Michael‘s Seventh Year

[michael-ibk]

611/EC80) Mountain Velvetbreast (Lafresnaya lafresnayi) / Samtbauchkolibri

 

Reserva Zura Loma, 10/8/2022. A distinctive and unique Hummingbird.

 

The female:

 

 

Male:

 

 

[michael-ibk]

612/EC81) Brown-Bellied Swallow (Notiochelidon murina) / Mausschwalbe

 

Reserva Zura Loma, 10/8/2022. The weather was never really very suitable for Swallows in flight. The default Swallow in the high Andes.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

613/EC82) Yellow-Breasted Brushfinch (Atlapetes latinuchus) / Gelbbrust-Buschammer

 

Reserva Zura Loma, 10/8/2022. Good looking Brushfinch, and this time we had more light than at the Guango hide.

 

[PeterHG]

Congratulations on reaching 600 and beyond. Thoroughly enjoyable set of photos again!

[michael-ibk]

614/EC83) Masked Flowerpiercer (Diglossa cyanea) / Maskenhakenschnabel

 

Reserva Zura Loma, 10/8/2022. The Flowerpiercer we saw the most. Ranging from Venezuela down to Bolivia.

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

Thanks, @PeterHGand @Tdgraves.

 

615/EC84) Buff-Winged Starfrontlet (Coeligena lutetiae) / Fahlflügel-Andenkolibri

 

Reserva Zura Loma, 10/8/2022. A large and long-billed Hummingbird.

 

 

We had already seen this one at Guango Lodge:

 

 

But conditions definitely were better up here:

 

[michael-ibk]

 

Just to show a bit of the landscape around here - it was really beautiful, and I regret I only had my mobile to take photos:

 

 

One particular nice thing here was to hand-feed the Hummers. It´s a bit mean, all other feeders are removed, and then they readily fly onto your hand. It was really, really nice to see them up close like that. You don´t feel their weight at all.

 

 

(Another mobile snap)

 

 

 

Common Tapeti

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

616/EC85) White-Browed Spinetail (Kurzschwanz-Dickichtschlüpfer) / Kurzschwanz-Dickichtschlüpfer

 

Reserva Zura Loma, 10/8/2022. We did a walk to get to a second Antpitta spot. We glimpsed this one hereby. Lika all Spinetails we (barely) saw it was a challenge to get a picture. The German name is quite descriptive: "Thickish-Skulker".

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

617/EC86) Equatorial aka Rufous Antpitta (Grallaria rufula) / Einfarbameisenpitta

 

Reserva Zura Loma, 10/8/2022. Again the wormfeeding did the trick. A great bird to finish our very enjoyable time here at Zura Loma.

 

 

 

 

[TonyQ]

Sparkling Violetear is an amazing bird.

You really got some beauties at Zuro Loma and very nicely photographed.

(When we went to Ecuador- a long time ago- there were hardly any birds )

[shazdwn]

Congratulations on 600, what an achievement and sounds like still plenty more to go

[michael-ibk]

Thanks @TonyQand @shazdwn.

 

13 hours ago, TonyQ said:

(When we went to Ecuador- a long time ago- there were hardly any birds

 

Birds did not exist back then Tony, neither for me. Did you do Galapagos?

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

618/EC87) Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) / Kaninchenkauz

 

Yanacocha, 10/8/2022. The Andean subspecies. A very widespread bird, and well-known to my American friends so they were not as excited about it as I was. Quite a friendly one, I ran up the meadow to get closer to it and it really did not mind me at all.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

619/EC88) Golden-Breasted Puffleg (Eriocnemis mosquera) / Goldbrust-Höschenkolibri

 

Yanacocha, 10/8/2022.

 

 

Another reserve similar to Zuro Loma but not quite as nice IMO. The feeders were not done with the same attention to photographer´s needs, it was much more difficult to get "fake" natural shots. But I might be biased, after all we´d see much of the same, and since the weather had deteriorated the light was much worse.

 

One new Hummer here. Quite a lot of processing involved here since the Hummer feeder was deep in the shadows.

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

620/EC89) Black-Chested Mountain Tanager (Buthraupis eximia) / Schwarzbrust-Bergtangare

 

Yanacocha, 10/8/2022. A large, chunky and scarce Tanager.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

621/EC90) Red-Crested Cotinga (Ampelion rubrocristatus) / Rotschopfkotinga

 

Yanacocha, 10/8/2022. Not super-common but a conspicuous bird since they like to perch on treetops. The red crest can be spectacular when spread out but is mostly concealed - like here.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

622/EC91) Scarlet-Bellied Mountain Tanager (Anisognathus igniventris) / Mennigohr-Bergtangare

 

Yanacocha, 10/8/2022. Another really beautiful Tanager, reasonably common at higher elevations.

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

623/EC92) Great Sapphirewing (Pterophanes cyanopterus) / Blauflügelkolibri

 

Yanacocha, 10/8/2022. Probably the key species at this location, a large, stunning Hummingbird. Again, mostly in deep shadow unfortunately or on the feeder.

 

Male:

 

 

Female:

 

 

A lucky (heavily processed) shot that better shows the beauty of this one:

 

[michael-ibk]

624/EC93) Brown-Backed Chat-Tyrant (Ochthoeca fumicolor) / Fahlbrauen-Schmätzertyrann

 

Yanacocha to Tandayapa, 10/8/2022. After a very good lunch at Yanacocha reserve we started our long drive downhill to Tandayapa, our main base for the rest of the trip. Of course we often stopped for short birding walks. Weather had further deteriorated, at times it was raining (though not too hard) but still we picked up quite a few species.

 

 

 

[TonyQ]

@michael-ibkyes we did go to the Galapagos on a small boat, visited rainforest and generally travelled around independently using buses mainly. Probably about 25 years ago! 

[michael-ibk]

@TonyQSo you did that when you were Teenagers then?

[michael-ibk]

625/EC94) Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) / Rabengeier

 

Yanacocha to Tandayapa, 10/8/2022. One of the most common birds of the trip - but we never stopped for it. (Neither did I when I was on my own.) Another of my few non-lifers.

 

 

 

 

 

[TonyQ]

We were still at school
MrsQ has just checked- it was 1995 we went!

[michael-ibk]

626/EC95) American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) / Buntfalke

 

Yanacocha to Tandayapa, 10/8/2022. We would enjoy several sightings of this beautiful little raptor. I found it quite fascinating how similar they are to our Kestrel in shape, size and behaviour, only the colours are different.

 

 

From a few days later, just included here because I was so surprised the AF would grab this one (heavily cropped):

 

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

627/EC96) Golden Grosbeak (Pheucticus chrysogaster) / Gelbbauch-Kernknacker

 

Yanacocha to Tandayapa, 10/8/2022. A generalist ocurring from low to highlands. Came close enough that a picture was possible even in the heavy fog we had here.