Monthly Archives: June 2016

Visiting Podocarpus National Park

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Podocarpus National Park in southern Ecuador made it onto my itinerary because it is a reliable place to see White-breasted (white-necked) Parakeets and a host of other amazing birds.  A good guide to help plan your visit complete with maps is here.  The amazing Copalinga Lodge is only a few km from the Bommuscaro entrance and the owner, Catherine can arrange a birding guide and transportation.

My eBird List for Podocarpus

Gotta love the logo on this taxi!

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Entrance is now free!  Although it says it’s open at 8am, most birders arrive around 6:30 and there is no problem.IMG_1970 IMG_1971 DSCN0448

The well maintained trail winds slowly uphill.DSCN0452 DSCN0455

Beautiful Inca JayIMG_1978a IMG_1984a

Squirrel CuckooIMG_1988a

Our first glimpse of White-breasted Parakeets on the road and the rock face.IMG_1997

A curious little Parakeet inspecting usIMG_2000a

Could they get any cuter?IMG_2002a IMG_2005a

And then they took off.IMG_2006

Ornate FlycatcherIMG_2017a IMG_2021 IMG_2025a IMG_2026a

More White-breasted Parakeets!IMG_2034 IMG_2035a IMG_2038a DSCN0466 DSCN0467 DSCN0471

Eeeeek, a school group!  Luckily this was on our way out after seeing our target birds as a large school group is not conducive to peaceful birding!DSCN0456 DSCN0457 DSCN0459 IMG_2020 IMG_2019

The Hummingbird Effect

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Whenever we visit the Americas, hummingbirds are always a highlight.  They dazzle us with their beauty and brilliance and I could spend hours sitting on lodge verandahs watching them dart to and fro.  A world without hummingbirds would be sad indeed.  The American Bird Conservancy is trying to save their habitat so any help you can give would be appreciated.  And remember that hummingbirds share their habitat with many other birds and mammals so save one, you save them all!

For now, enjoy this compilation clip of some of the most beautiful hummingbirds in the world.

 

Lost Birds – Can You Help Find Them?

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No, I am not talking about pet birds that have flown off, I am talking about entire species that haven’t been seen in the wild in many years.

ABC is mobilizing resources and partners to conduct searches for some of South America’s lost birds. We’re starting with three: the Tachira Antpitta, the Turquoise-throated Puffleg, and the Kinglet Calyptura.

It could be that these species still survive but are simply in locations not frequented by birders because of remote locations or difficult terrain.

I was recently in Ecuador but not in the area where the Turquoise-throated Puffleg was last seen around 70 years ago.  They are quite beautiful, the drawing below comes from Wikipedia.

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The search is on for these unseen species and several others.  Occasionally bird species do resurface when researchers or even normal birders stumble upon them.  Wouldn’t it be great to be the one who proves a species is still alive?

Read more…..

Lodge Review: Copalinga Lodge, Zamora, Ecuador

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Copalinga is a real treat and I highly recommend it for bird-lovers and eco-tourists!  It is surrounded by lush tropical gardens with hummingbird feeders in the bar and around the garden.

In the daylight, it is easy to see the entrance but arriving after dark as we did because of the mudslides enroute was another story!  It wasn’t until the next day I could fully appreciate the beauty of the grounds.

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The entrance leads to the restaurant/reception/bar area.  Meals are available but must be booked in advance.DSCN0528

We had a beautiful little cabin with great views over the garden.  It really breaks my heart that we had to cut our stay short so we couldn’t enjoy it more.DSCN0555 DSCN0556 DSCN0558 DSCN0559

The room is a good size and quite comfortable with an ensuite bathroom.DSCN0443 DSCN0445 DSCN0444 DSCN0446

The restaurant and bar.DSCN0580

Local artisans provide some really cool handicrafts for sale.  I bought some earrings and keychains (which I convert to Christmas tree ornaments).DSCN0579

The bar serves both humans and hummingbirds!  I’ll do a separate post just to focus on the many stunning hummingbirds.DSCN0561

You can book Copalinga via their website.  Catherine, the extremely helpful owner can arrange anything you want in terms of transportation to/from airport, bus stations and Podocarpus.  She can also organize a birding guide for a very reasonable price.  In April 2016 it was $80 for a Spanish speaking local guide who knows the birds very well.  You can also book an English speaking guide from Loja for a bit more plus his room and board. Copalinga is very concerned with minimizing their ecological footprint.

Catherine goes out of her way to look after her guests.  I had booked for 2 nights with the intention of leaving early in the morning to Loja for the bus to Pinas.  Because of the landslides, there was no way we would have made it in time so Catherine let us off the 2nd night so we could stay in Loja.  I really hated to leave Copalinga as it is so nice there and I could have stayed hours just watching the hummingbirds but the alternative would have been about $170 for a combination of taxis to our next destination.

 

Getting From Loja Airport (Catamayo) To Zamora (Podocarpus)

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Arriving at Loja’s airport in Catamayo was quite an adventure.  I had toyed with the idea of renting a car but there are no car rental companies there.  You simply walk from the plane across the tarmac, through the tiny arrival hall where bags are delivered and straight out to the parking lot where LOTS of taxi drivers are competing for your attention.

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The battle of the yellow vs the white taxis!  I didn’t know which one to go for.  Prices are pretty much fixed as the owner of Copalinga Lodge had told us at around $35-38 USD.  Ecuador uses the USD as their own currency.  DSCN0432 DSCN0433 DSCN0435

Finally we were off!  It was a smooth trip from the airport at Catamayo to Loja city, just under an hour away.

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The road from Loja to Zamora is beautiful and scenic but it does have problems with mudslides.  We were delayed about 2 hours stuck in traffic while one mudslide was cleared and the two lanes of traffic (inbound and outbound) took turns passing through.  DSCN0440 DSCN0441

The distance in kilometers isn’t far, it’s the mudslides that get you!  It was well after dark by the time we arrived at Copalinga.  This is something to consider if you have bus connections onwards.  Theoretically a taxi should get you from Copalinga to the Loja bus station in 2-2.5 hours but the mudslides can push you way back so if you have an early flight or bus it’s best to spend the last night in Loja.

Domestic Flights In Ecuador With TAME

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TAME is not part of any airline alliance so you have to buy these tickets online with a credit card.  Luckily, they are not expensive!   TAME flies to certain destinations like Loja (closest airport to Podocarpus & Buenaventura) and other eco-tourism hotspots like Coca for the Amazon and the Galapagos.

Keep an eye out for sale fares like this one.  Would you rather take a one hour flight or a 10 hour bus ride with prices like this?

Tame

It’s a pretty user-friendly airline.  I printed our boarding passes the night before at the Holiday Inn in Guayaquil and the flight actually left on time!  The planes are small but I prefer smaller planes with 2×2 rows rather than larger planes with 3×3 rows where a couple has to sit with a stranger.

When you buy your ticket, you may see a notice that you have to show the original credit card you use to purchase the ticket.  On our flight, no one asked us.  We didn’t have checked bags and they just compared our passports to the printed boarding pass.  It’s probably a good idea to bring the credit card along just in case though!

The overheads were a tight squeeze for our backpacks which are normal carry-on sized but we managed to squish them in as they weren’t full anyways.

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Conserving Ecuador’s Great Green Macaw

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A few years ago, I saw the Great-Green Macaw in Costa Rica and was aware that a smaller subspecies existed in Ecuador.  I was hoping to see them at Cerro Blanco but this didn’t happen, they are just too rare and the populations are very fragmented.  The Ecuadorians are very keen to protect this bird and proudly display their image when entering the country at Guayaquil airport.

DSCN0319 They are the emblem of Bosque Cerro Blanco shown on the logo and in artwork around the park.  Conservation efforts have been increased to save the bird in both Cerro Blanco and Rio Canande. DSCN0337 DSCN0366

Here are some videos showing conservation efforts in Cerro Blanco (Spanish).

 

Why Flights Are Expensive

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If you don’t have enough airline miles, buying a ticket from your home to your destination would probably be the biggest cost of the trip.  But have you ever wondered WHY airline tickets are so expensive?  This YouTube clip has an interesting perspective.