Snow in the Andes

antisana volcano

Why start off an article on Ecuador with a picture of a snow-covered plain  high in the Andes mountains ?
       Well, what is noteworthy about this small country with its incredible biological diversity and  geographic variation. is that within two hours drive in either direction from Quito , you can descend into the Amazon basin . or alternately in the West, the equatorial Pacific  beaches.
                          This  extreme physical variation gives rise to the continent's most diverse and plentiful flora and fauna.  This country can boast of being home to 1600 species of birds, more than twice the number found in the USA and Canada combined. That is why I came here in the month of February to see what I could see and also to improve my photographic skills with the help of a newly acquired Canon camera and zoom lens.  Although I probably took something like 3 thousand photos, most were deleted the same evening and many more after my return to Canada.  What I am left with is several hundred acceptable images from which I will draw the most compelling and interesting ones to help me tell the story of my great" vacation "  I use the word vacation reservedly since, although I had a great time, I got home thoroughly exhausted and in need of a real " vacation "

Guango lodge / eastern Andean slope

Male Torrent Duck





 One of the objectives of our trip to Guango lodge was to see and photograph the Torrent Duck. Almost immediately upon arriving at the  river Steve caught sight of the male of this species. We were then able without any trouble to take many photos of these comical and courageous birds. As one can see from the accompanying photos, the male and female are remarkably disimilar in appearance.

Male and Female Torrent Duck

 

 After a good while of searching for anything with feathers

I spotted a Turquoise Jay.  With the determination of a hungry hound I began to stalk this bird. Fortunately Steve was there with his extra pair of eyes and we were able to photograph this female Masked Trogon. The light was difficult but at least the bird was
co-operative and we had lots of time.



Female Masked Trogon 



The rest of the morning was spent by the hummingbird feeders in the courtyard of Guango lodge.  Although the lighting was quite dark and I didn't have a flash, I was still reasonably pleased by the photographic opportunities and results.



Chestnut - breasted Coronet



These are but a few of the hummingbirds that I was able to see and photograph at Guango lodge. For a more comprehensive view of the  hummingbirds that I saw in Ecuador please follow this link: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/merlinarts













This is the Long - tailed Sylph , a bird  with a fabulous tail that is longer than the bird itself.  In trying to understand what the adaptive value of such a physical feature  is, scientists have speculated that the female of the species is attracted to the male with the longest tail , an impediment to flight that he is able to overcome due to his superior strength

White - necked Jacobin

This great hummingbird is the  White-necked Jacobin, whatever a Jacobin is.  ( I thought they were a now defunct  political  movement during the French revolution. )

Collared Inca





 The  Collared Inca looks like it belongs to some monastic order of hummingbirds.

Rufous - tailed Hummingbird

This little bird, a Rufous -tailed Hummingbird, is resting between periods of intense feeding and flying, trying to decide if all that energy output is worthwhile. 

cotopaxi national park / eastern andean slope



cotopaxi volcano

 On my last two days in Ecuador I visited several areas on the eastern slope of the Andes and one of these was Cotopaxi national park. My friend and guide Steve Hermann recommended this place because of its unique avifauna and  endemic species only ocurring high in the Andean paramo.  We arrived on a beautiful morning which provided great vistas of the surrounding volcanos.



andean gull



 The Andean Gull  was very visible over the marshes and many had nests and chicks under their care.

      



andean lapwing



The Andean Lapwing  is another endemic species found only in the high paramo.  Their behaviour reminded me of our native Kildeer, another member of the plover family.  The lapwing seems a little less panicky than the Kildeer however.




bar-winged cinclodes

 

This handsome ground bird is also an  endemic known as

 the Bar-winged Cinclodes



stout-billed cinclodes



                                                        



Another endemic, this one called the Stout-billed Cinclodes decided against showing his full profile

ecuadorian hillstar

This bright headed hummingbird is a male Ecuadorian Hillstar, the only hummingbird found at this high elevation.

andean pintail

The Andean Pintail,  is also unique and endemic to the Andean highlands.

Another duck, the Andean Teal is also found at this elevation

mindo and yellow house

yellow house trail

My first destination in Ecuador was Mindo and the  Yellow House trail.  Here I found my first  opportunity to savour the richness of Ecuadorian bird life.  Despite the fact that it was the rainy season I still managed to see a great variety of birds , most  of which were new to me.  Even from my cabin porch at the Yellow House I was able to make some fascinating observations.

masked water tyrant 

This lovely bird appeared at my window the first morning I awoke in my cabin at the Yellow house . I  had to scramble to get my camera and get a shot before it flew away.

Male cock of the rock

On the first morning I walked up the trail into the Jungle and found  a troupe of excited Cock of the Rock that were loudly displaying and flying circles  around me.  It was a very fortunate beginning to my adventures, for in many subsequent trips back up to this location  I only managed  several more fleeting glimpses of these colourful creatures. Regrettably the only photos I managed to take came out a little fuzzy



 Male Cock of the Rock





slate-throated whitestart