10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2011

Let me proudly introduce a new exotic bird that has been trained by the ambassador of hand feeding the most difficult skulking birds in Ecuador: the Ocellated Tapaculo. So, if you have been thinking about visiting Ecuador, do it now and don’t miss the new grand prize.

Ecuador 185

Ecuador Family Birds 185

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2011

It is a very small antpitta that lives in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Bolivia. This antpitta is found in southern Ecuador (near Peru) and curiously also inside the Puluahua Crater which is my residence near Quito in northern Ecuador.

Ecuador 170

Ecuador Bolivia Venezuela Peru 170

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2021

10,000 Birds is running a series of articles by and about tour guides, tour companies, eco-lodges, and other birding travel organizations. We want to help the birding tourism industry come back strong from the COVID pandemic. Hello all from Las Terrazas de Dana Boutique Lodge & Spa in Mindo Cloud Forest, Ecuador.

Ecuador 176

Ecuador Spain Experience Experiments 176

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2012

This great bird has managed to escape from my sightings until I visited the great lodge of Tundaloma. This Ecuadorian owned business provides a very comfortable and secure lodge to visit the most northern-western Chocó area in Ecuador. The first night I was not able to find him because he stopped calling as soon as I walked out.

Ecuador 201

Ecuador Owls Birds 201

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2011

Most birdwatchers that visit Ecuador for the first time concentrate in the north-east and west slopes near the capital Quito. On a recent scouting trip to southern Ecuador I came across some amazing birdwatching areas and birds that are commonly visited by those looking for a more complete exploration of Ecuador.

Ecuador 173

Ecuador Species Birds 173

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2013

Also known as Black-backed Bush Finch is only found in the montane forests of Ecuador and Colombia. If you are into R&R then you must stop at the hot springs and dip for a few hours before you move on to the next birding site. Black-backed Bush Tanager.

Ecuador 143

Ecuador Colombia Birds 143

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2012

If you are interested in seeing some Tumbesian Endemics, very close to the Guayaquil Airport in Ecuador, then you must visit Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco. This tropical dry forest is being protected by Fundacion Pro Bosque to conserve the 6078 hectars (15,000 acres) of this fragile ecosystem which boasts amazing life and many endemic birds.

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Ecuador Protection Birds 136

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

This bird, of the Turdus family, can be found on the western slopes of Ecuador and Colombia. Black Solitare at Recinto 23 de Junio I have looked for this secretive bird in a few places and finally saw it and photographed last week at my favorite and reliable Umbrellabird site.

Ecuador 146

Ecuador Colombia Humane Experience 146

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

The south of Ecuador presents some very interesting opportunities for birdwatchers that have already visited the north-east and north-west slopes near Quito. On a recent tour we were pleasantly surprised by the high degree of endemism and the beauty of the birds that make the south such a special place.

Ecuador 158

Ecuador Birds 158

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2012

Ecuador was made for birdwatchers! A tiny country filled with biodiversity which can be easily reached in a short drive… Well, maybe that is a little exaggeration but in comparison to other countries like Colombia, Peru and the giant Brazil, our Ecuador seems tiny. What caused this bird to surface and stay near their home?

Ecuador 175

Ecuador Colombia Brazil Peru 175

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

10,000 Birds is running a series of articles by and about tour guides, tour companies, eco-lodges, and other birding travel organizations. We want to help the birding tourism industry come back strong from the COVID pandemic. Birding Experiences is a Costa Rican company owned and run by enthusiastic birdwatchers from Costa Rica.

Costa Rica 242

Costa Rica Experience Experiments Nicaragua 242

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2011

I got very exited two weeks ago when I finally met face-to-beak with a rare bird that I have wanting to see, the Tit-like Dacnis. This bird is very difficult to find except for one place in Ecuador where you are almost guaranteed to see it: The Cajas National Park. Tit-like Dacnis - Female Tit-like Dacnis - Male a.

Ecuador 183

Ecuador Branding Birds 183

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2018

Birders follow different patterns of bird migration and their local activities and travel accordingly. It illustrates the bird richness per country. Shown as a list, it looks like this: Less than 200 bird species: Antarctica; oceanic islands. 1401-1600 sp: Ecuador, Bolivia; Indonesia. But – where? 801-1000 sp. –

Equatorial Guinea 190

Equatorial Guinea Costa Rica Guyana Central African Republic 190

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Since then he has traveled the globe, his passion for birds growing with each new encounter. I had just ended my ten-day birding adventure in Ecuador (which is a story for another time) when I decided, since I had an amazing time, to prolong my trip a bit longer before heading back to Europe. Oh yeah, I almost forgot.

Colombia 212

Colombia Birds Raised Ecuador 212

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2020

Do you want to help endangered birds? How about helping with conservation of cool tropical birds by listening to innovative electronic music? The brainchild of music producer, bird lover, and environmentalist Robin Perkins, this digital album is his second guide to birdsong.

Costa Rica 226

Costa Rica Nicaragua Cuba Mexico 226

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 11, 2021

It may look like a cartoon, but while birding Philippines, Phoebe Snetsinger literally slept in a prison, because its buffer zone held the only remaining forest in the agricultural landscape. But are any of them, including bird tour agencies, needed in today’s world? Especially the world burdened by the post-Covid economic crisis?

Sri Lanka 275

Sri Lanka Costa Rica India Cooking 275

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2011

Bird watching Recinto 23 de Junio is always a great experience. There are not many places in Ecuador, or for that matter in the world, where you can see these all these birds in the same area. This could change their life and start not only thinking but also benefiting from sustainable economic activities such as bird watching.

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Ecuador Birds Industry Farming 166

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

Derek Kverno has already created epic blog travelogues of his stints in Ecuador and Tanzania. Now he’s moved to Brazil , which means we get to vicariously explore the avifauna of another bird-rich country.

Brazil 160

Brazil Tanzania Ecuador Birds 160

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2011

Isla Corazon was formed by sediment deposition of the Rio Chone on its way out to the ocean to the central coast of Ecuador. Here are some of the best birds I have seen at Isla Corazon: Cocoi Heron Croacking Groud dove Little Blue Heron Magnificent Frigatebird White Ibis Yellow-crowned Night Heron Boa Constrictor a.

Ecuador 162

Ecuador Birds Farming Protection 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2011

We found some very simple and nice cabañas outside of town and spent the night by a fireplace talking about birds to some local people. Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan This great bird is classified as Near Threaten by the IUCN Red List due to population decrease owing from habitat loss. This was very relaxing!

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Ecuador Farming Abandon Abandoning 169

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

I worked hard trying to spot something special but earned little for my efforts until I hit a patch of birds clearly preparing to leave town. And in case you are looking askance at the accompanying photo, that bird is actually a Tropical Kingbird Corey encountered at the mighty Mangaloma Reserve in Ecuador.). (And

2013 150

2013 New York Ecuador Birds 150

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2022

In any case, screech-owls are birds of the Megascops genus, small nocturnal owls found in wooded habitats from southern Alaska to northern Argentina. But why include it if it only occurs from central Panama to Ecuador? The Megascops from southern Costa Rica, this bird was at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge.

Costa Rica 189

Costa Rica Owls Panama Argentina 189

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2011

In fact this is not true, and if you are a little adventurous you could bypass the foreign-own boat-tours that do not benefit Ecuador, bypass the travel agencies that sell you preconceived dreams, and bypass the sea sickening trips that take you to the most distant Islands.

Ecuador 164

Ecuador Transported Industry Birds 164

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2012

If you are thinking about visiting the Amazon, and enjoying great birds, a bit of luxury, relaxation, and good food, then you should consider coming to Ecuador and gliding over the Napo River on the Manatee Amazon Explorer. They offer multiple packages and we took a five day trip that took us right down to the border with Peru.

Ecuador 171

Ecuador Peru Birds Parrots 171

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

(This photo is actually of a TK seen a few days later, but it was at our favorite birding gas station pit stop that we also stopped at on our first day. Excellent 10,000 Birds posts have been written about Pico Bonito and Honduras by Corey and Carlos , so I’m going to focus on some of my most memorable experiences.

Honduras 243

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 243

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2019

In the birding world, May is the beautiful time. With birds bedecked in their breeding best and filling the air with song, this is migration at its loveliest. A wonderful variety of bird species are waiting to be seen and among them are many a birder’s favorite avian group, the wood-warblers. Habitat at Las Brisas.

Costa Rica 175

Costa Rica Species Belize New Jersey 175

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2019

However, no matter how one enjoys or takes in interest in the avian side of life, an official list of the birds for a given area is of vital importance. With the rise in birding tourism, bird lists for entire countries have also become increasingly important. Not every list has Great Tinamou on it. Juvenile Gray Hawk.

Costa Rica 197

Costa Rica Birds Owls South America 197

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 12, 2022

Odd habitats attract odd birds. Or rather, I should say that out of place habitats attract lost birds. Although Costa Rica is noted for tropical forests and their subsequent wealth of birds and biodiversity, us local birders also have our own, out of the way habitat hotspots. Birds that Would Have Flown Over and Kept on Going.

Costa Rica 162

Costa Rica Ecuador North America Peru 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2013

Birding outside my home country is expensive but the current black-market for the dollar exchange rate to the Argentinean Peso help us save money. Also we found some cheaper flights going to Santiago de Chile and leaving from Buenos Aires so we decided to put together a birding trip to take advantage of all of these savings.

Argentina 180

Argentina Chile Birds Ecuador 180

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2013

The north-western slopes of Ecuador are home of many Choco Endemics such as Choco Warbler, Stripped-billed Aracari, Black-tipped Cotinga, Emerald Tanager, Scarlet-browed Tanager, Scarlet-and-white-Tanager, Gray-mantled-Wren, and many other. Most of these birds can only be seen in this northern region of Ecuador.

Ecuador 157

Ecuador Colombia Protection Birds 157

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2014

What happens when you visit one of the best birdwatching sites in the region with the highest number of endemic bird species in the Americas in the world’s birdiest country? The area is known for a military base, the legendary Montezuma Lodge, and a boatload of birds. Hope that you’re as fortunate to go birding with Leo!

Colombia 261

Colombia Birds South America America 261

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2019

“Target birds” The term can foster excitement but is easily contentious. Aren’t all birds worth watching? There’s nothing wrong with appreciating and watching every bird but there’s also nothing wrong about going to great efforts to see lifers only found in dreams. Fiery-throated Hummingbird.

Costa Rica 202

Costa Rica Panama Birds Eagles 202

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 20, 2012

My first birding trip outside Ecuador was fantastic and added nearly 200 new birds to my list. My wife and I spent two weeks in Brazil birding the Atlantic Forest and The Pantanal. Here is more info in wikipedia : [link] So what about the birds? Finally the birds!

Brazil 150

Brazil Ecuador Birds Humane 150

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2012

Ringer Hummingbirds are one of the most distinctive and immediately recognizable groups of birds on earth. This larger group is related to nocturnal birds traditionally placed in the order Caprimulgiformes ( nightjars, potoos, frogmouths, oilbird, etc.), In any case, this is a small but spectacular group of birds. And this one.

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Family Ecuador Costa Rica United States 194

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2014

It has been awhile since we here at 10,000 Birds announced a new Beat Writer. But we are pleased as punch to share the news that Patrick O’Donnell is going to be writing here on 10,000 Birds. Patrick became a birder at the age of seven after seeing books about birds in the Niagara Falls, New York public library.

Costa Rica 154

Costa Rica Ecuador Peru Colorado 154

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2012

If you are near Quito, Ecuador and want to see the female Andean C**k-of-the-Rock nesting then you must go to the Pauma Orquid Reserve. Since this is reserve is on the way to Mindo it is a very easy to stop which sometimes, can reward you with birds that cannot be easily found elsewhere.

Ecuador 100

Ecuador Birds 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2021

Last year there was a spate of books specifically about bird “behavior” – though one might well say that every book about birds, from field guides on up, is about behavior in some way or another. The page or two of text for each bird has some good stuff, not all pertaining to migration. A “broad spectrum,” indeed.

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Alaska Breeding Kenya Africa 199