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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ovenbird43" data-source="post: 2003652" data-attributes="member: 64478">2 Jan - Angel Paz Antpitta ReserveFor today we had arranged a trip to visit Angel Paz's Antpitta Reserve.  We met our driver and guide in the wee hours of the morning and arrived at the reserve before first light.  We were given some snacks and began the hike down into the valley.  Our guide searched for nightjars, and we got to see a female Swallow-tailed Nightjar, excellent although we didn't get to see a male.  We searched unsuccessfully for owls as we made our way down to a blind.  There, we sat to wait for dawn and the beginning of the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock's display.  We began to hear their eerie calls before it was light enough to see them.  Tom seems to have a soft spot for birds that make weird noises, and he was also the first to spot one of these bright orange birds.  Soon we had the scope on it, what a fabulously bizarre sight!  We caught sight of several more males and watched the antics for about an hour before heading on to the next attraction- a fruit feeder nearby.  Here, we were treated to close-up views of Sickle-winged Guan, Toucan Barbet, Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager, and Crimson-rumped Toucanet.  We watched as one of the Toucan Barbets attempted to claim the central platform to itself, driving off any other bird that dared approach, and then found itself in a stare-off with a Sickle-winged Guan- and the barbet reluctantly gave it access.After watching the feeders for a while, it was time for the real stars of the place- the antpittas.  First up, after a long hike further down into the valley, we were lead along a stream as Angel Paz called out "Willie, willie, willie!!"  And suddenly, there was Willie- a Yellow-breasted Antpitta, standing on the stump of a tree, flicking his wings nervously.  Angel set some mealworms on the stump, and we watched transfixed as Willie hopped back up onto the stump to eat the worms, still nervously flicking his wings, and then dashed back into the forest.The same stunt was repeated several more times as we hiked back up, yielding three more species, including several Giant Antpittas (including the famous Maria), a Moustached Antpitta, and amazingly the tiny Ochre-breasted Antpitta.  I should have taken videos, most of my photos came out crap.  It was incredible to watch these secretive birds come so close.We wrapped up our time at Angel Paz's reserve by stopping at the hummingbird feeders on top of the ridge, which had many of the same species as Bellavista plus a few bonuses: Empress Brilliant, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Brown Inca, and Velvet-purple Coronet.  To top off the morning we were treated to a delicious Ecuadorian breakfast.</blockquote>

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