Ecuador Day 6; Reserva Amagusa

I think it is safe to say that this was the best day of our time in Ecuador. The birding was simply fabulous with loads of different birds on offer. We had travelled over the mountains to another birding site to the north the previous evening, so we were well placed to arrive early at our next birding site; the Mashpi Road. This road cuts through a pristine area of Choco forest as the access road to the very prestigious Mashpi Lodge, that was quite simply well out of our price range.

The birding along the road was excellent with a number of interesting birds encountered. The mixed species flocks were large and had a huge diversity of species within them. The bird I really wanted to see here was the Moss-backed Tanager, a very range-restricted species, and we very quickly found a few in the flocks along the road. In the understory we also had brilliant views of Zeledon’s Antbird, which remained remarkably chilled out when we were watching it.

Halfway along the road we found the private Reserva Amagusa, which has feeders for both hummingbirds and tanagers. We chatted to the owner and since the reserve was cheap we headed in where we had phenomenal views of many species of hummingbirds including the stunning Empress Brilliant, Violet-tailed Sylph and Green Thorntail. The tanager feeders had many species visiting, including the Moss-backed Tanager which would happily sit while we watched and photographed them. There was also Glistening-green Tanager and the Choco endemic Rufous-throated Tanager. A Crimson-rumped Toucanette also stopped by briefly. And that wasn’t all, as the fruiting trees in the garden provided food for Rose-faced Parrot, and a feeder on the ground hosted a White-throated Quail-Dove.

And the feeders were not all that we got for our visit, as the reserve manager also guided us during the afternoon, showing us our much wanted Club-winged Manakin, a juvenile male, as well as other Choco species such as Indigo Flowerpiercer, Rufous-rumped Antwren, Choco Tyrannulet and distant views of Yellow-collared Chlorophonia. Sadly in the afternoon the rain set in, and although we were able to continue birding by simply watching the feeders, we struggled to find many more birds in the forest. That said though, this was without a doubt our favourite day birding during our time in Ecuador. It was phenomenal! 

Species List:
Reserva Amagusa: White-throated Quail-Dove, Squirrel Cuckoo, Green Thorntail, Violet-tailed Sylph, Brown Inca, Velvet-purple Coronet, White-booted Racket-tail, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Empress Brilliant, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Andean Emerald, Turkey Vulture, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Smoky-brown Woodpecker, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Rose-faced Parrot, Bronze-winged Parrot, Rufous-rumped Antwren, Zeledon's Antbird, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Pacific Tuftedcheek, Red-faced Spinetail, Slaty Spinetail, Club-winged Manakin, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Barred Becard, Cinnamon Becard, Streak-necked Flycatcher, Slaty-capped Flycatcher, Bronze-olive Pygmy Tyrant, Common Tody-Flycatcher, Ornate Flycatcher, Choco Tyrannulet, Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Black-billed Peppershrike, Choco Vireo, Chivi Vireo, Blue-and-white Swallow, House Wren, Bay Wren, Sepia-brown Wren, Grey-breasted Wood Wren, Andean Solitaire, Black Solitaire, Yellow-collared Chlorophonia, Thick-billed Euphonia, Orange-bellied Euphonia, Yellow-throated Bush Tanager, Black-striped Sparrow, Chestnut-capped Brushfinch, Choco Brushfinch, Tropical Parula, Choco Warbler, Slate-throated Whitestart, Lemon-rumped Tanager, Moss-backed Tanager, Black-chinned Mountain Tanager, Glistening-green Tanager, Blue-grey Tanager, Palm Tanager, Rufous-throated Tanager, Golden-naped Tanager, Beryl-spangled Tanager, Flame-faced Tanager, Golden Tanager, Golden-collared Honeycreeper, Indigo Flowerpiercer, Variable Seedeater, Yellow-bellied Seedeater, Black-winged Saltator, Slate-colored Grosbeak,