Whether or not you consider yourself a bird watcher, if you are even remotely interested in wildlife, you need to considering bird watching in the Andes of Ecuador. I assure you it will far surpass your expectations and even a person who barely bird watches such as myself can find plenty to see there.
I first flew into Quito. Quito has some very interesting architecture, quality eating, and plenty to keep you busy for a few days. I was able to rent a small boat for riding in a park that also housed the The Quito Vivarium which is well worth a stop to see some of the snakes of Ecuador up close. Unfortunately, I did see a small amount of crime in Quito, nothing to be overly concerned about but hang onto your belongings while you're in the city and use common sense.
After a couple of days in Quito, I ventured out to the birding famous town of Mindo. Mindo is a very nice town, little to no crime, lots of places for ecotourists to stay, good places to eat, it really has it all. I made my base at the Yellow House which arranges birding tours as well as a large property which is very good for birding itself. They maintain some feeders where you can watch birds like Motmots and many hummingbirds, right at the main house itself. Ecuador has a huge variety of hummingbirds. I was able to see many species on my wish list such as Swallowtail Tanagers, lemon rumped tanagers, Aracari, Toucan, squirrel tailed cuckoo, woodcreepers, white winged tanagers, and many more.
I first flew into Quito. Quito has some very interesting architecture, quality eating, and plenty to keep you busy for a few days. I was able to rent a small boat for riding in a park that also housed the The Quito Vivarium which is well worth a stop to see some of the snakes of Ecuador up close. Unfortunately, I did see a small amount of crime in Quito, nothing to be overly concerned about but hang onto your belongings while you're in the city and use common sense.
After a couple of days in Quito, I ventured out to the birding famous town of Mindo. Mindo is a very nice town, little to no crime, lots of places for ecotourists to stay, good places to eat, it really has it all. I made my base at the Yellow House which arranges birding tours as well as a large property which is very good for birding itself. They maintain some feeders where you can watch birds like Motmots and many hummingbirds, right at the main house itself. Ecuador has a huge variety of hummingbirds. I was able to see many species on my wish list such as Swallowtail Tanagers, lemon rumped tanagers, Aracari, Toucan, squirrel tailed cuckoo, woodcreepers, white winged tanagers, and many more.
Besides the birds, there are many agouti. Bears have also been seen, though I didn't one. There are small ponds with frogs in them.
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The yellow house is walking distance from the town proper and taxis can be hired if headed out to one of the surrounding properties if you'd rather not walk or are unsure where to go. I no longer recall the name, but I found a property where one could eat lunch or pay a small trail fee just outside of Mindo. There was a small swinging bridge setup to allow access to the trails. The water had some interesting ducks, basilisks, and I spotted a Fasciated Tiger Heron and Sun Bitterns on the way back to town.
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Next, I booked a tour at the Frog Concert at Lago Mindo Hosteria which I highly recommend and spent a couple of hours at the
Mariposas de Mindo to see butterflies. While walking through town to get to these places, I took note of a really nice statue in town and even saw some birds in the trees surrounding it.
Mariposas de Mindo to see butterflies. While walking through town to get to these places, I took note of a really nice statue in town and even saw some birds in the trees surrounding it.
Next, I took a trip to 23 de-junio. I highly recommend going to this location. There is much to see there and staying overnight would be worthwhile. I only had one day there but I was able to see both of the species I had especially hoped to find. The Umbrella bird and the Mountain Toucan. The local birding guide also had erected lodging at that time and served very good food.
The next stop was to Angel Paz's place. I was very excited about this because it is a reliable location for the Cock of the Rock. I believe you can also see them at the Yellow House but I had not been up so early as to have a chance to see them there. I believe there is now some onsite lodging at his place. It was a very well run tour and in my opinion, well worth it.
For the final excursion, I connected with Pululahua ecolodge. An excellent birder, Renato, runs the lodge. He arranged to take me to a nearby Antisana Volcano to look for Condors. Numerous birds including owls can be seen at the Pululahua Volcano crater itself and horse back riding is also available. It would be a shame not to venture into this area, as the scenery is quite different than Mindo and stunning in a different way.
What to bring: You won't need much for a birding trip to the Andes, but bring a warmer coat if going to Antisana. Otherwise a water resistant jacket, shoes, binoculars, and a camera should suit you well. If you're not a hardcore birder, you can get by with a pair of Nikon binoculars and a superzoom point and shoot camera (that's what I used) such as the Canon SX models like this one. If you're a serious birder, the amazing birds on this trip will allow you to make the most of an expensive setup.