Bustling with Bird Diversity

With already 3+ weeks gone on our stay here, it’s already going by way to fast! We had a strong push of visitors through the end of December, but perhaps the incessant rains are keeping them away now. Despite the lack of people here to enjoy the rainforest, this place has not stopped bustling with biodiversity. I’m still seeing different species of birds on nearly every walk I take out into the forest and I’ve already seen nearly 200 species since arriving on December 12th, all within walking distance of the reserve. Whenever I run into bird watchers I town, I tell them about this place and several of them have shown up later and been mightily impressed. I have been many places around Mindo and this is undoubtedly the best place I have birded. Not only do we have the best Andean Cock-of-the Rock lek around and 12-15 species of hummingbirds at the feeders everyday, but many uncommon and hard to find species also occur here. Here is a list of some of the unusual and hard to find birds I’ve seen at the reserve: torrent duck, fasciated tiger heron, bicolored hawk (seen on same perch daily), black and chestnut eagle (the locally famous guide Marcelo Arias told me he has seen this bird once in his life), white-throated quail dove, white-capped parrot, little cuckoo, green-fronted lancebill, wedge-billed hummingbird, velvet-purple coronet, barred puffbird, ringed kingfisher, crimson-bellied and powerful woodpeckers (both large and spectacular), streak-capped treerunner, uniform antshrike, rufous-rumped antwren, esmeraldas antbird, ochre-breasted antpitta (I got an incredible long long at this very shy species!), narino tapaculo, pacific and fulvous-breasted flatbills, caerulean and canada warblers, glistening-green, rufous-throated, beryl-spangled and white-shouldered tanagers, black-winged saltator, chestnut-capped brush-finch, olive finch, buff-rumpled warbler, white-throated spadebill and thrush-like schiffornis. Slaty-capped flycatcher is apparently a new species for the reserve. Other wonderful species that can be found here on a regular basis include: golden-headed quetzal, toucan barbet, strong-billed woodcreeper, white-capped dipper and yellow-collared chlorophonia. We also have a club-winged manikin lek and their bizarre display can be viewed every day!