This is the best place in Ecuador to see strange Oilbirds up-close.  Cueva de Los Tayos is our commercial name to the cave that attracts bird watchers to our farm.  We are Ecuadorian farmers and our income is now supplemented from the tours to the scary and mysterious birds that lurked in the caves.  We never imagined that these scary birds would become a part of our business but we are now very thankful to them and to all the bird watchers that visited us in search of the Oilbirds. 

There are two oilbird sites and both are deep ravines that have been formed by water erosion.  One of the sites is at the farm and requires good physical abilities for a 40 ft descent-and-climb on slippery ladders.  The other site is located 10 minutes from the farm and has a much easier access path for those unwilling to risk so much for the birds.

The oilbirds have taught us a new appreciation of nature and conservation.  We believe that conservation of the habitat must begin now. We have been major contributors, as farmers, to the deforestation of these hills, but we are now very conscious of our past errors and are willing to look at new ways to prevent more loss of habitat.  We own a 50 hectare patch of forest that we are protecting and invite anyone interested to bird in our farm and help us build a bird list for this area