Yellow Warbler, Brown Pelican, Medium Ground Finch

The yellow warbler is a fine looking bird. With the greens abd browns of the forest, it is a striking image.

San Cristóbal Mockingbird and the Yellow Warbler

The mockingbirds are where Darwin made his name for sorting them out. This one is endemic to only San Cristóbal Island, hence the name.

Welcome to San Cristóbal Island

Our journey began in earnest by flying to San Cristóbal Island in the Galapagos. The first afternoon, I took a walk through the forest and up a hill to a lookout where we hoped to see some frigate birds. On the way, we spotted a variety of birds. Above is a medium ground finch.

Off to Rio Quijos

One last look at the sapphire throated hummingbird and then we pack up and head to a different location by a river for some lunch and different birds.

The Last of the Hummingbirds on this Trip (almost)

Today, we reach the end of the hummingbird extravaganza and tomorrow we move on to a few other birds we saw at a different location. Then...finally!... the next stop is the Galapagos!

Above is a bronzy inca testing the offering.

Long-tailed sylph, Green Crowned Brilliant, Speckled Hummingbird, Peruvian Racket-tail

This iridescent tail belongs to the long-tailed sylph, a most impressive bird. I love the little tuft of white feathers at his butt!

Peruvian Racket-tail, Green Crowned Brilliant, Speckled Hummingbird

I know that I keep posting the same birds repeatedly, but this racket tail is one I especially like. It is so different from the sorts of hummers I'm used to seeing in the US.

Bronzy Inca, Peruvian Racket-tail

The bronzy inca is another frequent visitor to our lure.

Green-Backed Hillstar, Gorgeted Woodstar, Bronzy Inca

The green-crowned brilliant is a frequent visitor to this flower.

Bronzy Inca, Violet-fronted Brilliant, Green-Backed Hillstar, Peruvian Racket-tail

These bronzy inca hummingbirds are not brilliantly colored like some of the others are, but they are elegant performers.

Green-Crowned Brilliant, Violet-fronted Brilliant, Bananaquit, Bronzy Inca

I know that I'm repeating the same bird often from one blog entry to the next (just wait until I get to the Galapagos Islands...), but these really are amazing birds. The colors of this violet-fronted brilliant are just stunning.

Bronzy Inca, Green-Crowned Brilliant, Peruvian Racket-tail, Violet-fronted Brilliant

Compared to most of his relatives flying about the flower, this bronzy inca is rather drab looking. But he is still an aerial acrobat extraordinaire.

Gorgeted Woodstar, Empress Brilliant, Racket-tail, and Swallow-tailed Hummingbirds

This flower is one that the gorgeted woodstar really liked. he kept coming back for more.

Gorgeted Woodstar, Empress Brilliant, and Speckled Hummingbird

The smallest of the woodstars is the gorgeted woodstar. She has little white "boots" on her feet.

Hummers _ II

Sitting on an old couch under a canopy at the edge of the forest was a delightful way to spend the morning watching these hummers. This green-backed hillstar is just taking in the scenery.

Hummingbirds

Thus, we begin day 2 of our adventure. It turns out that we were the only ones to book this workshop. Thus, we are having a private tour and it is nice. Our guide, Javier, is very pleasant and quite knowledgeable. We had a lot of fun with him.

On our first full day under his guidance, we went down the mountain from Quito on the amazon river (east) side, near a small town called Baeza, to a small place (I don't know quite what to call it) named La Brisa. Here we sat under a roof 10-15 feet from the edge of the forest and a good variety of hummingbirds.

Hotel La Basilica Quito

After walking and riding through the rain, eating lunch at a nice little restaurant where we didn't really know what we were ordering, we headed back to the hotel to wait for our tour guide to fetch us.

Here you see the interior of our hotel. It is a converted house and this is the courtyard where, now, breakfast is served.

Basilica del Voto Nacional - III

Even though this place is quite modern in comparison with the other ones we saw, it is nicely appointed and, for a large stone church filled with unpadded seats, it is inviting.

Bacilica del Voto Nacional - II

 

I don't know it is technically a "vertical gothic" church, but it seems pretty vertical to me. Quite reminiscent of churches found in Europe.

Basílica del Voto Nacional - I

The last of the churches we visited is the Basilica del Voto Nacional, the Basilica of the National Vow. This seems to serve much the same function as the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.