Mindo Region, ECUADOR

cloud forest to find staples such as the Andean Cockof-the-rock, Golden-headed Quetzal, Red-billed and Bronze-winged Parrots, and hummingbirds including the Velvet-purple Coronet, a gem of a bird near the southern edge of its small range (see cover).

A few years after Patiño began guiding visitors, the definitive field guide to Ecuador’s birds was published. More than 20 years in the making, The Birds of Ecuador by Robert S. Ridgely and Paul J. Greenfield, later translated into Spanish, was published with the “hope that the gradually increasing number of Ecuadorian nationals conducting research or simply going out to observe and enjoy birds will continue to increase.”

Many hotels incorporated birds and feeders as visible garden "fixtures," and local farmer Angel Paz pioneered a technique for “training” shy antpittas to hop from the forest cover to feed on offered worms. For more on Paz, see: abcbirds.org/AngelPaz

The Changing Nature of Things

Since stepping onto the birding world stage, the town of Mindo has almost tripled in population and crept past former boundaries. Pérez says the growth has at times been chaotic and poorly planned. He moved outside the town to a 42-acre property that now offers 11 rooms, each with a private bathroom, adjacent to the sprawling 48,000-acre Mindo-Nambillo Protected Forest. The growth certainly has its trade-offs, in increased traffic and building. But dozens of private reserves with lodging, like Pérez’s, now sprinkle the region.

“Mindo and its surroundings continue with conservation and the care of the environment,” says Julia Patiño, “and I believe that the community of Mindo guides is kept strong by the passion for birds, conservation, and the care of the environment.” This enthusiasm and conservation ethic now echo far beyond the region. In Ecuador, visiting nature reserves is now a popular pursuit of domestic and international travelers alike.

“The perception towards nature and its conservation has changed drastically over the past 20-plus years,” says Martin Schaefer, CEO of Fundación Jocotoco, with whom ABC partners. Jocotoco has 16 reserves across Ecuador. One of the most popular is Yanacocha, which covers nearly 3,000 acres of high-elevation cloud forest and grass-and-shrub páramo almost overlooking Quito.

“People in Ecuador have become aware of environmental problems that they were unaware of previously, from