DAY 1 - GUAYAQUIL

We arrive this evening from our Southern Ecuador Tour. Overnight at a hotel in Guayaquil.

DAY 2 - SANTA ELENA PENINSULA

We'll depart early for a drive toward the coastal area west of Guayaquil. This peninsula is drier than the interior and is mainly dry scrub habitat except around Cerro Blanco. On our way to the coast we can expect to see birds such as Short-tailed Woodstar, Burrowing Owl, Elegant Crescentchest, Necklaced Spinetail, Greenish Elaenia, Gray-and-white Tyrannulet, Short-tailed Field Tyrant, White-tailed Jay, Peruvian Meadowlark, White-edged Oriole, Collared Warbling Finch, Sulphur-throated Finch, Parrot-billed Seedeater, and possibly raptors such as Harris's Hawk and Crested Caracara. We'll eventually reach the coast where we'll stop to check some saltpans and the beach around Salinas and Santa Elena where we can expect a variety of shorebirds, gulls, terns, and other species. Notable among these are Gray Gull, Kelp Gull, Sandwich Tern, Chilean Flamingo, and Peruvian Pelican.

After lunch, we'll drive north paralleling the coast to the town of Ayambe, about an hour and a half drive. We'll have some time in late afternoon to begin our exploration of the recently established Ayampe Reserve, located on the edge of Machalilla National Park. Our primary target species is the very localized endemic Esmeraldas Woodstar. It's only present there during breeding season from December to March. Various other birds also occur in the reserve, including Ochre-bellied Dove, Gray-backed Hawk, Guayaquil Woodpecker, Slaty Becard, Tumbes Pewee, Baird's Flycatcher, Snowy-throated Kingbird, Saffron Siskin, and Yellow-tufted Dacnis. At dusk we'll try for the localized Scrub Nightjar. Overnight at a lodge near Ayampe.

DAY 3 - AYAMPE AREA

The previous afternoon will give us a taste of the birds in Ayampe Reserve, but we're unlikely to see everything. Thus, we'll devote the morning back in the reserve. After lunch, we'll either return to the reserve or drive farther north to bird the dry forest along the coast looking for birds such as Pale-browed Tinamou and Elegant Crescentchest. Overnight at a lodge near Ayampe.

DAY 4 - AYAMPE & GUAYAQUIL

The schedule this morning depends on several factors, especially the time of international flights in Guayaquil along with what species were missed on previous days. The drive to the airport is about 5 hours without stops, so we'll plan accordingly. As time permits, we'll return to the Ayampe Reserve if we're missing any important species or make stops on our way back to Guayaquil if that would be more productive. The tour ends at the airport in Guayaquil.

 

 

 

 

 

• Photos from Past Tours
• Travel Information

BIRDING LOCALES
FOR THIS TOUR

• Ayampe Reserve
• Santa Elena Peninsula