A rare sunny morning greeted us today, and I quickly got up and grabbed a breakfast snack before heading out. I joined Eladio, Jhonny and his girlfriend, and a neighbour’s kid (who is probably around 8) for a hike up the ridge across the street. We didn’t find anything new or unexpected, but going out with the locals and sharing their love for birds was a very pleasant way to spend a morning. It was also a learning experience for everyone – I learned (and got reminded of) some of the local birds’ songs from them, and I helped Eladio continue to learn the English names of the birds. And it’s always inspiring to show birds to excited young kids, and encourage their love of hiking and nature!
From a bird species standpoint, the highlight was getting to actually see one of my favourite birds of this area, the Andean Solitaire. We get quite decent looks at a couple of them, as well as hearing them sing (always a highlight). And we were treated to all the crazy vocalizations of the Russet-backed Oropendola. Oropendola vocalizations, for those unfamiliar, I might describe as a bit of yodelling with some bubbling liquid mixed in and accented with toots.
