Monday, July 2 - On to the Owlet Lodge

Somehow we all managed to get up at 3:30-ish and make it to the lobby with our luggage. The hotel had kindly set up coffee and tea along with a tray of sandwiches! We loaded ourselves onto the bus and set off for about 30 minutes to Morro del Calzada, an ecological park. It was still pitch dark, but clear with lovely views of Venus, Jupiter and the Pleiades. We were there then as that is a good time to see nightjars, birds with long rectangular, rather thin tapering, wings that fly at night scooping up insects. With the aid of taped calls, John and Pepe managed to get a Little Nightjar flying up into their spotlight beam and we saw this large brown and white bird moving with slow wing beats like a large moth.

Breakfast in the field

It soon became light and our faithful food truck appeared and the crew set up tables and chairs again for a delicious breakfast of French toast and syrup right out in the middle of the scrubby park! We spotted a lively group of Saddleback Tamarin monkeys running around in a large cecropia tree which entertained us for a while!

After post-breakfast birding at El Morro we drove along the upper río Mayo stopping several times, including once where John imitated the call of a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl and managed to call in a huge flock of brilliantly colored tanagers including the Blue-necked with a bright blue head, black body and greenish wings, and the Paradise with its chartreuse face, blue breast, black back and red and yellow rump. It was really a special sight!

Chestnut-breasted Coronet at the Owlet feeder

We then pulled into a little café where our food crew had set up a delicious lunch of chicken stew. We walked over the nearby bridge and spotted a White-capped Dipper down in the rapids, a small bird that actually walks in the rushing water, ducking under and catching insects.

As we left the bridge, the road started climbing steeply up from 3500’ to 7700’ and we turned off to the Owlet Lodge set in the cool highlands. The lodge is located in a research and protection zone and caters to birders. Hummingbird feeders set around the lodge are constantly being battled over by several species of hummers! We were assigned our rooms and Bob and I got a lovely spacious bedroom and bath to ourselves - most others had to share - and settled in. At seven we reassembled in the dining room and had a great meal, starting with Pisco Sours all around!, followed by soup and chicken and veggies. We also drank Chicha Morada, a non-alcoholic drink made from purple corn and quite delicious!

After our early start this morning we are all exhausted, but don’t have to meet for breakfast until six!