Ecuador: Southwestern Andes & Lowlands: Apr 03—13, 2009

The extraordinary richness of Ecuador's biodiversity is due, in part, to the existence of the Andes Cordillera, and the cold waters of the southern-born Humboldt Current, which brings cooler, dry air to this otherwise hot and wet equatorial location. It is this country's southwestern sector that gives testimony to the combination of these two factors, creating what is called the Tumbes Endemic Center—the second richest endemic area on earth—a unique biogeographical zone shared exclusively with northwestern Peru that is home to an exceptional number of plant and animal species known only to this bioregion. Thanks to the creation of new nature reserves, this area has now become more accessible and "bird-able."

Our journey begins southward along the coastal lowlands where we will look for Horned Screamer and other wetland species, continues high into the Andes to the tundra-like paramo zone to find Tit-like Dacnis, Violet-throated Metaltail, and Giant Conebill, and then takes us down into a quiet interandean valley to visit the relatively small Yunguilla Reserve to search out the extremely rare and critically threatened Pale-headed Brush-Finch. After a morning at this site, we continue south to temperate woodland and forest to look for Bearded Guan and Golden-plumed Parakeet, among other species, before dropping into a pleasant valley dominated by sugar cane plantations and a relatively mild climate for the night. Here, in the Catamayo Valley, we will begin to find our first Tumbesian bird species—Pacific Parrotlet, Elegant Crescent-chest, and Tumbes Sparrow among them—and later, as we continue southward, we will come to more stunted high Andean temperate forest at Utuana, where we will search out several specialties found only here-including Black-crested Tit-Tyrant and Piura Hemispingus.

We continue birding downslope to the lowlands at Macará. We will spend three nights at this important locality to give us ample time to explore the newly created Jorupe Reserve in search of a large number of Tumbesian specialties.

Our journey continues to the north to an area where in 1980 a species new to science was discovered—the El Oro Parakeet. Buenaventura Reserve is one of the birdiest sites in Ecuador. We will stay at Umbrellabird Lodge, and the birding will be fantastic! Spectacular hummingbird feeders adorn the dining area filled with Chocó endemic species along with the true Ecuadorian endemic-Emerald-bellied Woodnymph. Our cabins overlook the forest, roadside vegetation is lush, and forest trails hold hidden treasures-we certainly will make an effort to see the lodge's namesake—the Long-wattled Umbrellabird—at its lek site! At the upper end of the reserve we will look for another Ecuadorian endemic-the El Oro Parakeet-along with other special species such as Ochre-bellied Dove, Pacific Tuftedcheek, El Oro Tapaculo, Scaled Fruiteater, Club-winged Manakin, Golden-winged Manakin, Spotted Nightingale-Thrush, and Rufous-throated Tanager among many others.

Accommodations good in Guayaquil, good to modest elsewhere; relatively easy to moderate walking on varied terrain, some muddy conditions possible; box lunches in the field; roadside and forest birding; mostly humid, warm to hot in the lowlands, cooler in the highlands and on Andean slopes; brief visit to cool-cold paramo zone.