4350m above sea level

Ecuador: Birds of the High Andes 5


 ... continued from yesterday....

We were allowed a lie-in this morning, with breakfast not scheduled until 6am.  In practice everyone was up and seeking tea/coffee at 5:30am.  Leaving Puembo on the outskirts of Quito at 6:30am we headed on up the road to the Papallacta pass.  This is the pass in the eastern ridge of the Andes that separates the Quito valley from the Amazon basin.

On the way up, we stopped for a while to look at the spectacled bear on the far side of the valley.  I've included a shot as an extra, but it was a long way away so there's not a lot of detail.

Heading on upwards, we eventually reached the top of the pass, and then headed into the National Park Reserve, going even higher until we reached the aerial station at 4355m.  Here our guide led us along a mountain path through the high paramo in pretty misty conditions, until he eventually stopped us to point out the Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, pictured as my main.  This is a bird that one  field  guide describes as " Uncommon" and the other describes as "Rare, but overlooked" by which I think it means its blimmin' well camouflaged.  

We spent most of the rest of the day up in the High Paramo, where I was lucky enough to be able to take the shot of the Ecuadorian Hillstar which features as one of the extras.  This little hummingbird is a high altitude specialist and was one of the only hummingbirds that I was likely to see above 4,000m.  The orange flowers are Chiuquiragua flowers, the particular favourite of this bird.

Later on we descended the eastern slopes of the Andres to Guango Lodge where we were going to be based for the remainder of the trip.  After completing the check list we sat down to the now traditional 3 course meal (I'm definitely going to be putting on weight on this trip despite all the walking), and then to bed.  Before we went to our rooms the staff came out and handed us each a hot water bottle to warm the beds.  Yes, higher up it is noticeably cooler than it has been earlier in the trip.