Sunday, June 6, 2010

Another visit to Mindo

Weekend had come another time and I was thinking of what I would do. This Sunday I wanted to go with my hostsister Diana to Bellavista Cloudforest Lodge, so I was thinking were to go the Saturday... In fact I had only two options: Milpe and Mindo.
I wasn't sure, where I wanted to go but in the end I decided I would go to Milpe another day, when I would have more time...
So this morning I arrived just in time at the bus-station and two hours later I was in Mindo. I started walking, but soon was picked up, to go to the Canopy where I always find some intersting birds. And so it was today. There was very much activity in the trees and I got very good views of beautiful birds like Blue-necked Tanager and added about 4 new species in 10min.
I saw a bird that seemed to be the rare Uniform Treehunter and then went to the feeders where I hoped for some bigger birds. There was nothing even the hummingbird-feeders were abandoned so it would have been better to stay where the flocks were. At least I had flushed a Pauraque several times as it always sat down on the trail I was walking... Soon I found another canopy-flock including the stunning Flame-faced and the cool Fawn-breasted Tanager, aswell as some other nice birds like a Guira Tanager eventhough it was only the female.
I made my way back to Mindo and was picked up by a pick-up^^ At the river I jumped down and hoped to find the Sunbittern, which I have been searching for so long, but I only found a resting White-capped Dipper and some Torrent Tyrannulets.
Back in Mindo I found two young Masked Water-Tyrants calling for their mother, which soon came in to bring them food and just under them there was another hatchling, this time from a Scrub Blackbird, the mother wasn't far, either.
I ate a pizza and then went a way I hadn't seen before. It began with the Slate-throated Gnatcatcher, a bird I had been waiting for so long already. Then a Squirrel Cuckoo hopped in the branches and I got to some house whitch was called the Yellow House. Some person of the staff I think came out and greeted me. He told me there were trails, where some good birds are and also the Spectacled Bear could be seen with a possibility of 60%. I already now, where I'm going next time!!!
And like the nature wanted to give me a little impression of what I might see there a Golden-headed Quetzal shot out of somewhere and flew over us, showing its incredible colours...
Then I had already to go back to take the bus to Quito...
Pictures will come soon, but first I will go to Coca tomorrow, from where I'm sure to report very much...
Oh yes, eventhough I had birded Mindo already 2 or 3 times before I still got 13 new species, so that I'm already going 320 species!

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