Birding in Ecuador - Day 4 - Rock On!

Refugio Paz de las Aves is an internationally renowned birding place in Ecuador. No self-respecting birder would go to this country and not visit the Refugio. The owners, Angel and Rodrigo Paz, are reputedly the Antpitta whisperers. At least three species of Antpittas inhabit their property and these birds usually appear at their beck and call. Another "guaranteed" sightings are the unbelievably gaudy-colored Andean Cock-of-the Rocks.

 It was unfortunate that our visit to the Refugio was a little short of our expectations. The heavy downpour was basically the reason for that. Thankfully the day started well. Early in the morning we headed to the "lek" to watch the fabled Cock-of-the Rocks. They were there all right, albeit far even for my zoom lens. As the sun rose higher, the gorgeous birds flew closer and displayed their beauty to a group of awestruck bird photographers.

From there we moved on to where the Antpittas were. It took a lot of prompting from Rodrigo before the Yellow-breasted species came out.

It took even longer to coach the Moustached Antpitta to show itself before the expecting birders.

And then it rained. That signaled the end of our trip.