Devil Birds – Ecuador – Part 11

Tuesday 9/21/21 (Teri)

After a breakfast of eggs with thin ham (lunchmeat) and toast, we headed to see the only nocturnal flying fruit-eating birds in the world – Oilbirds.

We arrived at 8:00 to the owners home.  While waiting for José to pay ($10 each), I wandered over to a shed where I had noticed a very large stainless steel vat.

There were a couple of people in the shed and it wasn’t long before I saw this man coming across the field. 

Here comes the milk! 

There was a very small dairy operation going on.

I didn’t speak to any of the workers but it looked like the milk was being tested before being poured into the vat. 

Milk being tested. 

These cans look very heavy. 

The lid was lowered. 

Besides being a small dairy, there is also a small lodge that had some wonderful displays.

Everyone piled back into the van and we followed the owner about 15 minutes to the Oilbird cave.

I keep calling it a cave but it really isn’t. It’s more of a narrow canyon. 

The Oilbirds rest during the day and are tucked into the side of the steep canyon walls.  They make a horrible harsh screaming sound (they are also called "devil birds"). They are very large. About 19” long with a wingspan of 37” and weigh about a pound.  They are called Oilbirds because, in the past, chicks were boiled down to make oil.

We saw a lot of evidence that they are fruit eaters. 

Bird poop

The trail was right on a waterfall and very wet and slick.

We didn’t stay with the Oilbirds for very long before heading back out.  This is a beautiful area. 

We stopped along a river when José saw some Torrent Ducks. 

Mark got some great pictures.

There was a restaurant pretty close to our lodge where José wanted to stop and look at the bird feeders. 

Mirador Guaycapi

They had a nice patio where we could sit and watch the feeders.

Even though it was noon we weren’t here for lunch, but we bought a coke and a snack.

We got back to the lodge and had a late lunch.  The soup was plantain balls stuffed with cheese.  We also had steak, black beans, and cauliflower.

We relaxed until 5:00 when we were scheduled to have our Covid test.  $30 each plus $20 for the driver.  It seemed like quite a bargain since we had just paid $60 each in Costa Rica.

After our Covid test we drove down the road a little bit to hopefully see a Lyre-tailed Nightjar.  Just the tail of an adult bird can be 24” long!  It’s a night-flying bird and was very high up a hill but I got a great look at it when it flew out and back.  I think Mark missed it the first time.  We stayed around until it flew out again and Mark got a good view. 

Dinner was a little later (7:00).  It was our last dinner here at the lodge and was a little strange.

They brought out a plate with grilled broccoli with a peanut sauce.  It was a little burnt, cold and very salty with some pink stuff underneath it.

We thought, "Wow, this is it?" Did they run out of food?  We all had a good laugh when they brought out the rest of the food - mashed potatoes and meatballs with pie and ice cream for dessert. 

This was our last night here but we still had tomorrow morning for birding at the lodge.    

*** CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE ***

Tuesday, 9/21/2021 (Mark)

Up at 5:30, Breakfast at 5:50, and in the van at 6:20 for the trip to Finca Morales Oilbird Cave. Along the way we saw a juvenile White-tailed Kite, which is unusual for this area. 

White-tailed Kite

We arrived at 8:00, spent a bit of time at the owners home so José could pay, and then the owner got on a motorcycle and led us to the site, about 15 minutes away. We walked up a short path, hearing the Oilbirds as we approached. Once at the top of the path we could see Oilbirds no more that 25’ away. 

Oilbird

The site was a narrow canyon with a waterfall rather than a true cave, so visibility was good. At one point José shined a flashlight on the birds for better visibility and photos.

Oilbird

After about twenty minutes with the birds we left. We then drove for over an hour on rough dirt roads as José and Edison sought out a place to view the nearby river. We finally got there and immediately saw a male Torrent Duck. 

Torrent Duck - male

Torrent Ducks inhabit roaring streams and rivers only in the Andes mountains of South America. The kind of water one would never dream of entering is exactly where these ducks live. José then spotted the female, and three juveniles. We walked down the road some to get better views of the ducks as they dove into the river and swam to various boulders in the middle. 

Torrent Duck - juvenile and female

Torrent Duck - male, juveniles and female

We then got back in the van and drove again over rough dirt roads for another hour before we finally got back onto paved, or at least smoother roads. We stopped at a restaurant (Mirador Guaycapí) not far from Tandayapa Bird Lodge to sit and watch their hummingbird and fruit feeders for a while. 

White-lined Tanager - female

White-lined Tanager - male

We bought some plantain chips, a local chocolate bar, and we split a Diet Coke while we were there. Since we were looking at their feeders but not having lunch, we thought we should buy something. No new hummingbirds for us there, but nice looks and opportunities for photos.

Booted Racket-tail - female

Booted Racket-tail - male

Brown Violetear

Purple-throated Woodstar - female

Purple-throated Woodstar - male

We got back to the lodge at around 1:00, had lunch, and then relaxed for the afternoon. At 5:00 we had our COVID tests performed at the lodge, by a medical tech who had been driven up from Quito. The tests were $30 each, with a $20 charge for the drive. It is a 3-hour round trip from Quito, so the $20 charge seemed incredibly cheap. 

At 6:00 p.m. we drove down the road a bit to a clear area, hoping to see the Lyre-tailed Nightjar. This is a night-flying bird with an incredibly long tail. We’d hoped to find one on its roost during the day, but none of the several possible areas worked out. José took us down here as our last chance to see it. Shortly after arriving at the spot, José heard it calling up the hill. He played its call a few times, and then announced that it was flying in. I missed it the first time, but Teri got good looks. At last it flew out one more time and I got to see it well. It was silhouetted against the evening sky, but the amazingly long tail streamers showed up well.

Next time: Our last morning at the lodge and back to Quito.