24 February 2010

Jorupe, Sozoranga & Utuana (Ecuador): 25-27 January 2010





Several days were spent mixing it up between the humid deciduous woods in Jorupe reserve, tracking down way too many Tumbesian endemics to mention, and also venturing up into the highlands of Sozoranga and Utuana searching for specialties of the region. At Jorupe highlights included 4 Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaners, and the scarce and local Rufous-necked Foliage-gleaner too, a Watkins's Antpitta that literally jumped onto an open track in front of us all, a nesting pair of Slaty Becards, a few dapper Black-capped Sparrows (third photo), several troops of White-tailed Jays among a whole host of other birds that are largely restricted in their ranges to a small area of southern Ecuador and northern Peru. Many too are considered threatened. Our final third night at Jorupe lodge finally got us a Peruvian Screech-Owl that we had been hunting down for two nights previously without success (bottom photo).

At Sozoranga and Utuana we witnessed a number of the local Chestnut-collared Swallows peering out of their mud nests (top photo), a pair of Piura Hemispingus, three Elegant Crescentchests, a hulking Black-cowled Saltator, a very cute pair of Black-crested Tit-Tyrants (second photo), many glistening Rainbow Starfrontlets, and even tracked down a Gray-headed Antbird too.

1 comment:

Lee Dingain said...

Nice photo of Peruvian Screech-Owl!