Welcome to Andean Birding’s News Page. Here you will find updated information about our latest trips and expeditions; new and interesting bird observations from Ecuador; what’s new in the birding pipeline and news about conservation. Click here for the tour price list.

• SOUTHERN ECUADOR & EXTENSION TO CUENCA 23 FEB – 8 MAR.
  Charlie led 4 keen, sharp-eyed Brits; Peter Symmonds, Jeremy Hickman, David Sewell and Simon Mair for a productive trip for Tumbesian, Marañon and Eastern Andes endemics and recorded just under 500 species, with 469 seen. On this itinerary we firmly support the Jocotoco foundation by staying 6 nights at their 2 lodges and visiting another 2 reserves.
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• C-T Ecotour from Taiwan 1-10 Feb 2008 Amazon and Northwest Lowlands
  Andean Birding received its first group from Taiwan this year, 5 avid birders who were guided by Roger in la Selva Jungle Lodge and by Charlie to Canande reserve.
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• SPACECOAST BIRD AND WILDLIFE FESTIVAL 25-26 JANUARY 2008
  This is the biggest festival of its kind in the US and most major tour agencies, binocular manufacturers and various photographers and artists were represented. Andean Birding was represented by Roger Ahlman and Susana Torres. We all came second in attention to a spectacular Raptor show that was held several times daily on the main stage!
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• OILBIRD CAVE
  Andean Birding now offers a visit to a very accessible Oilbird cave. About 1 ½ hour drive from either Mindo or Paz de las Aves, this makes a wonderful midday jaunt when the light is better, to see the Oilbirds close-up in a deep chasm.
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• East and West Slope Tour 4-19 Nov 2007 guided by Charlie Vogt
  Charlie guided Paul Prevett and Candy McManimon for 16 days on the East & West slope before their Galapagos trip. We recorded a total of 554 species with 513 seen and had good luck with some rare birds. Papallacta pass was merciful with the weather and we had great views of Black-backed Bush-Tanager & Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant along with the rest of the Paramo specialties. Guacamayos trail was forth giving with wonderful views of Greater Scythebill, Slate-crowned Antpitta, White-throated Quail-Dove walking on the trail and for Charlie a fleeting glimpse of Masked Saltator. Also Green-and-Black Fruiteater & Dusky Piha appeared. A Rufescent Screech-Owl came in to playback near the Lyre-tailed Nightjar site outside Baeza. A heavy downpour outside of Archidona cleared for an active late-afternoon birding including Blue-winged Parrotlets, Black-throated Mango & Orange-fronted Plushcrown.
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• MYTHICAL VOLCANO 23-29 DEC 2007
  Boris Herrera led our Mythical Volcano tour with an American couple. They recorded 170 species seen and heard and added 14 new species to the Sumaco Volcano list. Yellow-headed Manakin was seen well with a mixed flock, only 2 recent records exist of this rare foothill species. He also tape-recorded what appears to sound like a Puna Snipe near the summit, previously known from one record of a bird flushed in extreme southern Ecuador. Boris will be leading the next Mythical Volcano tour in July 2008. With funding from GTZ, the local guides from Pacto Sumaco have now completed 3 comfortable huts with flush toilets and gas stoves.
   
• BIRDY AMAZONIAN CHRISTMAS 2007
  After coordinating and sending off Boris guiding an American couple on our Mythical Volcano tour with up Sumaco, Sherry and I visited Douglas McMeekin, our friend from Kentucky who owns Yachana Lodge, over Christmas. We had a brief but stimulating 3 night stay. I birded their forest reserve on the far side of the river for 3 mornings with Delfin, a talented Quichua guide who was discovered by Douglas in far SE Ecuadorian amazon and subsequently sponsored/fostered by Douglas. Delfin and I were helping Stephanie Topp, a Canadian coordinating Global Vision International expedition in Ecuador which operates a field station in the reserve.
  
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• NEW AMAZON TO ANDES TOUR - 11 Days w/ Wildsumaco
  We have lengthened our Amazon to Andes tour to allow 2 nights at the new Wildsumaco lodge run by Jonas and Bonnie & Jim Olson. The lodge protects 130Ha of eastern foothill forest with great birding trails for wonderful views of hard-to-get specialties. The tour begins at Napo Wildlife Center for great amazonian birding and also includes a night at Orchid's Paradise for a morning at El Para, see birdlist. San Isidro and Guango as always wind up a rewarding and bird-packed tour!
   
• East and West Slope Tour 4-19 Nov 2007, guided by Charlie Vogt
  Charlie guided Paul Prevett and Candy McManiman for 16 days on the East & West slope before their Galapagos trip. We recorded a total of 554 species with 513 seen and had good luck with some rare birds. Papallacta pass was merciful with the weather and we had great views of Black-backed Bush-Tanager & Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant along with the rest of the Paramo specialties. Guacamayos trail was forth giving with wonderful views of Greater Scythebill, Slate-crowned Antpitta, White-throated Quail-Dove walking on the trail and for Charlie a fleeting glimpse of Masked Saltator. Also Green-and-Black Fruiteater & Dusky Piha appeared. A Rufescent Screech-Owl came in to playback near the Lyre-tailed Nightjar site outside Baeza. A heavy downpour outside of Archidona cleared for an active late-afternoon birding including Blue-winged Parrotlets, Black-throated Mango & Orange-fronted Plushcrown.
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• ANDEAN BIRDING GOES TO SPACECOAST BIRDFAIR JAN 23-28 2008
  Roger Ahlman & Susy Torres will be representing Andean Birding at the Spacecoast Birding & Wildlife Festival near Orlando Florida. There will be a a number of talks on birding in Ecuador, Peru & Bolivia. We hope to meet many contacts and Roger hopes to get many lifers at the nearby marshes as its his first time birding in the US. See you there!
   
• CONSERVATION UPDATE – WILD SUMACO
  Wildsumaco Lodge is happening! After nearly 2 years of preparation, in late July ground was broken in Pacto Sumaco for the construction of Wildsumaco Lodge. A retaining wall and footings for the bedroom buildings and the dining room quickly followed. The roof will go on in early September, and floors, walls and other systems should follow quickly.
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• ANDEAN BIRDING EXHIBITS AT THE BRITISH BIRDWATCHING FAIR 17-19 AUGUST 2007
  Yes, we finally made it to THE BIRDFAIR. Charlie shared a booth with Bellavista Lodge as it is de rigueur to spend a couple nights there on a West slope tour to load up on upper subtropical specialties. Richard Parsons and his charming mum brought repartee and delicious orange cookies to pass the occasional lull in what was a record breaking year. Entrance figures indicated 6000 more attendees on Friday than last year. Charlie saw many friends, associates, former ecstatic clients and made many new friends. In particular he had a chance to meet many of the Neotropical Bird Club organizers as well as their Colombian friends from Proaves. Good news from Colombia; there are now many safe areas to bird in, in particular Santa Marta which is chock-full of endemics will deserve an itinerary on our website. Look for it soon!
  
   
• NEW SITE in Ecuador for Orange-throated Tanager
  We are visiting a new site in SE Ecuador for Orange-throated Tanager which has a much higher probability and dependable access than in N Peru. This is a 3-day add-on to our southern Ecuador tour. It is a breathtaking boatride up the Rio Nangaritza to the rustic comfortable Cabanas Yankuam.
   
• A taste of migration in urban Quito
  On the 4th of April 2006, a Black-billed Cuckoo (picture) was seen all day in Jonas garden in Quito. Also, a female Summer Tanager was passing through in the morning. On the 10th of April, late in the evening, an adult male Yellow Warbler was seen briefly in the same garden. Prime time for north bound migration!
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• 3 new records for Pichincha province!
  During November and December 2005, Jonas and Roger recorded no less than three new species for the Pichincha province. This is significant as that is the best surveyed province in Ecuador.
  
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• NEW TOUR - ARGENTINA
  Andean Birding is introducing Argentina based on a very successful reconaissance trip that Roger and Jonas did in 2004. We will concentrate on the northern parts visiting high mountains, deserts, lush forests and the unique chaco habitat. A few days around Buenos Aires will give us a taste of the very birdy pampas and the coast. Argentina is more developed than other South American countries with better tourist infrastructure. For pasta, meat and wine lovers the local cuisine will give added flavor to the trip apart from the great birding.
   
• A NEW CD FROM EASTERN ECUADOR
  THE BIRDS of EASTERN ECUADOR
  Just released, this 5 CD publication presents recordings of 217 species from the foothills and the lower subtropics of eastern Ecuador and the Rio Maranon drainage. Jonas is one of the co-authors with 45 cuts, many of them unique for the CD.
  www.johnvmoorenaturerecordings.com
   
• NEW TOUR, WEST MEXICO ENDEMICS.
  Charlie, who has spent 12 summers in Chiapas and has birded through Yucatan, scouted Western Mexico this November. He then led a couple for 3 weeks over the holidays for a very successful trip including one site which contains 1/3 of the 180 Central American endemics.
   
• EASY ANTPITTAS, A TREAT FOR SKULKER WEARY BIRDERS
  A new site will be included in our itinerary for the Western Slope Tour. The main attraction here are two habituated Giant Antpittas that can be hand-fed! Two more Giant Antpittas are present along the trail as well as Scaled and Yellow-breasted Antpittas! On Rogers most recent visit a total of five antpittas of 3 species were seen very well in about an hour. Add to this other birds like Olivaceous Piha, Toucan Barbet and Plate-billed Mountain-Toucans, a selection of tanagers and others. More trails are currently being constructed and visiting the site has to be done with the land owner. Andean Birding is happy to bring people here to see the birds and at the same time support the conservation of the forest.
  
   
• MINDO XMAS BIRD COUNT DEC 2005
  Andean Birding participated again in the annual Christmas Bird Count for the Mindo area at Nanca Jatunmi. Last year Charlie heard Long-wattled Umbrellabird, the only record of this species for the 2004 count. In 2002 he recorded Moss-backed Tanager at 1680m, an altitude record.
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• HIGH-ALTITUDE SPECIES RECORDS - Birding For Bravehearts Only!
  Charlie has discovered a site with luxuriant shrub Paramo vegetation at over 4500m; almost 15,000 feet and higher than Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48! In 5 visits he has recorded significant altitude extensions for 10 of the 22 species observed so far. Publication in preparation.
   
• Posters presented at 1st Ecuadorian Ornithology Conference 3-5 Mar 2005
  Charlie and Jonas attended the meeting focused on research and bird tourism. Charlie presented 2 posters; 1. Sumaco project
  and 2. Bird Impact Assessment of a wind turbine project in Loja which he did with Jonas’ assistance in the field. The posters were received with great interest and we had productive discussions on various subjects with Robert Ridgely, Paul Greenfield, Niels Krabbe, Olaf Jahn and Ben Haase.
  
   
• DVD
  Jonas has just recently released a new DVD for Birds of Ecuador; sounds and photographs together with the world famous ornithologist Dr. Niels Krabbe - www.birdsongs.com
   
• Roger Ahlmans trip report
  A very talented Swedish birder recently spent a full year in Ecuador and Peru. Check out his Ecuadorian trip report here.
   
• Rio Quijos sustainable ecotourism development and water-shed management project
  This project will be working in a heavily birded area between Papallacta and the Guacamayos ridge, including San Isidro, check out their Web site: www.kayakecuador.com
   
• Jocotoco Foundation
  One of the most effective bird conservation groups in the Andean region, check out the Web site: www.fjocotoco.org
   
• TOUR PRICE LIST*
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