ECUADOR AMAZON DAY 1

Our adventure in Amazonian Ecuador began this morning when we took a Tame airlines flight from Quito to Coca on the Napo River. Once at Napo we boarded a covered (motorized) river boat for a two hour journey. Along the way we added some nice birds like Cocoi Heron, Pied Plover and Black Caracara. This short video clip gives you an idea of the speed of the boat ride.




After the river boat, we transferred to smaller hand paddled canoes for a two hour plus journey along a black water stream. Some fantastic birds were seen on the ride including 5 species of kingfishers, a baby Zigzag Heron and many Hoatzins. The clip below gives a feeling for the trip.




As it was nearing dusk the black water stream opened up to a placid lake, with the Napo Wildlife Center lodge nestled along one shore. We were greeted by a flock of 13 Masked Ducks, but the view of the lodge was equally captivating.