Ecuador Wildlife - first installment

[cascadeco]

I've realized I have too many wildlife photos for one thread, so this is just part of it.

Apologies in advance for any and all of the annoying ads that come as a result of the image hosting site....

And for the various image sizes [edit: I'm going to do it differently next time]

These were all taken on the coast of Ecuador, near Puerto Lopez, in a dry tropical forest, as well as the Isla de la Plata. The final few shots were taken in an outdoor botanical garden in Quito.

Tropical Gnatcatcher



Sandwich Terns



Brown Pelican



The birds! The birds!! Take cover! Magnificent Frigatebirds.




Blue-footed Boobies






Magnificent Frigatebirds



Red-footed Booby



Masked Booby






Olivaceous Piculet



Ecuadorian Trogan









What I believe to be the Chestnut-capped Brush Finch



Pacific Pygmy-Owl



Rufous-headed Pygmy Tyrant



Black Flowerpiercer (note the curiously-shaped bill. Neat adaptation.)



Sparkling Violetear



Black-tailed Trainbearer

 

[Synarch]

Beautiful photos, cascademn!

 

[aufs klo]

awesommmmmmeeee!

 

[FemMecha]

Those are incredible pics! Very inspiring.

 

[cascadeco]

Beautiful photos, cascademn!

awesommmmmmeeee!

Those are incredible pics! Very inspiring.

Thanks so much!!

 

[INA]

Beautiful!
The Sparkling Violetear is my favorite. It looks like a hummingbird. Is it?

 

[Kasper]

Wow! The colours are amazing.

 

[cascadeco]

Beautiful!
The Sparkling Violetear is my favorite. It looks like a hummingbird. Is it?

Yes, it's a hummingbird. Glad you liked it!

Thanks Trinity!

 

[SoAndSo]

Awesome pics! I'd love to go someplace and see so much variety...just beautiful! As a child I'd go to the aviary and sit for hours just watching them. Thank you for sharing.

 

[nightning]

Love the hummingbirds and boobies Great photographs

 

[INA]

The photos are giving me a major case of wanderlust.

 

[cascadeco]

Awesome pics! I'd love to go someplace and see so much variety...just beautiful! As a child I'd go to the aviary and sit for hours just watching them. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks! I'm sure you'd love it there, then, if you could sit in an aviary for hours as a child!

Love the hummingbirds and boobies Great photographs

Thanks nightning! I'll have more hummingbird photos later. The boobies were great (lol). Very, very interesting birds, and it was amazing how fearless they were of us. Hopefully it'll continue to be that way and they'll never learn to be afraid. Also, what was cool about this location was that it was one of the only (if not THE only?) locations where all 3 species of booby breed. To be surrounded by colonies of seabirds is a really neat thing

The photos are giving me a major case of wanderlust.

I have a troublesome personality, in that I get major wanderlust, but also like having stability and a permanent place to call home. It can be problematic balancing the two desires.

 

[Kaizer]

these are gorgeous pix!

 

[INA]

I have a troublesome personality, in that I get major wanderlust, but also like having stability and a permanent place to call home. It can be problematic balancing the two desires.

I can dig this. I love going away . . . and coming back. It does wonders. Too much of one and I crave the other. What would be perfect is having a home base and a job that requires/provides for not infrequent travel.

 

[Lady_X]

thanks for sharing! really pretty.

 

[nightning]

Thanks nightning! I'll have more hummingbird photos later. The boobies were great (lol). Very, very interesting birds, and it was amazing how fearless they were of us. Hopefully it'll continue to be that way and they'll never learn to be afraid. Also, what was cool about this location was that it was one of the only (if not THE only?) locations where all 3 species of booby breed. To be surrounded by colonies of seabirds is a really neat thing

Goodie!

I heard funny things about those boobies. Apparently the parents doesn't care if one chick beats up on the other one. Literally one chick can be pushed away from the nest and left to starve and the parents would ignore it.