Ecuador - Most Wanted!
You know there is something about Ecuador that I absolutely love. Me and Andy first went to Ecuador back in 2022 - for many reasons it was a very memorable trip, but it obviously made an impression as we have returned every year since! In terms of running trips it is one of our favourite destinations - there is something about the combination of the iconic jewel like birds and breathtaking scenery (literally - we can be as high as 12,000 ft!) that makes it a top wildlife destination. It’s a funny thing, mention Costa Rica and you will find that it is on most people’s most wanted destination list, but having been to both, my favourite of the two is Ecuador…. Anyway enough about that - what are we looking for out of this trip?
In short this is a proper working trip for the two of us and we both have our goals. For me it is to get commercially saleable hummingbird footage - that means rock steady, 4K footage of a variety of species! For Andy it is to try to recreate the success that we had last year but with the bigger Sony sensor. So just what species and shots are on our most wanted…
In no particular order here are our Ecuador Most Wanted!
Condor Flyby
We are extremely privileged to work with one of the best bird photographers and guides in Ecuador, and with that comes certain benefits, one of which is the ability to go to a place where not many are permitted - the condor cliffs. Whilst many have to watch the condors from the viewing platforms using scopes, we are able to travel by vehicle up to the cliffs themselves. This means that as the condors leave their cliff top nests and start to circle up on the thermals we are right in the very best place to catch them as they fly by. It is an incredible experience - flying barn doors moving almost silently through the air. Every time we have done them before the sheer lack of distance has caught us out! You’d think that they would be a long lens job, but with a little patience and a bit of luck they can be with about 10 metres of us as they glide by. For me I am looking forward to putting the video AF of the Sony to the test - previously I have had to pull the focus, which basically means trying to manually focus as the distance constantly changes!
Toucans in the Rain
One of the most memorable moments for us both on the last trip was one afternoon at our lodge near the Mindo valley. We use this lodge because it is surrounded by fruit trees which are very much loved by two species of toucans; they look almost identical but are very different - the Choco Toucan, and the Yellow Throated Toucan. There are also Aracaris that are similar to toucans and just as entertaining. On this afternoon there was a huge downpour; we were very well protected on the deck of the lodge, but the toucans and aracaris were not. Of course they made the most of it and immediately started to preen and bathe in the rain - it was incredible to watch and they charmed everyone that witnessed it. To get this again would be incredible, and for me - it is probably my most wanted moment from the trip!
Cock-of-the-Rock Portraits
The Andean Cock-of-the-Rock is one of those birds that can only be described as being totally bonkers. The noise, the colour, the feathers - total madness! Hopefully we will be able to check out a couple of lekking sites - these are areas where the males gather to try to impress the much drabber females by making a sort of choking squawking sound… It seems to impress the females, but they are very difficult to photograph; despite our best attempts it seems that they are yet to receive our advance directive - to perch in the clear and in the light! Maybe this year they will behave themselves! Of course until you get to the site you never know quite whether they are going to put on a show or not, but one thing is for sure, that like grouse, you cannot help but smile when you hear the ridiculous noises that they make!
Heavenly Hummingbirds
The thing about hummingbirds is that they may be small, but trust me, you would not want to get on the wrong side of them! They seem to spend their entire life shouting at other hummers and getting incredibly annoyed at anything else that comes anywhere near their feeder…. They will constantly abandon their peaceful feeding at the sugar feeders to drive the other birds away, which is a fairly futile exercise, but their smug aggression when they succeed is a joy to behold. You can’t help but laugh at these tiny balls of rage - and if you are very lucky you may well get buzzed as they check you out. Put out a finger and you may find that a bird will take very brief respite from its irritation, their tiny feet gripping your finger - just magical! Ecuador is home to a huge number of hummingbirds - so many wonderful species (and names), the racket-tails, the swordbills, the train bearers, the sylphs, the incas and pufflegs, each one as beautiful and furious as the next! We never use flash to capture these little birds, so photographing them is an entirely relaxing time; camera on a tripod, remote release and maybe a sandwich or a hot chocolate - bliss!
Spectacled Bears
The spectacled bears of Ecuador are extremely rare - we have only seen them a couple of times and are yet to properly be able to photograph them. Part of the issue is finding the right site - our previous site was full of promise, but it would fog up very, very quickly, reducing the visibility down to just a few metres, which made photographing the bears almost impossible. For this trip we are trying a different site in the hope that we may have more luck with them…
So there you have it - a list of our most wanted! No matter what happens, we know that we are going to have a fantastic time, so wish us luck!
And if reading about this makes you think that maybe next time you’d like to join us to experience your Most Wanted, then just click here for the Cloud Forest brochure. As always we will be documenting this trip via our Creature Features Patreon site - so if you would like to check out our previous Ecuador travel diaries then click here!
