[AGL] Back from the tropics

[Connie Clark]

It was sad leaving Quito. My last view through the
window in the clear blue-sky day was the dazzling
snow-capped volcano that is the backdrop of the city
nestled in the Andes Mountains. But, I was happy, as
on this birding eco-tour we were more successful than
I dreamed, with a bird ID count of more than 250,
including nearly 50 species of hummingbird.

Ecuador is a birding mecca, and birding/wildlife
tourists are catered to.  They say there are more bird
species within this small underdeveloped country’s
boundaries than any other tropical country, and the
birds are not too hard to find.  The Ecuadorians are
learning that there is a way to make a living in
ecotourism while at the same time preserve the natural
beauty that they are so proud of.  

Our tour group, organized by my cousin Gary (the
birder) and his wife Kathy (the photographer) numbered
8.  Five of the group are serious nature
photographers.  An Ecuadorian birding guide was
arranged, and he with a driver and a nice
large-windowed van met us at the airport and stayed
with us throughout the ten day tour, leading us right
where we needed to be to ‘get’ the top birds on our
list. 

There is much ecological diversity in Ecuador but for
this trip, we stayed in the northern Highlands of the
Andes, birding the east slope, then over to the west
slope.  We never got lower than 6000 feet, starting
out in Quito at 9000 ft. Traveling within that range
we were in rainforest, cloud forest and paramo (Andes
tundra).  Another trip to Ecuador might be to bird the
Amazones along the Rio Napo, or go to the west coast,
and catch a boat out to the Galapagos. Each of which
would provide a different birding or wildlife
experience.

The roads were awful, and we much admired our driver,
Wilson, for his great skill in negotiating them as
they wound around and around the mountains.  The
landscape is vertical.  On one side of the van the
view was straight up the side of the fern, moss and
bromeliad draped mountain, on the other side of the
van was the long drop down, and vistas across to peaks
and numerous linear waterfalls spilling water
thousands of feet to turbulent river waters below.

The whole trip was full of adventure, but I have two
favorite day-trips I want to share.  On our first day,
we drove an hour or two from Quito out to the Antisano
reserve (elevation around 13,500 feet) and really did,
surpisingly, while stopped along the side of the road
to give the photographers a chance to take silky
pictures of flowing water, we did see the Andean
Condor.  Two adults overhead and one juvenile
(perched).  To tell the truth, they looked a whole lot
like turkey vultures, and it really was hard to
appreciate the 10-ft wingspan,of a bird soaring so far
up in the vast sky.  But we did see them and it was
exciting. But this isn’t my favorite story.

Our first overnight stay in the rainforest at about
6,500 feet was at the Guango Lodge. We were on the
east slope of the Andes, and it was the beginning of
the rainy season.  Lodge owners within the ecological
reserves hang hummingbird feeders around the lodge to
bring the hummers from the forest close in for
birders’ enjoyment.  At Guango we saw 14 species. They
were right there to enjoy while having tea. The
photographers in our group set up their tripods and
got to work.  

After breakfast, Juan Carlos Calvachi, our very expert
birding guide, gathered me, Gary and Randy into the
van with Wilson, and set out to find more birds.  We
drove at least an hour and a half, all the time it
rained.  It was easy birding along the road as we
stopped occasionally to look at various unique and
really cool birds.  We were climbing in altitude on
this road into the Cayambe Reserve. The road ended
where we rolled up and parked amongst radio towers. 
Juan Carlos got out and expressed regret that ‘they’
weren’t where he expected them to be.  Ok, I thought,
we’re looking for something up here.  We had long
sense been driving in paramo terrain of pampas grass,
puya, short shrubbery plants, and myriad lichen and
micro flowery moss-covered rocks.  At the radio
towers, we had reached 14,500 feet.  It was snowing up
there.  Our tour leaders had advised us to be prepared
for cold and hot weather, and the early start at
Guango was cold and wet so I was dressed suitably in
wool socks with goretex hiking boots, lightweight
pants with long-handled underwear, a couple
undershirts and topped it all off with a hooded rain
parka. 

We stood there a second awed at the vastness, when
Juan Carlos took off upwards on a trail leading off
into the clouds.  Gary, Randy and I zipped up our
parkas for the wet cold and eagerly followed, not
wanting to miss anything. Every few steps we were
forced to stop, hands on our knees taking deep
breaths.  There was a little climbing, Randy had to
pull me up when I started sliding in the mud, but we
all nevertheless kept up with our guides.  In an open
space, I was looking out over what appeared to be a
cloudy abyss, when Wilson crouches and gestures to
Juan Carlos to look along the edge.  Wilson spoke no
English but Juan Carlos spoke English fluently, and
pointed to the object of our search, the Buff-bellied
Seedsnipe just ahead on a rocky precipice. ‘Yes’ I
thought to myself, that is one of the birds that I
noted in the Ecuador birding guide that I really
wanted to see.  It can be found only in the high
elevations of the Andes Mountains.  I could see the
pairs’ profile, but Randy, frustrated couldn’t see
because his binoculars were fogged.  I told him to
just look without them, but he was having a hard time
zeroing in on the little ground-feeding birds. JC said
we should move closer so Randy can see them and, we
also need to see the identification marks. So we
climbed another thirty feet further.  I finally got a
glimpse of the reticulated pattern on the
pheasant-like bird’s back just as the spooked pair
took wing and flew into the clouds, perhaps down to a
lower rocky ledge.  A strong wind reminded us how
precarious we had situated ourselves above the clouds
and we unanimously agreed that we’d better get back
down.  We stumbled down the path through patches of
snow, rocks and mud.  Juan Carlos and Wilson playfully
threw snowballs at each other as we descended to the
parked van – we were all giddy.

In the link to a photo album you can see the grins on
my birding buddies faces.  I was the same behind the
camera.  Unfortunately there was no way to take my
camera up that trail to photograph the seedsnipe or
their mountaintop perch. 

We got into the warm van and descended the mountain,
exclaiming how we have got to the get the others in
the group up on this mountain.  Well, back at Guango
the photographers didn’t seem much interested.  They
were working very hard to get the perfect picture of a
hovering hummer. Later as I saw them review their days
work, they did in fact make some really good
photographs.

A photobucket album has been set up for us, and I am
watching for some of their photos to be uploaded. 
Then I can send a link to my friends and family to
view.  I made a couple of pictures of hummers with my
point and shoot – not very good pictures, but it shows
a couple of the elegant little birds.  Kathy showed me
how to set my camera for the shot, and suggested that
I use flash to reveal the  iridescent glow
particularly of their heads and throats.  Ecuador
hummers number 174 species.  Other bird species there,
I believe number around 1400 which is more than double
the species count in North America..  

find some photos at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/connie3c/Ecuador

I hope to get a chance to send the second favorite
birding story soon, about a trip to see a very special
bird, that required us to hike down to a primary
rainforest jungle to find.

Connie

P.S. In case you were not aware, Roses are a major
Ecuadorian export, as they are easily grown in the
fertile volcanic enriched soil and tropical climate. 
Most of the flower shop, long-stem roses in the US
come from Ecuador. However, I have learned that the
majority of the growers are irresponsible with the
toxic pesticides that adversely affect not only the
environment but the workers health.  There are a
couple of eco-friendly rose growers in Ecuador, but
I’m not sure how to find their roses anywhere in
Houston. So, I just don’t buy any of them.




       
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