Day 6 Owlet Lodge

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. 

Pearl Kite

Another stop by a river added Black Phoebe and Cliff Flycatcher with an Inca Jay at the next stop.

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.

Lesser Violetear

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. 

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.

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.