Birding In Bosque Cerro Blanco

Bosque Cerro Blanco is only about 20 minutes outside of Guayaquil and it is very easy to organize a visit there.  You need to contact them in advance so they can arrange a guide and permission to enter the reserve by emailing bosqueprotector@yahoo.com.  Use Google translate to communicate in Spanish as they don’t speak English.

In our case, they also organized a taxi to pick us up at the Holiday Inn and take us out there, then to return later to take us back to the hotel.  This is the safest option as Guayaquil is not a city you want to take risks with potentially dodgy taxis.  Even though it is slightly more expensive, the difference isn’t great in terms of actual dollars.

There is some great information about the reserve and a map HERE.

Our guide, Paul Abad was waiting for us when we arrived around 6am and we were off to explore and hopefully get some good birds!

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Although the Guayaquil Macaw (Great Green Macaw) is the flagship species, they are rarely seen in the area of the reserve most birders can access.  DSCN0366

We walked along the trails with Paul pointing out all the species.  My complete eBird list is HERE.  Photography wasn’t the best as it was overcast and many species were far away though I did the best I could with my long lenses.

 

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Yellow-rumped CaciqueIMG_1836 IMG_1824 IMG_1821 IMG_1813 IMG_1800 IMG_1788

Since I was targeting parrot species, I was thrilled to see a small flock of Lilicine Amazon Parrots flying in the distance.IMG_1791 IMG_1793 IMG_1791a IMG_1794a IMG_1808a

Southern Yellow Grosbeak IMG_1813a

The White-tailed Jay was a stunning bird!IMG_1829a IMG_1834a IMG_1840a

This lookout proved to be a real hotspot especially for parrots!DSCN0395 DSCN0401

First a flock of Red-masked Parakeets flew by.IMG_1791 IMG_1793 IMG_1798 IMG_1800 IMG_1813

Smooth-billed AniIMG_1821 IMG_1824 IMG_1836 IMG_1839 IMG_1852 IMG_1856 IMG_1862

Pale-vented Pigeon

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Parrotlets are usually my downfall.  I have a good success rate on finding most parrots but these little guys are usually elusive.  So it was especially thrilling to have a small flock of Pacific Parrotlets land in the trees near the lookout……………….closely followed by some gorgeous and acrobatic Grey-cheeked Parakeets!IMG_1857 IMG_1883

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To top it off, a Red-masked Parakeet decided to come in closer for a better look!IMG_1958a IMG_1961a IMG_1948a

Yellow-tailed OrioleIMG_1901a IMG_1890a IMG_1952 IMG_1954

The reserve has some educational signs but in Spanish only.DSCN0405 DSCN0406 DSCN0407 DSCN0404 DSCN0408 DSCN0411

A Saffron FinchDSCN0410

Paul and Ina walking back to the office.DSCN0412

The office had been closed when we arrived so I paid the entry fee $5.00 each and the guide fee $60, then had a look at the hummingbird feeders where Amazilia Hummingbirds can be seen.DSCN0413 DSCN0416

Hotel Review: Holiday Inn Guayaquil Airport

I know you aren’t supposed to take pictures in the immigration line but I couldn’t resist because of the Guayaquil Macaw on the poster!

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One of the best things about booking the Holiday Inn Guayaquil Airport is that it is literally 5 minutes from the airport.  See the green neon in the photo?  We could have walked but when we got outside, the shuttle was already there.  I had mentioned which flight we were on when I booked it using 20,000 points and they showed up without us having to call!  Great service!

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The room was nice and very typical Holiday Inn.  There isn’t much in the local area but there were some fast food places a couple blocks away so we grabbed some snacks and drinks for the birding trip the next day and crashed out.

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This hotel is currently on Pointbreaks for 5000 points a night until 31 July which is a steal!  Of course this Pointbreak list was published after we left South America!

The shuttle to and from the airport is free both directions.  Even though it’s not far, it was still nice to avoid the mid-day heat.

Transiting Santiago & Flight To Guayaquil

After a fantastic business class surprise, we arrived in Santiago with just over an hour to make the connection.  If the flight had been on time it would have been almost 4 hours to connect.  By the time we got through the transit desk and security there wasn’t enough time to use Priority Pass to enter a lounge so we went straight to the gate.  I was just relieved that the delay didn’t cause us to miss the flight!

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If we had been entering Chile, we would have had to pay a “reciprocity fee”.DSCN0306 DSCN0307

This time we were both in our regular economy seats but at least we had an unoccupied middle seat!  The flight was uneventful and we were happy to finally land in Guayaquil so we could get some sleep!DSCN0308 DSCN0310 DSCN0311 DSCN0313 DSCN0314 DSCN0317 DSCN0318