Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Ecuador

The hide

Start off your day with half an hour at the forest floor feeder. This is how it works:

You have a five-thirty breakfast, you walk the 130 metres and settle in to the chairs and wait quietly for the action to begin. It's still dark so there's no need to stress. The dawn chorus is started by a pair of Lineated Foliage-gleaners, and you many hear Collared or Barred Forest-Falcon calling in the distance. The first bird to come in is usually the local pair of Immaculate Antbirds, less than a meter from the screen. Don't bother moving because the

windows are floor to ceiling and you can see everything. As the antbirds pick off moths roosting around the lamp, a group of Chestnut-capped Brushfinches may hop by, while White-tipped Doves rummage in the compost and Russet-crowned Warbler and Spotted Barbtail forage in the understory. Other visitors include Masked Trogon, Strong-billed Woodcreeper, Uniform Antshrike, and Plain Antvireo, but don't expect to see them all; no two mornings are the same. As it starts to get light, you stand a chance of seeing Rufous-breasted Antthrush, White-throated Quail-Dove, Scaled, Moustached, or Ochre-breasted Antpittas, Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, and Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush.

Now it's time to hit the trails...



All these pictures were taken from the hide