The morning weather was perfect for birding, as it was cool, crisp, calm and clear. Rather than spend time birding up to the summit, at the risk of the weather changing as it does so often in the Andes, we made an essential bee-line to the summit (4300 m) and would gauge our pace of birding downward as conditions permitted. On the way to the top we spotted Brown-bellied Swallow, Stout-billed Cinclodes and Andean Tit-Spinetail. Once at the summit the five of us split up in hopes of finding the elusive seedsnipe - a bird I missed in 2011. My path was to head up - up to the highest point to gain the best vantage point for scanning. And it paid off, as in just a few minutes I located the first of three Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe (lifer). The bird I found appeared injured, as evidenced by a drooping wing and its preference to remain still or to walk slowly away. The other two birds, seen not much further from the first bird, remained close only for a few minutes before bursting down the mountain slope in full flight.
From the summit we began our gradual descent, but not before taking advantage of the brilliant photo opportunities. Soon after starting our way down the mountain we spotted Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant, Chestnut-winged Cinclodes, White-chinned Thistletail, Blue-mantled Thornbill, Many-striped Canestero, and Grass [Sedge] Wren. Once back near the highway we took a small gravel road west to search for a few other specialities, namely Giant Conebill and Paramo Tapaculo. We did get the latter (lifer) after "working" the bird for nearly 30 minutes for everyone to get a good look, but missed the conebill. Along the highway we tried for Giant Conebill again, but had no luck; sadly, the widening of highway had removed a substantial piece of the species' habitat. We then stopped at Papallacta Lake and birded the gravel road east of the lake. It was fairly unproductuive, yielding only six species - the most bothersome of all was a Rufous Antpitta that literally was less than five feet away and we couldnt see it nor coax it into view with playback.
Back at Guango Lodge we worked the feeders for a few minutes before having lunch. In only a few minutes we numerous hummingbirds, including Buff-breasted Coronet, Tourmaline Sunangel, Tyrian Metaltail, Long-tailed Sylph, White-bellied Woodstar, Buff-tailed Coronet, Speckled Hummingbird and Mountain Avocetbill (lifer). After lunch we worked the trails around the lodge, still on the hunt for Torrent Duck. Highlights included Gray-hooded Bush-Tanager (lifer), Pearled Treerunner, Slaty Brush-Finch (lifer), Torrent Tyrannulet (lifer), Plain-tailed Wren (lifer), Barred Fruiteater (lifer), Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager (lifer), Scaly-naped Amazon (lifer), Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Dusky Piha (lifer) and Mountain Velvetbreast (lifer). We ended the day, just as it was nearing dark, with a pair of Torrent Ducks on the river with one baby.
After a delicious dinner, a wee bit of conversation, and a plethora of daily notes to compile, it was time to hit the hay. Tonight I was sharing a room with Howard (due to space limitations), and for days preceding this evening there was near-constant warning and teasing that I wouldn't sleep a wink because of Howard's tendency to snore...and so I was told...quite loudly. Time would tell.
Total species today: 66
Total cumulative species for the trip: 179
Total lifers today: 12
Total cumulative lifers for the trip: 43
