We had arranged an early entry into the Buenaventura reserve for our second day, and this worked out well as we needed to go with one of the park rangers into another section of the reserve to find the sites most endangered resident, the El Oro Parakeet. Due to it being Good Friday, there were a few logistical issues created by the holiday, but we were eventually put in contact with a ranger who would take us, his name was Diego Cabrera.
We met up with Diego on the roundabout just below the
entrance gate to an area of the reserve called the Jardim dos Colibris, or
hummingbird garden in English. We entered the gate here and then set off walking
up the trail through some afforested pastureland. As we walked we passed a few
nest boxes put up for the El Oro Parakeet, and then we saw the actual thing. At
first the light was poor and we saw the birds very distantly, but as we walked
back down we had a group of three birds, one perched up nicely and two more inspecting
one of the boxes. In this area, we also had an Olive-crowned Yellowthroat and a
few commoner species.
With Diego we then visited the hummingbird garden itself.
Although it was the same reserve, and not far at all as the crow flies from
where we had been the previous day, the change in altitude had brought almost a
complete turnover in the species. Here were many more familiar west slope
species I had encountered in Colombia; Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Violet-tailed
Sylph and the ever-spectacular Velvet-purple Coronet. There was also a nice
Brown Inca, and a surprise White-vented Plumeleteer, of the Ecuadorian
subspecies and a potential split.
It was still only mid-morning so we headed with Diego to the
upper road of the reserve, where it is possible to find the El Oro Tapaculo.
Although we had another site planned for this species, due to it having become more
difficult here, we decided to give it a go. And with Diegos help, we scored
almost immediately, with one bird showing incredibly well allowing for great photos
and recordings. Although a Scytalopus, and therefore much the same as the
others in the genus, its name, El Oro Tapaculo, literally translates to ‘the
golden buttplug’!
Diego then took us into one of the pastures, where we had
frustratingly brief views of White-throated Crake as it ran across open areas
of grass below us. In the end we managed acceptable views, but did not get good
photos. We just finished up as the rain and cloud set in, but as drove back
down towards the highway it began to clear once more. A sighting of two Thick-billed
Seed-Finch on the side of the road got us to stop, and here we had a lively
mixed species flock containing a Loja Tyrannulet, another of the species we
wanted needed to try and find here.
And that wrapped up our second day, just after lunchtime.
After a bite to eat we drove the three hours to our next stop, the town of
Celica, an altered destination since we could not ascend the mountain to Cerro
dos Arcos due to the state of the road.
Reserva Buenaventura: Rufous-headed Chachalaca, Plumbeous Pigeon, Ruddy Pigeon, Pauraque, White-necked Jacobin, Brown Violetear, Green Thorntail, Violet-tailed Sylph, Brown Inca, Velvet-purple Coronet, White-booted Racket-tail, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Green-crowned Brilliant, White-vented Plumeleteer, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Andean Emerald, White-throated Crake, Black Vulture, Swallow-tailed Kite, Savanna Hawk, Roadside Hawk, Yellow-throated Toucan, Crested Caracara, Bronze-winged Parrot, El Oro Parakeet, Red-masked Parakeet, El Oro Tapaculo, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Line-cheeked Spinetail, Azara's Spinetail, Scale-crested Pygmy Tyrant, Ornate Flycatcher, Loja Tyrannulet, Tropical Kingbird, Brown-capped Vireo, Blue-and-white Swallow, Orange-crowned Euphonia, Common Bush Tanager, Rufous-collared Sparrow, Shiny Cowbird, Olive-crowned Yellowthroat, Slate-throated Whitestart, Lemon-rumped Tanager, Fawn-breasted Tanager, Palm Tanager, Blue-necked Tanager, Bay-headed Tanager, Golden Tanager, Silver-throated Tanager, Swallow Tanager, Green Honeycreeper, Thick-billed Seed Finch, Variable Seedeater, Black-and-white Seedeater, Yellow-bellied Seedeater, Bananaquit, Buff-throated Saltator, Black-winged Saltator,
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