Galapagos 2009, with Napo extension
January 25 – February 6, 2009 - Trip Report
Greg Smith, Guide and fourteen participants

Sunday January 25, 2009 - Arrival in Quito
Everyone arrived on their scheduled flights, but a few were delayed a couple of hours – not bad for the way this winter has been riddled with unpredictable storms.  All were met at the airport by Sandra or Juan and taken to the Hotel Sebastien for a good nights rest.  Tomorrow was the start of something big, a trip back in time where wildlife is not afraid of people and the theory of evolution was initiated by a very non-secular man – Charles Darwin.

Monday January 26, 2009 – Otavalo Market
This morning those arriving for the main tour met our local guide to hop into the bus and venture north to the famous Otavalo market.  There, they found numerous stalls selling everything you could image:  leather goods, brightly colored sisal ropes, hand knit sweaters and more.  It’s all here and a little spending did take place.  All enjoyed lunch at a beautiful hacienda and then Juan drove everyone back to the hotel.

At 6:30, I (Greg) and members of the Napo Wildlife Center pre-trip group and the Otavalo group together.  We made our introductions and walked up to La Choza restaurant where we were treated to an exceptional meal.  And then there was the entertainment; three men playing local instruments and local music.  One of the men had the most astounding capability; he was able to whistle a string of octaves that beguiled the mind.  If we hadn’t seen it, it would have been hard to describe and fulfill the memory.

After desert it was a slow saunter downhill to the hotel where everyone needed to get a good night’s sleep for tomorrow’s departure to the land that Darwin made famous.

Tuesday January 27, 2009 – Baltra
We left the hotel at 7:30 and headed to the airport where we hopped onto our Tame’ Airline flight to Baltra.  We arrived by 1:00 p.m. and with our local guide, Fabian, we boarded the spacious yacht  the M/YSan Jose and learned the “do’s” and the “shouldn’t do’s”.  After that, the Captain fired up the engines and we motored towards Daphne Major. 

As we circumnavigated Daphne Major, we got our first taste of the Galapagos: Red-billed Tropicbirds chasing one another in what seemed to be an aerial courtship.  Nazca Boobies circled and then plunged head first into the sea after a fish.  Magnificent Frigatebirds circled languidly on the afternoon breeze looking for any successful bird to harass out if its lunch.  Sally Lightfoot Crabs danced gingerly along the rocks chasing waves and any tidbits that floated their way.

All too soon we were headed to our dinner anchorage, where a very tasty fish meal awaited us.  Then it was time for bed as we were sailing at nine for Genovese!

Wednesday January 28, 2009 – Genovese
YIKES!  We awoke inside a caldera!!!  Right where we were supposed to be and it was dawn.  Fabian’s drill is to be the first group on shore in the morning and last group onshore in the afternoon and how wise this was.  We landed on Darwin’s beach at 6:15 and it was only us and the birds, oh, and a few lizards.

First we were met by parading Swallow-tailed Gulls, wandering and making small talk.  In the end we figured they were denying access to other gulls or telling us that there was a chick ahead.  They use their extraordinarily large eyes to forage at night for their favorite food: squid (aka calamari).

Next were the Red-footed Boobies with their ostentatious feet.  But it is their face and bill that steal the show.  Subtle shades of pink, blue and mauve transform their otherwise brown or black and white bodies into a show of pastel hues!  They are so understated…

Great Frigatebird chicks spend the day propped on their ridiculously small nests waiting for the next parent to arrive with a handout. For some, the parent won’t return.  It is their turn to feed themselves – fly and feed or wait and starve.  The choice is theirs. There were just so many wonderful sights and sounds on this little chunk of beach.  We had a date with breakfast at eight-thirty, so we hopped back into the dingy and sped off to our morning coffee.

A good hour after breakfast it was time to get reacquainted with the water.  Snorkels in hand, I mean mouth, and we were off.  Ready to see if all those Galapagos Sharks we saw earlier were around or if they went to other areas.  It was a great initiation for everything that was going to follow.

After our lunch rest period it was time to get back in the water, this time with the White-tipped Reef Sharks, Green Sea Turtles and colorful assortment of tropical fish.  We were snorkeling the wall on the south side of the caldera where it dropped 600 meters.  That is why we saw more of the deeper water species than our previous entry into water world.  After about 45 minutes we were out and getting ready for our land excursion.

Late afternoon found us climbing Prince Phillipe’s stairs on our way to see owls and petrels.  But along the way those recently fledged Nazca Boobies were putting on a show.  Whining, begging, pleading for any kind of attention, but in the end they want to be fed.  It is probably just like the frigatebirds, at this stage you have to fly to be fed.

Further along the trail we came to the land of no vegetation.  Fields of ancient lava with fissures and cracks looking like a spider web gone wild!  Darting in and out of these openings were thousands of Galapagos Storm Petrels.  Whirling in the sky like so many insects in a cloud, they were the chosen ones - the chosen ones that Short-eared Owls feed upon!

We saw four owls, some flying, but eventually they all ended up perched on the bluff in the midst of all the petrels.  Although we didn’t see any owl/petrel interactions, the petrels feed the owls and their young.  It is that simple…

We made our way back down the stairs and slowly cruised the bluffs watching flocks of Galapagos Shearwaters wheel in unison as they bisected our path.  Mating gulls and the torrents of frigatebirds harassing boobies mercilessly, the walls were alive!  But so were we and our stomachs let us know just that!  Off to the mother ship for a dinner of apple-glazed pork, scalloped potatoes and broccoli.  That’s what we needed to send us into sleepy time, for when we awaken in the morning we will begin a new adventure.

Thursday January 29, 2009 – Bartolome and James Island
The goal was turtle nests.  The only catch was folks wanted to see the nests with the TURTLES!   Fabian and I talked and he thought that it would be possible but he would have to talk to the captain and I would have to talk to everyone else.  So at the briefing a couple of days ago we discussed with everyone whether going to a turtle nesting beach early today was a good idea.  Everyone agreed, so we decided to go to Bartolome, look for the turtles and whatever else showed up.

So as the Captain anchored the ship at Bartolome, the crew already had the dinghies in the water.  We were on the beach below Pinnacle Rock before six and walking across that short little spit to see what was on the other side.  And there she was just crawling into the water’s edge.  She had spent the night excavating the nest for her 120 eggs and she was exhausted.  She lay there not wanting to go any further for out there were the boys.  The boys who waited all night for her and her sisters (there looked to be at least 55 nests depressions) to finish with their shore duty were still out there.  They knew the females would be too weak to prevent their eight hour mating and so there was the standoff.  She rested quietly in the shallow water, and there we left her…

A walk down to the end of the beach as the sun rose turned the mud brown stone into a dull glowing pink.  Lava lizards jumped on top of rocks to greet their morning heat as we slowly walked back.  The quote “Just leave me here…” was said more than once.  It was a magical moment.

Before returning to the boat we had one more errand.  About 365 steps were needed to take us to the top for the view of Bartolome isthmus and Pinnacle Rock.  The sky was blue with the young volcanoes etched out of that morning sky.  The fine lava sand scattered with small bombastic rocks and a few gray plants made up the landscape, but the blue ocean and sky made everything seem so alive, and we all felt it!

For whatever reason, retracing our steps was so much easier the second time around.  As we descended everyone was talking about the great day we were having, even though it was only two hours old.  What made the third hour as good were those thick, banana crepes for breakfast.  When we finished those, we had to wait ninety minutes for our next activity – snorkeling with penguins!

We jumped into our shorties and then into the dinghies for a ride to the opposite side of Bartolome where we jumped into the water and snorkeled.  We found lots of fish, very colorful fish.  Parrots, triggers, wrasses, and rays.  A small group of white-tips glided by, an incredibly gorgeous boxfish and so many more.  An outstanding finish to the morning!

After lunch and a short siesta we were off to James Island.  For some there was more snorkeling and for others a short hike.  For most an opportunity to lay on the beach for an hour amidst turtle tracks.  A bit of relaxation on an otherwise “rigorous” day of activities.

But we had one more landing to make before our wahoo and arroz con menestra dinner.  We were off to the lava fields on James Island.

The black lava flow we were walking on was from an eruption that took place in 1895.  We couldn’t even see the volcano for all this 100-year old magma we were walking on, it was miles away.  The eruption was so large that entire island grew by 24%.  If the eruption had continued another two weeks it is probable the Bartolome would no longer be an island onto itself, but a part of James Island. 

We could see the rusted cones of earlier eruptions, so much redder than this virgin magma.  A magma so young that there were very few plants.  A couple of lava cactus and just the tiniest smattering of green vegetation in cracks that collected sand.  A stark landscape that gave us all the sense of how it all began.

We had twelve hours of sailing ahead of us as we headed over to the west side of Isabel…

Friday January 30, 2009 – Punta Vicente Roca & Punta Espinosa 
We awoke to the sound of the anchor be lowered into a quiet cove at Punta Vicente Roca.  The waters were still, but green sea turtles were everywhere, as were Brown Noddys.  As soon as we were all assembled we were off for a dinghy cruise of the near vertical shoreline.  Where there was a beach, it was maybe six feet deep, but for the most part it was a vertical cliff ending in the Pacific Ocean.

We saw Fur Sea Lions, Flightless Cormorants, noddys hanging on walls like so many pictures and the colossal cave.  A collapsed lava tube that went back 100 feet and was easily seventy feet wide.  Paddling back in there you could sea schools of fish over the sandy bottom and more turtles.  This was going to be our snorkeling location, so off we went to breakfast and a short digestive rest.

Snorkeling along this section of coast was outstanding.  Where else could you peek out of the water and look at a Marine Iguana staring down at you?  Or how about a Flightless Cormorant passing within inches of your mask? A minimum of 30 green sea turtles that were either resting on the bottom, swimming by or feeding on different algae?  Yes, all that and then there were the inverts, the rainbow assortment of fish and the warm water, we had it all!

Up came the anchor after lunch and we were of on a short three hour motor over to Fernandina.  One of the youngest islands, it was full of lava and numerous animals that found the shoreline the perfect place to forage and breed.

You step off of the dinghy and have to be careful not to step on a marine iguana or a lava lizard.  You wind your way through iguana log jams dodging Small Ground-Finches that are there utilizing the jam session for gathering dead bits of skin. Then come the sea lions passed out in various positions and locations along the trail.  Seeming to care about nothing but the sun and body functions, they lounge placidly wondering what to do next.  Hundreds of Sally Lightfoots holding tenaciously to their piece of the rock as waves try to turn them into a bowling tournament.  Wildlife was everywhere and the lighting was gorgeous.

We moved deeper into the island, first through fields of ancient lava littered with pools of water that supported red mangrove.  Then further on we came to where no sane person would venture, the land of ah-ah.  Lava with so little gas that it breaks into these razor-edged chunks.  No place for the sane, like I said.

Did I mention the ten minute sighting of the Bryde’s whale we saw at sunset?

Saturday January 31, 2009 – Tagus Bay & Urbina Bay
We awoke in a little bay where the British naval ship Tagus had once anchored in 1814.  There was graffiti for sure, with the oldest etched into the rocks “St. George – 1836” (one year after Charles Darwin!!).  Once the sea lions moved we were able to get a little closer and see this lichen-covered rock that was once nothing more than graffiti and is now considered an historical artifact.  I guess age is all it takes…

We climbed the mile-long trail to a superb vista that showed lava flows laced with ribbons of green palo santo trees.  We could see three of Isabela’s massive volcanoes and all different stages of reclamation of their lava flows.  That sweet early morning light just made the view that much more of a treasure.

We came down from the trail around Darwin Lake and hopped in the dinghies for a ride around the bay.  Easily the highlight was the Galapagos Penguins.  Seeming to work in unison they were chasing schools of very small fish that leaped their mightiest to get two inches out of the water (all the while looking like thin shards of glass blazing above the surface of the water).  Two inches saved a lot of fish that day!

Noddys a nodding
Boobies looking for a clue
And we’re still entranced

After breakfast we did our morning water aerobics snorkeling the edge of the bay.  A turtle here and a turtle there, you just never get tired of those animals.  So cumbersome looking on land but the epitome of a smooth swimming dinosaur.  Always a treat!

After lunch we motored south over the increasingly calm seas (they have been that way since the beginning, we are so lucky!!!) towards Urbina Bay, with its black sand beach.  As we slowly entered the bay a Dark-rumped Petrel flew across the bow giving four of us great looks.  And then a hammerhead shark paralleled the yacht and most of us got to see this small-mouthed predator of the open sea.

After landing we headed into the forest where it was a toss up as to whether we saw more big, red and yellow land iguanas or small, small green and brown Galapagos Flycatchers!  We saw lots of both.

The area we are walking was a seabed in 1953.  In 1954 plate tectonics pushed this section of coast up 35 feet, instantly changing the best coral garden in the Galapagos to a bed of skeletons.  It is eerie walking past six foot tall sections of brain coral that are bleached white from the sudden immersion in waterless sun. 

It was time to head back to the ship and our date with the bottlenose dolphins.  And right on time the pod appeared at sunset and put on a dazzling aerobatic display.  For a ninety second period it seemed that every animal in the group was in the air.  It made you just stop and watch as there was so much going on.  Fantasy stuff, right?

Sunday February 1, 2009 - Bahia Elizabeth / Punta Moreno
Dawn crepted into the rooms just before our wake up call.  Those crepuscular hours when all is quiet, but all heck is going to break out in the next minute.  The water was glassy calm, but somehow the morning cacophony never happened.  We just slipped into the dinghies and off we went gently breaking the glass with our glass cutter.

The red mangroves surrounding the estuary came alive with Yellow Warbler and Small Tree-Finch calls.  Lava and Striated Herons tried to outcompete one another with their brash calls.  And then there were the penguins that found themselves deep in the estuary giving their soft moan as if trying to calm the land birds.  We let the tide take us out a ways before hurrying back to the boat for breakfast.  We had to hurry ‘cuz we were going snorkeling at nine sharp!!!

We were in the water back along the tidal channel of Bahia Elizabeth and let the tide take us out, a little drift snorkeling.  Highlight here was two hawksbill sea turtles.  Another animal for the list!

After a brief excursion around some of the islets at the bay entrance, we hopped back in the boat and headed south towards Punta Moreno.

Lunch was aboard the good ship San Jose, bacon-wrapped  filet mignon, asparagus and a radish salad. Oh the soup, we get the most tasty soup everyday for our first course of lunch.  The ingredients are a potpourri of the five food groups.  Don’t worry about mixing potatoes and pastas or hominy and fish, the chef had it together when it came to delicious soups.

Shore call was at Punta Moreno.  We could see one flamingo from the ship, but could never re-find it once we landed.  We hiked over more lava but it looked so different than all the previous lavas.  Amazing,  the lava diversity.

One feature this lava had hidden were these cenote-like depressions filled with water and lots of green vegetation.  Here we found Galapagos Martin, Common Moorhen, White-cheeked Pintail and Blue-winged Teal.  Even found a wayward Pied-billed Grebe in one of them.  Amazing little fecund oasis out in the middle of no where.  What a treat!!!

Back to the ship as we were going to race the sunset to the southwest corner of Isabela where there is a 2000 meter drop off along the coast.  Lots of upwelling which Captain Francisco says means lots of cetaceans.  We passed numerous flocks of seabirds including one adult Waved Albatross.  What a treat to see this master of the ocean winds resting on the water, and so close to the ship.

Only one whale sighting and that was another Bryde’s.  Their dorsal fin is so far back and so small this particular animal in all its surfacing only allowed us to see it once.  The three longitudinal ridges along the blow hole were visible only once also.  Combining these two characteristics and the size and color of the whale gave us the id.

There were probably 20-25 Dark-rumped Petrels that flew across our bow once we got to the south side of Isabela.  This bird is threatened in the U.S. as the only nesting population on Hawaii’s volcanoes are being overrun with non-native species that collapse or take over their burrows.  What a treat to sea these high-arcing pelagic species so close and with a sunset in the background!

Monday February 2, 2009 - Villamil
We awoke to the gentle swaying of Villamil harbor, anchored behind the Los Tintoreras.  With only one other ship next to us, we watched the small cargo ship that serves as the supply link for four of the islands motor in.  Crates of bananas,  huge sacks of limes and all sorts of other supplies including two trucks.

Then it was off to breakfast and our shore landing to the Giant Tortoise Rearing Center.  We taxied to a saline lagoon on our way to the center where a pair of flamingoes were feeding.  Also had White-cheeked Pintail, Common Moorhen and Black-necked Stilt in the water.

Next stop was at the tortoise center where we saw three year olds getting ready to be released into the wild.  It takes at least two years for their shells to harden enough so that rats and other introduced species have a negligible effect on them.  Then came the breeding stock, the big ones, and the slow ones that had seen more days than 2-3 of us combined.  Gosh, they are really big and take everything so easily.  The saying “No worries” comes to mind.

After lunch we took shore leave and spent a couple of hours on the beach with a young Waved Albatross.  Tired after fledging, it seemed to be resting quietly.  Most of us spent time on the beach or taking in the town, a little down time after our full schedule.  The breeze picked up and we all headed back to the ship to get ready for our late afternoon hike at Los Tinteros.

Los Tinteros is one of the small islets that protects Villamil from the ocean surge.  Composed of chunky lava, just about all of the skyward pointing lavas were covered with a white lichen.  A little surreal looking in the overcast lighting.

There are channels cut in the lava that are flooded by the ocean.  This area is known for the white-tipped reef sharks that hang almost motionless while resting in the channel.  Unfortunately we arrived at their dinner time, for they were all out to sea.  We have seen a number of these fish during our snorkeling, but it would have been nice to see them in this perspective.

At 6:45 the Captain gave us a farewell toast and we all settled down for a meal of lobster.  Dessert tonight was Pam’s birthday cake baked by the ship’s chef, a banana cake with the lightest frosting.  Outstanding and Pam’s smile made it a double treat!

Tuesday February 3, 2009 – Baltra & Puerto Arroyo
We disembarked at 8:30 and took the bus to the airport where we caught the shuttle to the canal that separates BAltra from Santa Cruz.  The five minute ride across was short but we still had to wait for our transfer to Puerto Ayora.

Once collected, we drove up and over the twin craters where some were lucky to see wild tortoise grazing in the lush green fields.  After the highland downpour, we arrived in Puerto Ayora, checked into our rooms and went off to lunch.  Everyone had the afternoon to explore this delightful town, take in the fish market , an ice cream or watch the world go by.

It seems the Red Mangrove was the choice for everyone for dinner.  On such a balmy evening with a full set of stars, having dinner next tot the bay seemed completely hedonistic, and it was.  Oh, and the Great Blue Herons, Lava Gulls and Brown Pelicans on the deck allowed us to continue birding during and after dinner. The Red Mangrove has changed their menu since last year, focusing more on sushi with a few non-sushi items.  Good sushi!

Wednesday February 4, 2009- Darwin Research Center & Highlands 
After breakfast we took a leisurely stroll to the Darwin Research Station.  It was 8:00 AM and the temps were starting to warm up, just a tad.

The research center is home to hundreds of giant tortoises from different islands and volcanoes.  The goal of the program is to increase breeding populations of wild tortoises in their home range.  Work is ongoing in the home range of the more rare species to eradicate introduced animal and plant species, thereby removing one roadblock to their recovery.

Saddlebacks, domed, flat-topped, all sorts of carapace shapes.  The research center has breeding adults, eggs, and animals up to five years old.  That is the age they say these tortoises need to be in order to have a hard enough shell to survive non-natives.

We spent about ninety minutes walking through the center and then some folks took the shopping route, while others continued viewing the exhibits.  Next time we got together it would be after lunch for our highlands tour.

At one we all gathered on our land yacht and rod to the highlands of Santa Cruz.  The elevation gain did wonders for the temperature and the almost persistent cloud cover in the cloud forest made it a welcome relief from the coast.

We toured the twin craters, craters whose domes collapsed millennia ago.  Trees festooned with lichens that drip water from the rain we hiked through.  Warbler Finches, Galapagos Doves and Galapagos Martins were zipping through.  Ferns were loaded with spores and bromeliads were sending up flower spikes.  It was the time of season for reproduction…

Next we headed down a little lower in elevation to a farm that had wild tortoises in the yard (it was a very big yard).  We hiked through one paddock and saw two very large males and two smaller females.  Then more tortoises, feeding, sitting in pools of water and walking that incredibly slow walk.  We saw 26 different animals on this farm and another two on the road.  What a treat!

Next it was the lava tube, found on the same farm a short distance away.  Down the stairs to the coolness of this twenty foot high lava tube.  A little dripping water here and there just made the situation that much more intriguing as e walked to the furthest point where crawling would have been the only option.   Truly a remarkable cave, 800 hundred feet of it!

We finished dinner and went back to our hotel for a good night’s sleep!

Thursday February 5, 2009 – Return to Quito
Our drive back of the Twin Peaks was so relaxing.  Puffy, cumulus clouds, patches of blue and giant land tortoises slowly grazing in the fields adjacent to the highway made for a great start to our flight back to Quito.

We arrived at the Hotel Sebastan around four and made arrangements to meet in the lobby at 6:45 to walk up to a favorite restaurant, Mare Nostrum.

No rain, but it was damp as we strolled through the neighborhoods of Quito.  An experienced group now, everyone knew the drill on traffic, signals and watching where you walk. 

At Mare Nostrum we had the restaurant to ourselves; we also had the classical guitar played to ourselves which made for a great background to our outstanding seafood dinners.  It only took 2.5 hours to finish that feast and as a sated group of travelers we made it back to the hotel filled with shrimp, crab and all sorts of other seafood.

Some of us had a date with our transfer to the airport at 0430 in the morning, so we said our goodbyes and went off to bed.

Friday, February 6, 2009 -  Flights  Home
All but three were flying home today after visiting all things wild in the Galapagos.  Trips are all about experiences and sharing those through stories with friends.  Who we met, what we saw and thoughts about the past and the future.  Lots to think about on the way home…

 

Napo extension
January 21-26, 2009 - Trip Report
Greg Smith, Guide and six participants

Wednesday January 21, 2009 - Arrival in Quito
By the 21st, everyone  and everything had arrived in Quito except for Mary’s bag (which found its way to her at the airport as we were set to fly over the Andes to Coca).  Some folks spent the day walking the city while others were off to the botanical gardens in search of birds and pictures.

We gathered for dinner that evening at seven and went over our plans for the next day’s departure.  Mercedes of Neblina Forest stopped by and greeted the group and answered all of our last minute questions.  Then it was of to bed for a good night’s sleep in the city of 9,000 feet!

Thursday January 22, 2009 - Coca and Napo
We didn’t need to get up too early to catch our 11:10 flight to Coca, so a leisurely breakfast was had by all.  And then at the VIP terminal it was decided that we needed to have more food, so the free sandwiches, sweet rolls and coffee just added to the checked baggage.

It took just 35 minutes to cross the Andes and go from 60 degrees to over 80 degrees (and then there was the humidity…).  Once we crested the Andes we were above unbroken rainforest for the full route.  At Coca, we were met by Erwin and others from Napo and whisked off to our “jet boat” for the 2.5 hour ride down the Rio Napo.  Really, they were twin Yamahas on wooden boats.  Our ride went quickly and smoothly with a box lunch en route.

After arriving at the boundary of NWC, we transferred to the dugout canoes where our local guides paddled us up an incredibly beautiful small river for another 2.5 hours.  We got great looks at Hoatzin, Rufescent Tiger-Heron and the incredibly chatty Black-capped Danacobius!  We got to see three species of mammals, all primates: Common Squirrel Monkey, Monk Saky and White-fronted Capuchin.  Not a bad start, especially when you include the nestling Zigzag Heron!

After a brief introduction to the how’s & when’s of NWC, we settled in and then enjoyed a tasty dinner before falling into bed to await our 5AM wake up call!

Friday January 23, 2009 – Canopy Tower & Evening Paddle
Our 6:00 start across the this tea-colored lake was just as the crepuscular twilight appeared in the east.  We paddled into a creek on the north side of the lake where we started a 45-minute hike towards the “tree”.  The “tree” is a massive, towering Kapok with a 200 step metal stairway that climbs to a platform in the canopy of the tree.

Here we could see wisps of mist trying to escape the forest floor in an ethereal dance to the clouds.  It was a high overcast which was perfect for spotting soaring raptors and perching passerines on adjacent treetops.

The treetops provided excellent looks at Smooth-billed Kites, White-throated Toucans, Purple-throated Cotingas and Scarlet Macaws.  As the temperature rose, so did the soaring birds: Ornate Hawk-Eagles, Black-faced Hawks and the ubiquitous Greater Yellow-headed Vultures were just a few of those flat-winged masters of the aerial thermals.

After three hours with our heads in the clouds we headed down the stairway to heaven only to be stopped by the sudden appearance of a KING VULTURES!  Not that everyone got to see it, but those that did knew just how special this treat was.

We headed back to our canoe as we had a date with lunch and a siesta prior to our late afternoon paddle.  Not a bad start for our stay at NWC!

At 3:30 p.m. we headed to the lodge tower.  We spent an hour here to see what birds or mammals put in an appearance on this day.  It hadn’t been one minute when Erwin showed us a small group of Golden-mantled Tamarinds, the NWC mascot!  Two females, each with a young and two other individuals put on a show by gingerly walking along palm fronds with young on their backs.  They start moving off to the left when their place is taken by a family group of Dusky Titi Monkeys – wow.

After seeing Silver-beaked and Masked Crimson Tanagers we headed down to the canoe to glide across the opalescent waters.  It is hard to explain the feeling of skimming across ripple-free water with the last heat of the day cloying at your skin and seeing a Striated Heron poised to strike the first fish unwise enough to move.  It feels so different than home and is!

The creek is six kilometers long if you follow its sinuous trail in the canoe.  For the birds it is a mere four kilometers, we were headed down about half its length.

Hoatzins, Anhingas and different kingfishers led us deeper into the twilight as we moved with the current of the creek.  Sixto “007” would call out birds left and right as he eased the canoe into even quieter little eddies.  If the abruptness of the screaming macaws didn’t get your attention, maybe the sound of something scurrying through the under story did.  It was a magical way to finish our first full day at Napo!

Saturday January 24, 2009 – PARROT CLAY LICKS
It was an early start as we had early birds to catch.  We were up at 4:30, breakfasted at 5:00 and in the canoe at 5:30.  We worked our way down the Anungu tribe’s creek to where we met the motorized canoe.  A quick stop here and we were off to the Rio Napo where we headed downstream.  In less than five minutes we could hear see screaming flocks of Amazonia parrots.  Ten or twelve birds to a branch were waiting their turn to drop to one of the two exposed vertical cut banks of the river.  There to engorge some feisty red clay that would settle their systems after foraging on so many varieties of seeds and nuts.

Flocks came wheeling in as the crescendo seemed to drown out everything else.  Twenty-five to thirty birds at each section would crowd onto one another, vying for the best treat.  Truly an unforgettable spectacle!

After our usual mid-morning snack of Oreos and a chocolate bar we headed to parrot lick number two.  A twenty minute hike along a concrete walkway brought to lick.  Not really a lick, but a fountain of Psittacines.  We could hear Scarlet Macaws, parrotlets and more parrots as we neared the viewing area.

What you see, when you walk up, is a vertical wall covered with ferns and a variety of short growing palms.  What you don’t see, until you are at up at the rail, is the tiny little cave with water flowing from it.  This is probably very similar to what Ponce de Leon was looking for -in Florida.

This little stream was a safe place and water to Orange-cheeked Parrots, Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlets and a mix of other of small parrots.  The rainbow hues of the Orange-cheeked as they flew contrasted with the red, green and blue of the Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlets.  It was dazzling until the leaf dropped.  The leaf???  It fell to the stream which set off the domino effect of all the birds taking flight.  First those in the stream and then they started coming out of the cave in singles and doubles.  All took flight at the simple drop of a leaf, as if it were a marauding Peregrine.  Life is so easy to disrupt and the birds know that only too well with so many avian predators around.

After an excellent field lunch of empanadas and curried chicken at the canoe switch location, we walked across the creek on one of the canoes to search for pygmy marmosets, which we found.  Our ninth primate was the size of your fist and fuels its tiny body on sugar-rich sap and insects.  A great looking animal that had the most disarming eyes…

Next we birded an island that was in the first stage of forest reclamation.  With little success, we decided to head to the lodge and call it a day!  Time for another tasty dinner!

Sunday January 25, 2009 – Tingu Trail & “The Tree”
Today we had a leisurely start to the day, up at 5:30, breakfast at 6:00 and on the water at 6:30.  We were headed to the Tingu trail, a hike through the rainforest looking for Giant Mollusks, Leaf Cutter Ants and whatever else we could find – mainly in the world of birds.

The first two hundred meters were in primordial ooze that can be found along all creek banks, only this was so much steamier.  Cut log rounds were used for stepping stones and rails helped us balance as we worked our way up the channel.  Oh, oh!  We found a  stream crossing with no bridge.   It took Sixto and Franklin maybe five minutes to move a log into place, cut some saplings for a railing and then tie everything together with vines.  Pretty cool!

We finished our 200 meter moonwalk and were again on fairly solid ground when we started a gentle climb.  These mollusks were cagey and made it difficult to locate their lairs.  Finally Franklin located one of these twenty centimeter monsters moving at a hefty eight cm/minute. Everyone wanted a picture of this forest giant and his ability to move so slowly allowed everyone ample opportunity to capture him!

The reason we wanted to see one of the monsters was not because they are so tasty, but because of how they play into the Anungu culture.  Prior to the family eating one of these delicacies there are rituals that will help the children into their adult life.

The animal is dropped into boiling water which kills the snail.  The body is immediately removed from the shell and brought to the children.  The children are told to do two things, first to inhale the scent of the snail deeply, and then to put their hands into the cavity of the shell to feel the smoothness of the interior.  Inhaling the scent of the snail helps the children prevent nose bleeds when they accidentally get popped in the nose by a sibling or a branch.  Certainly an effective remedy as I don’t think any of us saw one bloody nose on any of the children. Having the boys put their hands into the snail is supposed to make them gentle men as they age.  Given our experiences with Anungu men, it works!  Everyone was so kind and helpful…

After seeing White-capped Manikins, Blue and Yellow Macaws and a Leaf-cutter Ant nest that must’ve been twenty feet in diameter we headed back to the canoe.  We still had one of our major ambitions to fulfill – Giant River Otters!

Sixto and Edwin took us up one of the creeks that feed the lake where a slow paddle produced very little bird life, but some wonderful images of a tea-colored creek wandering through the rainforest.  We turned to head back out to the lake and made a stop looking for a wood-rail that darted back into the forest.  No luck, so we continued back to the lake.  We hadn’t gone twenty meters when Sixto with unabashed enthusiasm starts saying in a low growl “giant otter, giant otter, giant otter” with his accent I swore he was saying “jag-u-ar, jag-u-ar, jag-u-ar”). But we all saw the massive head of the otter sticking out of the water straight ahead.  It was maybe a five second look. But there she was, spotted throat and all.  What a sight!  We got back out on the lake where we saw the otter again, this time with a friend who had a fish in his mouth.  What a treat to see them one more time before we headed back to the lodge for lunch.

It really was the right time for a siesta, but afterwards we were back in the canoe heading to the “tree”.  It was steamy as we climbed the 200 stairs to the land of breezes.  The treetop animal action was not as rapid as the morning ascents, but the quality was there.  Channel-billed Toucans perched for twenty minutes on the top of a tree, Ivory –billed Aracari s darted in and out of fruit laden shrubs, and Gilded Barbets sat right below us.  Oh, the Scale-breasted Woodpeckers and the Squirrel Cuckoos choosing to feed directly overhead were also a treat.  The final bird sighting of the day was a family of Marbled Wood-Quails settling into a tree for their night roost.  Four chicks perched in a row with an adult on one end and another adult on an adjacent branch.  A fitting end to the day prior to our mariscos dinner!

Monday January 26, 2009 – Coca and Quito
It only took us an hour and ten minutes to paddle downstream where we switched into the motor canoe for our 2.5 hour ride to Coca.  After passing the 727 discothèque On the Rio Napo, we hopped into a taxi, went to the airport and flew back to Quito, ready for our departure to the Galapagos!!!

 

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