Successfully flagging down a bus in the dark at 5am started my day, and I was off on my next adventure, though still feeling less than perfect. The goal was a visit to the Reserva Wayra, where I hoped to get a couple target birds. Getting there before they officially opened, I managed to catch the attention of one of the owners when she came out to feed some animals. I explained what I was doing, and she invited me in and gave me the most wonderful welcome! This whole interaction both further supported my general experience with how nice Ecuadorians are, and made me wish I understood Spanish better. (Another goal that’s very high on my priority list!)
Graciela took me out to their feeder setup, and replenished the bananas, corn, and other things they put out. She even brought me a thermos of coffee to sip while I spent the morning there observing the action, and waiting until my target birds made an appearance. She had to leave for Quito, but said that another birder who worked there would be in soon, and so I hung out there, entertaining myself by studying the hummingbirds and attempting photos of the doves, Red-crested Finches, Orange-billed Sparrows, and various tanagers.
I never heard nor saw any sign of the Umbrellabirds, but fortunately, around mid-morning, we heard the soft murmuring of my other major target! The Rufous-breasted Wood-Quail is a shy, secretive species that lives on the forest floor, and they are notoriously hard to see. We watched as not one, but a whole family group of them made their way up the hill to their favourite feeding spot. Three adults and five chicks in total, this was the moment I’d been waiting for. They happily clucked away and ate corn for a little while, and then filed away into the brush. Wow. what a cool thing to see!
Other than the wood-quail, the highlights from my visit to Reserva Wayra were a number of hummingbird lifers – Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Golden-tailed Sapphire, Black-throated Brilliant, and Glittering-throated Emerald! (Don’t hummingbirds have such cool names?) And I look forward to visiting this place again on my next trip to Ecuador, since Graciela and her husband are creating a really amazing place here. They are doing a huge amount work reforesting former cow pasture with native plants, creating paths through the different areas, down to the river, and already have two great feeding setups with comfortable places to sit and watch. I can’t wait to see how many more birds there are in another 5 or 10 years when there is even more good habitat!
