Michael‘s Seventh Year

[Galana]

3 hours ago, Galago said:

I'm sure others will come up with better captions.

Bugger. I have run out of legs.

 

A great start to Ecuador. Only one Pipit? Hard to live with that!

[TonyQ]

An excellent start, and I am pleased that the group situation worked for you

[pedro maia]

Great start Michael, I would love to see condors.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

542/EC11) Carunculated Caracara (Phalcoboenus carunculatus) / Streifenkarakara

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. The most common bird of prey in the high Andes.

 

 

If you look carefully you´ll see something else in the next pic:

 

 

Garnered some excitement, at first we thought Andean Fox or something cool like that. It turned out to be a dog!

[michael-ibk]

543/EC12) Andean Tit-Spinetail (Leptasthenura andicola) / Andenmeisenschlüpfer

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. Quite a skulker but ultimately it surrendered.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

544/EC13) Plumbeous Sierra-Finch (Phrygilus unicolor) / Bleiammertangare

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. Another high altitude specialist, found along almost entire Western South America.

 

Male:

 

 

Female:

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

545/EC14) Slate-Coloured aka Andean Coot (Fulica ardesiaca) / Andenblässhuhn

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. This was the point when the weather changed to the worse. It started to rain, at times quite heavily, and most sightings were distant. So a bunch of quite bad photos coming up. A nearby lake was a fixture to add some water fowl to our numbers.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

546/EC15) Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis) / Graszaunkönig

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. Very close, just a few metres next to us. The only circumstances in weather like this that result in passable photos.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

547/EC16) Yellow-Billed Pintail (Anas georgica) / Spitzschwanzente

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. More at home in the Southern part of the Continent. But reaching Venezuela even through the Andes.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

548/EC17) Andean Duck (Oxyura ferruginea) / Andenruderente

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. Considered as a subspecies of Ruddy Duck by some authorities.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

549/EC18) Silvery Grebe (Podiceps occipitalis) / Silbertaucher

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. One of the more proficient ebcs of this trip. Probably quite an attractive bird - but neither did I really see that nor could one tell from this photo.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

550/EC19) Andean Lapwing (Vanellus resplendens) / Andenkiebitz

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. The countless colour variations of Lapwings are quite fascinating.

 

[michael-ibk]

551/EC20) Andean Gull (Chroicocephalus serranus) / Andenmöwe

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. The only Gull this trip.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

552/EC21) Chestnut-Winged Cinclodes (Cinclodes albidiventris) / Zimtflügel-Uferwipper

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. Very similar to its (more numerous) Stout-Billed cousin.

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

553/EC22) Andean Teal (Anas andium) / Nordlandente

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. Not in the lake but on one of the partly submerged meadows.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

554/EC23) Black-Chested Buzzard-Eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus) / Agula

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. The weather improved once we started our descent.

 

 

Our only sighting of this bird:

 

 

[michael-ibk]

555/EC24) Tyrian Metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina) / Smaragdkehl-Glanzschwänzchen

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. We enjoyed a late lunch at the Restaurante Tambo Condor. Like most of the tourist-friendly places they have Hummer feeders. Always a joy to watch, and fun to photograph. This is quite a common species of the higher elevations. Initiated quite a few Game of Thrones discussions, this not Tyrion one.

 

 

 

From two days later in Yanacoccha reserve:

 

 

And here´s the metal tail:

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

556/EC25) Black-Tailed Trainbearer (Lesbia victoriae) / Schwarzschwanzsylphe

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. A much scarcer species, and not coming to feeders. But enjoying the garden flowers. A very LGBT-friendly scientific name.

 

 

Another individual seen two days later at Yanacoccha reserve:

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

557/EC26) Shining Sunbeam (Aglaeactis cupripennis) / Rostroter Andenkolibri

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. A fantastic Hummer, and such a nice name (unlike the terribly boring German one).

 

 

 

The official Merlin description for this one is quite wonderful. Normally these short texts are very analytical and rigid. But this one includes this passage:

 

"You are my sunbeam, my Shining Sunbeam / You make me happy when you display / Aglaeactis cupripennis / Please don’t take my sunbeam away."

 

Needless to say this became the trip song. First time I had a trip song. And a very nice one - when anybody started humming these few lines we all were smiling.

 

 

Smuggled in from two days later in Yanacoccha:

 

 

General remark about my photos - not that many of these are brilliant, but Safaritalk really treats them quite harshly. They lose a lot of sharpness after uploading. You can see the difference by clicking on them, they look much better then.

[michael-ibk]

558/EC27) Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas) / Riesenkolibri

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. Not the best-looking Hummer but the largest one. 23 cm -that´s huge for this family. Unfortunately could not get it away from the feeder. Generally I tried to avoid shooting the birds there but sometimes it was unavoidable.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

559/EC28) Rufous-Collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) / Morgenammer

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. A very common and familiar bird, and one of my few non-lifers. Have seen it both in Brazil and Costa Rica.

 

 

[xelas]

On 9/4/2022 at 4:32 PM, michael-ibk said:

Well, I really need numbers.

 No, you don't !

[michael-ibk]

560/EC29) Black Flowerpiercer (Diglossa humeralis) / Schwarzhakenschnabel

 

Antisana, 8/8/2022. We´d see several Flowerpiercers, not easy to tell them apart.

 

 

Late afternoon we tried to find Seedsnipe and other high altitude specials up the Papallactas pass but the weather did not comply. It was icy cold and raining, and so we retreated. Winter garments were absolutely necessary up there. But we had another super hightlight from the road, the sighting of the day for me even if it was very, very distant (basically on the other side of the valley):

 

 

Spectacled Bear! Had never expected to see one, such a super-thrilling sighting. We had great looks at it through the scope.

 

And then Alex, our guide, found two more - a mother and her cub!

 

 

A great way to finish our first day!

 

[Galana]

Great start but the Bears stole the show for me.

[michael-ibk]

For all of us Fred!