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Home All Posts Ecuador 2016 – Herps and Hummingbirds
Ecuador 2016 –  Herps and Hummingbirds

Dennis December 15, 2017 2 Comments

Ecuador 2016 – Herps and Hummingbirds

At the end of February 2016, I traveled to Ecuador to participate in a photography workshop organized by Greg Basco of Foto Verde Tours a photographic tour company for photographers founded by photographers. and Lucas Bustamante of Tropical Herping, an institution he co-founded in 2009 to preserve tropical reptiles and amphibians through tourism, photography, education and research.  Both Greg and Lucas are award winning photographers.  Assisting Lucas was Frank Pichardo, a new employee of Tropical Herping but an experienced photographer and naturalist guide. The trip itinerary was designed to provide three largely different habitats with the intent of photographing a wide variety of subjects.

After meeting the workshop attendees and leaders at the Quito Marriot we headed off to our first nature lodge, the Guango Lodge in the high cloud forest west of Quito. The accommodations were basic and clean, the food was great, and the photographic opportunities wide ranging.  Macro subjects included insects and amphibians and the birds consisted of mostly hummingbirds with a good opportunity behind one of the buildings to photograph a mountain cacique feeding a chick in a hanging nest. There was plenty of rain, downpours at night with some relief during the days. One day we had a day trip to two waterfalls west of the lodge, stopping at a bridge over a river where torrent ducks are sometimes seen.  We weren’t disappointed.

You may notice that there are many “clown frogs” and “rain frogs”, all of different colors and appearances. Also, the images are organized in the order they were captured.

Marsupial Frog
Palm Leaves overhead on trail leaving San Rafael waterfall
San Rafael Waterfall

Cascade Majica
Torrent Duck
Northern Cacique

Stick Insect Daytime
Stick Insect Night
Treehopper Nymph

Guongo Rain Frog
Guongo Rain Frog
Chestnut-breasted Coronet

Collared Inca
Chestnut-breasted Coronet
Green Stick Insect_R4A1854

Chestnut-breasted Coronet
Collared Inca
Collared Inca

Buff-winged Starfronlet
Chestnut-breasted Coronet
Chestnut-breasted Coronet

Chestnut-breasted Coronet
Tourmaline Sunangel
Treehopper guarding eggs

Treehopper colony
Swordbilled Humingbird

 

Our second lodge was WildSumaco Wildlife Sanctuary in the Amazon foothills of the Andes. The lodge was modern, with a large library, lounge, sitting area and large comfortable rooms.  Hummingbirds were abundant, with at least 10 species regularly spotted. The surrounding environment also provided many species of frogs, toads, lizards and insects to photograph.

Golden-tailed Saphire
Sparkling Violetear
Clown Frog

Clown Frog
Clown Frog
Weevil

Laughing Frog
Laughing Frog
Gould's Jewelfront

Gould's Jewelfront
Brown Violetear
Wire-crested Throntail

Potamides Lizard
Potamides Lizard
Cat's Eye Snake

Clown Frog
Sparkling Violetear
Green Crowned Brillant

Green Crowned Brillant
Tarantula
Tractor Millipede

Golden-tailed Saphire
Golden-tailed Saphire
Wire-crested Throntail

Rain Frog
Dwarf Iguana
Dwarf Iguana

Brown Violet-ear
Giant Earthworm
Tarantula

Sumarco Rain Frog
Dwarf Iguana
Green-crowned Woodnymph

Booted Rackettail
Golden-tailed Saphire
Wire-crested Throntail (female)

Many-spotted Hummingbird

 

The third and final stop was at the Tandayapa Lodge in the Western Andes, and east of Quito. On our drive to Tandayapa we passed thought Quito, stopping at the Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, or Middle of the World City, where a French expedition in 1736 to conduct experiments to determine the shape of the earth. This site afforded the scientists a location on the equator which had sufficient altitude for the astronomical observations required. The site is host to several museums, restaurants and shops. The Tandayapa Lodge has many bird feeders attracting hummingbirds on a large patio, and has a covered porch where we set up multiple flash setups and wildlife setups for the lizards, snakes, frogs and toads that Lucas and Frank would collect for us at night to be returned where they found them the next evening. While some of the images appear to be taken at night, they are actually photographed during the day using flash techniques. The booted racket-tails here were like flies, they seemed to be everywhere.

Booted Racket-tail
Purple-bibbed Whitetip
Gem Anole

Emerald Glass Frog
Emerald Glass Frog
Babling Torenteer

Mindo Rain Frog
Golden-bellied Snakelet
Golden-bellied Snakelet

Violet-tailed Sylth
Buff-tailed Coronet
Bamboo Frog (a.k.a Chocolat Frog)

Andean Emerald
Buff-tailed Coronet
Booted Racket-tail

Booted Rackettails
Fawn-breasted Brilliant
Fawn-breasted Brilliant

Buff-tailed Coronet
Buff-tailed Coronet
Fawn-breasted Brilliant

White-necked Jacobin
Buff-tailed Coronet
Booted Racket-tail (female)

Buff-tailed Coronet
Andean Emerald
Rufous Tailed Hummingbird

Purple-bibbed Whitetip
Andean Emerald
Rufous Tailed Hummingbird

Andean Emerald
Booted Racket-tail
Booted Racket-tails

Executioner Clown Frog
Spring Rain Frog 1400-9062
Spring Rain Frog

Pinochio Lizard (day)
Pinochio Lisard (night)
Violet-tailed Sylph

Filed Under: All Posts, Amphibians, Birds, Hummingbirds, Reptiles, Trip Reports Tagged With: Amphibian, Frog, Hummingbird, Nature

Comments

  1. acekin says

    December 15, 2017 at 7:48 pm

    Better late than never Dennis! I liked the Booted Racket-tails, in singles or doubles.

    Cemal

  2. Sue says

    December 17, 2017 at 6:13 am

    Dennis…..
    These are really beautiful photos! You have some excellent images, thanks for sharing!
    Sue

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