Dipper said:
I'm planning to visit Podocarpus Nat Pk for the majority of the trip, supposedly excellent
I can truly recommend
Parque Nacional Podocarpus in southern Ecuador. I would recommend you visiting both the lower and the higher parts. Except for the areas mentioned in the following, most of the reserve is remote and can't be visited unless going on a week long expedition. This may be the main reason why such mammalian rarities as Mountain Tapir & Spectacled Bear still survives there.
The site for visiting the higher parts is located south of Loja, and is known as
Cajanuma. It is located in the north-western part of the national park. You basically get on the main road heading south from Loja towards Vilcabamba. Some 10-15 km. from Loja, there is a gravel road to the left (easy to find, there's a sign) leaving the main road. There is also a house where they collect the small entrance fee. From here it is ca. 9 km. slowly uphill to the headquarters. Even though this final part can be rough it should be possible in an ordinary car (no need for 4x4) or you can walk, which takes 2-3 hours. The habitat along this access road is poor (mostly being farmland), but still fairly good for several hummingbirds. You can stay in Loja (where there are plenty of hotels) and from there get a cab, or, if you don't mind the cold, it is possible to use the HQ for a few US$ per night. The HQ is quite basic and not much more than a few bunk beds (you need to bring your own sleeping bag) and a bathroom with a shower with cold (very, very cold!!!) water. The HQ does have electricity. It is also important to remember to bring your own food and bottled water (unless you drink the tap-water) as none is available at the HQ. The trails near the HQ are generally good, though often slippery due to mud. This means that they sometimes (rarely) have to close some of the longer trails. This area range from ca. 2.600 to 3.200 meters asl. The habitat range from wet temperate forest with a dense undergrowth of bamboo to low elfin forest close at the treeline. It is important to note that the weather can be quite rough with lots of rain and cold (sometimes only a few degrees above freezing). Remember a warm and rain-proof jacket, and, preferably, rubber boots.
Some of my highlights at this site were
Bearded Guan,
Imperial Snipe (require luck; at late dusk or early dawn),
Grey-breasted Mountain-toucan,
Great Sapphirewing,
Sword-billed Hummingbird,
Rainbow Starfrontlet,
Flame-throated Sunangel,
Chusquea Tapaculo (only recently described, but common at this site),
Ocellated Tapaculo (as with all tapaculos, almost impossible without a tape)
Plushcap &
Masked Mountain-tanager (near the "Mirador"). I haven't seen it, and you would certainly need a lot of luck to do so, but the very rare and only recently discovered
Chestnut-bellied Cotinga has been recorded in the elfin forest near the "Mirador".
The second area you certainly shouldn't miss is located near Zamora, and is known by the name of
(Rio) Bombuscaro. This site is at a much lower altitude, being in the north-eastern part of the national park. This entrance is located 15-25 minutes (you don't need a 4x4) from Zamora by cab, followed by an easy 30 minute walk to the headquarters. It should be noted, that the ticket is valid for both entrances (Bombuscaro and Cajanuma), though only for a limited period (5 days when I was there). You can either choose to stay in the nearby town of Zamora, or camp in front of the HQ. There is a nice and flat area for camping. If you are lucky, they may allow you to sleep in the HQ. Again, remember food & water for drinking. There is a toilet with cold showers (though you may prefer one of the small and pristine waterfalls in the vicinity - I did!). Again, there are some nice trails around the HQ. This area range from ca. 800 to 1.200 meters asl, meaning that the weather is generally much more pleasant than at Cajanuma. Of course it can still be quite rainy. The habitat range from upper tropical ("foothill") to subtropical rainforest ("cloud forest").
Some of my highlights at this site were
Fasciated Tiger-heron (along the river),
White-necked Parakeet (daily, but usually distant),
Wire-crested Thorntail,
White-tipped Sicklebill,
Coppery-chested Jacamar (daily),
Lanceolated Monklet,
Equatorial Greytail,
Blue-rumped Manakin,
Andean Cock-of-the-Rock,
Amazonian Umbrellabird,
Grey-mantled Wren,
Olive Finch & of course loads of beautiful tanagers; the aptly named
Paradise Tanager being one of the commonest.
The road between Zamora and Loja has long been known as a road with many great possibilities (especially near the villlage of Sabanilla), though the only noteworthy species I saw was White-capped Tanager.
There are two other regularly used entrances to the national park, but both are somewhat harder to reach than the above. The first of these being near the village of Romerillos. Romerillos is situated ca. 2½ hours by car/bus south of Zamora. The second is east of the town of Vilcabamba, but the birds found at this specific altitude (slightly lower than Cajanuma part in Podocarpus), are probably easier in another nearby reserve:
Quebrada Honda/Tapichalaca. Today it may be better known as the
"Jocotoco Reserve"; the place where the Jocotoco Antpitta was discovered in 1997. This private reserve is located just south of the national park Podocarpus, ca. 2½-3 hours south of Vilcabamba by car, it being fairly close (ca. 30 minutes by car/bus) to the town of Valladolid.
Of course the amazing
Jocotoco Antpitta is the prime species, but there are many other significant highlights as
Tyrannine Woodcreeper,
Masked Saltator,
Grey-breasted Mountain-toucan,
Bearded Guan &
Golden-plumed Parakeet.
Before visiting this reserve,
please contact Fundación Jocotoco that owns and runs the reserve:
http://www.fjocotoco.org/
http://www.fjocotoco.org/reserves-tap.html
Fundación Jocotoco was founded by, among others, Robert Ridgeley. It
is possible to visit the above reserve, they have just had problems with birders just wandering in not paying the fee. This foundation is doing a GREAT job (and have several other important reserves in Ecuador), so it is certainly worth helping a bit by paying the very fair fees involved in using their facilities. If you don't want to pay the fee, don't go there!!!
Hopefully the above will get more birders to visit these important reserves, as especially the national park of Podocarpus still is at risk from forest clearance, mining and poaching. Your economy isn't an excuse; the above can be visited cheaply, as public transportation serve Loja, Zamora, Vilcabamba & Valladolid. The only significant expense is the plane-ticket to Ecuador! This region certainly is amazing - do remember that the species mentioned above are nothing but a very small sample with a few of the highlights!!!
OBS! Birding in the Neotropics can be very hard. The above sites are no exception. Many birds heard, relatively few seen. Unless being on a completely guided birding tour,
do remember to make habitat specific (i.e. high altitude east slope forest, the Amazon etc.) tapes before the trip. We are lucky as there are several good CD's on Ecuadorian birds available today. Also, try to practice with these CD's/tapes before you actually go there, then you know at least
some of the bird voices of the region; your experiance will be much more satisfactory then...