Immersion in Nature is key

It’s one thing to visit the Reserve for a day or 2 and have an amazing experience but really it is next level to be immersed in an area for months on end. In a day or 2 you get to see just the surface which, according to many of our visitors, still ‘is the highlight of their time in Ecuador’. But when you stay longer and slow down to the pace of the forest (not including the Hummingbirds because they are adoringly manic!), you start to see, hear and feel nature. Your senses sharpen and you pick up the slightest sound or movement that usually results in seeing something different that you haven’t seen before.

This also works conversely in hearing sounds that don’t belong and are initially confusing to your senses, like a plane flying overhead or a dog barking! Yes, we had a large group of Ecuadorians who came into the Reserve, looking for the Cascades, with their 2 dogs on leashes, luckily. (We have since added a ‘No perros / dogs’ sign at the front entrance). That’s when you know your senses have sharpened to a location. We both recall the same sensation in our other 2 similar roles in Australia on the Great Barrier Reef and in the south of Tasmania.

These little movements and sounds have resulted in us spotting a variety of new (to us) wildlife. The Red Brocket Deer (Mazama americana) caught our eye on 2 occasions. Once in the coffee tree garden where it was grazing through the grass. The other sighting was in the River. He was standing in the shallows and froze when he saw James looking at him. James did his loud whistle, which tells Karen ‘grab your camera and get down here FAST!’. Knowing there will be a cool sighting, Karen obliges 😉. After standing still for quite a few minutes, the deer couldn’t hold on anymore and just squatted to do his business! Then he just casually walked across the river and continued on his day.

Another VERY cool sighting has been the Giant Antpitta (Grallaria gigantea). This was another movement-out-of-the-corner-of-your-eye moment just on dusk. Sitting at the dining table a movement caught Karen’s eye and despite racing outside to try and get a photo to identify it, it was just too far away and too dark to get a clear view. We could guess it was maybe an antpitta of some sort due to its size and hopping motion, but we needed a clear photo for an ID. You never quite know if these sightings will be a one off or a regular occurrence. Luckily, we did see this guy a few more times, but still unable to get a clear ID. Then… we were heading out for a late afternoon walk to the river and we saw the Giant Antpitta hopping on the path leading us down the hill. Karen got a nice clear photo (and some video) and we confirmed the species with Dr Becker who said it was a first for RLT.

Although it is exciting to see a ‘new’ species, it does prompt some questions as to why now? What has changed in its usual environment to make it come here?

The third very cool sighting was this beauty, a juvenile Osborne’s Lancehead (Bothrops osbornei) curled up on a pile of drying invasive species (Brazillian Red Cloak). The colour contrast was what caught James’s eye this time.

We are very curious to see what else we see as we slide into the second half of our time at RLT… Stay tuned….