Day 8 Abra Patricia and rain

After breakfast we went around the local trails again seeing Crimson-mantled and Smoky-brown Woodpeckers, more flycatchers – Sierran Elaenia and Pale-edged Flycatcher, plus White-sided Flowerpiercer and Grass-green Tanager. Around the cabins were a couple of Mountain Wrens and a Variable Antshrike hoovering up the moths, while on the feeders we finally caught up with the spectacular looking Sword-billed Hummingbird. 

Smoky-brown Woodpecker

Variable Antshrike

We took a longer loop trail into the forest and climbed up an observation tower overlooking the canopy that swayed any time someone walked to the other side. It was actually fairly quiet at the top but we did see White-collared Swift and Glossy-black Thrush.

View from canopy tower

Back on the trail we only added Rufous Spinetail before the rain came down heavily and continued all the way back to the lodge. There was no point doing anything else until it stopped so we just chilled out for the rest of the morning.

After lunch it fortunately stopped raining so we drove/walked down the road for a bit and made a few stops. At the first stop we had a brief view of a Royal Sunangel and a flock went through which included at least four Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanagers, a single Rufous-crested Tanager and several other species that we encountered yesterday. There were also some butterflies feeding on the flowers.

orange butterfly sp

Scarlet-rumped Caciques

We returned to the same lodge as yesterday to try the hummer feeders again. On the way in there were three calling Scarlet-rumped Caciques. This time there was no Belgian causing disturbance by re-arranging the feeders but we didn’t see anything different so we went back to the road. 

Booted Racket-tail

Lesser Violetear

Long-tailed Sylph

White-bellied Woodstar

On a stretch of river we had brief views of a White-capped Dipper. We arrived back at our lodge early evening and were really pleased to find two close Yellow-scarfed Tanagers feeding around the car park – one of the endemics we’d been looking for for the past two days. Incidentally, can you think of any other birds named after an item of clothing?

There was one late addition after we’d had dinner and done the bird log – a Swallow-tailed Nightjar was feeding just outside the restaurant and had perched on one of the buildings, no doubt feasting on the moths that were gathering around the lights – an unanticipated feeding station!

And as for bird names featuring clothing – the only one I can think of at the moment is Red-gartered Coot.