{"id":2911,"date":"2018-12-04T02:41:23","date_gmt":"2018-12-04T01:41:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/albicillaexplorer.com\/?p=2911"},"modified":"2019-07-28T16:05:41","modified_gmt":"2019-07-28T14:05:41","slug":"finally-umbrellabird-the-bird-with-an-umbrella-and-a-tie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/albicillaexplorer.com\/en\/finally-umbrellabird-the-bird-with-an-umbrella-and-a-tie\/","title":{"rendered":"Finally Umbrellabird – the bird with an umbrella and a tie"},"content":{"rendered":"
A nice cup of coffee<\/h5>\n

There is nothing like a nice warm cup of morning coffee in the field, and the first cup of the day was really good.<\/p>\n

We had already seen a Common Pauraque<\/strong> on the twisting gravel road that leads down to the little village Recinto 23 de Junio<\/strong>. In the village, we picked up the farmer, Luis. On his property, there is a Long-wattled Umbrellabird lek<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 and that was where we were going.<\/p>\n

But first, we needed some coffee and some breakfast. We didn\u2019t have too much time to spend on breakfast as the sun would soon rise. But as our guide Sandra<\/em><\/strong> (who we can highly recommend Mindo Bird of Paradise Tours<\/a>) said, breakfast is important when going for a walk. Sandra<\/em> quickly set out the breakfast in the boot of the car. We had everything we could ask for, coffee, tea, bread, ham, cheese, fruit, and hard-boiled eggs. It was a good start to the day.<\/p>\n

The weather was perfect – clear skies and dry, which is not guaranteed in this neck of the woods. Filled with expectations we followed Luis<\/em> down the muddy road. Would we finally succeed in finding a Long-wattled Umbrellabird? \u2013 we certainly hoped so. It didn\u2019t happen in Buenaventura (read\u00a0More birds and less soil under the nails<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\"Klokken

05:45 AM and Sandra is arranging the breakfast. Recinto 23 de Junio, Pichincha, Ecuador.<\/p><\/div>\n

Umbrellabird!<\/h5>\n

A Rufous Motmot called out <\/strong>– \u201cBoop-oop\u201d<\/em> and a Roadside Hawk<\/strong> looked down at us from a tree. Sandra was quick to find it in the scope (editors note: telescope)<\/em>. We continued on, crossed a small stream, saw an Ornate Flycatcher<\/strong> and continued further up. The next bird sat out in the open at the top of a lonely tree – Long-wattled Umbrellabird<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

It was a female, but there was no doubt that it was an umbrellabird<\/strong>. But so soon! We were nowhere near the lek,<\/em> and we were in an area of open fields with grazing cattle. And before you get the wrong idea, it looks nothing like a typical Danish cattle enclosure. The cattle do look like the piebald Danish dairy cows but the landscape is quite different from Denmark.<\/p>\n

\"Long-wattled

Long-wattled Umbrellabird (female). Upper lek Site, Recinto 23 de Junio, Ecuador.<\/p><\/div>\n

Umbrellas, ties and Elvis hairdo<\/h5>\n

The next few minutes were awesome. There was an abundance of umbrellabirds<\/em> around us. A couple of males appeared, and then another female. A male sang in a tree behind us \u2013 booom \u2013<\/em>\u00a0 and we could hear another one further off. Another one appeared, and another, and another \u2013 and there were some that flew back and forth between the trees.<\/p>\n

Especially the males are spectacular and funny looking when they are showing off<\/em> in front of the females. With the long curled head crest, it really looks like they have an umbrella on their head. Actually, it also resembles an Elvis hairdo \u2013 and they certainly have the moves<\/em> down.<\/p>\n

And then there is the wattle which looks like a tie \u2013 it looks so weird. An indescribable spiral-like feathery thing that dangles like a spring from the throat.<\/p>\n

It required a lot of concentration to keep track of how many umbrellabirds<\/em> there were \u2013 but we saw at least seven different ones during that perfect morning.<\/p>\n

\"Long-wattled

Long-wattled Umbrellabird (male). Upper lek Site, Recinto 23 de Junio, Ecuador.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Long-wattled

Long-wattled Umbrellabird (male). Upper lek Site, Recinto 23 de Junio, Ecuador.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"En

A playing male (collage). Long-wattled Umbrellabird. Upper lek Site, Recinto 23 de Junio, Ecuador.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Der

Observing and photographing Long-wattled Umbrellabirds. Upper lek Sites, Recinto 23 de Junio, Pichincha, Ecuador.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Skoven

The forest around Upper lek Site, Recinto 23 de Junio, Pichincha, Ecuador.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n