For our penultimate full day in Ecuador we were visiting the absolutely stunning Cajas National Park high in the Andes at just below 4000 meters below sea level. The Paramo habitat here is absolutely pristine, with stunning montane lakes settled in between the peaks. The weather was a little hit and miss, with periods of heavy rain, but generally just a low cloud with mercifully limited fog.
The only frustration for the day was the very limited access
to the park. There were only about three car parks in the whole area, and roadside
parking was extremely limited. Although generally I guess this would not be an issue,
we unfortunately decided to visit on a Sunday. Our first visit was early enough
that it wasn’t an issue, but when we tried to find somewhere to bird after
lunch, it became apparent quickly that we would struggle, and this probably
cost us a good hour of birding.
We started birding at the ‘Tres Cruxes’ car park, which was
the only park open before 08:00 in the morning. While the views were spectacular,
the birding here was quite limited, with both Stout-billed Cinclodes and Chestnut-winged
Cinclodes being the only birds of note. However, we only had to stay in this
area for a couple of hours before the main car park at Laguna La Toreadora
opened, so that was where we went.
This location was much more productive. The bushes in front
of the visitor center had many Tit-Like Dacnis showing well, as well as a very
nice and confiding Blue-mantled Thornbill. We had heard many Tawny Antpitta during
the morning, but here was where we saw our first individual, the first of many
I should add. The Dacnis especially was a highlight, as its stunning colours
had made it one of the birds I had most wanted to find on our trip. Expanding
our search into the surrounding area we found a lively mixed flock that
contained a good number of species for such a high-altitude habitat. Giant
Conebill and Buff-breasted Mountain-Tanager were both new for me, with the Conebill
being another species that we really wanted to find here.
After a couple of hours birding in the bushes around the
visitor center, we decided to search the Paramo on the other side of the road
where there were more flowers for hummingbirds. This was also a good decision as
we soon found a stunning male Ecuadorian Hillstar which showed nicely despite the
first drops of drizzle for the morning.
Satisfied with almost all of our targets wrapped up at the
higher altitude, we descended to the lower lake at Laguna Llaviucu where we hoped
to find another species high on our list, the Ecuadorian Rail. The rain had
really set in by the time we arrived in the park, and we hoped that this might
keep the site free from the public, but sadly not. Despite the good habitat, we
did not hear any rails until about halfway round, when one finally responded.
Lia then quickly spotted the bird swimming across a small channel between patches
of vegetation, and then it scuttled back into the reeds. Despite our best
efforts, this was our only sighting.
After lunch we decided to return to the high Paramo to try
track down our few remaining targets. The aforementioned parking situation did
not help in the slightest, but we did eventually find a spot to park up but still
ultimately failed to find our outstanding species. We headed down from the park
at the end of the afternoon, the drive taking us from almost 4000 metres to
almost sea level in less than two hours.
Parque Nacional El Cajas: Yellow-billed Pintail, Andean Teal, Andean Duck, Sparkling Violetear, Ecuadorian Hillstar, Blue-mantled Thornbill, Tyrian Metaltail, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Ecuadorian Rail, Andean Coot, Andean Lapwing, Andean Gull, Variable Hawk, Tawny Antpitta, Chestnut-winged Cinclodes, Stout-billed Cinclodes, Andean Tit-Spinetail, Many-striped Canastero, White-banded Tyrannulet, White-throated Tyrannulet, Paramo Ground Tyrant, Red-rumped Bush Tyrant, Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant, Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant, Turquoise Jay, Grass Wren, White-capped Dipper, Great Thrush, Hooded Siskin, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Brushfinch, Russet-crowned Warbler, Spectacled Whitestart, Superciliaried Hemispingus, Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager, Buff-breasted Mountain Tanager, Giant Conebill, Black Flowerpiercer, Tit-like Dacnis, Plumbeous Sierra Finch, Plain-colored Seedeater,
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