Tinalandia Birding reports
Thomas H. Davis & Clive Green
The grounds of the Tinalandia Hotel near Santo Domingo de los Colorados offer the best accessible Pacific slope birding in Ecuador. From Quito, it is possible to reach the hotel in less than 3 hours driving time. A single night's stay would enable you to see many of the species listed below. However, a 3 or 4 day stay would allow you ample time to bird roadside habitats en route to the hotel and to hike up to the moss forest. In this latter habitat you may hope to see the fabled Long-wattled Umbrellabird, and the exotic Golden-winged manakin, Glistening-green Tanager, and others.
Roadside stops en route to the hotel from Machachi will add many temperate and subtropical zone birds to your list. After leaving Machachi, the road rises to an elevation of about 10,000 feet before beginning its long winding descent. Starting at about 8,500 feet elevation we made frequent stops, most of which produced very few birds. Several were fairly productive, and one was truly outstanding, with 22 species seen. On our return trip we stopped at this same spot and found it devoid of birds. This road is dirt-surfaced for most of its length and heavily used by trucks, consequently dusty and noisy. An alternative quieter route is the "Old Quito Highway" or "Old Chiriboga Road," to which you should inquire for directions (it is easier to find coming up the mountain).
Also, these roads are prone to landslides after heavy rains, especially during the months February to April. Andean Cock-of-the-Rocks once occurred near these roads, along subtropical zone streams, but trapping and shooting have largely extirpated them.
The elevation at the Tinalandia Hotel is about 2,000 feet, placing it in the upper tropical zone. Around the main house and cabins are scattered trees and lots of flowering bushes, the latter especially attractive to Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds. We observed a variety of tanagers and other birds early or late in the day preening themselves in several isolated trees by the main house.
From the main house, bird up the hill, first along a stream, then following the edge of the forest. When you arrive at the golf course bear right along a well-marked jeep track and continue until you see a small pond. Turn right just before the pond onto a trail that passes through several hundred yards of steep slope forest. The trail exits the forest at a turnaround at the end of the jeep track, on revisits you could drive here if you wish. Just above the turnaround you will see a dirt road winding uphill to the right. The first hundred yards of this road provided spectacular edge birding on two midmorning visits. Just to the right of the turn-around an inconspicuous trail first passes under a barbed wire fence, then continues through a half mile of lush forest. Most of our woodland species were noted along this trail.
Bird notes. Columbia pigeons noted at Tinalandia were all plumbeous by voice, rendered "whoop'whoop'hoo hoo." The extremely similar Ruddy Pigeon was noted south of Sto. Domingo, its call may be rendered "whooo, hoo'. hoo'." The Chestnut-backed Antbird is quite common at Tinalandia, as evidenced by how often it is heard. Its call is a plaintive, 2-note whistle, the second note lower than the first. The elusive Nightingale Wren, often heard in the forest, but seldom seen, has a decidedly unwren-like song. This consists of a long (40 seconds or more) series of successively lower-pitched whistled notes separated from one another by increasingly longer pauses.
Also in the forest, a beautiful Catharus thrush song is that of the Spotted Nightingale thrush. Its song is a long series of delicate fluting phrases, interspersed with soft trills. The entire song has an improvised air about it.
About one hour's hike above the turnaround we discovered a lovely moss forest, replete with subtropical zone species. From the turn-around follow the dirt road uphill to the right. En route, you will pass by a succession of uninteresting agricultural habitats. In July 1974 this road was undergoing construction along its upper length. After a while you will arrive at the crest of a narrow mountain saddle. About 200 yards before this crest an about-face will reveal the Tinalandia property spread out many hundreds of feet.
The principal moss forest we birded is situated immediately below the crest. At the top of the saddle the dirt road veers to the night. Follow a horse trail to the left and look for several foot trails entering the forest. This forest is straight out of Tolkein, it is dripping with mosses and epiphytes. The size of the forest is small, probably less than 10 acres. It slopes slowly, then steeply downhill. It is important to proceed quietly and deliberately along trails crisscrossing the forest, in this manner we surprised Rufous Wood-quail and Black-headed Antthrush.
The second moss forest we birded lies a short distance up the saddle. From the intersection of the dirt road with the horse trail, continue along the road. The road immediately makes a large horse-shoe loop to the right. At the end of the loop, about 250 yards from the intersection is a farmhouse on the right. Walk up to the house and inquire the whereabouts of the trail leading further up into the mountains (donde esta el sendero a la montania?). Actually, it begins behind the right-hand side of the house but it's polite to ask. Tell them you wish to see the Long-wattled Umbrellabird (quisiera ver el pajaro del toro), tell them that this is a very special bird (es un pajaro muy especial). The Umbrellabird's Spanish name, "pajaro del toro," translates into English as the "bull bird," owing to the male's lowing call. It is important to impress upon these people that you wish to see or to photograph an Umbrellabird, and not to shoot or capture one. The realization that live, wild Umbrellabirds are more valuable than dead or captive birds may help to maintain its presence in this area.
On the July visit we found a female Umbrellabird in the first patch of forest above this farmhouse. It suddenly flushed from overhead, along with several toucans. Perhaps these birds were all feeding in the same tree. During 20 minutes' ensuing observation the Umbrellabird remained in the lower canopy and never uttered a sound.
Above the patch of forest the trail led higher, toward extensive mountain forest. Time did not permit us to explore further but it would be worthwhile to try. The sooner the better, for the completion of the road will likely bring further human depredation of this habitat. To probe further you would be have to steep yourself in Spanish and hire a native assistant. Not only will a native know the way, but they also show great awareness of their country's birdlife. In particular, I showed a small, crude drawing of a male Long-wattled Umbrellabird to many natives I met along the road. Nearly all of them stared at it a while, then exclaimed "es un pajaro del toro, pero mas grande!" But it's much larger!
From BIRDING ECUADOR - by Clive Green
Officially classified as a neotropical rain forest, the area offers an abundant variety. The toucans and parrots may be less frequent visitors to Tinalandia, but the swallow-tailed kites, the squirrel cuckoos, the rufous-tailed hummingbirds and collared trogons are abundant. In fact, more than 270 species of birds have been recorded here all within walking distance of the lodges.
Tinalandia is one area of Ecuador that delights bird watchers. Despite the small size, it has an amazingly abundant and varied bird population. More than 1,400 species of birds, both year-round residents and migrants, have been recorded in the tiny country, about the size of Colorado. There are only about 7,000 species of birds in the world: only 700 that have been recorded in North America. So Ecuador is justly proud of this figure.
This is true in great measure because of the varied nature of the country. "From the Andes to the jungle, or Oriente, you have all the climates in the world here," says naturalist Antonio Torres. "From the high Andes to the coastal regions, it's like going from central Canada to the equator. You find different species of birds in all the various niches." Alas, our group never did see a magnificent andean condor. We did, however, see a brilliant red Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, one of the rarest of species. And the hummingbirds were delightful, if not exactly the perfect photographic models.
"More than 119 species of hummingbird are found in Ecuador," says Torres. "Colombia has more species, but Ecuador has more hummingbirds. According to legend, the name Quito means land of the hummingbirds."
Hacienda Tinalandia:
tele/fax: (593-2) 2449-028
cells: 099467741 / 099494727
Urbanizacion El Bosque 2da. Etapa Av. del Parque
Calle 3era. Lote 98 #43-78
Quito, Ecuador