Blogs from East, Ecuador, South America - page 31

In the Shiripuno River birding is great pleasure, from Magpie Tanager from the river in the motorized canoes, the White-throated Toucan is the easy bird to spot, the Scarlet Macaw, Speckled Chachalaca, Black-capped Donacobious, Blackish Antbird, Spangled Cotinga, and luckily Salvin's Curassow on the shore, caimans basking along the river. In the forest mixed-species flock with Long-tailed Woodcreepeper, White-chinned Woodcreeper, Long-winged Antwren, Rufous-tailed Foliage-Gleaner, Black-faced Antbird. Rarities such us Wing-banded Antbird, Rufous.tailed Flatbill, White-crested Spadebill, Long-tailed Potoo, Red-and-Green macaw and Musician Wren Army Ants always have their professionals fallowing them the like White-plummed Antbird, Black-spotted Bare-eye, Hairy-crested Antbird and others. The Hoatzin (foto) is the most bizarre bird in the Amazon, when the are chicks they have claws on ... read more

I’m living in a tarantula breeding ground. I share my ‘toilet’ with a boa constrictor and poison dart frogs. My bath is a stream, my best friend, a machete. We have the “smelly scale” which runs from 1-10. 1 being ok; 10 being unbearable. Where I am right now, 1-9 is acceptable. I dream of chocolate day and night. Welcome to the Amazon rainforest… We are volunteers in far eastern Ecuador. An expedition aimed at wildlife data collection and protection. Hiking the impossible jungle terrain for hours everyday, we live bathed in sweat and covered in rashes. But we smile. No privacy, no dry clothes and mould. On a massive scale. What more do you need for a whole lot of fun?... Need a clearer picture? Picture this: Sleeping under the thickest canopy of trees ... read more

Hola everybody. I am good here. There are a lot more people at the station now. Among them a couple from Canada has come to shoot a documentary. This is their first time making a movie, and I think it’s going to be really neat. They are always aiming their cameras at some interesting insect or plant or bird. I have two items of good news. The first is that the quetzal chick has left the nest! I saw her the day she fledged and she could fly really well. So I no longer have to wake up so early to go run around the forest (although I do sometimes anyway.) Now I am finishing up watching the video I took of the nest, I probably have a couple more days of doing that. After I’m ... read more

Well what a few days... So I left saturday morning from Quito bound for Tena on a six hour (but only 160 km!) bus trip. On this trip I saw the first real poverty I've ever seen in my life, something I had mixed feelings about for sure. One thing that does stick out in my mind, though, is the sight of a little girl sitting in a rickety shack on the side of a dirt road wearing what a Canadian would call rags. She was standing alone, sheltered from the sun, returning my wave with an enormous smile as we sped by. It struck me that this girl was just as happy as any equivalent girl in Canada or elsewhere, despite the squaler. The idea was reaffirmed throughout the trip, as you will see. So ... read more

Today was our Laguna day. Laguna Grande is a large lake that feeds into the Cuyabeno River, located about 25-30 minutes upstream from our lodge. Walter, our trusty canoe driver, took us out to the laguna, and drove us around while Diego explained the laguna -- its wildlife and its seasons (dry and wet). At one point someone saw a freshwater dolphin, so we cruised around the laguna, hoping to catch another glimpse of it (or them). I did hear one come up for air, but it was behind the canoe so I never saw it. Unfortunately this part of the day -- cruising around the laguna -- was not quite as enjoyable for me as it could have been. When we left for our canoe ride yesterday the skies were threatening rain so none of ... read more