Quito, the highlands & the east slope

The capital of Ecuador, Quito, sits perched at 2850m in the Andes, surrounded by active and dormant volcanoes, in thin, headache-inducing air! Most of the natural habitats in the immediate vicinity of the city have been lost, but there are fragments of high-altitude woodland to explore. Also, we checked out the high barren plain (paramo) at the Papallacta Pass, and the mid-altitude cloud forest and upper rainforest on the eastern flank of the mountains dropping down into the Amazon watershed.

We were based at the San Jorge Ecolodge, an old converted hacienda about 20 minutes uphill from the airport, with views across the city to the high mountains beyond. Typical birds around the lodge included Southern Yellow Grosbeak, Great Thrush, Eared Dove, Black and Masked Flowerpiercers, plus hummingbirds - Shining Sunbeam, White-bellied Woodstar, Sparkling Violetear, Sapphire-vented Puffleg, Tyrian Metaltail and both Green- and Black-tailed Trainbearers.

More unusual birds seen "up the hill" included Plain-breasted Hawk, Blackish Tapaculo, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-tanager and various Tyrannid flycatchers.

Yanacocha, while unfortunately cold and misty, did turn up a few specials, such as Mountain Velvetbreast, Buff-winged Starfrontlet and Great Sapphirewing, plus Crowned Chat-tyrant and White-browed Spinetail.

Papallacta Pass was also cold, and cloudy, but we saw plenty up here - Tawny Antpitta, Bar-winged and Stout-billed Cinclodes, Andean Tit-spinetail, Many-striped Canastero, plus Red-rumped Bush-tyrant, Paramo Ground-tyrant and the endemic Ecuadorean Hillstar. The highlight, however, was mammalian - an Andean Wolf hunting in the low shrubs.

Dropping down the east flank of the Andes into the Amazon basin, we explored a variety of altitudes, with a good deal of success, although rain rather did for us at Baeza and Cosanga! Big strikes here included Tourmaline Sunangel, Green-fronted Lancebill, Collared Inca, Turquoise Jay, Blue-winged Mountain-tanager, Canada and Blackburnian Warblers, White-capped Dipper, Many-banded Aracari, Crested Quetzal and Long-tailed Antbird.

Then back to Quito, and off by air once more to the Galapagos, via Guayaquil.

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