[AGL] [GH2] Back from the tropics

[Fontaine Maverick]

Wow.. thank you for that report, Connie. It was lovely and I could picture 
you all clambering around the mountain in the mud and snow, giddy as all 
getout. Let us know when your companions' pictures are up.
The giddiness of folks on vacation seems to be a theme for me this summer-my 
sister called from Estes Park a couple of weeks ago and sounded happier than 
she had in quite a while. Here is what she had just seen in the middle of 
the road - I am glad she had her camera.
Time for me to get out of town.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Connie Clark" <connie_3c at yahoo.com>
To: "Ghetto List Latest" <ghetto2 at two.pairlist.net>; "Ghetto List" 
<austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>; "Mary Ann Wilson" <mbuttons at gate.net>; 
"Lorelei Brown" <lorelei at grandecom.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2007 1:06 AM
Subject: [GH2] Back from the tropics



> 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.

>

>

>

>

>

> ____________________________________________________________________________________

> Building a website is a piece of cake. Yahoo! Small Business gives you all 

> the tools to get online.

> http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting 

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: mamababy3.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 212462 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : <http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/austin-ghetto-list/attachments/20070704/ab30a1bd/attachment-0002.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: mamababy1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 202689 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : <http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/austin-ghetto-list/attachments/20070704/ab30a1bd/attachment-0003.jpg>