After completing a five-week seabird-monitoring project in Galapagos, we took the opportunity to get to know the cloud forest of Northwest Ecuador. We were already familiar with many Chocó species from our time volunteering at Reserva Las Gralarias, near Mindo. Los Cedros plays host to many species more often found by birders in the San Miguel de los Bancos/ Milpe area, but it also boasts a distinct set of specialty birds in a less-developed setting. To access the reserve, you take a bus to Chontal and are greeted by a team of Los Cedros staff and mules. The journey up (whether on foot or on a mule) takes a few hours, but it’s worth it. As you get closer to the biological reserve, you realize that Los Cedros is serious about its conservation mission. The cloud forest here is pristine and larger in scale than what we’d experienced closer to the highway. The logistics of getting there and back are well worth it.
And the birds seem to be more active here too. Particularly plentiful are notable species like Rufous and Broad-billed Motmots, Chocó and Chestnut-mandibled Toucans, Red-headed and Toucan Barbets. Normally shy species like Andean Cock-of-the-Rock and Crested Guan seem much easier to spot here, even in the dense subtropical foliage. Colorful specialties like the Glistening-green Tanager and Rose-faced Parrot are yard regulars at the rustic but very amenable headquarters. The facilities there run on hydro power from the stream, where there is a beautiful swimming hole called “The Honeypot” or “Pozo de Miel.” Meals were communal and hearty, José (the manager) is full of interesting conservation tales, and the accommodations were great. A new road is underway to the village nearest the reserve, which will make the journey to the reserve very much easier. Hopefully, this will allow more birders to get up there soon and get a better sense of the full array of species diversity
Highlights for us included Glistening-green Tanager, Baudó Guan, Rose-faced Parrot, Black Solitaire, and Swallow Tanager. We did not see Star-chested Treerunner, Long-wattled Umbrellabird, or Ornate Hawk-Eagle, but they’ve all been spotted too.