Ecuador Birding Trip
Saturday, January 24
| Mid-morning flight to Coca (Puerto Francisco de Orellana: 298 m / 977 feet) for the Amazon portion of the trip. Then travel by motor canoes down the Napo River and dugout canoes up the Anangu River to the Napo Wildlife Center, our final destination. Overnight at Napo Wildlife Center. |
Barbara’s Notes
Today we made a complete change from the Andean cloud forest to
the Northeast Lowlands along the Napo River, in the headwaters of
the Amazon, 250m above sea level. This area is lush, very rich in
bird life. Also very hot and humid.
To get here we flew from Quito to Coca, a half hour flight in a
small plane. As soon as we stepped off the plane, sweaters and
jackets were quickly put away. We were met by our two Napo
Wildlife Center guides, Andrés and Marcello.
They both proved to be excellent spotters as we
followed the current down the Napo River in a large motor boat
for two hours, and switched to two dugout canoes to paddle
upstream in a narrow tributary, the Anangu River, for several
hours. Birding takes time. We arrived here at the Napo Wildlife
Center about 6:15pm – we were greeted on the dock by Miguel,
the manager, with welcome glasses of mango juice.
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Spotted Sandpiper |
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Great Egret |
Cocoi Heron |
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Ladder-tailed Nightjar |
Boat-billed Heron |
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Yellow-headed Caracara |
Tropical Kingbird |
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Oriole Blackbird |
Thrush-like Wren |
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Laughing Falcon |
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Slaty-backed Forest-falcon |
Snail Kite |
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Greater Ani |
White-throated Toucan |
Now we have settled into our own thatched roof
cottage, complete with bug net over the bed.
We are ready for a few days of discovery in the jungle.
