Tinalandia Extension Nov 16—20, 2008
Posted by Paul Greenfield
Paul Greenfield
Paul Greenfield grew up near New York City and became interested in birds as a child. He received his B.F.A. from Temple University where he was an art major at the Tyler S...Related Trips
Our Tinalandia Extension proved to be a fitting complement to our very successful Northwestern Andean Slopes tour. Both Tinalandia and Rio Palenque, the principal sites we visited, offer wonderful, birdy conditions along with a good many additional species that are normally not found farther to the north. We enjoyed a more leisurely schedule at Tinalandia because the birds were right there, all around us. The gardens, as well as the fruit and nectar feeders, allowed us fine views of many species, and birding nearby edge and trails brought us unique and often repeated looks at many new species, along with some "old friends."
We watched a beautiful pair of Chocó Trogons feeding right above our cabins, and enjoyed a newcomer to the area—a Peruvian (Pacific) Pygmy-Owl—that hung around daily. These two species represent very distinct endemic areas in Ecuador (the two richest on Earth) and reflect the interesting diversity that we encountered during these short four days. At Río Palenque, of the 94 species we recorded that day, we came upon other endemics as well (from both of these Tumbesian and Chocó regions)—including Black-tailed (Ecuadorian) Trogon and Orange-fronted Barbet—and we also found three puffbird species: Pied, White-necked, and White-whiskered, which can always be difficult to find.
The birding was superb and we had some fine photo opportunities too. These two classic birding areas offer excellent conditions for viewing birds from Ecuador’s western tropical lowland and foothill forests—and we took good advantage.