Three Weeks In, Three Miles Up

I feel the sand between my fingers…

I hear the sound of gulls flying overhead…

Shorebirds frolic in the nearby grasses…

I feel the warm sun against my skin as I lay in the…

Snow?!

You might have though I went to the beach again, but those were and Andean gull, Andean lapwings, and a Baird’s sandpiper (in that order). The first two stick around the Andes all year long, while the Baird’s sandpiper migrates all the way from the Arctic to the Andes, which some migrating as far as the southern tip of Argentina (Source).

One week ago today was my last sojourn into the shadow of Volcán Antisana. However, I made sure that last week wasn’t a dull week, as Vladimir (co-owner of Tambo Condor, the place I have been staying) and I climbed up to an altitude of 4700 meters (3 miles) to the base of the glaciers of Antisana.

While the area was barren at first sight, upon closer inspection there is some very cool plant and bird life at three miles up.

Rufous-bellied seedsnipe. Looks and acts like a bit like a chicken, but is more closely related to the gulls and shorebirds you saw earlier. There are only four species of seedsnipe, all found in South America.

Nototriche ecuadoriensis, a gorgeous small flower of the hibiscus family. It is only found in the highlands of Ecuador.

Senecio canescens. The hairy leaves keep water from freezing on the leaf surface and block excess sunlight. (Note: I miss ID’ed this as an Espeletia species earlier. Oops. Fixed 6/17/2015)

Wish I could tell you what this is, but I’m clueless! Update as of 6/17/15: I have been informed that this is species of violet, Viola polycephala, that is endemic to Antisana. Thank you, Charles Dawkins of Denmark!

Other points of interest last week were the field tests of our ibis models. Turns out, they don’t attract ibises very well, though we did have a pair get reasonably close.

We also finally saw some ibises mating, which was was quite good for the study, as one of our main objective was to find reproducing birds.

Unfortunately, if they were starting mate last week, that means they could be nesting starting this week, after my study is over.

In other news, I finally managed a decent photograph of one of my favorite birds, the sword-billed hummingbird! It’s the only bird with a beak longer than its body.

Taken at Tambo Condor.

Tomorrow I head back to Quito, and Monday I’m off to the cloud forest community of Yunguilla, a place which I have visited before but did not have the chance to write about.

I’m afraid this blog is coming close to its end, as I head back to the US in one week. However, expect at least one or two more posts before I ship out. Until next time!

Week 2 in the High Andes

Not a whole lot has changed weather-wise up in the páramo. It’s still darn cold (got snowed on again) and getting around is a little muddy.

Just another frosty morning at the base of Antisana.

The car got a bit dirty, but it apparently loves it.

However, I did manage to take a sweet photo of an Ecuadorian hillstar at an altitude of 4320 meters (that’s about 2.7 miles, for the metric challenged).

I mentioned how these guys survive frigid nights in a past post. Turns out the hemoglobin in their blood is specially adapted for thin air as well by being more efficient at capturing oxygen (Source). But was is a hummingbird to eat at these elevations? Blueberries! Or rather, nectar from Disterigma flowers, a South American genus of blueberry.

Also managed to find three life birds in a day, including this gorgeous Aplomado falcon.

These guys are found as far south as Argentina and as far north as the southern tip of Texas. However, the road to see them there in Texas is terrible, as my mother can attest.

It also happens to be the season of catsos in the páramo. What are catsos? Catso is the Kichwa word for “beetle.” What does one do with a catso? You toast it with garlic and corn!

While definitely counter to the general notion in the US that bugs aren’t food, catsos have a nice crunchy texture and don’t really have much flavor, other than that of what they are cooked with. In other words, they’re not bad.

Oh, I mentioned ibis decoys last week. Well guess what? They’re done!

The beginning of two ibises.

And done!

We have yet to officially field test them, but for now they are handsome steeds.

Yeehaw!

It may be a while (2-3 weeks) before the next post, as this next week is my last full week of data collection and then I have some writing to do. After that, I’m off to present my paper to the study abroad group in some as-of-yet undisclosed location. Until next time!

Antisana Round 2: This Time with Ibises (and More Condors)

I have left the city and exams behind for a more peaceful local, namely Tambo Condor and the Antisana Ecological Reserve.

The sunset view from the front of my cabin at Tambo Condor. You wouldn’t know it, but Quito is in that valley down there.

In the mornings or afternoons (depending on my work schedule for the), I’m greeted by these little fellas (if you count the largest hummingbird in the world as a “little” fella).

Sparkling violetear

Black flowerpiercer. Normally, it steals nectar from the bottom of flowers, but hummingbird feeders work too.

That would be the giant hummingbird, which is about the size of a sparrow.

What exactly am I doing up in this mountainous area? I am assisting in research on the Andean ibis.

That would be a pair of Andean ibis.

While first recognized as a species by French biologists back in 1894, the Andean ibis has since been considered a subspecies of the buff-necked ibis and then the black-faced ibis. It wasn’t until this year that the IUCN and BirdLife International recognized the Andean ibis as a full species. (Source). In Ecuador, they live near two volcanoes: Antisana and Cotopaxi.

Antisana

Cotopaxi

While listed as NT (near threatened) worldwide, the population of Andean ibis in Ecuador is critically endangered, with about 100 individuals estimated in 1999.

But that was 15 years ago. The data for the last fairly comprehensive study on these birds was done near Antisana in 2000, and even after that no one knows where the population near Antisana nests. While we’re still trying to figure that out, we have confirmed a roosting spot.

Puma Pacha. See that little hole in the cliff face? Ibises roost there.

A close up of the roost area.

Yes, these birds roost behind a waterfall (well, two of them do.)

While the ibises are my primary focus, there are other birds to be seen up in the páramo, such as condors and other raptors.

Juvenile condor

Juvenile variable hawk

The same variable hawk chasing after an adult condor. Note the size difference.

Carunculated caracara, locally known as a curiquingue. While related to falcons, they are essentially the crows of Antisana; they eat just about anything and will bully ibis to get access to food.

Genciana sedifolia

The plant life in the páramo is as beautiful (and sometimes alien) as ever.

Clubmosses growing within a mass of cushion plants

A strange yellow patch within a cushion of Distichia muscoides

While it may look like fun and games from these photos, the páramo is darn cold. It’s one thing to visit for a day and half as I did a little over a month ago, but being out for six hours at a time can be a little chilly. This is especially true since our observations either start in the early morning or last until sunset.

Yep that’s snow. Yes, I’m basically on the Equator.

However, staying out while the temperature is hovering around freezing does have some perks, namely incredible views of Antisana.

Up next: Do ibises react to paper mache doppelgangers? I don’t know the answer either, but we’ll hopefully find out next week!

¡El Cóndor Pasa!: Antisana Ecological Reserve and Hacienda Hosteria Guáytara

That glacier-covered mountain is not only a site of snow and ice very close to the Equator, but it is also an active volcano. Its name is Antisana and is the mountain which Antisana Ecological Reserve is named after. See that little shack in the foreground? That was a home of the famous naturalist Alexander von Humboldt.

Laguna Micacocha, an important source of water for the city of Quito.

The name for this type of habitat is páramo, which essentially means “tropical alpine grassland and scrubland. While the landscape may look a little bleak, there is actually some really cool plant and animal life hidden away in the grasses and shrubs

Flower of the Puya, an alpine member of the pineapple family and source of nectar for the giant hummingbird.

Purple gentians growing near tussock grasses and cushion plants.

Individual plants from a cushion plant colony. Cushion plants retain dead organic material below ground to soak up water and preserve nutrients.

Some of the wildlife isn’t necessarily hidden. It’s pretty hard to hide when you have a ten foot wingspan.

That would be an Andean condor, Ecuador’s national bird. The IUCN classifies the worldwide population of this bird as “Near Threatened” and estimates that its population is declining (Source.) Fewer than 100 condors remain in Ecuador, making them endangered in this country. Condors face a variety of problems, including cattle ranchers killing them due to the belief that they eat cattle, lack of food, and habitat loss. Condors principally eat carrion and only take live prey (such as newborn livestock) rarely (Source). In order to provide food for the condors, the Hacienda Hosteria Guáytara, a private ecological area near Antisana, sacrifices cattle to provide food for these gigantic birds, thus aiding in their conservation in Ecuador.

Speaking of Guáytara, its land has hundreds (or potentially thousands) of chuquiragua flowers, which are a favorite food of a very special hummingbird.

The Ecuadorian hillstar is found in no other place but the Ecuadorian Andes. At night it nearly halts its metabolism by going into a state called torpor, which allows it to survive frigid páramo nights (Source). Other hummingbirds also enjoy chuquiragua nectar, including the black-tailed trainbearer.

While found in Quito, Guáytara is simply swarming with them. You can hardly go a minute walking the trails without hearing a male sing.

If you want more information on Guáytara, check out their website. The accommodations are quite nice and the wildlife is spectacular. I saw four condors during breakfast one morning, and you can reportedly see over fifteen at a time on a good day.

Well, it might be a while before I post, since I’m off to the Amazon on Friday and will be staying there for a whole week. I’ll be sure to update if I do anything cool in the next few days, but if I don’t expect another post in a couple weeks!