Unfortunately I have been without Internet capability for the past week, so I have to summarize what we have been doing since my last report. We spent three days at Wildsumaco lodge in the eastern foothills. We had one day of continuous rain making birding a little difficult, but by the end of our visit there we had recorded 141 species bring our total for the eastern slopes portion of our trip to 240.
Some of the most notable species were the Rufous-throated Sapphire and the Bicolared Hawk.
We returned to Quito to visit Antisana, Parque Jerusalem and Pasachoa. During this period we recorded 60 more species including the Cinerious Harrier and the Black-faced Ibis.
We traveled to Mindo Yesterday after stopping at Yanacocha and by evening we had an additional 40 birds. We walked the Yellow house trails today and had an incredible encounter with a pair of Crimson-backed Woodpeckers as we watched them share food at their nest inside a large dead tree along the Mindo River road. Total bird count so far stands at 350, with visits to Milpe Bird Sanctuary, Rio Silanche, Tandayapa valley and Paz de las Aves still on the calendar. Should have Internet from here on out so I will don't best to stay up to date with the trip progress
