Rio Silanche – Ecuador – Part 6

Thursday 9/16/21 (Teri)

Today was a long day!  After breakfast (omelette with mushrooms over toast) we were in the van by 6:00 am.  We had a 1 ½ hour drive to Rio Silanche.  We had been to Rio Silanche in 2008 on our first trip to Ecuador.

We had a very foggy, rainy morning.

We spent about 3 hours birding along the road before heading into Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary.  Rio Silanche is 247 acres at 1345’.

After arriving we headed directly to the birding tower.   

Mark and Jose

We were on the tower for about an hour when Edison started handing out our lunch. 

Lunch was ramen with pork and chips.

I thought we also had tangerines but they were very light and when Mark started peeling his we found out it was passionfruit.

I thought it looked gross.  I didn’t try it.

I don’t think Mark liked it very much.

After lunch we headed down a trail for some birding.  We got back to the van after a couple of hours.

Unfortunately, when we arrived Edison informed us that the van wouldn’t start and we would need to push it.

It started right up with a push and we arrived back at the lodge at 5:00.  We went over the bird list before dinner.

Dinner started with a very good lima bean soup.

We also had tuna over hominy and grilled cauliflower. 

It was a very long day and we headed to our room right after dinner.

Thursday, 9/16/2021 (Mark)

Got up at 5:00, Breakfast at 5:30, in the van before 6:00 for the 1.5 hour drive to Rio Silanche Reserve. We started out by walking the entrance road for a mile or so. It was very foggy/drizzly at first, but let up fairly quickly. There is a rock quarry near the reserve, so we were passed by loaded and unloaded dump trunks constantly. 

We did get to see some great birds, including Red-billed Scythebill, Black-faced Dacnis, Masked Water-tyrant, Lineated Woodpecker and Blue-tailed (Choco) Trogan. It was so foggy and gray that getting decent images was a real challenge. 

Red-billed Scythebill

Black-faced Dacnis

Masked Water-Tyrant

Blue-tailed Trogan

We then got back in the van and headed to the Rio Silanche Preserve. There is a canopy tower there, and it was our first stop. I was first to the top, and there was a beautiful male White-tailed Trogan very close, and I got great photos. It flew as the others came up. José managed to call it back in, but it never came as close. 

White-tailed Trogan

The weather was mixed the couple of hours we were up on the tower. It would be sunny and quite hot for a while, then cloud up and cool off some. But this was the lowest location we would visit on our trip, at around 1000 feet, so was the warmest, muggiest place we birded. We saw some really good birds from the tower, included Orange-fronted Barbet, Scarlet-breasted Dacnis, and Scarlet-browed Tanager.

Scarlet-breasted Dacnis

A couple of raptors flew over the tower, giving a good opportunity for pictures without having to shoot through trees for a change!

Hook-billed Kite

Short-tailed Hawk (Dark morph)

Perhaps the best bird of the day was a tiny (2 3/4" long) Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant that posed for pictures. It was very close to us and at eye level, so I imagine that these pictures are as good as anyone has ever gotten of this species. 

Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant

We ate our box lunch on the tower, and then headed down to walk the trails for a couple of hours. By the time we got onto the trails we were pretty hot and tired, and the walk just intensified those feelings. We saw some interesting birds on the trails, but our glasses were fogging up constantly, and the humidity was relentless. 

We were relieved to get finished at 3:00, but discovered that the van wouldn’t start because of a weak battery. We all got to push it out of the driveway and on to the steep road, where Edison was able to pop the clutch and get it going. I don’t think I’ve push-started a car since the later 1970’s! We were glad it worked, and pleased to have an air-conditioned ride home. 

We arrived back at the lodge a bit after 5:00. A long day indeed. 

Next time: Upper Tandayapa Valley