Nono-Mindo

We woke up at 4:30am this morning to visit the Cock of the Rock Lek. We hired a local bird guide, Alex Luna for the day. The number of birds we saw that day was astounding.

Cock of the Rock

At the Lek, we waited for the Cock of the Rock to display. When they decided that the sun was high enough in the sky the forest burst with calls and flashes of red.  They stopped almost as suddenly as they started. Other highlights were Orange-crowned Euphonia, Spot-fronted Swift, Ornate Flycatcher, Tropical Parula and Andean Solitaire. The low lighting and thick vegetation made it quite difficult to get good photos but it is definitely a must see for any birders visiting Mindo.

The Nono-Mindo road came quite well recommended by any birder. On one of the old roads branching off the Nono led us to Bellavista Research Station. There were a lot of small trails and the forest was amazingly lush. Pounding on a tree was a Powerful Woodpecker. Plate-billed Mountain Toucans, Turquoise Jays, Gorgeted Sunangel, Grass-green Tanager, Peregrine Falcon and many other Treehunters and Tanagers.

Plate-billed Mountain Toucan

The Nono-Mindo road took us downhill to where we found Golden-headed Quetzals, Montane Woodcreeper, Orange-crowned Euphonia, Red-headed Barbet (which I think look like angry birds), Spillman's Tapaculo and Azur Spinytail.

Golden-headed Quetzal

 After a long day of hiking we went to Sachatamia Lodge for tea and coffee. The lodge is just outside Mindo on the highway. They have a large property with ponds, fountains and many hummingbird feeders. The feeders were very busy. Brown Incas, Violet-tailed Sylph, Brown Violetear, Empress Brilliant, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Velvet-purple Coronet, Booted Racket-tail, Andean Emerald and Green-crowned Woodnymph.

Male Violet-tailed Sylph

Female Violet-tailed Sylph

 The violet-tailed sylph males were spectacular with long purple-blue tails and bright chin markings. But there were so many hummingbirds that I couldn't focus on one for long. More bright colours would distract me and I'd be looking at something completely different. My absolute favorites weren't the brightest coloured but they get points for cuteness. The Booted Racket-tail was a very tiny hummingbird that appeared somewhat larger due to it's long tail but the striking part about these birds are the white "boots". They really have no other way to describe it other than it looks like this tiny bird is wearing very fluffy pure white boots on its legs. They are VERY active birds and I never saw one sit still for more than a few seconds.

Booted Racket-tail

A lovely dinner at Caskaffesu was exactly what we needed while it was pouring rain outside. At around 10pm the rain lightened up and I walked down by the river. The river was too deep to cross without going over my boots. A lot of Pastures Rain Frogs were calling in the disturbed areas but I couldn't distinguish any other calls. I spotted a long thin snake in the bushes by the river. I slid down the river bank to catch the Graceful Snake Eater. The snake was quite active and with the rain starting to pick up again it was necessary to grab a quick picture.

Graceful Snail Eater (Dipsas gracilis)

Graceful Snail Eater (Dipsas gracilis)