Angel Paz and Paz de las Aves
This small private reserve has become the latest birding sensation in the northwest and is sometimes affectionately referred to as "the antpitta farm". Here Angel Paz (peace angel in English), a local farmer has gained the trust of some normally rare and shy forest species by offering them juicy worms. Yellow-breasted, Moustached, and Giant Antpittas are now regularly seen here (Yellow-breasted being the most reliable), and the local covey of Dark-backed Wood-Quail is seen on perhaps one out of three visits.
On our visit to the reserve, we were able to see numerous forest birds, including the Sickle-winged Guan, Red-headed Barbet, Masked Trogon, numerous Tanagers and lots of hummingbirds. There is also a lek where gaudy Andean Cocks-of-the-rock displayed at dawn in several viewing blinds constructed by Angel and his brother.
Mr. Paz's website is at http://www.refugiopazdelasaves.com.
Other stories
Birding Ecuador, Paz de las Aves: March 9, 2009
VENT Newsletter, Victor Emanuel 2006
ANGEL OF THE CLOUD FOREST, By Art Evans 2007
Jocotocos Antpittas at Your Feet, Robert S. Ridgely and Mercedes Rivadeneira, Fundación Jocotoco 2006
Virtual Tourist, Paz de las Aves Refuge, October 30, 2009
Antpitta paradise, Neotropical Birding 2006 (pdf)
