Conservation & Vist Us at RLT

April was a quiet month here at Reserva Las Tangaras. Even though it has been a rainy month, we are beginning to see the changes in the birds, the trees and plants preparing for Summer. The calm before the proverbial busy season storm, perhaps?

What’s New?

Throughout the grounds of RLT, we are seeing new flowers blossom, a rotation of birds that we haven’t seen since January and some bird visitors we haven’t seen all year! We are also seeing more snakes which is, surprisingly, more exciting than it is terrifying.

Playa de Las Ranas has been prime for swimming and is in our top 2 favorite swim spots right now. Parker, our resident 5^th grader, has found a slick rock that is fun to slide down and leads you right into a rapid that pushes you straight to a shallow place to stand up.

Conservation

In the spirit of Earth Day, we wanted to talk a bit about our experience here and conservation. We have come to learn that it is not always glamorous but it is work that is worth doing.

We have had the pleasure of watching a handful of nests being built, eggs laid, hatchlings growing and even experienced the sad truth of nesting in the wild. Unfortunately, most of the nests we have observed were unable to fully raise their young.

We did our part by ensuring we kept our distance and didn’t touch anything. We even planned to stay away once the young were close to fledging but haven’t gotten to that part just yet. Chatting with our neighbors, friends, visitors and Dr. Becker, we understand that this is just the natural order of things. Our dedication to conservation outweighs the desire to create a support for a shifty looking hummingbird’s nest that inevitably collapsed overnight. It’s still hard to see even when you anticipate the outcome.

On a brighter note, we have been extremely fortunate to have a sturdy Silver Throated Tanager nest high in a tree near the RLT cabaña. The male and female pair are FIERCE in protecting their nest. We have observed at least 5 occurrences where a bird or squirrel got a little too close to the nest and both parents took immediate action in getting these animals out of the area. We have watched for nearly a month as the duo built their nest and have even been able to observe them swapping out to take turns sitting on the eggs and now, feeding hatchlings. The nest is high, and we can’t see inside, but we have been able to see two wide-open mouths pop up from the nest from time to time.

The longer we spend exploring the grounds of RLT, the more we appreciate the opportunity to care for such a beautiful, protected area. We are used to the hustle and bustle of the city life. Never wondering what existed before the roads, Walmart Super Center or before the neighborhoods were built. Here we can see the riparian zone move into secondary forest turning into primary forest and the changes that unfold as you work your way deeper into the Reserve. Since January, we work to relocate unwanted visitors in the cabaña (a nice way of saying “humongous spiders”), leave spider webs alone unless we absolutely have to, clean up after the bats who like to poke around the porch at night, allow the prized tree stump to get overgrown with moss and fungi and more. The beauty in not interfering, and not feeling the need to interfere, is relaxing. It’s all as it should be.

We hope that the work of RLT and Life Net Nature continue for years to come because Reserva Las Tangaras is a truly special place in the cloud forest of Mindo, Ecuador. What an amazing opportunity to be able to share this with our 11-year-old. We hope that he truly understands how important places like this are to flora and fauna alike. One day, it will be up to his generation to pave or protect.

Visit Us at Reserva Las Tangaras

Lodging at the Reserve will not close for bird banding this year. This means a few extra weeks of opportunity for you to come and check it out for yourself. Money paid for daily entry, lodging, camping and tours go right back into the Reserve so we can continue to maintain the property.

Day Visits are $5/person

Private Tours, including Cock-of-the-Rock Lek, are $25/person (no guest minimums)

Overnight Stays in the Cabaña $25/person, including breakfast

Camping $10/person or $10/tent + one-time $5/person Entry Fee

Reach out to us via WhatsApp +593 099 054 7084, social media or email lastangarasreserve@gmail.com for questions about your upcoming visit or to book your stay.