Birding from the "Birdwatcher's House"
in the Northwestern Uplands near Mindo
Hosts: Vinicio Perez & Jane LyonsWhen: Anytime Length: one or more days Number of guests: the Birdwatcher's House accommodates up to 22 guests Fee (as of Dec.2005): $65 per day/per person for lodging, full hot-water bathroom, all meals, all taxes, resident guide. Transportation is priced seperately.   
Our toursWe provide custom tours so do not have a regular itinerary. However, a typical 3-day itinerary will include one day at our Reserva las Gralarias, one day in the Mindo valley, one day at our Reserva Las Tangaras and the Cock-of-the-rock lek. Often folks like to add 2-3 more days to go upslope (to 2200m) and downslope (to 1000-700-500m sites) to specific sites which have some very special species. (Those tours are best done with a vehicle, available with driver for $80-90 per day for 2 people, larger vehicles cost more). This is a very birdy area and there are many options, so we always allow the guest to custom-design his-her tour.
About Mindo
Mindo is a 2-hour drive from Quito. It is also served by various public bus companies and taxi service. The roads are good, but 4-wheel drive is recommended to avoid the inevitable rocks and pot holes. The valley and nearest mountains, seen at the right, have an elevational range between 1200-1600 meters. Mindo is subtropical forest and is ideally situated at mid-slope, between the upper temperate zone and the lower humid tropical forests.
The climate is mild year-round. The main rainy season is March-April, although some rain is likely throughout the year. The sunniest months are June- September, the time of year considered summer. Favorite birding months are September-January as many northern and austral migrants are present in the Mindo area, as well as such local specialties as Yellow-collared Chlorophonia and Club-winged Manakin. However, many resident species, such as antpittas, are more active and easier to see in the rainy season. Due to its critically important role in the conservation of numerous rare and endemic species, Mindo was designated South America's first Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International (1997). Mindo is an area of historic ornithological studies, where early collectors and ornithologists discovered or collected many species. Mindo lies within the Chocó Endemic Bird Area (EBA) and Chocó Biogeographic Region, which is considered one of the world's richest biogeographic areas. This area "supports the largest number of restricted-range birds of any EBA in the Americas, over 50 species being endemic to the area...[and there is] relatively little known about the precise distributions, altitudinal movements and ecological requirements of the restricted-range birds..." p 202, Endemic Bird Areas of the World, 1998, BirdLife International. Over 30 Chocó endemic bird species are regularly found in a 3-4 day visit in the Mindo area. Malaria, cholera and other tropical diseases have NOT been reported in Mindo.
The Birdwatchers' House
Central location with easy access to Mindo bus stop and all birding sites, upslope and downslope. Comfortable, secure, new, clean single and double rooms with private bathrooms and hot showers. We have space for 22 guests. Excellent hearty home-cooked meals; vegetarian or other diets available upon request. Meals served according to birders' schedules; box meals and snacks available. Free coffee, tea and drinking water. Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks available for purchase
Our exclusive 21-page updated bird checklist provided upon arrival, which contains all 370 species found in the Mindo area and representative lists from upslope and downslope. The list includes 38 Chocó endemics regularly found in the Mindo area of the total 50 Chocó endemics known. Extensive library available. Birdwatchers' House is a non-smoking lodge. However, smokers may smoke on our outside patios. Up-to-date knowledge about bird status and locations. The key to seeing your target species is knowing where the birds are and when. We bird on a daily basis and thus are very familiar with the status and locations of the birds. We use tapes and voice calls only as necessary to call birds into view. We have a variety of scopes, recorders and night lamps for use as needed. Our goal is for YOU to see the birds. Access to our 2 private bird sanctuaries. Reserva Las Tangaras is located adjacent to the 20,000 hectare Bosque Protector and along the free-flowing Rio Nambillo, with a Cock-of-the-rock lek boasting up to 30+ individuals displaying during peak breeding season (July-December). Also 200+ other species, including nesting Torrent Duck, Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl, 16+ species of hummingbirds, Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Toucan Barbet, Gray-capped Cuckoo, Rose-faced Parrot, 5 species of toucan, Golden-headed Quetzal, Golden-winged Manakin, Esmeraldas Antbird, 20+ species of tanagers, and many others. Access to our Reserva Las Gralarias, at 1700 meters elevation and located 10 kilometers/20 minutes by car from Mindo. It is home to breeding pairs of Orange-breasted and Scaled Fruiteater as well as the rare Giant, Moustached and Yellow-breasted Antpitta, Dark-backed Wood-Quail, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Toucan Barbet, Yellow-vented Woodpecker, Uniform Treehunter, Black-and-white Owl, Velvet-purple Coronet, Pacific Tuftedcheek and of course many more species.
Ongoing research and banding station and assistance to visiting researchers 4-wheel-drive vehicle/driver available for rent We custom-design tours to the Chocó forests and throughout northern Ecuador. We are very familiar with and have led numerous tours to the lower Chocó forests, Nono Mindo Road, Tandayapa, Bellavista, Tinalandia, Yanacocha, Papallacta, San Isidro, Cordillera de Huacamayos, Jatun Sacha, etc. Contact us for more information.
Our Conservation EffortsOur conservation objective is to purchase and protect high quality habitat for rare, endemic and endangered species of birds in the Mindo area. To date, we have purchased 2 private cloud forest reserves, Reserva Las Tangaras and Reserva Las Gralarias, which we have dedicated to bird conservation. Reserva Las Tangaras is famous for its historic Cock-of- the-rock lek which boasts some 30-40 displaying males during peak breeding months. The lek is active year-round and is the only known lek in the Mindo area. We manage this reserve as a strict forest reserve and bird sanctuary. We guide small groups to visit the Cock-of-the-rock lek. As a sensitive site, birders must be willing to respect our rules. The visit requires leaving Mindo at 3.30 am and settling quietly into the lek site before dawn. Visitors must wear dark clothing, and remain quiet and still. No food nor smoking is allowed near the lek site. We operate a once-a-month banding project elsewhere on the reserve with full authorization of the Ecuadorian government. The aim of this research project is to better understand the movements of the avifauna in this zone as well as to document individual characteristics of plumage and body measurements. We have so far netted 19 species of hummingbirds as well as other species such as White-throated Quail-Dove, Choco Toucan, Gray-capped and Black-billed Cuckoo, Golden-winged Manakin, Andean Solitaire, and many others. We also own another reserve called Reserva Las Gralarias. It is located at 1700m elevation and has at least 13 species of hummingbirds, including good populations of Velvet-purple Coronet and Wedge-billed Hummingbird. However, its main attractions are Giant, Moustached and Yellow-breasted Antpitta as well as breeding pairs of Orange-breasted and Scaled Fruiteater. We are currently studying the birds at this reserve. We are revegetating the previously disturbed areas of both reserves and are actively revegetating areas in Mindo valley. All of our profits and any donations are placed in our Habitat Conservation Fund which is used solely to achieve our conservation objective. Potential donors are asked to contact us for additional information. In addition, we are happy to assist in serious research and conservation activities. We have recently provided assistance to a Louisiana State University doctoral student studying community ecology of Andean tanagers of the genus Tangara and to a study of the diet and feeding behavior of the Bronze-winged Parrot. |
