Ecuador Trip, The Cast of Characters

Mitch Lysinger, our guide days 1-10, Herman, Ellie... & Oscar, our guide at Sacha Lodge.

Mitch is an American who lives in Ecuador. One of the many feathers in his cap is that he is the creator of a set of audio tapes of birds of Ecuador (18k) . He was a great guide, as was Oscar.

Stauffer on the paramo <9k> where we got the rufous-breasted seed snipe
Eva & a carpenter

More Scenes from the Field:

Birding in the rain (37k)
Ellie, Mitch & Herman (20k) on the Loreto Road
Herman & Eva on the Sacha Tower <24k>
Oscar <14k> enroute to the Rio Napo island where Umbrellabirds roost.
Bolivar <28k>, budding Naturalist at Sacha, & a Ficus tree. Bolivar is looking at a Tinamou's nest
Canoe paddles (15k) are made from the Ficus tree.

Ellie says you can sometimes see a living Ficus flying buttress with a paddle-shaped hole in it.

We had a trusty driver, Vicente Moldanero, who forded rivers, guarded our luggage while we were birding, waited all night in a gas line on our behalf, & helped us get the bus when Ecuador's gasoline crisis finally forced us to abandon our rental car. Yeah Vinny!

The Bus to Coca:

Ferry near Loreto Find Ellie, Stauffer & Mitch fuel efficiency ditto (13k)

The Bus to Otavalo:

Crabs! (19k) A man got on the bus in Quito (10,000 ft) with this cargo! Go figure.
Scene out the window (20k) during a detour from the Pan-American Highway.
One-lane track (11k)
Now what? (8k)
Bus mired in mud (19K)
Fruit & veg stand (18k) snapped from the bus.

The cook's son (9k) at the thatched restaurant.
3 nuns (22k) out for a stroll in Tena, Ecuador
Farmstand (35k). This family lowered the fruit from way above via a cable.
The family (24k) we met where we flagged down the bus.
What Ramo wrote <6K>

I had a mini spiral notebook & miniature colored pencils in my fanny pack. Nine days into the trip I still had not sketched anything, so I gave the art supplies to the parents of the family. Each child got a piece of paper & a colored pencil. Ramo promptly sat down in the Loreto Road & wrote this. These children, as well as the cook's son, smiled & giggled at the instant playback on my digital camera.

In Ecuador we encountered a variety of obstacles in the road: A landslide ("derrumba"), a car on fire, two bridgeless rivers, An immovable log across a track near Carmelo Lodge, ...But the most dramatic impasse was the roadblock to accommodate the

The Helicopter <12K> from which the stretcher dangled a long way down.
The stretcher <12k> against the clouds, & way above the trees.
getting closer to earth <14k>
Arms' reach of ground <18k>
Grounded at last. <18k>
The victim is in the ambulance <19k>

Birds seen in Ecuador
Butterflies seen in Ecuador
Flora & other fauna seen in Ecuador
Places seen in Ecuador

Birding Massachusetts 2018
Birding Massachusetts 2015-2017
Birding Massachusetts 2014
Birding Massachusetts 2013
Birding Massachusetts 2012
Birding Massachusetts 2011
Birding Massachusetts 2010
Birding France 2019
Birding Phoenix 2018
Birding Ireland 2016
Birding Yellowstone and northern Utah 2015
Birding Hawaii 2011
Birding Arizona 2010
Birding Utah 2009
Birding Guatemala 2008
Birding Kansas 2008
Birding Mexico 2007
Birding Panama 2005
Birding Florida 2006
Birding Texas 2005
Birding Belize 2002
Birding Colorado 2001
Birding Trinidad and Tobago 1998
Birding Peru 1995
Birding Nantucket, anuually at New Year's

Drawings of birds and animals from all over.

Herman's Home Page
Eva's Home Page

All the photos on this page were taken with my Sony Mavica Digital Camera.

Last revised: August 8, 2019