Birding the East Slope - Guango and San Isidro

These two well renowned birding spots are a must visit place for all birders.  The owners Carmen and Mitch are veterans of conservation and Birdwatching.  Carmen and her Ecuadorinan family have been pioneers of the East slopes and now are conserving 660 hectars at San Isidro with and additional 550 hectars of co-owned land of adjacent forest.  Mitch has been birding all his life starting in Florida and recently has been working with Field Guides since 1997.

Guango is located just 15 minutes (11 km) down from the Papallacta town and lies at 2700 meters of altitude where some spectacular humming birds abound.  This place is also famous for the Gray-breasted Mountain Toucan and the Torrent Ducks.  Here are the most spectacular photos taken at Guango:

              The Tourmaline Sunangel

      The Sword-billed Hummingbird

             The White-capped Dipper

                     The Torrent Duck

Cabañas San Isidro are located approximately one hour further down the main highway that goes to Tena, well past the town of Baeza (about 20 minutes) and just before the small town of Cosanga.  It lies at 2050 meters altitude and the surrounding forest ranges from 1850 to 2400 meters of altitude.  The lodge itself  is home for many birds, including Carmen and Mitch :), like the famous Black-and-white Owl, the noisy Inca Jays, the cool Masked Trogon, the White-bellied Antpitta, and specialty hummingbirds like the Bronzy Inca, the Collared Inca, and the Long-tailed Sylph.  Here are the best pictures of these birds:

The Black-and-white Owl

               The Inca Jay

           The Masked Trogon

             The White-bellied Antpitta

                   The Bronzy Inca

                 The Collared Inca

                 The Long-tailed Sylph

In summary if you haven´t been there then you must go there.