Tandayapa Bird Lodge

Tandayapa Bird Lodge is famous for its hummingbird feeders, that are always filled with 100s of hummers and 13 or more species per day...
As I already told you, I'm here in Ecuador for an exchange year and recently rediscovered my birding passion. But being in a country with over 1600 species, including birds like Condors, Harpy Eagles, Andean Cock-of-the-rocks and 135 species of Hummingbirds there are things that would be more surprising.
I have already seen many birds but no trip was an only-birding trip, not even a single day.
But 2 weeks ago, this would change... I had decided to go to Tandayapa Bird Lodge, a Lodge in ecuadorian cloudforest not far from Quito, where I live, that is run by birders for birders...
I had visited it once, but the time was just sufficient to see the hummingbirds and very few tanagers...
But this time I would wake up at 5:00AM take a taxi at 5:45 and start with the first bus at 6:30. I was at the bus terminal at 6:25 but had to orientate me and so the bus started without me and I had to wait an hour!!! Grrr
But at least the second bus went fast and when I arrived at the Tandayapa Pass, where normally only few cars pass, there was something and the police let all the cars up the Tandayapa Pass, to take an alternative road. So I could just sit up on a pick-up and was at the Lodge only 20 minutes later. It was 9:20, already late for some birds, but I wanted to try if anything was at the "Hide" a place to observe birds from very close. But the fruits put outside were already old and it was already late... So after waiting 10 minutes I went back to the Lodge, bought a small, but informative field guide and began to walk down the trails. I watched a mixed flock including Beryl-spangled Tanager, the cool Red-headed Barbet and some Orange-bellied Euphonias, when a tiny Crimson-rumped Toucanet flew in, just 2m away.
The cool Red-headed Barbet
I would have gotten better pictures of this tiny Toucanet, if I had reacted faster...
Just after this and only 5m away I flushed up a bird. My first thought of some Antpitta was soon corrected as a pair of Immaculate Antbirds jumped around. I was very proud of myself, since I thought, this bird was rather hard to see... (Consulting the field guide showed it was rather easy...)
Then some Treehunters and Finches showed up, but especially the Treehunters, were always too fast away too identifie them...
A beautiful little snake lay on the way and I almost tripped on it, funnily this was the same species of snake I found the last time I came to Tandayapa. It seems to be very common in this area...
It's beautiful isn't it?
Soon the birds became less until I found a big flock of many different birds, but all well hidden in the underground. Another time many treehunters and foliage-gleaners that wouldn't let me identifie them and then a bird I found pretty cool. The "rare and inconspicous" Black Solitaire. Doing some investigation back in Quito I found out, this bird had been recorded only very few times in the last years...
And then just turning around there was the last bird for almost an hour. It was almost exactly 11:30 and a Sickle-winged Guan allowed great views, as it was eating in a fruiting tree. Only the photos didn't get as beautiful, because of some leaves...
The best photo I got of this cool bird.
I went searching a long time, but the birds wouldn't even vocalize. I made them sing a little when I began to whistle but no bird would come out. Until I heard somethingvery near and as I tried to find it I flushed up a bird. Luckily it sat down on a near branch and it was obvious I had my first Cock-of-the-rock eventhough it was a female and not as bright as the male... But as fast as it came, as fast did it go.
After that I went back to the Lodge only encountering one flock including the normal birds.
A Barred Becard...
The everpresent Slate-throated Whitestart.

Then I went down the Nono-Mindo Road finding almost nothing. But a Cock-of-the-rock flew away showing his incredible red colour...
Back for the lodge there was a flock with many birds I couldn't identifie and I had let my field guide in the lodge. I had the impression there were some furnariids, Antbirds and other rather ground-dwelling birds, but all unknown to me. I got only one bird by photograph that was identified for me by Iain Campbell (what an honor...), as a Oleaginous Hemispingus.
Back at the lodge I met Chris West, a young birder from the US. I hadn't thought there was somebody else, who is interested in birds and still young.
Together we encountered some birds around the Lodge, like the Masked Trogon, Squirrel Cuckoo, Red-billed Parrots, Powerful Woodpecker and Blue-and-black Tanager.
Some hummingbirds will sit on your finger, if you are a little bit patient...

There were 3 Masked Trogons around the Lodge...
The red-billed Parrots sat around in a tree near the Lodge.

Then it began getting dark and I headed back to the Main road to take a bus back to Quito, but this time no car came to pick me up and I had to run all the way back. And I really ran, but it soon got reeeaaalllyyy dark. I ran more than 1 hour and I really run, what a luck my eyes still are good, because there were many holes on the road and I wouldn't have liked to trip into one of them... Luckily there came a motorbike and picked me up, brought me to Nanegalito, where a bus took me to Quito...
What a nice day, I saw almost everything I wanted...

Special birds:
Sickle-winged Guan, White-tipped Dove, Red-billed Parrot, Violet-tailed Sylph, Brown Inca, Buff-tailed Coronet, Booted racket-tail, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Purple-throated Woodstar, Masked Trogon, Red-headed Barbet, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Powerful Woodpecker, Immaculate Antbird, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Barred Becard, Black Solitaire, Oleaginous Hemispingus, Blu-and-black Tanager

Other animals:
Cope's Tropical Racer