Ecuador's Yanacocha Ecological Reserve is a vigorous, dense, exuberant forest of gnarled trees and twisted branches; strange and interesting plants in the lush understory; and unusual birds, high in the Andes. The reserve encompasses 3100 acres, at about 10,000 feet elevation, not far from Quito, Equador, on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano. This reserve is part of the World Land Trust and preserves a remnant of the seriously diminished polylepis forest of the Andes.
Polylepis is a genus of trees in the rose family. Fifteen different species of trees in this genus grow in south America, mainly in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. Polylepis forests are critically endangered, mainly because of the impact of human activity - due to the harvesting of these trees for building and fuel going back to the time of the Incas, as well as burning of the forest to make way for grazing sheep and cattle starting starting during the time of the Spanish conquistadors. It is estimated that less than 10% of the original area of this rich habitat still remains.
Some exotic animals are found in Yanacocha, such as the puma and the spectacled bear, as well as many species of hummingbirds, including the dramatic sword-billed hummingbird, the only bird in the world whose bill is longer than its body. Almost the entire known world population of a critically endangered hummingbird called the black breasted puffleg is found in the reserve, and it was primarily to preserve this bird’s habitat that the reserve was created in 2001.
A trip here, with our guide Daniel King, was a fabulous experience. We recommend him to anyone and you can contact him at d_king_82@hotmail.com.
About a half hour's drive out of Quito we began to ascend the steep slopes of Pichincha, passing a beautiful hacienda and grazing land after the paved road gave way to stones and then a dirt road.
Arriving at the reserve, we headed off along a wide portion of the Inca Trail, which Daniel told us had been in use for thousands of years.
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| Poor Man's Umbrella |
Along the trail we saw flowers like these.
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| Arica |
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| Fuschia |
The highlight of the early part of our walk was our first sight of a female Sword Billed Hummingbird with its outrageous bill, at the first feeder we approached. We had hardly dared hope to see this beautiful and dramatic bird which is not the most common at the feeders and is not always seen by visitors.
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| Sword Billed Hummingbird (female) |
Here we also saw the beautiful blue Masked Flower Piercer and Buff Winged Starfront
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| Masked Flower Piercer |
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| Buff Winged Starfront (male) - note blue star on forehead |
Just beyond the first feeder, within about a kilometer, Daniel identified four species of orchid. Orchids are the second most diverse family of flowers in the world, with about 40,000 species worldwide, of which 4,000 are found in Ecuador.
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| Orchid Genus Odentoglossum |
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| Orchid Genus Pleurothallys |
We saw orchids of the genera Stellis and Epidendrum, as well as other flowers and wild blackberry, along the trail.
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| Calceolaria |
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| Lupine |
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| Wild Blackberry |
There was another feeder further along the trail, but Daniel made sure we left time for the real highlight of our visit. It was thrilling when the trail opened up at a clearing in the dense forest, revealing an observation area with seating benches protected by a thatched cover. The air was filled with hummingbirds and the sound of their wings, as the birds whirred and hovered around at least six feeders that are kept filled throughout the day.
Here we saw another Sword Billed Hummingbird
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| Sword Billed Hummingbird (male) |
The Tyrian Metal Tail was the smallest hummingbird we saw.
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| Tyrian Metal Tail |
The male and female Buff Winged Star Front were the most common hummingbirds at the feeders.
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| Buff Winged Starfront (male) |
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| Buff Winged Starfront (female) - note green on back, lighter breast, orange on throat |
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| Buff Winged Starfront (female) |
The Great Sapphire Winged Hummingbird was quite large and the color of the wings very distinctive.
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| Great Sapphire Winged Hummingbird |
We saw both the Sapphire Vented and Golden Breasted Puffleg, but not the very rare Black Breasted Puffleg.
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Sapphire Vented Puffleg (note white "puff" on leg)
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A couple of Brazilian Rabbits hopped off into the underbrush as we approached. Other birds we identified but did not photograph included the Glossy Flower Piercer, Rufous Naped Brush Finch, and Great Thrush.
It took us about an hour and a half to reach the Yanacocha Reserve from our hotel in Quito. International visitors should hire a local guide, and a four-wheel-drive vehicle is required for the road that climbs steeply and diminishes quickly outside the city, from pavement to stones to deeply rutted dirt. Expect cool weather, probably 10 degrees cooler than in Quito because of the elevation. This is a cloud forest, often shrouded in mist and fog, so be prepared for rain. When the clouds clear, we are told the views are spectacular across neighboring ridges. But even if you don't see the views, this trip is well worth it. The forest is unique, the plants wonderful, and seeing the hummingbirds is a magical experience. On our return the clouds lifted enough for this beautiful view of Quito.
