September 2007, Quito, Ecuador
Just a few days after the Birdfair, we found ourselves birding at 13,000 feet in Ecuador. We were here to help out with the American Birding Association conference in Quito. Pre-dawn every day we were guiding groups of keen birders on the Yanacocha Trail, seeing such mouthwatering birds as Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager, Sword-billed Hummingbird and Barred Fruiteater. Two days were also spent at even higher altitude on the paramo experiencing a full year’s seasons in one day. The birding here was tough but so rewarding, with Andean Condor and Black-faced Ibis topping the bill. Once again, everyone we spoke to was enthusiastic about The Biggest Twitch and we received many kind offers of assistance for 2008. The ABA members’ newsletter ‘Winging It’ has even signed up to serialise our adventure.