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Specialty birds near former Gareno Lodge / east of Misahualli (2 Viewers)

scarletmyzomela

New member
Australia
Hi! I have a mammoth six-week birding tour with Nelson Apolo across mainland Ecuador next October/November (my first real international birding tour after a visit to see family in the UK and some self-directed no-car birding in Croatia and Singapore). While it's an incredibly long time away, I'm trying to make sure I don't miss out on a chance to connect with a couple of key species, and am trying to firm up the itinerary now to avoid constantly bothering Nelson with changes. There are some things I've opted to go for (e.g. Blue-throated Hillstar) and others I thought would be a bridge too far on the expectations list (e.g. Rio Bigal and more remote Amazonian areas), but there is one spot - the area around the former Gareno Lodge - I've noticed is close to a spot we're already visiting (Misahualli/Ama Ecolodge) and that I thought might deserve some birding time.

The main reason to add this spot to the trip is to see a Fiery Topaz, my most wanted bird and one I forgot to ask about before the itinerary was created - we currently aren't staying or visiting any spots where it's seen (other than as a very rare visitor). Beyond this, are there any other birds that are hard to see anywhere else but the Gareno road area without visiting even more remote Amazonian regions? The only one I've noticed is Pavonine Quetzal. Because the lodge itself is defunct, I've found it hard to come across detailed birding info for the Gareno area and figure out a list of targets I should be conscious of for this part of Amazonia, in comparison to places like Sani where there are lots of evocative trip reports from recent birders' visits. I'm aware there are no current stakeouts for Rufous Potoo at Sani or here at the moment.

Nelson seems very accommodating but I feel the tour itinerary he put together is already absolutely massive and I don't want to add more to his plate, so if birding the Gareno area isn't a genuinely good return on investment I might just see if we can get really lucky finding the topaz closer to Ama at the bridge area in Punto Arajuno.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!
 

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