A leisurely start with bags packed and breakfast at 07:15.
We made several stops along the way including one for Purple Gallinule in a
rice paddy, a Pearl Kite, as well as Speckle-breasted Wren and Bicoloured Hawk on a walk
around a patch of woodland.
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| Pearl Kite |
Another stop by a river added Black Phoebe and
Cliff Flycatcher with an Inca Jay at the next stop.
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| Cliff Flycatcher |
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in town then continued
onto Huembo Gardens. Along a woodland trail there was a covered shelter
overlooking a row of hummingbird feeders which were already busy with Sparkling
and Lesser Violetears, Andean Emerald and Chestnut-breasted Coronets who always
seemed to be spoiling for a fight.
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| Lesser Violetear |
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| Chestnut-breasted Coronet |
It didn’t take too long before the main target arrived and
as soon as it did, ‘Bird-of-the-Trip’ was already done and dusted. It was a
Marvellous Spatuletail, a timid hummingbird that liked to hide in the bushes
before visiting its preferred feeder. This didn’t make it particularly easy to
photograph but we all great views of this splendid little hummer with its
outrageous tail feathers.
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| Marvellous Spatuletail |
Eventually we saw two males and a female visit the
feeders before they got chased off by the other hummers. Also visiting the
feeders were a single White-bellied Hummingbird, Bronzy Inca and Violet-fronted
Brilliant.
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| White-bellied Hummingbird |
We went for a short walk around the gardens seeing a few
Mitred Parakeets fly over as well as a flock of Chestnut-collared Swifts. We just
left in time as a thunderstorm began as we drove on towards Owlet Lodge where
we arrived just before dusk. There was a little late activity at their feeders
with Long-tailed Sylph, Collared Inca and White-bellied Woodstar all added to
the day’s list of hummingbirds.
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