December 29, 2025-January 8, 2026 with Willy Perez
I have to say that we had a wonderful time during this 2025 Wildsumaco tour. It is a great tour to end the year and start a fresh new 2026. We started by visiting the Antisana National Park for one morning to briefly explore the high elevation birding. Then, as usual, we stayed two nights in the super charming San Isidro lodge, where the birds were great just from the porch, the accommodation was incredible, and the food on a different level. Also, here we had the traditional fin de ano (end of the year), where we burned the dummy and had a toast with a glass of champagne, and of course some rain!
The other 6 nights we stayed at Wildsumaco lodge which is built at the perfect elevation on the Ecuadorian eastern foothills. Again, here the birds were stunning, the bird feeders were wonderful and full of activity. The accommodation was perfect and the food was just delicious.
There were plenty of birds to suit everyone’s tastes. Some people were surprised and impressed by the Cock-of-the-Rock display, and I have to say that the lek at Amarun Pakcha is one of the best I have seen. For other people, the tiny Ochre-breasted Antpitta grabbed their attention. In the list of favorites, there was Blue-rumped Manakin, Gorgeted Woodstar, the smallest hummingbird we saw, and the very fancy Wire-crested Thorntail, all tiny jewels that brought joy to people.
For others, some bigger birds were at the top of their list. Who wouldn’t be impressed by a Blackish Rail coming out to the open to eat some worms that people put out for them? The very impressive Military Macaw, especially in flight, was another. Other ones standing out for their charismatic behavior were the elegant and confident Short-tailed Antthrush, the wise Band-bellied Owls, and of course, the Western Striolated Puffbird, but the most fascinating was the concert by the Musician Wren that captivated all of us. Reid and Ximena even wanted to include this in their musical repertoire.
The most impressive thing for me along the tour, of course, was the great group. Thank you all for coming; it was lovely to see some familiar faces as well as new ones, and thank you for being a trooper when a few things didn’t go as planned. I always say, as a guide, that I am lucky if I have any skillfully trained people along with us, because you never know when you are going to need them, and this time was no exception. Having a "mechanic" in the group, when the bus had a mechanical hitch on the way to Wildsumaco, was a blessing. You saved the day, Reid, so thank you! Also, your evening of music with Jimena was a real delight, and even the staff from Wildsumaco enjoyed the presentation. Another person crucial for us was Edgar, our driver, who took us safely along this journey. Overall, this was a very successful trip and I look forward to seeing you again sometime soon.
Other animals that we saw along the tour:
Black-mantled Tamarin (Saguinus nigricollis)
Common Woolly Monkey (Lagothrix lagotricha)
Common Tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis)
Red-tailed Squirrel (Sciurus granatensis)
Northern Amazon Red Squirrel (Sciurus igniventris)
Amazon Dwarf Squirrel (Microsciurus flaviventer)
Black Agouti (Dasyprocta fuliginosa)
South American Coati (Nasua nasua)
Mountain Coati (Nasuella olivacea)
Kinkajou (Potos flavus)
Mountain Tapir (Tapirus pinchaque)
White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Anole Lizard.
Poison Dart Frog.
Giant Earthworm.
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/467286
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/wsu25TRIPLIST.pdf
-- Keep on birding! Willy