SOUTHERN ECUADOR TOUR
EXTENSION

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Southern Ecuador Birding Tour 18 days, 17 nights 2-3 Price: $6850     (Single Suppl $600) 4+ Price: $6650     (Single Suppl $600) Click for Tour Details

The Santa Elena Peninsula west of Guayaquil has rather recently become a worthwhile destination for birders interested in seeing a few specialties of the more arid habitat of southwestern Ecuador. The most important of these is the vulnerable population of the Esmeraldas Woodstar, the primary reason for the extension. We have a good chance of seeing this species, but only during its breeding season from December-March. A number of other specialties are also featured, notably some Tumbesian near-endemics shared with northwestern Peru plus a variety of arid country birds we'll miss during our usual southern Ecuador tour itinerary.

Our 4-day extension begins with an early departure from Guayaquil. We'll bird our way west through arid scrublands, home to the Esmeraldas Woodstar to the coast, where we'll stop for some birding around the saltpans at Salinas and the beaches near Santa Elena. After lunch there, we'll continue north to Ayampe for a two-night stay. We'll spend the rest of our time birding the recently established Ayampe Reserve and nearby coastal woodlands.

Day 1 - Meals: D; Accommodation: Hotel in Guayaquil; Activity: Arrive in Guayaquil from our Southern Ecuador tour.
Day 2 - Meals: BLD; Accommodation: Hotel near reserve.; Activity: Depart early looking for birding mangroves near Guayaquil for Rufous-necked Rail. Transfer to Ayampe near Pacific coast.
Day 3 - Meals: BLD; Accommodation: Hotel in Ayampe; Activity: All day birding Ayampe Area.
Day 4 - Meals: BL; Accommodation: None; Activity: Morning Ayampe area or Machalilla. Afternoon transfer to Guayaquil. End of tour. Overnight flight home.

We'll stay in a moderately priced hotel in Guayaquil and a somewhat basic but comfortable ecolodge at Ayampe.

PACE - The pace of this tour is easy.

DIFFICULTY - Birding is along roadsides and mostly nearly flat forest trails. The optional trail following the river entails crossing the river several times so rubber boots are beneficial there.

CLIMATE - The climate is warm and rainy during December-April when the Esmeraldas Woodstar occurs in the reserve. It rains about half of all days during January-March. The wettest month is February, which averages around 6 inches of rainfall. Temperatures can be quite warm, around 85 degrees fahrenheit. The months from June to November are drier and cooler.

BIRD ACTIVITY - Birding is at its best from January-March when the Esmeraldas Woodstar is breeding in the reserve.

PHOTOGRAPHY - Bird photography is opportunistic and can be challenging along forest trails.

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.

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