The Birds and the Forest - San Isidro is Truly a Birder's and Nature Enthusiast's Paradise

Saffron-crowned Tanager at Erythrina flowers

Cabañas San Isidro and its immediate surroundings now boast a bird list of about 310 species, many of which are more easily found here than anywhere else in the country.

San Isidro Lodge is situated at about 2050 meters above sea level, but the trails lead through elevational gradients that pass through habitats from 2,400 meters all the way down to 1,850 meters. What this means to birders is an ideal base to observe Andean birds from the lower reaches of the temperate zone down into the heart of the subtropical zone.

Birding groups have been visiting Cabañas San Isidro for years with impressive results. Birds such as Highland Tinamou, Greater Scythebill, Bicolored Antvireo, Peruvian and Giant Antpittas, and White-rimmed Brush-Finch are a few of the exciting rarities that make their homes at San Isidro Lodge. The White-faced Nunbird might even put in an appearance as it has been seen at San Isidro more in recent years than at any other single site on the east slope in Ecuador.

Female Bicolored Antvireo at nest
Photo by Joe Fuhrman

Female Peruvian
Antpitta at nest
with nestling
Photo by Harold Greeney

Spot-fronted Swift on the nest
Photo by Harold Greeney

While rarities are fun to hope for, they are indeed hard to come by and not to be expected! What really  makes San Isidro Lodge such a joy to bird though are the hundreds of other bird species that one has a good chance of seeing while quietly strolling down the forest trails and forested roadsides. Pick a direction to start walking from the cabins, and there will be birds! Right from the doorstep folks often get their first looks at White-capped Parrot, Powerful Woodpecker, Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher, Pale-edged Flycatcher, Smoky Bush-Tyrant, Green-and-black Fruiteater, Inca Jay, Black-billed Peppershrike, Andean Solitaire or Saffron-crowned Tanager. And, during the right season, sightings of singing Wattled Guan (a large turkey-like bird) can virtually be guaranteed as they sit unobstructed in the crowns of large emergent trees, belting out their bizarre territorial call each morning and evening while Pale-eyed and Glossy-black Thrushes perch nearby singing 'back-up'!

Black-and-chestnut Eagle,
immature bird.

White-capped Tanager

Golden-headed Quetzal

Cinnamon Flycatcher

Rufous-banded Owl

Black-billed Peppershrike

Highland Motmot

Black-billed Mountain-Toucan

Masked Trogon, male

Sulphur-bellied Tyrannulet

Green-and-black Fruiteater, male
Photo Murray Cooper

Slaty-backed Chat-Tyrant

A short walk from the cabins, the forest awaits, whether along one of our winding trails or simply right from the roadside. Here mixed understory and canopy flocks seemingly drip from the foliage, furgivores - large and small - raid trees and bushes for the 'fruit-of-the-month' and skulkers steal about in the shade of low vegetation betraying their presence by an occasional whistled song. Be especially on the lookout for Sickle-winged Guan, Crested and Golden-headed Quetzals, Masked Trogon, Highland Motmot, Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Streak-capped and Striped Treehunters, Long-tailed Antbird (a bamboo specialist), Chestnut-crowned, White-bellied and Slate-crowned Antpittas, Barred Antthrush, Marble-faced & Variegated Bristle-Tyrants and Sulphur-bellied Tyrannulet (only a few of a long list of varied tyrannids to be found in the mixed species flocks), Black-chested Fruiteater, Dusky Piha, Pale-footed Swallow, Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia, Golden-collared Honeycreeper, a wonderful selection of colorful tanager species including Red-hooded and White-capped and Northern Mountain and Subtropical Caciques. All of these species, among many others, are residents here and are frequently seen by our guests.

Of all of the known sites where Andean Cock-of-the-Rock is found in Ecuador, the small congregation of brilliant orange, screaming individuals at San Isidro's mating lek (most active between Oct.-Mar.) is by far the most easily accessible, being only a twenty-minute walk from our cabins down an easy-to-walk trail.

Once the morning activity has waned, around 10:00 A.M., it's time to watch the skies for soaring raptors that take flight over the lodge's forests on sunny days: Plain-breasted, Barred and White-rumped Hawks, and Black-and-chestnut Eagle are all readily seen during a stay of a few days. With some extra luck, a Semicolloared Hawk or even a Solitary Eagle might glide into view.

One does not need to go any further than our front porch or the hummingbird garden to enjoy the dazzling array of hummingbird species. 18 of the known 30 hummer species of the area are either resident or seasonal visitors to the feeders: Sparkling Violetear, Speckled Hummingbird, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Bronzy and Collared Incas, Buff-tailed (the rare eastern flavescens race) and Chestnut-breasted Coronets, Tyrian Metaltail, Long-tailed Sylph and Gorgeted Woodstar can be found at the feeders for much (or all) of the year, while species such as Brown and Green Violetears, Rufous-vented Whitetip, Violet-fronted Brilliant, White-tailed Hillstar, Mountain Velvetbreast, Wedge-billed Hummingbird and White-bellied Woodstar show more seasonality and tend to be present in smaller numbers. The hummingbird garden is a great place to relax after a long hike or during a rainy spell.

Long-tailed Sylph, male

Bronzy Inca

Gorgeted Woodstar, male

Mountain Velvetbreast, male

Chestnut-breasted Coronet

White-tailed Hillstar

Violet-fronted Brilliant,  female

Collared Inca, male

Speckled  Hummingbird

San Isidro's 'Mystery Owl', Strix  (Ciccaba) sp.
Photo by Larry Master

San Isidro and its surroundings abound with nightbirds, including Andean Potoo (rare, but sometimes staked-out), Rufous-bellied Nighthawk (almost every dawn and dusk around the cabins) and Rufous-banded and Mottled Owls (both of which inhabit the immediate surrounding forests), but the most exciting night attraction in recent years has been a large and beautiful species of owl that is only currently known from the forests next to the lodge, from where it emerges in the early evening, and then hunts (right next to the cabins!) on a nightly basis. On two occasions the resident pair has even raised young. Similar in appearance to the Black-banded Owl, many top ornithologists believe it to represent a new species to science and studies are underway to determine its identity. During a 2-3 nights stay guests have a very good chance of seeing this owl, and at very close range. There are some possible sightings from other areas, but nowhere else has this 'mystery owl' recently been seen with certainty. What better way to finish a day of birding than with a gorgeous new species of owl?

The majority of the forests here are what most newcomers to the tropics envision: large hardwood trees draped with lush mosses that support a seemingly endless number of orchid and bromeliad species. Orchids and other flamboyant epiphytes reach their peak diversity at these mid-elevation habitats, and the accessibility of these species for photography and admiration are amazing benefits of our vast and rich mountain forest.

Other distinct and fascinating habitats to explore include the vast Chusquea (bamboo) stands and riverine edge forests; each supports its own compliment of flora and fauna. Around one corner a brightly colored hummingbird may be sipping nectar from a gaudy red epiphyte bloom; around another, a tanager flock might be gulping fruits at a canopy tree, flashing their gaudy blues, yellows and greens. Along the rushing rivers and streams of the area, watch for Torrent Duck and White-capped Dipper, both are regulars.