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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.

Chestnut-breasted Coronet
Swordbilled Humingbird
Treehopper colony

Treehopper guarding eggs
Tourmaline Sunangel
Chestnut-breasted Coronet

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

Collared Inca
Collared Inca
Chestnut-breasted Coronet

Green Stick Insect_R4A1854
Marsupial Frog
Collared Inca

Chestnut-breasted Coronet
Guongo Rain Frog
Guongo Rain Frog

Treehopper Nymph
Stick Insect Night
Stick Insect Daytime

Northern Cacique
Torrent Duck
Cascade Majica

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

 

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.

Giant Earthworm
Tractor Millipede
Golden-tailed Saphire

Golden-tailed Saphire
Wire-crested Throntail
Rain Frog

Dwarf Iguana
Dwarf Iguana
Brown Violet-ear

Tarantula
Tarantula
Sumarco Rain Frog

Dwarf Iguana
Green-crowned Woodnymph
Booted Rackettail

Golden-tailed Saphire
Wire-crested Throntail (female)
Many-spotted Hummingbird

Brown Violetear
Sparkling Violetear
Clown Frog

Clown Frog
Clown Frog
Weevil

Laughing Frog
Laughing Frog
Gould's Jewelfront

Gould's Jewelfront
Golden-tailed Saphire
Wire-crested Throntail

Potamides Lizard
Potamides Lizard
Cat's Eye Snake

Clown Frog
Sparkling Violetear
Green Crowned Brillant

Green Crowned Brillant

 

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.

Andean Emerald
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
Fawn-breasted Brilliant
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
Buff-tailed Coronet
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
Booted Racket-tail

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

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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