On the Road to Tapichalaca
Last Birds at Copalinga
Tuesday, July 22, 2008: We spent some more time birding at Copalinga this morning before taking our leave. I saw two more life birds: Violet-headed Hummingbird and Golden-winged Tody-Flycatcher. Another highlight was was a pair of nesting Yellow-cheeked Becards.
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| Yellow-cheeked Becard | View from Copalinga |
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| Tropical Kingbird | Blue-and-white Swallow |
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| Copalinga Cabin | Our Bus (Old Zamora Road) |
Old Zamora Road
After leaving Copalinga, we returned to the old Loja-Zamora Road. We alternately birded and walked the road. New birds included White-bellied Woodstar, Lemon-browed Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Antwren, and Equatorial Graytail. Besides seeing the graytail, we also found its nest! Some barking, loose dogs caused some anxiety for some of the group, but they stayed on their own territory and did not pose a problem. There were also many butterflies on and along the road. I took photos of a few of them. Finally, it was time to press on, and we started the long drive to Tapichalaca Reserve via Loja.
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| Rio Zamora | Butterflies | |
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| Bridge on Old Zamora Road | View from Old Zamora Road | Loja! |
Tapichalaca, via Malacotos and Yangana
We made a couple of stops along the way to Tapichalaca. The first was at a gas station at Malacotos. We noticed birds, and started birding. The birds included Pacific Hornero, Smooth-billed Ani, Scrub Blackbird and the western form of Blue-gray Tanager, among others.
We also made a roadside stop at Yangana, adding Fasciated Wren and Yellow-tailed Oriole to my life list.
Upon arrival at Tapichalca, the feeders quickly provided several lifers: Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Amethyst-throated Sunangel, Collared Inca, Little (Flame-throated) Sunangel, and Speckled Hummingbird. It was raining when we arrived. It would rain consistently the next few days, and only cleared the last day of the trip.
After dark, some Pacas showed up. They've been feeding them.
Today's totals were 64 species including 14 lifers, making a grand total of 336 bird species with 231 lifers.
Jocotoco Lodge, Tapichalaca Reserve