Violet-tailed Sylph

While bird watching in the mountains of Ecuador near Quito at the San Jorge Tandayapa Lodge, we spotted this Violet-tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus coelestis). A male, his tail is quite conspicuous. The bronze on his shoulder, the matching violet at throat, and the straight black bill help to make the identification. He's also found in the mountains between 800 meters and 1950 meters.

The lodge hangs feeders where bird watchers are likely to spy dozens of different hummingbird varieties. When bird watching in Ecuador, it is helpful to have a GPS or altimeter to check where you are at since many species are only found in a given range.

Pileated Woodpeckers (dryocopus pileatus) are often seen on rotting wood, either on the ground or on old stumps. The first pileated woodpecker bird sighting was at my property in Renton, WA in February on a electric pole. Pileated woodpeckers often only stayed during migration then moved on to richer territory. They like evergreens. As a birdwatcher, I've found they will come to a suet feeder and to fruit.

This pileated woodpecker was spotted while birdwatching in Congaree National Park near Columbia, South Carolina, where local conservationists saved 26,000 acres of old growth forest in a key wetland -- swamps and bottomland. Their range covers the East to the Mississippi River including all the way south to Florida, across the upper regions of Canada and down into the Pacific Northwest. Pileated woodpeckers are often heard by their extremely loud drumming and cries of kuk kuk, keekeekee keekeekee kuk before they are spotted by birdwatchers, often spiraling up a tree from low to high and along tree branches.

Where to Spy the Elusive Trogons Worldwide - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

{EAV:9bc30a093f76ab5a}Where to Spy the Elusive Trogons Worldwide - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Where we've spotted Trogons during our travels. They are a large bird, that often throws their voice. So many times birdwatchers look too  high to find them. They like a level branch, with a good view, usually 15' or more above you, although sometimes higher.