Bellavista Cloud-Forest Lodge

I hadn't been birding since I came home from Coca, that was almost 2 weeks ago...
I don't count the Cotopaxi trip, because my sightings there were more luck that really birding.
My parents will come soon, there is not too much time I can spent before. I hope to go the coast next weekend. I wanted to go to that Lodge with my sister, because they also have some nice waterfalls and things like this, but she went to Coca and now I notice it was probably better this way, because I walked at least 10km those days...
First I had a few problems because I caught the wrong bus. I had forgotten that there were two busses named "Flor del Valle" but soon I realized I was going wrong (to Cayambe), caught another bus back to the bus-station, where the Mindo bus drove away in front of my nose. Eventhough I tried to atch up with it by taking a taxi, I failed. So I took another bus that also went this way.
I started to walk the street, that went to Tandayapa and Bellavista and spotted a high-perched Purple-throated Woodstar, almost immediatly and after I had walked about 20m a car came and picked me up to bring me up the 12km to Bellavista Lodge, where I checked in to sleep the night there. The price was very good, with only 30$ and I could even eat a bit...
The Turquoise Jays seem to have their home in the bamboo in front of the Lodge and let me get very close.

Soon I started to walk on the trail C which resulted to be one of the steepest trails of all. It began rather quiet with only a few furnariids around me, a flock of Blue-winged Mountain-Tanagers and a hummingbird that I misidentified as Little Woodstar. It was probably a female Booted Rackettail or a female Western Emerald...
The Strong-billed Woodcreeper and Streaked Tuftedcheek were the only new birds so far.
Then I walked back to eat a lunch with tasty trout and started off again. After walking rather much without seeing anything I found a high-up canopy flock of Tanagers. A pair of Toucan Barbets was the highlight aswell as a small group of Grass-green Tanagers. My neck hurt from the looking up when the flock finally was gone, after about 30minutes. I followed my way and found Green-and-black Fruiteater, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan in a very far away tree, the beautiful Bay Wren tried to hide from me and a bird that was probably a Narino Tapaculo...
This Dusky Bush-Tanager had some ugly wart on its bill.
At the research-station I found Masked Trogon and a jay of which I'm not sure if it was Turquoise, or Beautiful Jay, since the light was already fading away. So I hurried to get home. I crossed the way with Green-fronted Lancebill and a Collared Inca and when I was already very near to the lodge I came across a compost, where I flushed a Sickle-winged Guan and the best bird of the day, a Chestnut-crowned Antpitta.
Soon I went to bed, read a little bit in my new book: "Percy Jackson y el ladron del rayo", in Spanish of course.
A few Green-and-black Fruiteaters crossed my way. They're some of my favourite birds

The next day I woke up at 4:30AM but took my time in preparing me. My plan was to visit the compost pile again, as I hoped for a few skulkers to come here. It was still dark when I went outside and I heard a few nightbirds. I don't know very much about birdsongs, but Ienjoyed hearing them and trying to guess which bird I heard.
I tried to take pictures of the sunrise. Then it began to get day. I began to doubt if the birds would come, if I was only 2m away from the compost pile, so I went a few meters on one of the trails to find some birds. First of all a flycatcher, which I identified as Western Wood-Pewee. The only problem is, that it isn't supposed to be here in Ecuador since 2 months, because it is a boreal migrant. I don't know what to think of it, but I didn't have much time to think, when a few understorey birds emerged. Rufous Spinetail and Montane Woodcreeper were the only ones that didn't hide too much, to be able to identifie them. Then a pair of Long-tailed Antbirds let me get quite close, but for some reason climbed up in some bushes, almost into the canopy, which is not very normal for that species. Then another flock came in and I got very good views of Metallic-green Tanagers and also Black-capped Tyrannulet and a Blue-capped Tanager were there. When I went back a Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch hopped in front of me and later it showed to be resident there. At the compost were some White-tipped Doves and the Chestnut-crowned Antpitta was back. Nothing more was there, so I soon tried another trail, were some smaller birds got my attention. The Cinnamon Flycatcher turned out to be rather common, some other birds were hiding too good, to ID them. Also a very close calling bird was hiding very well, but in the end it came out for a few seconds. It was very easy to identifie it, since there is no bird, that looks like the Ocellated Tapaculo...
Nothing too interesting crossed my way then so I made my way back to the lodge, where I was going to have breakfast. After that a young Masked Trogon posed beautifully for me and another tourist and let us get very close. It's bright red eyering confused me a bit and I thought of another species, but indeed it was the Masked Trogon...
This immature Masked Trogon was around the lodge property and let me get very close... The strong red eyering was a bit confusing for me...

I made my way along different trails and found very soon a pair of Green-and-black Fruiteaters. Then I came to a huge flock of furnariids with Streaked Tuftedcheek, Montane and Streaked Woodcreeper and Pearled Treerunner, aswell as Dusky Bush-Tanager and Russet-crowned and Three-striped Warbler. Also a beautiful Crimson-mantled Woodpecker joined them some minutes later.
At the compost was the resident Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch and the Chestnut-crowned Antpitta. Also 3 White-throated Quail-Doves got very close to me...
Three White-throated Quail-Doves came to the compost, two decided to visit me, while I was watching a mixed flock not far away

When I followed my way I found a Tawny-bellied Hermit, a hummingbird I had been waiting for, since a long time. A Plain-tailed Wren tried to hide from me.
Then I got onto a very steep trail where I found almost nothing, after some 500m I got my first birds there. Some Andean Guans (I think so, at least I didn't notice a blue bill, but noticed a grey head and neck) flew away and I even saw one walking on the ground, with its tail pointing upwards, which made it look rather than a chicken. A few Band-tailed Pigeons sat down in a tree and then another pair of Long-tailed Antbirds showed up. I tried for the Tanager Finch, since I got into its territory, but nothing... Then I made my way back to the lodge and found another Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, very close to it, showing very well for me. But then I ended the trip with the best bird; I had seen some very beautiful or difficult birds, so my favourites were Toucan Barbet, Grass-green Tanager, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Green-and-black Fruiteater, Narino and Ocellated tapaculo, White-throated Quail-Dove, Green-fronted Lancebill, Tawny-bellied Hermit, Collared Inca, Long-tailed Antbird and Chestnut-crowned Antpitta, which all are very hard to top, but one bird did it: The Scaled Antpitta. It was not very far from the lodge and showed up very well for me... Soon after I caught another car that took me down to Nanegalito with a few other tourists and then I headed back to Quito...
That was quite a good trip!