[TN-Bird] Highlights of BBC Ecuador Trip

eleven participants included eight NE Tennesseans and SW Virginians:  Fred 
and Joann Alsop (Johnson City), Warren Bielenberg (Maryville), John Getgood 
(Floyd,VA), Tom and Laverne Hunter (Lebonan,VA) and Dave and Diane Worley 
(Cedar 
Bluff, VA).  We all arrived in Quito on July 12 and were on our way on the 
morning of the 13th.  Quito is at 9300' in the Andes, and on our first 
excursion 
we headed west towards the coast and lower elevations.  Sightings on our 
western decent included: Rufous-bellied and Short-tailed Nighthawk; 
Maroon-tailed 
Parakeet & Red-billed Parrot;  White-collared Swift; 26 species of hummingbird 
including the unbelievable Sword-billed Hummingbird and Sparkling Violetear, 
Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Shining Sunbeam, Velvet-purple Coronet, Sapphire-vented 
Puffleg, Tyrian Metaltail and Violet-tailed Sylph; Golden-headed Quetzel; 
Board-billed Motmot; Toucan Barbet; Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan; Pacific 
Hornero; 
Montane Woodcreeper; Giant Antpitta; Golden-faced Tyrranulat; Smoke-colored 
Pewee; Masked Water-Tyrant; Golden Crowned Flycatcher ; Black-and White Becard; 
Andean Cock-of-the-Rock; Turquoise Jay; Great Thrush; White-capped Dipper; 
Spectacled Whitestart; Cinereous Conebill; 17 varieties of tanager; 
Rufous-colored Sparrow; and Peruvian Meadowlark.
       We than reversed our direction and went back past Quito to higher 
elevations and the eastern slope above the Amazon.  In that portion of the trip 
we 
added:  Yellow-billed Pintail; Andean Teal; Black-chested Buzzard Eagle; 
Carunculated Caracara, Andean Gull, White-capped parrot; San Isidro Owl (new 
species, no scientific designation yet); Bronzy Inca; Chestnut-breasted 
Coronet; 
Black-tailed Trainbearer; Long-tailed Sylph;  Powerful Woodpecker; Pearled 
Treerunner; Unicolored Tapaculo; Torrent Tyrannulet; Cinnamon Flycatcher: 
Rufous-tailed Tyrrant; Inca Jay; Russet-crowned Warbler; Bluish Flowerpiercer; 
Golden-rumped Euphonia; Saffron-crowned tanager; Blue-necked Tanager; 
Plushcap;Yellow-browed Sparrow; Russet-backed Oropendola and Red-breasted 
Blackbird among many 
others.
       On the final day in Ecuador, several of us had late flights, so we 
arranged for our guide, Norby Lopez, to take us up above 14,000' in the Andes 
south of Quito on an additional excursion.  It was a beautiful day, and we we 
saw 
some great birds including two of the endangered Black-faced Ibis and an 
amazing 14 Andean Condors.  
       It was a great trip!  The group got along well together, the food was 
excellent and the accomodations were comfortable and well located.  Our guide, 
Norby,  was outstanding as a person and bird-finder!  The only short-coming 
of the trip was the unseasonable rains that we had.  The bird-list total for 
the group was 271 but would have been much higher if the rain had not been so 
extreme.  In spite of this, we were blessed with some rare sightings including 
one, as yet, unclassified species of owl!
John Moyle       Glen Alpine Road             Kingsport            



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