We started the morning at Buenaventura Reserve with breakfast in the dining room at Umbrellabird Lodge. This is a view of the open deck from the screened dining area.

The dining room was screened, but otherwise open to our surroundings.

The dining room and deck were up on a hill that overlooked the parking lot and road to the cabins and allowed us to look out into the surrounding canopy of trees.

Carving of the Long-wattled Umbrellabird in the dining room at Umbrellabird Lodge, Buenaventura Reserve, Ecuador

Lelis, Jerry (behind), Allan, Kannan, Michael, Patty and Steve on the open deck at the Umbrellabird Lodge in Buenaventura Reserve in southern Ecuador.

They had several feeders suspended along the edge of the open deck that brought the birds up close to us.

Lelis told me the 'Hda' is an abbreviation for 'Hacienda,' but I didn't ask him what the 'S.E.J.' stands for.

Male Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Brown Violetear perched on a branch near the feeders.

Male White-necked Jacobin

Male White-necked Jacobin next to a 'hot poker'-like flower

Male Green Thorntail

Black Phoebe

Male Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Male White-necked Jacobin hovering over a flower

We had noticed two Plumbeous Kites around a nest in a tree across the road from the deck and caught them consummating their relationship atop one of the trees.

Plumbeous Kites copulating near a nest across from the lodge deck

Male and female Plumbeous Kites mating

Male Green Thorntail

Male Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Male Green-crowned Brilliant hummingbird

Male Green-crowned Brilliant

Andean Emerald

Andean Emerald

Andean Emerald

Andean Emerald

Andean Emerald

Andean Emerald

Male Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Violet-bellied Hummingbird

?

?

?

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Rufous-headed Chachalaca

Rufous-headed Chachalaca

Yellow-rumped Cacique

Yellow-rumped Cacique

Yellow-rumped Cacique

Flame-rumped Tanager

Yellow-rumped Cacique

Yellow-rumped Cacique

Tropical Parula

Tropical Parula

Tropical Parula

This Tropical Parula looks likes it's falling out of the tree.

Roadside Hawk

Roadside Hawk

Roadside Hawk

Roadside Hawk

Male Green Honeycreeper

Male Green Honeycreeper

Female Green Honeycreeper, Brown Violetear (in background), male Green Honeycreeper

Buff-rumped Warbler

Buff-rumped Warbler

Buff-rumped Warbler

Green Thorntail

Female Green Thorntail

Andean Emerald

Andean Emerald

At the parking lot of the part of the reserve where we stopped for the morning walk, we found birds among the flowering bushes and trees and flying over us.

Green-crowned Brilliant?

Green-crowned Brilliant?

Black Phoebe

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Female Green-crowned Brilliant?

Crested Caracara

Swallow Tanager

Swallow Tanager

Scaly-throated Foliage-Gleaner

Scaly-throated Foliage-Gleaner

Scaly-throated Foliage-Gleaner

Scaly-throated Foliage-Gleaner

Scaly-throated Foliage-Gleaner

The entrance into the park

Purple-flowered plant

The sign to the Hummingbird Garden (Jardín de Colibríes) at the left of the trail

Patty stopped to read a trail sign while David, Barbara, Bruce, Jerry and the rest of us started our morning walk.

El Oro Parakeet was the target bird for this field trip.

I found a little frog on the road and put it on my arm to provide size comparison.

Swallow Tanager

Male Swallow Tanager in the distance

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Yellow-bellied Seedeater in the grass

Turkey Vulture in the mist

Flowering sedge

Seed heads

Seed head with mist

Small pink flowers

Small pink flowers

Grasses, sedge and flowers

Black Vultures

Ferns among the grasses: there was much more moisture in this habitat than in the areas we had visited previously.

Moisture in the air over lush habitat

Mountains in the mist

Bruce, Ann and Carolyn follow Mary and the others up the hill

Hummingbird Hawk-moth

Hummingbird Hawk-moth

Hummingbird Hawk-moth

Hummingbird Hawk-moth

Hummingbird Hawk-moth

Hummingbird Hawk-moth

Orange flower

Violet flower

Yellow flower

Red hanging flower

Red hanging flower

Violet flower

Violet flower

Bark and bright leaves

Water droplets on ground cover

Our group moving up the trail

Flowers

Frog

Yellow-throated Toucan in the distance

Guayaquil Woodpecker

Blue-necked Tanager

Blue-necked Tanager

Binoculars up!

Female One-colored Becard

Yellow flower

Pink flowers

Different pink flowers

Golden Tanager

Golden Tanager

Olive-crowned Yellowthroat

Olive-crowned Yellowthroat

Gray-backed Hawk

Swallow-tailed Kite, one of five

Swallow-tailed Kite

Bay-headed Tanager

Rufous-winged Tyrannulet

Rufous-winged Tyrannulet

Rufous-winged Tyrannulet

Rufous-winged Tyrannulet

Rufous-winged Tyrannulet

Rufous-winged Tyrannulet

Rufous-winged Tyrannulet

Pink flower

Common Bush-Tanager/Chlorospingus

White flower

Pale pink flower

Crested Caracara

Yellow-throated Toucan

Misty mountains of the cloud forest

Greenscape in the cloud forest

Beetle

Small violet flowers

Pale blue flower

Beetle

Pale blue flower

Pale blue flower

Yellow flower

Seed heads

Close-up of seed heads

Orange-bellied Euphonia

Orange-bellied Euphonia

New leaves

Leaf buds

White and yellow flowers

White and yellow flowers

White and yellow flowers and leaves

Kannan got up on a concrete watering trough (or something) to listen for birds.

More lush skyline

Pink flowers

Stream

Ferns

Ferns

We came back down the hill and arrived at the Hummingbird Garden which had a row of seven feeders and benches from which to watch the birds.

Honeybees also came in for a sip.

Male Violet-tailed Sylph

Green-crowned Brilliant and Violet-tailed Sylph

Female Green-crowned Brilliant, female Green Thorntail, more Green-crowned Brilliants?

An Andean Emerald joins them

What is the bird in the back with the short bill--and the bird in front?

?

Female Green-crowned Brilliants and White-necked Jacobins

Fawn-breasted Brilliant and Violet-tailed Sylph

Three White-necked Jacobins, female Green-crowned Brilliant and Violet-tailed Sylph

Three White-necked Jacobins, female Green-crowned Brilliant and Violet-tailed Sylph

Three White-necked Jacobins and Violet-tailed Sylph

Green Thorntail? It has a long bill for a thorntail.

Violet-tailed Sylph

Female Green-crowned Brilliant and female Fawn-breasted Brilliant

Green Thorntail

Green Thorntail

Female Green Thorntail

Female Green Thorntail

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Green-crowned Brilliant

Male Violet-tailed Sylph

Male Violet-tailed Sylph

Male Violet-tailed Sylph

Green-crowned Brilliant

Green-crowned Brilliant on a flower

Green-crowned Brilliant on a flower

Brown Inca

Andean Emerald

Andean Emerald

Andean Emerald

Male Violet-tailed Sylph showing some forehead color

Male Violet-tailed Sylph

Male Violet-tailed Sylph

Fawn-breasted Brilliant and Green-crowned Brilliant

Fawn-breasted Brilliant and Green-crowned Brilliant

Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Violet-tailed Sylph and Green-crowned Brilliant

Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Violet-tailed Sylph and Green-crowned Brilliant

Female Green-crowned Brilliant

Female Green-crowned Brilliant

Velvet-purple Coronet

Fawn-breasted Brilliant

Velvet-purple Coronet

Velvet-purple Coronet

Velvet-purple Coronet

Velvet-purple Coronet

Velvet-purple Coronet

Velvet-purple Coronet

A row of Green Thorntails at a feeder

Pink flowers

Pink flowers

Blue-chested Hummingbird

Blue-chested Hummingbird

Blue-chested Hummingbird

Blue-chested Hummingbird

Blue-chested Hummingbird

Blue-chested Hummingbird

Blue-chested Hummingbird

Blue-chested Hummingbird

Blue-chested Hummingbird

White-necked Jacobin

Green-crowned Brilliant

Violet-tailed Sylph

Violet-tailed Sylph

Close-up of crown of Violet-tailed Sylph

Stream

Back at the parking lot, our local guide, Barbara and Jerry

Kannan, our local guide and Lelis

The view from the porch of our cabin

Our cabin--two-in-one we shared with Ann and Carolyn next door

Carolyn and Ann looking out at the drizzle from the porch

Mist and drizzle moving in for the afternoon

Looking out from our porch

Sign of birds at Buenaventura Reserve

Second sign of birds at Buenaventura Reserve

Green-crowned Brilliant and White-necked Jacobin

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Male Green Honeycreeper

Male Green Honeycreeper

Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Violet-bellied Hummingbird on a flower

Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Violet-bellied Hummingbird on a flower

Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Andean Emerald

Violet-bellied Hummingbird with mouth open

Brown Violetear on flower

Brown Violetear

Brown Violetear

Green Thorntails liked to perch on these big green leaves.

Hummingbirds with male Green Honeycreeper and Bananaquit

Female Green Honeycreeper

Female Green Honeycreeper

Female Green Honeycreeper

Female Green Honeycreeper

Cloud forest

When the sugar water level got low and the competition for edge space goes up, the smaller Green Thorntails hovered over the water to drink.

Female and male Green Honeycreepers

Brown Violetear

Bananaquit

Immature White-necked Jacobin

Brown Violetear

?

?

Male Green Thorntail

Green-crowned Brilliant

Male Green Thorntail and Green-crowned Brilliant

Male Green Thorntail

Male Green Thorntail

Velvet-purple Coronet drinking from a puddle on the deck

Odd fruit

Thick-billed Euphonia

Thick-billed Euphonia

Thick-billed Euphonia

Thick-billed Euphonia

What bird is this? Female Violet-bellied Hummingbird?

Violet-bellied Hummingbird

Green Thorntails, Green-crowned Brilliant and White-necked Jacobin

Brown Violetears

Andean Emerald

Andean Emerald

Pink morning glory-like flowers

Grey-and-gold Warbler

Plumbeous Kite

Fallen flowers in the mud

Flying Rufous-headed Chachalaca

Female Flame-rumped Tanager

Buff-throated Saltator

Buff-throated Saltator

Buff-throated Saltator

Buff-throated Saltator

Buff-throated Saltator

Umbrellabird Lodge welcome sign

Heliconia

Small orchid

Small orchid

Small orchid

This Black-crowned Antshrike popped up in the trees behind our cabin.

Black-crowned Antshrike

Ann got out her Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador to help identify the bird as a Black-crowned Antshrike.

Black-crowned Antshrike

Black-crowned Antshrike

Black-crowned Antshrike

Black-crowned Antshrike

Black-crowned Antshrike

Black-crowned Antshrike

Black-crowned Antshrike

Black-crowned Antshrike

Black-crowned Antshrike

Slaty-capped Flycatcher

Slaty-capped Flycatcher

Tropical Parula

Rufous-headed Chachalaca

Pale-mandibled Aracari

Pale-mandibled Aracari

Pale-mandibled Aracari

Pale-mandibled Aracari

Pale-mandibled Aracari

Pale-mandibled Aracari

Pale-mandibled Aracari

Pale-mandibled Aracari

Pale-mandibled Aracari

Pale-mandibled Aracari

Pale-mandibled Aracari

Pale-mandibled Aracari

Pale-mandibled Aracaris

Green Thorntails lined up on their favorite leaves

An Andean Emerald joins six Green Thorntails

Aracari and Kite share space

Thick-billed Euphonia

Thick-billed Euphonia eats guava

Thick-billed Euphonia

Andean Emerald

Black Phoebe

Black Phoebe

Black Phoebe

Black Phoebe

Black Phoebe

Male Green Thorntail

Male Green Thorntail

More Green Thorntails

Green Thorntails

Buff-throated Saltator on the guava

Buff-throated Saltator

Flame-rumped Tanager

Male Flame-rumped Tanager

Female Flame-rumped Tanager

Swainson's Thrush

Choco Toucan?

Toucan

Toucan

Ann, Carolyn, Lelis and Kannan get ready to go over the checklist for the day.

Four amigos: Allan, Michael, Patty and David

At supper, one of the staff let Lelis know this Black-and-White Owl was in a tree behind the kitchen.

Black-and-White Owl

Black-and-White Owl taking flight

Moth on the dining room screen

Small frog on the dining room screen door