I got another early start today for some cloud forest birding at Guango Lodge. Finding birds in the cloud forest is never easy, and can be a downright frustrating experience sometimes when they never reveal themselves amongst the thick tangle of an understory. But by slowly, quietly walking the trails and spending quality time with every sign of a bird, I managed to get a pretty good list and pick up a couple of my target birds.
Highlights of the 6 or so hours I spent on the trails included Tourmaline Sunangel, Slaty Brushfinch, Masked Trogon, Mountain Wren, Plain-tailed Wren, Mountain Cacique, Russet-Crowned Warbler, Buff-breasted Mountain Tanager, Grey-hooded Bush Tanager, Inca Jay, and the two most rewarding target birds, Grey-Breasted Mountain Toucan, and Andean Motmot!
Guango Lodge also has a fantastic hummingbird feeder setup, which provided the perfect thing to do while I took a break from walking and sipped some very decent coffee. Buff-tailed and Chestnut-breasted Coronets dominate the feeders most of the time, with regular visits by Sunangels and Collared Incas. A Fawn-breasted Brilliant and a Sword-billed Hummingbird made an appearance, as well as a couple Long-tailed Sylphs, which are some of the most dazzling hummingbirds in existence. The highlight for me though was when a White-bellied Woodstar, one of the tiniest birds in the world, came floating in and investigated the feeder for a few seconds before being intimidated by the larger hummingbirds.
After getting a bus back to Papallacta, I spent the last few hours of the day walking along Papallacta Lake, and found the expected targets there. A couple Andean Gulls and a small group of ducks including lifer Yellow-billed Pintail and Andean Teal were grouped at the far end of the lake. Hanging out with them was a completely unexpected but very distinctive White-cheeked Pintail! This duck doesn’t normally live anywhere here, and felt like a bonus lifer, making up for all the other targets I missed at Guango.
The birding day ended at dusk, when I began the long walk back to town and got my final target of the day, a Band-winged Nightjar that flew towards me up the road in the dim light and landed long enough on the bank for me to get a decent look of it perched!
