows and Eared Doves. The highlights from the morning were a pair of Golden Grosbeaks, which provided me with some fantastic views as they moved through the low bushes, and my first lifer of the trip, a Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant.
After coffee and a hearty Ecuadorian breakfast of eggs, bread, cheese, and a whole plate of amazing fruits, I made my way via taxi and bus to the town of Papallacta, which sits in the mountains on the east side of the Andes. Arriving at around 10am, I found the village shrouded in fog and drizzle. I birded my way up the hill from the bus stop on the main road to the place I would be staying for the next few days, which was about a 2km walk with some serious elevation gain. It was fairly quiet, but I did get fantastic views of a couple Tawny Antpittas, and single Scarlet-bellied and Lacrimose Mountain-tanagers.
That afternoon, now free of my backpack, I birded further up the road for a couple hours. It continued to drizzle, which prevented me from using the camera and ensured continual frustration with my glasses, but I did pick up a few good birds. Some highlights were numerous Shining Sunbeams, a pair of Turquoise Jays, a very cool dark morph Plain-breasted Hawk (a lifer, though this is currently considered in some taxonomies to be a subspecies of Sharp-shinned hawk), and another lifer, a pair of Pale-naped Brushfinches!
