Ecuadorian Amazon

The Amazon rainforest,  a place I have read about and never thought I would actually see.  We returned the rental car to the airport, and boarded a domestic flight to the east landing at Coca, a city along the Rio Napo.  We traveled by boat downstream for an hour to Yarina Eco-lodge on the banks of Rio Manduro. This was an adventure in itself.
     Photo above,  Rio Napo is the biggest river I have ever seen.  Rainstorms cause temporary changes in the water level.  Riverbanks are dense with trees and bushes down to the eroded edge of the land.

We traveled in the boat on the left side of the dock.  ✽

That day's journey ended at the Zona de Embarque,  the boat dock at Yarina.
We had meals on the dining patio and slept in thatched roof cabins with sleeping nets around each bed.
    Birds were spectacular, colorful, and sometimes hard to see among the large leaves of the tall trees.  I saw over 40 new species in this area.

We spent a morning at this lovely Laguna and saw many beautiful birds.

 Hoatzins look like a brightly colored Roadrunner.  One of my few good bird pictures from this area.

Yarina Lodge is along Rio Maduro, a smaller channel teaming with birds.




 This forest is amazing. Many trees with tangled branches grow together.  Larger tree trunks have a community of vines, ferns, mosses, and other plants growing on the bark.  ✽

A view from the 3-story observation tower.  So many birds flitted thru the forest, flew overhead, and called from a branch as we watched from the tower.   A few of the highlights were 2 White-throated Toucans calling across the valley at sunset,  a pair of Paradise Tanagers in a tree,  a Broad-billed Motmot called from a branch for many minutes, a Russet-backed Oropendula at its nest site.   too many birds to list here.

On our way to an afternoon adventure, hiking in the rainforest with our guide. ✽








All the  ✽ pictures are photo credits to Susan Hochgraf.