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Best places anywhere to see Hummingbirds ? (1 Viewer)

Wow, Ecuador and Costa Rica will be on my books. I've read about Ecuador's hummer offerings in Audubon magazine.

Lisa, SE Ariz definitely can't be beat for the U.S.
Chris, you lucky fella: we don't see black chinned hummers here on the coast. Seems like their habitat is mostly in the Central Valley.
 
Hello,
I just joined this forum today.
Peru, Costa Rica and Ecuador are all excellent places for hummingbirds. We took a family vacation to Ecuador In July this year and was amazed at the birding potential there. I managed to see quite a few hummingbird species even though our trip was not birding-focused and our group had just one birder and three non-birders.
See the following link for a synopsis of our trip.
http://www.fodors.com/community/south-america/galapagos-and-mainland-ecuador.cfm
 
For all you folks who have been birding in Costa Ri9ca, Ecuador and Peru, what can you tell me about the equatorial climate (Eduador and Peru) and subtropical climate (Costa Rica)? For Ecuador and Peru which involves high elevations is there a strenuous problem for seniors (I am healthy though) and what about humidity and insects?

It seems most of these cloud forests are on higher elevations, including Monteverde in CR.

For Lisa: is there still no paved road through the Chiricahuas to Portal? Do I have to drive all the way and come around the back through New Mexico?
 
For all you folks who have been birding in Costa Ri9ca, Ecuador and Peru, what can you tell me about the equatorial climate (Eduador and Peru) and subtropical climate (Costa Rica)? For Ecuador and Peru which involves high elevations is there a strenuous problem for seniors (I am healthy though) and what about humidity and insects?

It seems most of these cloud forests are on higher elevations, including Monteverde in CR.

For Lisa: is there still no paved road through the Chiricahuas to Portal? Do I have to drive all the way and come around the back through New Mexico?

Temperatures in Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica are quite similar and are mostly a function of elevation. The only places in Costa Rica that are high enough to feel shortness of breath when walking upslope or going for a run are: Cerro de la Muerte (Dota Valley), Irazu, Barva, and Poas volcanoes (Monteverde isnt high enough). It can be cool enough to warrant a light jacket or sweater at such sites during morning and evening hours and nights can drop into the 40s.

Elevations in Ecuador and Peru at such sites as Guango Lodge, Papallacta, Quito, Cusco, Ticlio Bog, upper parts of Manu Road and other areas above 3,000 meters in elevation are certainly high enough to affect most people but if you are fit and are careful about not exerting yourself you should be fine.

The Caribbean and much of the Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica, eastern lowlands (Amazonia!) of Ecuador and Peru, and northwestern Ecuador are hot and humid (but never as bad as much of the eastern USA during the summer months), insects arent too bad but enough to merit repellent.

The best places to see Hummingbirds are cloud forests that often have wonderful climates that although humid, are not too hot nor too cold.
 
For all you folks who have been birding in Costa Ri9ca, Ecuador and Peru, what can you tell me about the equatorial climate (Eduador and Peru) and subtropical climate (Costa Rica)? For Ecuador and Peru which involves high elevations is there a strenuous problem for seniors (I am healthy though) and what about humidity and insects?

It seems most of these cloud forests are on higher elevations, including Monteverde in CR.

Can not help you much with Costa Rica (only been to the airport) or Peru (been their twice but never left Lima) but I have been living in Quito for the past 10 years. Prior to retirement the first of this year I hosted many groups with ages ranging from 6 to 76 and we had very little problem with the altitude. I will mention that people of African decent have more of a problem with the altitude than others. I just got back from birding up at 12,000 feet. It is a matter of slowing down and pacing yourself. However, you are going to find more bird species down around 5,000 feet and you probably won't notice much problem with the altitude there.

The temperatures are all going to depend on the altitude. Quito is like spring weather all year round with low humidity. You can see snow up at the higher altitudes (around 13,000 ft) and the coast is definitely much warmer with high humidity. The coast is cooler June - September due to the overcast skies but the humidity is always high.

As for the insects, although you will find mosquitos and flies in Quito and higher, they are not much of a problem. (There are no roaches at this altitude.) When you get below 6,000 feet you will begin having problems with mosquitos, no-see-ums, flies, etc. I always wear a long sleeve shirt when I am at those altitudes. I still get bites on my hands but there isn't so much of a feeding frenzy. I wouldn't recommend shorts while out birding, it could take some of the enjoyment out of your stay.

Hope this helps. Let me know if I can assist you in any way.
 
Wings:
I have traveled just a bit in both Ecuador and Costa Rica. Both are extra-ordinarily great countries to visit; and both places have a very pleasant climate in the highlands. Neither place has anything like what I would call an insect problem - in fact, I can't remember even seeing a mosquito in Ecuador, except down in the Amazon. Even there, they were laughably sparse. ("Repellent? You must be joking!")

[Mind you, I'm used to Canada, where - in June at least - the biomass of your average woodlot is about 50% mosquitoes by weight. (Oh, I wish that were funny.) I am convinced that the biting insects and the birds here have signed a non-aggression pact, specifically aimed at keeping people away. But I digress.]

Anyway, as I say, the few mosquitoes that you run into in the lowlands of EC and CR won't bother you in the highlands. Even the mid-elevations places (like Mindo) are relatively free of them.

But back to the question at hand: While I certainly do not have anything against CR as a destination (quite the opposite!), I suspect that Ecuador is the best choice for you, if your goal is to see a lot of hummingbirds. In fact, I have a specific destination to recommend. Of all the places that I’ve stayed in Ecuador, I think the hotel Termas de Papallacta (less than a day’s drive east of Quito – on a mostly good road) has the best combination of birds, convenience, and comfort-level.

While there are really good places (many of them, no doubt, that I don’t even know about) over on the west slope of the Andes, in the ones I’ve stayed at I found the that the trails are very hilly – lots of climbing up-and-down to get anywhere at all.

Termas de Papallacta, on the other hand, has only one nature trail, called “Las Islas”. It's not very wild, and it’s kind of short - but, on the plus side, it’s almost entirely flat! Only 10-20m. of elevation gain, if that, and this can be real bonus at that elevation. And even though the habitat that this trail runs through is only a bit of stunted forest in the midst of a cattle pasture (see attached) it is absolutely AMAZING for birds.

Our visit was only for two nights, so we only got to walk Las Islas twice; and this, I very much regretted after the fact (we had booked into Las Termas almost as an afterthought – the main focus of the trip was elsewhere). Even so, we saw many spectacular life birds on those walks; Great Sapphirewing, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, and Shining Sunbeam, just to name the more memorable hummers. And, of course, there’s plenty aside from hummingbirds - lots of tanagers and (id’able!) tyrants as well.

Oh, and having a good soak in a heated pool at the end of a day of hiking is very pleasant, too. |=)|

Disadvantages – quite high up, so be aware of altitude sickness, and take it easy. Also, it can get surprisingly chilly, even during the day.

Saludos,
 

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Thanks Steve and Patrick for the feedback on Ecuador and Costa Rica. Patricia, I too am jealous of your toucan visitor. So does that make you a Toucan Tiko? LOL
 
I was in Costa Rica in August for 2 weeks, and at some points we were surrounded by so many hummingbirds it was impossible to ID them all. We just had to take as many pics as possible and ID them when we got back to the hotel!
 
Serra dos Tucanos Lodge in south-east Brazil is recommended for hummingbirds with species like Black Jacobin and Sombre Hummingbird coming to feeders while you sit on the verandah, and the amazing Plovercrest occurring in the general area. Going in January - can't wait!
 
Serra dos Tucanos Lodge in south-east Brazil is recommended for hummingbirds with species like Black Jacobin and Sombre Hummingbird coming to feeders while you sit on the verandah, and the amazing Plovercrest occurring in the general area. Going in January - can't wait!

So envious- I have always wanted to go there! Glad you mentioned it as a top hummingbird watching site.
 
Serra dos Tucanos Lodge in south-east Brazil is recommended for hummingbirds with species like Black Jacobin and Sombre Hummingbird coming to feeders while you sit on the verandah, and the amazing Plovercrest occurring in the general area. Going in January - can't wait!

Not too far away from Serra dos Tucanos is Macae da Cima, which has great feeders absolutely crawling with hummingbirds. It's much higher altititude than Tucanos, so stuff like White-throated Hummer and Plovercrest can be seen more easily.
 
We're going to northern Peru for the first half of November, where we'll be looking for a number of endemic hummers: Grey-bellied Comet, Royal Sunangel, Purple-backed Sunbeam and, of course, Marvellous Spatuletail, as well as other Maranon specialties. Peru is harder to travel in than Ecuador or Costa Rica: the roads are worse and the distances greater. But it's a thrilling country to visit, very beautiful, with wonderful people. The Manu Road is perhaps the best birding road in the world, with 3000m of elevation differential and something new around every corner. We were there 18 months ago and it was just spectacular.

I can't say Peru is my favorite, though: Colombia is also incredibly beautiful, with more hummer species than any other country, and more being discovered: we were there in February and got to see the recently-discovered Dusky Starfrontlet. We saw many others, including a number of endemics. Colombia has a poor reputation for safety, but things have dramatically improved there - just ask before you venture into rural areas. The people are really great as well.

So, I'll call it a tie between Peru and Colombia. It's too hard to choose! I will say, though, that Peru has better food, and don't forget your Pisco Sour.
 
I can't say Peru is my favorite, though: Colombia is also incredibly beautiful, with more hummer species than any other country, and more being discovered: we were there in February and got to see the recently-discovered Dusky Starfrontlet. We saw many others, including a number of endemics. Colombia has a poor reputation for safety, but things have dramatically improved there - just ask before you venture into rural areas. The people are really great as well.

check these endemic hummers from Colmbia to help un-tie the situation:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colombia_birding_diego/4737340487/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colombia_birding_diego/4857469014/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colombia_birding_diego/4305189176/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colombia_birding_diego/4650050133/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colombia_birding_diego/4388352744/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colombia_birding_diego/4857465702/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colombia_birding_diego/4362574954/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colombia_birding_diego/4856849081/
 
Well, if you have two perfect places, they have to be equal, by definition. The only solution is to keep going back there!

For those who really want to drool about Colombia, check out http://www.birdingcolombia.com/. They list a ton of places to go - we used it to travel independently there early this year and it was really helpful. http://www.thc-fc.org/ is very interesting for hummingbirds in Colombia as well.

I've also heard that Venezuela is fantastic for hummers, but it's probably not the safest place to venture at this time.
 
For those who really want to drool about Colombia, check out http://www.birdingcolombia.com/. They list a ton of places to go - we used it to travel independently there early this year and it was really helpful. http://www.thc-fc.org/ is very interesting for hummingbirds in Colombia as well.

I've also heard that Venezuela is fantastic for hummers, but it's probably not the safest place to venture at this time.

Hi jimforjim and ALL interested in this thread,
I just wanted to make a note here about these websites, Fundacion Colibri of course will be great help to look for hummers in Colombia so any contact with them is valuable!... in the other hand I just want to make a clarification about birdingcolombia.com: this is a great website, and I personally know Ben Freeman who is the person behind it (at least webmastering it and ading new info), BUT this www contains information from external sources on several sites and that info might not be well properly updated, so what I recommend (as a Colombian living and birding here, not only as a birding trips company owner and guide) is NO ONE SHOULD COME TO COLOMBIA TO DO A TRIP PLANNED/BASED ONLY IN THE INFORMATION FOUND ON WEBSITES LIKE THIS (or even like mine...!), IT IS HIGHLY DESIRABLE AND BEST RESPONSIBLE THING TO DO TO GET IN TOUCH WITH A GUIDE OR A COMPANY... as some of you have said here in the forum and many of you have read in the www about all the improvement of security in Colombia, it is safe and possible to come birding to several sites of Colombia, BUT ALWAYS RECOMMENDABLE to get local updated wise advise on which areas visit or not to visit, especially if you are planning to travel independently ... as all normal people will understand Colombia does is safe but of course, not all areas are safe, so get in touch with locals that will advise well before visiting if you are coming by yourself/ves.
saludos and enjoy birding here!
 
Diego is right, there are a number of good guides in Colombia, and going anywhere just relying on stuff you read on websites isn't advisable. While we like to travel independently, we'll hook up with guides here and there, out of desire or sometimes necessity. If anybody is interested in specific guides in Colombia or Peru that we've used (and liked), you can PM me.
 
Wow, Peter C., Diego, you are extremely helpful with such detailed information.
For Peter, can you recommend a birding tour company for Ecuador?
 
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