Ecuador trip - part 2

After spending a week in the West slope of the Andes, we had a day off back in Quito during which we tried guinea pig for lunch:

It was nice enough but not that special.



Day 8:

We started the second part of our Ecuador trip by spending a day in the high Andes looking for wildlife that live only at high altitude, including the Andean Condor:



At one point we saw 15 condors in the air at once!

Checking out distant birds through a spotting scope:


The scenery in the high Andes was magnificent. Here are a few photos of the dry paramo:





The snow-covered peak is Antisana volcano.

A species found only in the dry paramo is the Carunculated Caracara:


After the dry paramo we moved on to the wet paramo habitat:










A species found only in the wet paramo habitat is the Paramo Ground-tyrant:


The night of our 8th day was spent in a fancy natural hot spring resort called Termas Papallacta:






Day 9:

Antisana volcano at dawn:


We caught up with a Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe, which we missed on day 8:


Cream-winged Cinclodes:


Giant Conebill:


Guango lodge hummingbird feeders were fun to watch:

Chestnut-breasted Coronet:


White-bellied Woodstar:


Sword-billed Hummingbird:


One of the coolest birds we saw was the Torrent Duck:

They have a strange affinity for white-water rivers!

San Isidro mystery owl:

It's thought that this owl belongs to a previously undescribed species.

Our 9th day was nicely capped by a warm glass of an Ecuadorian drink called a canalazo:


Day 10:

One of my favourite birds, the Inca Jay:


We saw two fairly rare bird species at San Isidro lodge:

This is a Peruvian Antpitta:

and this is a White-breasted Antpitta:


Biggest earthworm ever!




A few butterfly photos:










and here's a damsel fly of some sort:


Here's my soaked camera in a plastic protective wrap. Ecuador was quite wet and my camera got wet pretty often.


View from our cabin at San Isidro:


Day 11:

The red building is our cabin at San Isidro:


Jose, our guide, looking for the next amazing bird:


Here's a clearwing butterfly:


Bag lunch on day 11:

We suspect this is where Liz's food poisoning came from, though no one else got sick.

A cool looking moth right outside our door at Wild Sumaco lodge:


Before going to bed on day 11 I found this little frog jumping around in our room:

Here it is on Liz's shoe. I caught the frog in a cup and safely escorted him outside.

Day 12:

View at dawn from the Wild Sumaco deck:


Sumaco volcano:


Chestnut-mandibled toucan:






Golden-tailed Sapphire:


Wire-crested Thorntail:


Found a cicada in our room at Wild Sumaco lodge:


Jose giving photography a try:


Martin, Liz, Lea, watching hummingbird feeders:


Day 13:

Mating Chestnut-mandibled Toucans:


Jose bushwacking:

We picked up lots of chiggars during this expedition!

By this day Liz was pretty sick with food poisoning:



Her tummy troubles continued on and off for the rest of the trip, but in retrospect they were probably due to the anti-malaria pills.