Horseback riding in the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve and a visit to Pacha Quindi Nature Reserve to observe hummingbirds are must-do’s on your visit to Ecuador.
 18 March
Up early for a hike, we came across a rare and interesting animal- a caecillian. We also noted a very curious blue-winged mountain tanager on the hummingbird feeders. We had worked up an appetite; and breakfast at the lodge was bread, jam, cereal and yogurt. In South America, yougurt is substituted for milk on cereal.
With some free time in the morning, a few others and I opted to go horseback riding. Wilson (our guide) put me on the lead (and tallest) horse, Carusoe. We rode for an hour and then turned around and went back the same way we came, but it gave us a different perspective, gave our legs a break, and allowed us to go a little further than we had before. We passed by beautiful pastoral landscapes enshrouded in the mist and fog that is the cloud forest’s trademark. We even passed a house with kids, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, etc. The only bird we noted on this particular outing was a cinnamon flycatcher. We headed home to shower and even had time for a short nap before lunch. For lunch we were served chicken, bread, salad, rice and a chocolate-bread dessert.
Around 3pm we gathered again outside of the office by the hummingbird feeders while we awaited Gabriel’s arrival so we could get to our next destination- Tony Nunnery’s house. The property is marked only by a gravel pile and weeds and brush that have been cut through. A path of brick stairs past a gate leads up to the Nunnery’s home, where we met Tony and his wife. On their back porch you can look out over their backyard which is littered with hummingbird feeders, to attract the various local species. Travelers from all over the world learn of Tony and his hospitality and come to bird watch at his home. As a group we casually discussed politics, reforestation, and Tony even offered his guest house and house sitting opportunities, as it gets lonely in the mountains. We encountered two new (to us) hummingbird species- violet-tailed sylph and velvet-purple coronet. We even observed red-billed parrots! After a few hours of viewing from their platform, we put on boots to hike around a little. One of the students found a froglet. The views all around their home were gorgous, and inspired Tony’s wife to create postcards of paintings that she had been inspired to create from the bountiful beauty outside.
We walked back and ate dinner at the lodge- bread, quiche, tomatoes and peas, doritos and a pinapple/mango dessert with raspberry sauce and tea. As we were going over our species lists before bed, Gabriel located a Potoo right outside the dome!
BELLAVISTA: 63°F/78% – 65°F/76% – 63°F/94% overcast/light wind all day. -turquoise jay -blue-winged mountain tanager -sickle-winged guan -plate-billed mountain toucan -montane woodcreeper -longtailed antbird -Spillman’s tapaculo -great thrush -blackburnian warbler -gross green warbler -dusky brush tanager -tricolored brush finch -rufus-collared sparrow -giant cowbird -cinnamon flycatcher -common potoo -rufus spinetail -red-billed parrots -masked flower piercer -leptodactylidae (frog)NEW HUMMINGBIRDS -West Andean emerald -brown Inca -empress brilliant -gorgettd sunangel -violet-tailed sylph -velvet-purple coronet -fawn-breasted brilliant