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REFUGIO PAZ DE LAS AVES The best place for birdwatchers to see NEOTROPICAL birds up-close. Exotic birds you will see every day: Sickle-winged Guan, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, the colorful Tucan Barbet, the elusive Olivaeous Piha, the Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager and the Black-chinned Mountain-Tanager. There are humming bird feeders where is it possible to see the Velvet-purple Coronet, the Violet-tailed Sylph, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Brown Inca, Booted Racket-tai. The small stream at the bottom of our property also has a Torrent Duck family which can be spotted sporadically. THIS IS A REAL STORY ABOUT HOW ANGEL PAZ AND HIS FAMILY CHANGED THEIR WAY OF LIFE AND BROUGHT A SMALL RAY OF HOPE TO SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT.
A BIRDIE TALE
A VERY SAD BIRDIE STORY
A BIRDIE OF HOPE
A BIRDIE SUSTAINABLE SHOW
A BIRDIE LESSON
WHAT BIRDERS CAN DO?
REFUGIO PAZ DE LAS AVES IS NOW FAMOUS The well known Sam Woods has visited Angel Paz many times and here is what he has to say in his blog Lost In Birding: “When a farmer near Mindo (Angel Paz) begun inadvertently feeding a strange bird (the rare Giant Antpitta) that hopped along the trail with him while he was building a new trail, few birders could have seen the far reaching consequences just a few short years later. He thus began a trend of antpitta feeding throughout this rich birding country. “ -------------------------------------------------
Tropical Birding has visited us: “On this day we traveled a short distance to Angel Paz's infamous 'Antpitta farm'. This superb area of subtropical forest plays host to one of the most incredible developments for Neotropical birders in recent years - the feeding of rare, normally elusive Antpittas. Angel and his brother, Rodriguo, have been building trails in their patch of subtropical forest and have erected shelters/antpitta viewpoints along them where you can simply sit back and watch some the most elusive species of the west slope at extremely close range..” -------------------------------------------------
Here is what Exotic Birding has to say about us: “Finca Angel Paz is a private farm that was part of a larger farm that was sub-divided and passed along to the Paz children by inheritance. Angel chose to not clear the land, unlike his brothers, and so his portion of the land remains mostly forested and quite pristine. Angel has gained substantial fame for developing a technique for conditioning extremely rare antpittas and other rare birds to come out onto the trail. There is also an active Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek part way down the trail to the river. The trail is quite steep and often muddy so it can be difficult for people who have ankle or knee problems. Visits must be arranged in advance, as Angel strictly limits the number of visitors allowed on the property each morning so as not to disturb the birds.” -------------------------------------------------
Andean Birding has visited us, here is what they said: “Angel & Rodrigo Paz did their magic and lured out the Giant, Moustached & Yellow-breasted Antpittas along with the Dark-backed Wood-Quail.” -------------------------------------------------
Avian Journeys offers a tour at the Antpitta farm: “We’ll visit the wonderful property of “Angel Paz” where we hope to see an active Andean Cock-or-the-Rock Lek, and the incredible Giant Antpitta that he has “trained” to feed on worms!” -------------------------------------------------
Surfbirds has some trip reports from their visit: “We left Las Gralarias Guest House at 4:30am in order to arrive by 5.30 at Angel Paz´ place. It was still dark when we met Angel and his brother. While we walked down the trail Angel tried to attract a Rufescent Sreech- Owl but without success. We did hear a Common Potoo and a Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl on our way down. When we arrived at his hide the Andean Cocks-of-the-Rock were already starting to get active. We enjoyed watching the displaying males for about half an hour. We got good views from the hide of at least two noisy males and they became even noisier when a female came in. “ -------------------------------------------------
BIRDTOURS.CO.UK also comments on Refugio Paz de las Aves: “Among the most memorable highlights were Giant, Moustached and Yellow-breasted Antpitta at Angel Paz’s Refuge, Scaled Antpitta at Buenaventura, Toucan Barbet, Plate-billed Mountain Toucan....” -------------------------------------------------
The well know independent birder Derek Kverno wrote on his Birding Ecuador blog: “The founder of this revolution is none other than Angel Paz, once a struggling Ecuadorian farmer on the northwestern slope of the Andes, now a bird guide and conservationist extraordinaire. In the last five years, Señor Paz has transformed his modest hillside property located just outside Mindo into the hottest birding site in all of Ecuador. “ ------------------------------------------------- Neblina Forest also visits us regularly here is what they said on a Trip Report: “Tuesday 28 October, 2008 Very early start at 04:30 and then drive to reach EL REFUGIO DE LAS ANTPITTAS, where Angel Paz has developed a unique relationship with three antpitta species: Giant ,Yellow-breasted, and Moustached. -------------------------------------------------
VENT BIRDING TOURS has been here with Paul Greenfield and one of the tour guides wrote: In over 50 years of birding the American Tropics, Angel Paz’s antpitta show is the most amazing birding event I have ever witnessed. It is described in detail in an excellent article by Kenn Kaufman in the July/August issue of Bird Watchers Digest magazine. Antpittas are some of the hardest birds in the world to see. They live in dense habitats and have an uncanny ability to keep some object between themselves and the person who hopes to see them. -------------------------------------------------
OUR RECOMMENDATION Come to Ecuador to visit us! Stay at the Pululahua Hostal, a truly ecolodge that offers very economical birding tours. Click here for more information.
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[Refugio Paz de las Aves] [Services] [Map] [Project] [Contact] |
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Once upon a time there was a logging Paz family like many of the poor logging families that lived in the Northwest of Ecuador. There was nothing special about them, they farmed and cut trees to make space for grass and cows, sometimes they cut the really big and valuable trees when they needed extra money for important things like food, education, and family emergencies, much like many other families did. So this was the way in which the destruction of the cloud forest began in the Northwest slopes of Ecuador.
The forest of this region used to trap the water from the fog, hence the name Cloud Forest, and formed the rivers which feed the lowlands in western Ecuador; these lands form part of the Choco region which is considered one of the top “Hot biodiversity spots” in the world. When the rains came, this lush forest would absorb the excess water in its moss and special water storing vegetation like bromeliads; this accumulation of water in the forest allow the regulation of the water flows which prevented erosion. As more families moved into this rich forest to make a living, the destruction of this biosphere became widespread and today there is only 1% of the primary forest left in the Northwest of Ecuador!
In the summer of 2004 the Paz family began a new way of life when Angel Paz, discovered a Cock-of-the-Rock Lek in his property, and soon he learned that this was a big attraction for tourists who were willing to pay money to see the dancing and calling habits of this flashy bird. Angel made contact with Richard Parson who helped and encouraged him to make a trail in the forest so that his tourists (birders) could see the show. In the process of constructing the trail, the antpittas started to show up to eat the worms that were excavated when the trail was being built. Angel was thinking about hunting them since he had done this from his childhood to provide some food, but consulted with Richard who told him that this bird was in danger of extension and it would be much better to try to make it part of the show. It took Angel three months of hard work to follow this bird and continue with the worm excavating until the bird finally followed him in exchange of a big fat worm. Since then the Paz farm is the most regularly visited place by birders who come to Ecuador to get a glimpse of the 1600 species of exotic birds that live in this country.
The Paz show of today include the original Cock-of-the-Rock Lek, María a Giant Antpitta, Willie a Yellow-breasted Antpitta, Jose a Moustached Antpitta, Shakira an Ochre-breated Antpitta, a good variety of exotic birds that feed on a fruit feeding hall like the: Toucan Barbet, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Sickle-winged Guan, a Black-chinned Mountain Tanager, Blue-winged Mountain Tanager, and a number of nice hummingbirds that come to their sugar feeders. María was the first to show up and to follow Angel and today she can be found along the trails hoping and hoping for a fat worm. The others are more cautious and require some calling and patients for a show-up to the tourists that come to see these special birds.
It is important to realize that billions of dollars have been spent until today by world organizations such as the WTO (World Tourism Organizations) in an effort to educate the people on the importance of the protection of our bioshpere. All of these billions have done very little and today we are faced with the most terrifying threats of global warming and drastic climate changes that are the direct result of the destruction of our delicate biosphere. Why have we not been able to stop our own destruction? The answer could lay on job creation and sustainability which is what the Paz family is showing by example.
Come and support the Paz project with your visit or with your direct efforts as a volunteer.