Milpe Bird Sanctuary/Los Bancos (Day 4)

Day four of our trip took us to Milpe Bird Sanctuary, located in an Important Bird Area. Part of the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation, Milpe consists of 155 acres in a steep, forested valley ranging between 1020-1150m (3350-3770ft) elevation.

This is what the trails around Milpe look like. They are well maintained and even has stairs cut out into the dirt.

Here’s Brad and I looking through our scopes up into the canopy while Nick Athanas watches and laughs. No, we weren't goofing off but were looking at a…

Broad-billed Motmot. The photo isn’t that great but believe it or not, I took it through the scope with my Canon Rebel SLR. Who knew SLRs are able to do that…

Some of the highlights around Milpe include: Blue-fronted Parrotlet, Pale-mandibled Aracari, Chocó Toucan, Chestnut-mandibled Aracari, Esmeraldas Antbird, Tawny-breasted Flycatcher, Club-winged and Golden-winged Manakins, Chocó Warbler and this Green-crowned Woodnymph.

Green-crowned Woodnymph (Photo courtesy John Wilkinson)

Our next stop was Mirador de Rio Blanco in Los Bancos. This restaurant has an incredible fruit feeding station that attracts tanagers by the dozens. While sitting back drinking native fruit drinks, we watched the feeders and took advantage of the easy photography. Here are a few of my best:

Flame-faced Tanager

Guira Tanager (female)

Palm Tanager

Golden Tanager

Silver-throated Tanager

Lemon-rumped Tanager (male)

Thick-billed Euphonia

Green Thorntail (male)

Green Thorntail (female)