04 August 2011

Exploring the Choco...ECUADOR (31 July)




The evening before Andrew Spencer received a call from Roger Ahlman who gave us a hot tip: there was a newly built road in Esmeraldas that cut straight into a rich patch of lowland Choco forest. In just a morning on site Roger had picked up some rare Choco species that left us in no doubt this was well, well, worth exploring. The chance of being only the second birders ever to visit this site was impossible to resist, and so we were there at the crack of dawn full of anticipation. Pretty soon we found the first indication of success coming our way: the first of a number of Northern Tufted Flycatchers seen that day included a very confiding pair that sat right in front of us and called away (a scarce species in Ecuador), making me happy for the photos, and Andrew happy for the rich sound recordings he could get. While Andrew went off in pursuit of a calling Choco Tapaculo, I stuck with the Tufted Flycatchers...

This day was one of the most enjoyable and productive days in the Choco I have ever had and so it deserves several posts all of its own.


More from this exciting new birding road to come...

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