Birding Ecuador
Coastal Birding and Whales
Combine Birding on the Coast with Whale Watching or better yet....participate in Whale Research
Dr. Lehmann works each summer on the coast of Ecuador inviting college students to 'intern' collecting data and observing humpback whales. If you choose to bird in the months of June--Sept....become a part of this and combine your birding with whale observation or research. Make a difference. Humpback whales arrive from Antarctica mid-June to end of Sept and use the Ecuadorian waters off of Puerto Lopez (Province of Manabi) as Breeding Grounds. Working with the Pacific Whale Foundation and Dra. Castro, you can add 'whale watching' to your Ecuador adventure. See www.researchwhales.com for additional information about formal program. But make coastal birding a part of your Ecuador adventure and spend a few weeks on the coast. |  |
 |  |
Humpback whales come surprisingly close to the boats, sometimes, just brushing up against them. The goal for researchers is to identify the whales which breed in these waters. They do this by analyzing photos of the underside of whale tails....each one being a finger print of that whale with various scars and pigmentation. Of course while you are 'whaling' you can also be birding the ocean waters or bird isla de la plata (poor man's Galapagos) or rich birding areas such as the Ayampe River, or Machaiilla National Park.
 |  |
Observe Nature in an evolutionary change. The Blue-footed boobies found on isla de la plata are now beginning to sit on branches to avoid the increase in climatic temperature. Notice the way their web-feet, although not meant to sit on branches...are allowing these birds to do this. This change in behavior was first noticed in 2010....so, witness this evolution as birds adapt to global warming.
 | Although the months of June--Sept are dry months where the coast foliage around Puerto Lopez turns brown....the river area of Ayampe is still rich in bird life. Ayampe offers a birding haven with close to 250 birds found in the general coastal area....not including sea birds or those found on the isla de la ptata. Although not as rich in birds as the Mindo area of the highlands.... Ayampe offers a unique walk through bird life....and nature. While Ecuador might have over 1,600 species of birds...in order to find those birds you have to go outside of one particular area. Whether that is Mindo, the Amazonian, Guayas or Esmeraldas...the key is to visit as many different eco-systems as you can to up your chances of seeing maximum number of bird species . On top of that...by visiting the coast, you might also add whale watching to your bucket list. Again...connect to the link www.researchwhales.com for information about the Foundation in general and what it does to To bird the coastal area of Ecuador you would fly from Quito to Manta, a working city close to 200,000 people. Arriving at the airport, we would move on to the coastal area about 120km south. This would be the jumping off point (Puerto Lopez) to observe whales, bird Ayampe or Machillila National Park or is de la plata..... (Island of silver) For more information, contact Dr. Jim Lehmann at edecuador@yahoo.com or Twitter researchwhales or Edecuador at Facecbook. |
