Ecuador day 7

Tandaloma Lodge

19 February - Tuesday. It was cloudy this morning and it stayed that way until lunchtime with hot, sunny periods from time to time. We spent the whole day close to the lodge, breakfasting at 6am and viewing the canopy and river (Rio Mira) from the lodge balcony for the first hour or so. This really was the ‘lowlands’ – an elevation of 55 metres (180 feet) with high humidity and temperatures of 26 to 30°C.

Views around Tandaloma Lodge

Looking down from the balcony of Tandaloma Lodge across the gardens towards the river

Interesting little skink on the handrail outside PJFs cabin, Tandaloma Lodge

Another fine lizard of unknown species

Setting off on the morning walk

Alejandro scanning for birds

Heaps of mosquitoes hereabouts!

Ivory-nut Palm seeds. The lower image shows a fruit case slashed open with a machete to expose an ivory nut

The Ivory-nut Palm Phytelephas aequatorialis (or Tagua Palm) has a woody trunk which grows to 20m in height and has very long pinnate leaves. The palm is dioecious with female individuals bearing large brown conical fruits, each approximately the size of a grapefruit and covered in a hard husk. The fruits occur in clusters which can measure more than half a metre across. Each fruit usually contains four seeds. Immature fruits contain sweet edible pulp. Mature seeds are harder than wood and are encased in a bone-like shell. The endosperm is white and so hard it can be polished and carved like ivory. (these details adapted from Wikipedia).

Presumably a flower of a Strelitzia sp. seen in the forest

A fabulous fungus

Thorny spines on the trunk of another plant

A particularly fine species of butterfly seen today

Fearsome but handsome crab from one of the drains leading into the river

The Rio Mira alongside Tandaloma Lodge

Boating along the Rio Mira

Tame 'Peccary' that joined us during our late afternoon bird walk!

During the rest of the morning we walked a forest trail near the river away from the main road recording 10 species of flycatcher. Heavy rain from 1 to 3pm kept us on the balcony of the lodge again but when it cleared we went along the river and around the paddocks near the main road. The day was notable also for the 4 new parrots, 4 new woodpeckers, the splendid Blue Cotinga, Choco and Chestnut-mandibled Toucans and an array of Tanager species.

Streak-headed Woodcreeper

Blue-headed Parrot

Guayaquil Woodpecker (digiscoped images)

Poison-dart frog

Another unidentified small frog

Another good day with 106 species seen. Birds observed only today included Scarlet-backed Woodpecker, Band-tailed Barbthroat, Violet-bellied Hummingbird (female only), Blue-chested Hummingbird, Osprey, Double-toothed Kite, Little Blue Heron, Greenish Elaenia, White-ringed Flycatcher, Yellow Warbler, Scarlet-browed Tanager and Yellow-tufted Dacnis. Also, Rufous-headed Chachalaca, Bicoloured Antbird, Rufous-browed Peppershrike and Stripe-throated Wren were only heard on this the only day they were noted. Particularly numerous today was Blue-headed Parrot, Red-lored Parrot, Mealy Parrot, White-collared Swift, Black Vulture, Tropical Kingbird, Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Bananaquit, Lemon-rumped Tanager, Blue-grey Tanager, Thick-billed Euphonia and Variable Seedeater.