December 8, Antisana, Ecuador

What I discovered is that it is more difficult for a bird to hide if there are no trees.  Antisana is high in the mountains.  The grass is short and there are few trees.  It was like a gift after trying to see an Umbrellabird in a jungle.

We only counted 44 species on Day 8, 24 were new trip birds and 23 were lifers for Ray and me. Most of these new birds live exclusively at the higher elevations.

There were larger birds like the Black-faced Ibis

and Carunculated Caracara.

There were water birds like the Yellow-billed Pintail.

There were smaller birds like the Black Flowerpiercer,

the Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant,

and the Stout-billed Cinclodes.

There was a Black-tailed Trainbearer,

an Ecuadorian Hillstar,

a Giant Hummingbird,

and the bird with the longest bill in the world compared to the size of its body, the Sword-billed Hummingbird.  If you look carefully you will see where the bill ends and the tongue begins.

There was a Tufted Tit-tyrant, an extremely cute bird,

and an Andean Lapwing.

There was also a Tawny Antpitta, because what is a day without an antpitta?  This one showed up without anyone luring it with worms.

The hilights of the day for our guide were several Spectacled Bears. The rest of us were happy to see them too, especially the two babies that ran and hid as quickly as short legs would take them.