Thirty friends and members of the Canada South Land Trust gathered on December 6, 2007 at the Essex Civic Centre for a special event arranged by the Land Trust. Land Trust Director Terry Anderson introduced the evening's guest speaker Tom Hince. Tom is a well known birder and consultant who has lead a number of birding trips to various parts of the world. For this evening's presentation, Tom had chosen to discuss the birds of Ecuador. The following comments related to the birds of Ecuador are obtained from Tom's Ecuadorian trip notes. Good things come in small packages. And so it is with the wonderful compact country of Ecuador. Roughly the size of Arizona, this tiny Latin jewel boosts a list of nearly 1,600 species of birds, the fourth largest list of any country on the planet. The source of this diversity is the extremely diverse topography and the long term stability of the tropics which has favoured specialization. By changing elevation bird watchers gain access to tropical, subtropical, and temperate forests and paramo (the equivalent of alpine habitat or tundra). The Andes bisect Ecuador and by accessing these life zones on both the west and east slopes of the Andes, birders will greatly increase the bird life they discover.
If you love hummingbirds, then a birding trip to Ecuador will be a dream come true! Ecuador has become the most outstanding destination in the world for viewing and photographing hummingbirds. Birders may expect to view closely over 50 species of hummingbirds. Just a few of the spectacular hummers include Sword-billed Hummingbird, Booted Rackettail, Velvet-purple Coronet, Violet-tailed and Long-tailed Sylphs, Great Sapphirewing, Collared Inca and Tourmaline Sunangel. Others that birders have a good chance of seeing include Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Napo Sabrewing, Wire-crested Thorntail, Empress Brilliant and Purple-bibbed Whitetip. At several of the lodges at which birders stay, the photography opportunities for hummingbirds are excellent. Antpittas are sure to be another highlight. As any experienced tropical birder will tell you, this group of birds is notoriously difficult to see. Denizens of the under story and shade, they are often heard at tantalizingly close range. All to often in the past, it is only the leader who glimpses the bird, or perhaps one or two lucky participants in the right spot at the right time who get that fleeting view. And often these views were after extended playback to tease the bird into the open. Well all that has changed!
On a 2007 tour birders got excellent views of no fewer that six species of antpittas while hearing at least two more species. Angel and Rogrido Paz have unlocked the key to experiencing antpittas really well. Birders will spend a morning searching for these delightful birds. In addition, several other lodges have begun to learn the same tricks from Angel and Rogrido. In 2007 birders had good views of Giant, Yellow-breasted, Moustached, Tawny, White-bellied and Chestnut-crowed Antpitta.
Tom has provided notes from the 2007 tour with regard to the sighting of antpittas. Concerning the early morning the events of March 7, 2007 Tom writes: "This morning we made an early start with a 4:30 a.m. breakfast. Our guide Galo called Angel Paz (the antpitta man) to make sure the road was passable and that it would be worthwhile to come given that we had torrential rain in Septimo the previous night. As we boarded the bus around 5 a.m., it was pouring down in Septimo and we were not optimistic. However, Angel, who lives in Nanegalito, ensured us that the weather would be different in his valley.
As soon as we turned into the dirt road to Angel Paz farm, our driver Luis became nervous. Although the rain had stopped on the way to the farm, it was now beginning again, and negotiating this treacherous narrow mud track with a large bus in the dark for the first time was quite an endeavor. First there was a narrow hairpin turn that required backing up several times, then was the small river we had to ford, and finally the steep uphill muddy track where we bogged down. The troops emptied off the bus and after several nervous moments of backing up in the darkness in the rain, Luis managed to get the bus up the hill. We all boarded again and arrived at Angel's farm a little late but still in good time to head to the Cock of the Rock lek.
Angel first welcomed us and gave some basic instructions on do's and don'ts on the trails. In the semi-darkness we wound through his passionfruit plantation and down into the forest, descending on a fine though steep and muddy trail system he and his brother Rodrigo had constructed. After a fine start at the Cock-of-the-rock lek (where half a dozen males appeared), Angel and Rodrigo spent three hours whistling, charming and working hard to get the antpittas to appear.
Of course, by now the rain had become quite heavy and this made their job even more difficult. "Maria," the Giant Antpitta, was the first to appear and she put on a spectacular show goring herself in plain view for at least ten minutes. The memories of Angel calling "Maria, Maria, venga, venga, venga" and whistling her tremolo song will be one of the top moments of the trip. Next we stalked and all got good views of the "mas timido" (more timido) Moustached Antpitta.
Lastly, the brothers managed to charm a Yellow-breasted Antipitta into view on the down slope in the last few hundred yard before we reached the passionfruit vineyards. We topped it all off with a fine homemade breakfast made by Rodrigo's wife. This included bolones (made from yucca) and empanadas, plus hot coffee and passionfruit for dessert. Topping it off were both Velvet Purple Coronet and Empress Brilliant sitting within feet of the breakfast eaters!"
In the past decade, Ecuador has emerged as one of the most accessible and birder friendly countries in the world. The wonderful birder friendly lodges now found in this small county are the icing on the cake. What more could you ask for than comfortable accommodations, hours of operation matching those of birders, great food and great birding right on the grounds?"
Throughout his presentation, Tom dazzled his audience with spectacular photographs of Ecuadorian hummingbirds, antpittas and other species. Audience members had numerous questions upon the conclusion of Tom's talk.
Following Tom's presentation, Terry Anderson presented Bill Balkwill with a gift to mark the occasion of Bill's retirement from the Land Trust's Board of Directors, of which Bill was a founding director when the Land Trust met for the first time in September 2001. Refreshment were kindly provided by David Ainslie, Terry Anderson, and Patricia Rhoads which were enjoyed by all.
Thank you to Tom for a wonderful presentation and to those who attended and who made this event a success.