Day 2: Day Trip to Antisana Ecological Reserve
Following a somewhat restless night (in part due to barking dogs plus the anticipation our first full day of birding) we made our way up to the hotel’s restaurant and a bountiful breakfast buffet. Large windows ringed the restaurant offering a commanding view of surrounding Quito (when not obscured by clouds which would appear and disappear quickly without warning). Quito is Ecuador’s capitol with a population of approximately 2 million people. The honor of largest city falls to Guayaquil on the Pacific Coast with a population approaching 3 million inhabitants. Ecuador’s land mass is roughly 1.5 times the size of Wisconsin. Quito’s average mean temperature is 58 degrees (F), is in the Eastern US Time Zone, and its currency is the US dollar.
While Tropical Birding would provide the bulk of guide services during our tour, our one-day optional outing used the services of Andean Birding.
Following breakfast we gathered our birding gear and met our guide, Boris Herrera, along with our driver, in front of the hotel where we boarded a bus for the 1½ hour ride to a reserve located southeast of Quito. Even before boarding the bus we picked up GREAT THRUSH, RUFOUS-COLLARED SPARROW, and EARED DOVE on the hotel lawn.
On the outskirts of Quito we stopped to search a scrub area. Birds seen: BLACK-AND-WHITE SEEDEATER, SPARKLING VIOLET-EAR, GOLDEN-RUMPED EUPHONIA, SOUTHERN YELLOW GROSBEAK, RUFOUS-CHESTED TANAGER, AZARA’S SPINETAIL, BLACK FLOWERPIERCER, SOUTHERN BEARDLESS TYRANNULET, THICK-BILLED EUPHONIA, SHINY COWBIRD, BLUE-AND-WHITE SWALLOW, SCRUB TANAGER, CINEREOUS CONEBILL, BLUE-AND-YELLOW TANAGER, BLACK VULTURE, WHITE-COLLARED SWIFT, VERMILLION FLYCATCHER, and STREAK-THROATED BUSH-TYRANT. Initially Boris called a Band-tailed Seedeater but quickly determined it was instead a PLAIN-COLORED SEEDEATER.
Our destination, the Antisana Ecological Reserve, put us into the foothills of Ecuador’s fourth highest peak (measuring over 18,000 feet), the dormant glacier covered Antisana Volcano. Situated on the oriental slope of the Andean Mountains (part of the Guacamaya Mountain range), the preserve afforded access to prime páramo habitat.
We began our foothill’s ascent climbing up through elfin forest. Here we picked up GIANT HUMMINGBIRD, BLACK-TAILED TRAINBEARER, and BLACK-WINGED GROUND-DOVE. The forest gave way to grassland páramo as we alternately rode and took breathtaking (figuratively and literally) short hikes on a moderately level gravel road, picking up more páramo bird species: TAWNY ANTPITTA, PARAMO PIPIT, GRASS WREN, BROWN-BELLIED SWALLOW, UNICOLORED TAPACULO (heard only), BLACK-BILLED SHRIKE-TYRANT, and HOODED SISKIN.
Skies remained reasonably clear. Even though we were at a high elevation, we found that with the sun, the air was quite warm. Clearer skies afforded looks at raptors including CINEREOUS HARRIER, VARIABLE HAWK, and BLACK-CHESTED BUZZARD-EAGLE. We watched the latter grouping to harass and quite possibly steal a young caracara being fed but its parents. We left before realizing the result of the buzzard-eagle’s efforts.
As we rested and ate our box lunches on a bridge over a small rushing mountain stream alive with zooming ECUADORIAN HILLSTAR (alas, all females), an Andean Fox (referred to also as South American Fox or Andean Wolf) was spotted foraging in the shrubs.
This is where we also caught sight of Ecuador’s national bird, the ANDEAN CONDOR. Not a terribly satisfying look but given how the population has been in decline, we considered ourselves fortunate. Not everyone who travels to Antisana sees one. All other raptors, including the Harpy Eagle, are dwarfed by this, the world’s largest flying bird: a wingspan of over 10 feet and a body weight exceeding 25 pounds. As recently as 15 years ago one might expect to see an Andean Condor flying over Quito. Current estimates put the population in this part of Ecuador at about 70 pair.
Finished with our box lunches we pushed higher. Our route eventually took us to an altitude of just under 14,000 feet where the air was definitely cooler and thinner. Along the way we found STOUT-BILLED and BAR-WINGED CINCLODES and dozens of CARUNCULATED CARACARA foraging in short grasses (possibly for snails?), ANDEAN GULL, and a flock of endangered BLACK-FACED IBIS. We were quite fortunate - this is a very large area and another bird species not always seen on trips up Antisana.
Stopping to look over a section of Laguna Micacocha, we observed SILVERY GREBE, ANDEAN TEAL, YELLOW-BILLED PINTAIL, ANDEAN COOT, and ANDEAN LAPWING. In another section of the lake we found ANDEAN RUDDY-DUCK.
Late in the afternoon as we began our return to Quito we took a side road to visit a small ranch (Hacienda Antisana) at the base of the volcano to check the hummingbird feeders. We had been seeing female ECUADORIAN HILLSTAR but here is where we caught our first glimpse of a male. Further along the same road we found another more cooperative male feeding on its preferred plant, Chuquiragua – what a stunning hummingbird! This hummingbird is able to drop its body temperature at night into a state of torpor to conserve energy and survive the frigid overnight mountain temperatures.
Eventually we wound our way back into the relatively lower elevation of Quito (9200 feet). A short visit to our hotel rooms to freshen up before we met for drinks and then dinner in the “Top of the World” Hotel Quito restaurant. By now it was dark. The lights of the city glowed all around us. We ended the day with what became a trip ritual – tallying the daily bird checklist. (53 total day birds/53 new to trip total). Day 3 would find us departing Quito and heading to Tandayapa Lodge.
A few general observations about our trip cuisine: Ecuadorian meals are frequently prefaced by a soup course encompassing a wide variety including Fanesca. I have to say I did not meet a soup I didn’t like! Whenever a creamed soup was served it was accompanied by bowls of popcorn – popcorn is applied in much the same way we use oyster crackers.
A link to describe more Ecuadorian food.
I don’t think we were ever served roast cuy (at least not in any identifiable fashion) although our guide José kidded us that we were. It’s a traditional Andean entrée - is better known as in the U.S. as guinea pig.
Delicious salads, fresh fruits, and many selections of ceviche provided plenty of flavor, color and texture. Each meal was accompanied by a form of “aji” – hot sauce. Don’t ask for “salsa” unless you want ketchup.
Stuffed pastries called Empanada were common. And a local dish Llapingacho was quite tasty. Ecuadorian people also enjoy fresh fruit juices (jugos), drinks made of orange and tomatoes (naranjila), blackberry (guanabana) and passion fruit (maracuya). Aside from the drink prices at the Hotel Quito, mixed drinks were amazingly inexpensive when available.
Tomatoes grown in Ecuador, or “tomate dulce” have a distinctive shape, size and flavor.
To make the best use of our birding time while we were on the road we relied on box lunches. These were typically pretty ho-hum, mundane fare when compared to our morning and evening meals. In so far as we could tell, there were no Culver’s in Ecuador.
If one is a coffee drinker, as many of us were, I have to say that the coffee was surprisingly disappointing. Ecuadorians are enamored with freeze-dried instant coffee. Only one lodge offered what we would consider to be fine brewed coffee. Want consistently good coffee? Bird Costa Rica. Tea was always an option for those who preferred it.
We had been dutifully warned, “not to drink the water”. This never became a health issue because everywhere we stayed, potable water was used for cleaning and cooking. There was never any shortage of bottled water. The tricky part was remembering not to inadvertently use tap water to brush one’s teeth.
