Ecuador 2019 part 3: The southwest coast (Guayaquil - Puerto Lopez)

*written in Jan/Feb 2020*

Nov 11

Our flight was on-time and fairly uneventful, and after collecting our bags we picked up our rental car (~$41/day including insurance, through Enterprise) and made our way out of the chaos of Guayaquil traffic. Our first stop was to drop our stuff off at our Airbnb, a nice house in the private neighbourhood of Bosques de la Costa, hosted by Jenny ($54 for two bedrooms - https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/24625111). Getting in was a bit of a hassle as there were two gates with guards that required ID, etc., but Jenny was a great host, and the place backed on to Cerro Blanco, a protected area with some nice dry forest. We didn't linger long here, as we were eager to get some birding in before it got dark. Heading westward, we stopped at the gate for Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco. Information online seemed conflicted as to how to access it, so we figured a "show up and chat" approach was our best bet. The gate was locked when we got there, but after some talking with the guard he seemed willing to let us in. Unfortunately he also indicated it was only half an hour until closing time (16:00), and we would have to pay the full $6 per person entry fee. With some more talking, he eventually was willing to let us in until 16:30 or 17:00 at the latest, but we decided to just come back in the morning. The gates open at 08:00, but contacting the WhatsApp number on the gate, we were able to negotiate a 06:00 arrival by saying we were visiting biologists hoping to look for birds. I think technically you are supposed to have a guide or at least arrange your visit ahead of time, so we hoped for the best and figured out an alternative plan. In researching my target birds for this area, I had seen a hotspot on eBird not too far away that seemed to have a decent variety of dry forest species. Without a better option on late notice, we hit the road again and a few minutes later arrived at the gate for Parque el Lago (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61377717). It turned out that the entry was free; we just had to show a passport to the guard at the gate who took our information and told us the park closed at 18:00. The birding here was great, and the lifers came quickly after we stepped out of the car, none of us having visited this habitat before. In just over two hours, I picked up 13 lifers; mostly Tumbesian specialties such as White-tailed Jay, Scarlet-backed Woodpecker, Baird's Flycatcher, Fasciated Wren, White-edged Oriole and Gray-and-gold Warbler. A Striped Cuckoo entertained us at close range with its foraging antics, flaring its alula feathers and wings from side-to-side, while Pacific Parrotlets foraged like goldfinches in roadside weeds. Walking back past the car (we had gone westward along the lakeshore to begin), a Snowy-throated Kingbird entertained us by catching dragonflies right above where we'd parked. We then walked the dike east of the parking area as the sun was beginning to set, with large flocks of Red-masked Parakeets and a few surprise Chestnut-collared Swallows flying over. The lake also held good numbers of waterbirds, adding a fair number of birds to our trip list. On our way back, we picked up some pizzas, beer, and groceries for the coming days and spent the evening chatting on the balcony at our Airbnb and listening unsuccessfully for owls.

Baird's Flycatcher

Striped Cuckoo showing off its alulas

The crew birding Parque el Lago

Snowy-throated Kingbird

Sunset over the lake

Running trip total: 419

Nov 12

With an early departure, our host was a bit disappointed that she couldn't make us breakfast (we had forgotten to let her know until late the previous night that we'd be leaving early) but once we assured her we had food and our stay was great, she seemed a bit happier. Ecuadorian hospitality! We rolled up to the gates at Cerro Blanco a few minutes before 06:00, where the guard had indeed been informed of our arrival and let us in with no issues (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61402716). As we had to pay at the main admin building which didn't open until later, we immediately hit the trails. Over the course of the morning, we birded the Buena Vista and Connection trails, and the old roads around the camping and administration areas. Not realizing how long the trails were, we didn't make it up to the higher elevations where some species are apparently easier. As it was the dry season, the dawn chorus was rather weak, and bird activity remained somewhat low through the morning, although with effort we did run into flocks here and there, and picked up most of our targets. Even though we'd already picked up quite a few species at Parque el Lago the evening before, I still managed 10 lifers through the morning, with Ecuadorian Piculet, Collared Antshrike, Gray-cheeked Parakeet, Sooty-crowned Flycatcher, Black-capped Sparrow and Crimson-breasted Finch among them, all Tumbesian specialties.

Birding the mid-elevation trails at Cerro Blanco

One of the lookouts

At the admin building in late morning, we paid our fee and staked out the hummingbird feeders, eventually seeing a couple of "Baron's" Long-billed Hermits. At the picnic area, we took an early lunch break and had our final new bird of the morning when a Pacific Elaenia decided to come sing above us. At this point we decided to leave Cerro Blanco early, figuring we'd seen what we were going to see for the day, as the birding was quickly slowing down.

Sooty-crowned Flycatcher

Hitting the road and heading westward, we made a quick stop to photograph a Pearl Kite (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61402599) before arriving at our afternoon birding destination of Atahualpa. Since we had originally planned a full day at Cerro Blanco, we figured we could use the usually slow-for-birding afternoon period to scope out some good sites for the following morning. There were a few seemingly tricky species we hoped to see here, such as the nomadic Sulphur-throated Finch and the uncommonly-reported Gray-and-white Tyrannulet, so we figured more time was better. This area is dominated by oil & gas, and there are many gravel roads leading out into the scrubby desert as a result, giving good access to the habitat (***note - keep reading for more on this 'access'!). Picking a random side road that seemed to have slightly more scrub than some of the others, we parked the car and focused on a shrubby wash (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61402683). It didn't take long before a group of small brown birds flew up, a few of them perching for looks - Sulphur-throated Finches! A few minutes later, a grayish bird with a crest popped up and gave a few calls - Gray-and-white Tyrannulet! The two birds we figured would give us the most trouble here, seen in the first few minutes of our visit. The wash proved to be pretty active, and we also added Collared Warbling-Finch, Necklaced Spinetail, Croaking Ground-Dove and Parrot-billed Seedeater. The "Tumbes" Mouse-colored Tyrannulet also put in a few appearances, giving great looks.

Gray-and-white Tyrannulet

Birding the scrubby wash

With a couple more targets in mind, we drove a few minutes down the road to another likely-looking side road, this one with more open habitat and another nice wash (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61402696). As we wandered the scrub, we picked up another large flock of Sulphur-throated Finches, more Parrot-billed Seedeaters, and most of the birds we'd had at the previous stop (no Gray-and-white Tyrannulets though). Eventually a tiny bird with a stubby tail popped out - Short-tailed Field Tyrant! It proved difficult to get good views or photos of, playing hide-and-seek with us in the scrub. A Chestnut-throated Seedeater also made a brief appearance before we headed back to the car, satisfied with our success here.

Sulphur-throated Finches

As we got closer to the car, we noticed that there were a couple of trucks and a police car parked next to it, with one of the cops looking through the windows and writing on a notepad. Crap. It turned out that one of the oilfield workers had called the car in to his boss, who had notified the police. They were just about to get a tow truck to take our car away when we arrived! After explaining that we were just birding (we had to show them the photos on our cameras) and hadn't gone far from the car, the officers seemed to settle down a bit. They warned us that the entire area was a no-go zone (although there weren't any signs to indicate this anywhere), and was very dangerous, especially for a bunch of white people with expensive cameras and a new-looking car. They did indicate that it would be possible to visit the area for birding though; one just has to notify the oil company and the police. It sounded like they wanted to have a police escort for anyone visiting. Anyway, as we were about to get back in the car and leave, the officer said "One more thing" - our immediate thought was "oh no, what now...", but then he took out his phone and said "Selfie?". Ha! I guess it isn't often that Canadians come through this area, so we took a few photos with them and went on our way, glad that we'd seen all of our target birds and that we would not have to try another visit! Continuing down the road, we made a quick stop for a West Peruvian Dove sitting on a wire (a lifer for everyone but me, having seen them in northern Chile - https://ebird.org/checklist/S61402563), before making it to Anconcito, where we hoped to scan the ocean. It proved a bit difficult to access the best seawatching spots (we also didn't try very hard though), so we settled for a scan of the harbour, adding Peruvian Pelican and four gull species to our trip list (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61402712). With a successful day of birding under our belts, we made our way to our Airbnb in Ancon for the night (Casa Elysium, hosted by Nikki and Jorge - $45 for two bedrooms/four beds with included breakfast - https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/26029271). A cafe a few blocks away seemed to be the only restaurant in town, but the food was great. We set up Josh's moth light and sheet that night, but with quite a few other artificial lights around and very dry conditions, only a few showed up.

Running trip total: 463

Nov 13

With our success the afternoon before, and not really wanting to try our luck with the oilfields again, we had a bit of a sleep-in and a leisurely breakfast (the breakfast at Casa Elysium was well worth the night in Ancon! - https://ebird.org/checklist/S61436863). Our 'spare' morning allowed us to make a visit to a good seawatching spot at La Chocolatera near Santa Elena. Making our way up the coast, we added a few more coastal species to the trip list (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61436869) before arriving at the military base. In recent years, the base has opened up to tourists, where a show of ID will allow you to visit for the day. The peninsula is the westernmost point in Ecuador, jutting out into the Pacific, and has turned up some pretty fantastic pelagic birds in the past. Upon arrival, we saw another birder already set up at the lighthouse; it turned out to be Ben Haase, a Dutch expat who has spent hundreds of hours seawatching from this point. We had a good chat with him while we watched the seas (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61436895); not having a scope limited us somewhat but we did manage to add a few pelagic birds to our trip list! Some distant Humpback Whales also provided a bit of excitement, as we watched them breach. After our seawatch vigil, we wandered around, finding quite a few lizards and a tame Variable Hawk. A little ways down the peninsula, we stopped in at La Loberia, a sea lion colony where they sleep on some interestingly-shaped rocks (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61436903).

Seawatching at La Chocolatera

La Chocolatera

La Loberia

Our next stop was at the Pacoa salt ponds, farther up the coast, a spot I had marked on the map but not really expected we'd have time for. Before we got there, we stopped in at a seafood restaurant on the beach in San Pablo, and immediately got distracted by a large flock of gulls and terns roosting right behind the restaurant (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61436920). It was nice to get up-close looks at Gray-hooded Gulls, as well as study Royal and Elegant terns side-by-side.

Gray-hooded Gull

Ghost Crab of some sort

We eventually managed to finish our lunches and get to the Pacoa area, where we checked out a few side roads at the south end of the complex before birding the main mudflats near the large oil tanks at the north end (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61436944). We didn't find the Peruvian Thick-knees that inhabit the area (perhaps seasonally?), but we did add Peruvian Meadowlark as a lifer, and a multitude of shorebirds along with a few Burrowing Owls to the trip list. From there, we continued up the coast toward Ayampe, making a stop at a side road that looked good on eBird (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61437031). Unfortunately the road was quite muddy, and our rental car wasn't up to the task of navigating it, so we parked close to the highway and walked down the road a ways in a light rain. Unsurprisingly, given the rather dim light, rainy conditions and intense cicada noise (it was truly deafening in some sections), the bird activity was low - a few Ecuadorian Trogons were new, but heard-only. A Bicolored Hawk perched up nicely, scaring all the passerines that were around but providing great views for us, the first any of us had seen perched! Josh also got decent looks at a Gray-breasted Flycatcher but all any of the rest of us saw was a branch moving as it flew away. As it was starting to get a bit dark, we decided to carry on and find our Airbnb for the night near Ayampe, which took some doing as the guy hadn't gotten back to us with a location before we left cell reception. We ended up driving into town to get signal, then back south of town where a bit of a search and a drive up the wrong driveway later, we eventually found the house (https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/25103377, hosted by Stephano, $128 for two nights, entire house/apartment to ourselves). It ended up being a fantastic location; quiet and away from the town with a spectacular view over the forest, town and ocean. More importantly, there was a good amount of habitat and the second-floor balcony overlooked all of this.

Views over the ocean from our balcony

We dropped off our stuff and set up the moth sheet, then went to town to find some dinner and groceries. Upon our return, all of us were blown away with how many moths had come in - including some huge ones. Josh has two great posts up about our 'bugging out' here: http://joshvandermeulen.blogspot.com/2019/12/bugging-out-in-ayampe-part-1.html. Suffice it to say that it was pretty incredible, and we were up for several more hours scouring the sheet and surrounding walls for cool moths, beetles and other bugs. We also went on a night hike partway through, finding an Andean Snail-eater (snake) along with quite a few tiny rainfrogs.

The moth sheet upon our return!

Lebeau's Silkmoth - one of the highlights

Siobhan with one of the Lebeau's Silkmoths

Andean Snail-eater

Running trip total: 500 (in ten days! not bad, especially with no Amazon birding)

Nov 14

After our late night of mothing, we had a bit of a slow start, making it to the road through the Ayampe reserve well after sunrise. The cool, cloudy and a bit drizzly conditions meant that bird activity remained high all morning though, so our late start didn't matter too much! Once again, the road was too muddy for our car, so we parked near the start and walked to the end of the road and back (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61448876).

A gray, drizzly morning in Ayampe

The drizzle also helped us in another way - normally, the rains come later in the year, and with them a certain hummingbird; this year they seemed to have come early, and we lucked into a male Esmeraldas Woodstar feeding on some flowering vines along the road! A species that I was not hopeful of seeing, given that there are very few November records on eBird. Unfortunately all of us went for the binoculars first, and the bird zipped off before we got our cameras up. We staked out the vines for a while, and again on our return but did not see it again. With our main target under our belts, we enjoyed the many mixed flocks along the rest of the road, picking up Rufous-headed Chachalaca, Ochre-bellied Dove (heard), Gray-backed Hawk and Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaner (heard), along with over 20 other trip birds. We also got nice looks at an Ecuadorian Trogon, and found a good variety of butterflies along the roadsides.

Sara Longwing

On our walk back, the gals had had enough of the mud and drizzle, and hiked out to the car while Josh and I made our way more slowly, birding a few more mixed flocks on the way. At one point I heard Josh shout and ran the 200m or so to where he was standing - Slaty Becard! We had good looks, and heard a second one farther up the trail.

Slaty Becard

Eventually we made it back to the car (which was being swarmed by mosquitoes), and headed back to our Airbnb for lunch. Fed and dried out, Siobhan and Laura wanted to nap while Josh and I were feeling a little twitchy; sitting still while it was still light out and there were birds to be had is not something we usually do on trips! We let them know we'd be heading back into town (and they were welcome to come), and then headed to the estuary where some eBird reports of Scrub Nightjars flushed from beach vegetation were tantalizing us (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61454318). Least Grebe, Blue-winged Teal and Common Gallinule were new for the trip list, and we gave the shorebirds, gulls and terns a quick scan before setting out to walk the beach scrub. We flushed a few birds that all turned out to be Lesser Nighthawks, before Josh almost stepped on one that didn't flush. Backing up, we got some fantastic photos and it didn't seem too perturbed at our presence once it decided we weren't going to eat it.

Lesser Nighthawk

Josh photographing the nighthawk - can you see it?

I will admit that we initially thought some birds looked ok for the nightjar before realizing that quite a few of the photos on eBird labelled as Scrub Nightjars were actually misidentified Lesser Nighthawks, hence the seeming similarity! We never did end up seeing or hearing this range-restricted species, and thought that there was a good possibility that most of those other reports were erroneous. With dusk approaching, we spent some time searching around the bridge and the first 300m or so of the Ruta Ecologica, turning up a nice Elegant Crescentchest and hearing a very distant Watkins's Antpitta, but none of our other targets.

Elegant Crescentchest

Done birding for the day, we retrieved the (very jealous of our nighthawk encounter) gals, and set up the moth sheet before heading back into town for dinner. Another incredible night of mothing was in store for us, and we were once again up for several hours staring at insects. As the new moths were still coming in, we decided to hook up the moth light to the house power (instead of Josh's power bank), and leave it running for the night to see if we could attract anything different in the wee hours of the morning.

Automeris metzli, a type of Io moth

Running trip total: 536

Nov 15

Despite our late night, Josh and I were up well before dawn, with grand hopes of a sheet black with insects. As it turned out, the power had gone out around 03:30 and not come back on, and our sheet was almost devoid of insects, having been released from the spell of the light at some point in the night. With that disappointment, we went back to bed for a bit before packing our things and getting ready for the next leg of our trip. I did a bit of birding from the yard before we left, not turning up anything new (https://ebird.org/checklist/S61475676). As Josh and Laura had to be in Puerto Lopez around 08:30 for their trip to Isla de la Plata, we didn't make any stops along the way, and made our goodbyes as they dropped us off at the bus station. Siobhan and I had a travel day, catching the bus back to Guayaquil (4h, $5.25 each), where we stopped in at the north terminal before catching a taxi ($8) to our hostel (Dreamkapture Hostel, ~$21 for a private room plus $2 each for breakfast - https://ebird.org/checklist/S61475712). It turned out to be in quite a sketchy neighbourhood but was only a few blocks from a massive shopping centre where we got dinner (empanadas and crepes!) and picked up a few things we'd need over the next few weeks. Of course, we made sure to be back at the hostel before dark, and spent the evening on the wifi doing some research for the next leg of our trip.

Running trip total: 536

It was great to catch up with Josh and finally(!) meet Laura on this leg of the trip, and the birding was quite varied, from dry forest to desert scrub, coastal beaches and salt flats to tropical humid forest. Despite missing a fair number of our hoped-for Tumbesian specialties, we lucked out big time with the main reason most birders visit this part of the world - the Esmeraldas Woodstar! Josh and Laura also ended up visiting a road near Puerto Lopez and picked up most of what we had missed near Ayampe, so if you're birding this area but not planning on visiting the Jorupe reserve in the south I would recommend spending a morning at the Las Goteras road to increase your chances at some of the specialties. Also - a scope is highly recommended for the Salinas area - our shorebirding and seawatching suffered somewhat from our lack of a scope although we didn't really have any major target species in those categories there.

I should also mention that when Josh and Laura returned the car to Enterprise on the 17th, they were hit with a 'cleaning and administrative' bill of around $100 (by email after the fact) as apparently the car was beyond normal dirtiness, or something. Given that a carwash is under $3 in Ecuador this was pretty ridiculous, and honestly the car was not that dirty. Certainly not any worse than some other rentals we've taken back over the years. Anyway, something to be aware of when renting a car in Ecuador - make sure it's reasonably clean before you bring it back.