Reserva Las Tangaras

 

Our final month is wrapping up here at Reserva las Tangaras (I’m not crying, you’re crying!) and as we look back on our time spent here, we realize all of the surprises that we encountered along the way. We both expected to see loads of birds while here at the reserve, and we certainly did! Every single day! But there were other organisms we encountered that we weren’t quite ready for, ones that completely held our attention for days on end.

For Juliana, the “surprise organisms” were orchids. Here she is, explaining her new-found orchid passion:

It all started when Jake suggested we visit a local Jardín de Orquídeas (Orchid Garden, pronounced “hard-een de orc-kitty-uhs”. Probably my new favorite Spanish word). I didn’t have much interest in this venture, imagining the typical white and purple orchids we find standing solitarily on side tables in the United States, but when you love a person, you support their interests. And so, we went.

Before I continue, I want you to take whatever notion you have, whatever image that comes to your mind when you absorb the word “orchid” and just FORGET IT. ERASE IT FROM YOUR MIND. Because it’s a STEREOTYPE.

Those flowers you can buy at Lowes back home? That’s simply the stuff of commercialism. Just like our fruits and veggies, we are all taught what a plant is supposed to look like and the industry does its darnedest to meet that taught expectation. But if we were to REALLY find, say..bananas in the wild, they wouldn’t look (and they don’t, trust me, there are pink bananas here) like the bananas you get at your local Costco, Harris Teeter or Piggly Wiggly (RIP). The same goes for orchids. To the Nth degree.

Our 30 minute tour through the Jardín de Orquídeas took us through 200 species (only about thirty of which were blossoming), a fraction of what exists here in Mindo and a wildly smaller fraction of what can be found in Ecuador. There are over 400 species in Mindo and 4000+ species in the country. I went from disinterested to rapt in 2 orchid species flat (roughly 3 minutes).

When we left the garden, my whole outlook was changed: more orquídeas please! We immediately begin to look for and find dozens of species of orchids on the reserve. And, as I do, I began to obsessively collect images for future identification.

Orchids are so interesting to me because: A) They are incredibly variable. They make up the second (might be first, no one can agree) largest family of flowering plants (¹⁰). As a result, you can’t just look at a flower and say “oh! that’s an orchid” because they rarely look similar (though most do have a tongue-like petal called a labellum) (¹¹). You’ve got to feel up the plant and look for the tell-tale pseudobulbs located at the base of the stem to make a confident orchid identification (¹²). (BTW, these bulbs are the reason behind the name “orchid”.  Click to read about the etymology if you like, but it’s not G rated…..)

B) Most, not all, are epiphytes, meaning here in the Cloud forest they’re found growing in mossy substrates on the trunks of trees. Once we started looking, I suddenly realized I’d been brushing elbows with orchids for weeks. Some are so resourceful, they can grow on rocks! All of the epiphytic species collect nutrients through root systems that cling onto their preferred substrate (ie tree, rock, whatever). These aerial roots are able to sap nutrients from organic detritus, animal poos (mmm!), mineral dust, and even humidity (with specialized roots called velamen) (¹²).

C) They all target specific pollinators and very few offer nectar rewards, hence their menagerie of arrangements and methods. Since most lack nectar, they must trick the pollinators into working for them fo free. This is typically done through attractive visual cues. And once the pollinator arrives, orchids get even pickier. Some orchids have such specific preferences, they’re structured to leave pollen on one small portion of the visiting pollinator to ensure that the pollinator can ONLY pollinate the same species and not cross pollinate (How many times can one say “pollinate” in a sentence?) (¹³). Others simply trap the pollinator within the flower and force it out an “exit route” that ensures pollination and prevents self-pollination. Some orchids even MIMIC lusty female insects so males will try to copulate with the flower and in the throes of love, pollinate instead of mate. (¹⁴)

Interestingly, in areas hard up for pollinators, orchids do without and self-pollinate. In public! *gasp!* (¹⁵) (¹⁶)

D) Orchids absolutely could not exist without fungus.

Wait? Do WHAT?

Orchids reproduce with seeds. No surprise there. They create bean-pod like structures that contain thousands of microscopic seeds (sometimes over a MILLION, to make sure that number is settling in, here it is written out in 1s and 0s: that’s 1,000,000,000!!!!!). These itty-bitty-babies eventually leave mama flower by hitching a ride on a gust of wind (“Spread your wings and take to the sky, my darlings” – Mama Clara Orchid). They’re super-d-duper light weight, so even in a heavy-aired cloud forest, they can float away from home base. Neat!

But being that light-weight and produced in the 100s of thousands has its costs: orchid seeds lack endosperms aka nutrients to survive off of in order to germinate and become new plants. So, they’re literally set up to fail. It’s about this time in the story we start frantically searching for a hero to save these babies from waste. Search no more, fungus is here! Each species of orchid has a tight relationship with a species of fungus. Orchid seeds MUST meet up with their fungus allies in order to grow beyond seeds because the fungus will provide the seed the nutrients it needs to develop. (¹⁷)

Needing to find the perfect type of fungus when you’re just an itty bitty seed with no sense of direction or map is pretty darn hard (heck, it’s pretty darn hard for full-grown adult humans to find their perfect types….). And so, many orchid seeds do go to waste and only a minute amount make it to adulthood. But those that happen upon the right fungus grow up to share their beautiful petals with any willing witness. As a result of this relationship, conservationists CANNOT protect wild orchids without protecting their habitats, because it’s within these habitats that the partner fungi live.

The more I learn about the connections between ecosystems & organisms, the more I realize fungus (and bacteria) is truly the wizard behind the curtain…there’s a lot of processes they are responsible for that we just never even think about  —  ahem, for example, beer.

Hold up…JZ’s got something to say: WHY WOULD FUNGUS AND PLANTS PARTNER UP?? Because they’ve coexisted for a long, long time! We are tinier than the tiniest orchid in the grand scheme of things…

Speaking of tiny orchids, here are some Platysteles species, which are smaller than a grain of rice. They’re really, really cute.

So, as you can see, I have become completely enchanted by orchids. And not ONE of the blooms I’ve encountered looks even remotely like the side-table standers from back home (If you’re tired of reading and just wanna see some dang orchids already, scroll down.)

And just as they are variable in appearance, they are variable in scent becuase they’re attracting those incredibly specific pollinators. Those orchids that employ scent to trick-and-not-treat use smells that range from citrusy to clean linen to valentine’s heart candies (I guess for attracting 1st graders?) to rotting cadavers to chocolate (for attracting Julianas) to bubblegum to sweet garbage to vanilla. Oh hey! Guess what! Vanilla is an ORCHID.

The most difficult thing about this new obsession is the level of effort it takes to determine an ID for each orchid. There are NO online resources (I tried googling “orchid species Ecuador” and now I can tell you all about the various orchid tours available in Ecuador!!) Fortunately, I’ve been able to rely on the Orchid Garden staff to help me make identifications at least to the genus levels. Pictured below are some orchids we haven’t yet identified…

And so, that’s the story all about how my birding addiction got waylaid by orchids at the Reserva las Tangaras !

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For Jake, the surprise organisms was frogs. It’s not that he wasn’t already intensely interested in these creatures, it’s just that he learned and saw some surprising things about them:

This past February the rainfall totaled at 591.20 mm, higher than the last three Februarys here at Las Tangaras. It is no surprise that this soaking creates an amphibian paradise. Mindo, and its plentiful rain seasons, harbor one of the most unique and biodiverse collection of frogs in the world. These frogs have taught me so much I did not know and captivated me throughout our stay. Here is one way analyze the anuran diversity in the Cloud Forests of Ecuador:

Wet conditions are often associated with amphibians because water is needed for reproduction. Most amphibians start their lives in the water and bear little (if any) resemblance to their adult form. They then undergo a drastic transformation¹, called metamorphosis, providing them with characteristics and tools to help them survive on land. From here on out, there is a varying amount of dependency each species has on water, but most are restricted to reproduction in an aquatic habitat². Many frogs exemplify this process by laying their eggs in the water, which then hatch into a strictly aquatic form. This form is commonly known as a tadpole— essentially a large round head with a tail used for aquatic propulsion. When they reach a certain point in their juvenile lives, they will begin to change. They begin to trade their tails for legs and hop into the frog form we are most familiar with.

There is a ton involved in this process and I am over simplifying and generalizing for brevity. But what is important to note is this is the primitive reproduction method for amphibians. It has existed in frogs for approximately 220 million years and is still the predominate form of reproduction today. Around 50% of all anurans (frogs) use this method of water eggs > tadpole > metamorphosis > terrestrial (or semi-terrestrial) adult³. Clearly this is a successful strategy and has some huge benefits. For one, problems of water loss during embryonic development are nonexistent because the eggs are laid in the water. Also, restricting juveniles and adults to their own individual environments prevents competition for food amongst the same species. Juveniles can eat for growth in the water, adults can eat to nourish reproduction on land, and neither has to do so at the expense of the other.

This development strategy is used by most of the frogs I work with in South Carolina and it is also the strategy used by several species here in the Cloud Forest of Ecuador:

The Babbling Torenteer (Hyloscritus alytolylax). A Hylid (treefrog) whose name indicates the rage of the waters it breeds near. This frog will mate near rivers or waterfalls and then lay eggs in the small pools that form on the edges of these water systems. The photo above pictures a metamorph— This froglet recently underwent metamorphosis, came on land, but still possesses some of its tail.

The Executioner Clown Frog (Dendropsophus carnifex)⁴ congregates in low lying areas and reproduces in the standing or slowly flowing water that collects from heavy rainfall. At Las Tangaras, these frogs are most commonly spotted at the start of the Motmot Trail. We frequently find them in a flattened area that serves as a water catchment from the hillsides surrounding it.

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Though the above frogs are incredibly fascinating, I am certainly not constructing this article to discuss the common reproductive methods of amphibians. The other half of the world’s frog species are groups that are new to me. These include most of the frog species that surround us. They have a whole mess of tweaks they’ve added to this traditional reproductive strategy. All are designed to help them cope in unique environments.

These frogs lessen their need for a stable and consistent water source by laying their eggs on land. Amphibians, even terrestrial egg layers, lay eggs devout of a hard outer membrane and thus, are extremely vulnerable to water loss. Amniotes, such as birds and reptiles, lay eggs on land with a hard outer shell to prevent dehydration. Amphibians who laid their eggs in water had no need to expend the energy needed to create an impermeable membrane. So to lay eggs on land, amphibians needed to come up with a way to overcome this hurdle. They also needed to get the hatchling tadpoles back to the water. The cloud forests of Ecuador is certainly not a bad place to attempt this feat.

An analysis of many of the worlds frog species has shown terrestrial egg layers lay larger eggs. The larger surface to volume ratio helps decrease water loss⁵, Just like a larger body size helps decrease heat loss (as elephants can retain heat better than mice). Furthermore, most terrestrial eggs are packed closer together, further decreasing the area for water to dissipate. Seems simple, but it has come at a cost. Because of their larger size, more nutrients and energy has to be allocated for the development of these eggs. So the clutch size is often less and the average adult size of terrestrial egg-laying frogs is also smaller compared to aquatic egg-layers.

An example of one of the frogs who lays their eggs on land is the Emerald Glassfrog (Centrolenella prosoblepon). A very common frog found at Las Tangaras along the river embankments. Males will vocalize at night with the hopes of attracting a female. Following this attraction and the deeds that come with it, females will lay their eggs on vegetation just above the water edge. When the eggs hatch, out come the tadpoles who fall directly into the water to begin their stent in the Cloud Forests of Mindo.

Frog eggs are not only susceptible to dehydration, but also predation. The decreased clutch sizes of terrestrial eggs are especially vulnerable to predation because there are so few eggs to spare. In many species this has led to advanced forms of parental care. Keeping watch over your eggs helps prevent tampering or consumption. Many species of Glassfrogs will watch over their eggs. But in Mindo, it is the Darwin Wallace Poison-frog (Epipedobates darwinwallacei) that wins the best parent award. This frog and many other dendrobatids (Poison Frogs) will lay their eggs in a damp area on land. When the eggs hatch, the tadpoles will ride on their mother’s back until she can find a suitable water hole for them to reside in⁶.

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It is only natural for this metamorphic saga to continue with the largest family of frogs in Mindo: the Rainfrogs (Craugastoridae).

Carrying your offspring to the river can be a bit of a hassle. Especially so if you have already invested so much in laying big whopping eggs and also have to deal with the unpredictability of the environment around you. So, why depend on water at all? Do frogs have to go through a tadpole stage? Rainfrogs have shown that, no, frogs do not have to start out as tadpoles. Rainfrogs do not lay eggs in the water. In fact, many species never step foot in a body of water. Rainfrogs emerge from their terrestrial eggs as fully formed frogs, skipping the tadpole stage entirely. This is what we call direct development⁷.

In order to do this, Rainfrogs lay even larger eggs. Inside these eggs you will find a large yolk sac used to provide a surplus of nutrients facilitating the transition into the adult form. Looking closely at the embryos’ development, you will see these frogs begin growing legs very early. So they truly skip the tadpole stage and emerge as fully formed froglets. In embryonic development they do retain a tail, but this is speculated to aid in respiration⁸.

Upon hatching, the juveniles enter a terrestrial world. They enter the same world their adult conspecifics inhabit. Competing in the same environment for similar food items is definitely not beneficial for a species. However, many species seem to have found a work-around to ease this notion. Field notes of many herpetologist, and our own observations, indicate that younger and smaller members of the Pastures Rainfrog (Pristimantis achatinus) are most active during the daylight hours. On the other hand, the adults often restrict their activity to dawn, dusk, and night. The juvenile’s small size perhaps allows the frog to rapidly cool itself under leaf litter on hot Ecuadorian days. The larger adults do not have this privilege and thus are limited to foraging during the cooler night⁹.

The Andes Mountains are characterized by heavy and unpredictable rainfalls, fast moving water ways, and drastic elevation changes. Mudslides and directional changes in rivers are common occurrences, and there are often extended drought periods brought on by El Ninio. It is no wonder this group of frogs found more success abandoning the old ways of amphibians and releasing themselves from the restrictions of aquatic reproduction. In doing so, they have opened up a new door for Team Frogs—They now have the ability to populate previously un-amphibian populated habitats.

The genus Pristimantis— Which is the current genus given to Rainfrogs— is the most specious genus (aka most diverse) of terrestrial vertebrates on the planet. Spreading to new heights and new environments and rapidly evolving characteristics to be successful in these areas, has resulted in over 500 species of Rainfrog—Probably by the time you read this sentence the exact number will have changed. It is estimated that frog species are being found at a rate of 15 species per year¹⁰. The sheer diversity amongst the species is seemingly endless. To give you a taste, these are the few I have had the privilege of photographing in the parish of Mindo:

Pastures Rainfrog (Pristimantis acuritis): This frog is perhaps the most common anuran found on the reserve. As its name suggests, it populates and dominates open habitats such as pastures. Their vocalizations often dominate the night sounds right outside Reserva las Tangaras lodge.

Yellow-groined Rainfrog (Pristimantis luteolateralis): Another common Rainfrog on the reserve seen most commonly on vegetation only a couple feet off the ground. It will hop from leaf to leaf looking for mouth sized insects to consume. The very similar Pristimantis walkeri looks identical to luteolateralis. However, walkeri occurs at elevations below 1240m, while luteolateralis occurs above.

Rio Faisanes Rainfrog (Pristimantis muricatus): A rare species endemic to the lower montane forests of Ecuador. We encountered this species on the Bosque Trail at Las Tangaras. This species, along with 16 other species of herps, are yet to be included in the field guide to the reptiles and amphibians of Mindo Ecuador due to their recent discoveries in the parish

Lonely Rainfrog (Pristimantis eremites): This frog occurs at elevations of roughly 1700m – 2500m. The Bosque trail is the only place at Las Tangaras this frog could potentially be seen. However, to my knowledge it has not yet been sighted. However, a trip to Bellavista may prove successful. This photo was taken at the Bellavista lodge.

Fern-loving Rainfrog (Pristimantis pteridophilus): “a nocturnal fern specialist” as described in the ‘Amphibians and Reptiles of Mindo’. Though the photo is not of this frog on a fern, these cryptic frogs have a preference for perching on ferns.

Spring Rainfrog (Pristimantis crenunguis): The largest of all Mindoan Rainfrogs. Though it is an endangered species, the Spring Rainfrog is very common in the localized areas in which it occurs. To my knowledge this frog has not been seen a Las Tangaras, but is often sighted at our neighboring property. They have unforgettably unique vocalizations.

Watchful Rainfrog (Pristimantis nyctophylax): An aptly named species seemingly for its big bulging eyes. These frogs are also commonly seen perched on low lying vegetation at night. This particular individual was rather fortuitous in our presence. Our head lamps attracted a good number of bugs and we witnessed this frog reach up and snag a large bug mid-flight. The hind toe pads kept this frog attached to the leaf.

Blue-thighed Rainfrog (Pristimantis crucifer): Perhaps my most favorite. The piercing red eyes of this species are like nothing I have ever seen. These are secretive frogs, with no known vocalization. They inhabit the deep primary forests of the reserve, such as the Bosque Trail.

Mutable Rainfrog (Pristimantis mutabilis): This is a frog that has thrown everyone for a loop. This species was first collected in 2006. However it was challenging for herpetologists to determine whether it was a new species, or a morph of an existing species, for this frog has the ability to change its skin texture. The spiky looking structures (turbercles) covering the frog can vanish in a matter of minutes. So people would collect this frog in the field, and look at it in the lab and think they had accidentally collected a completely different frog. It was finally described as its own species in 2015 and is often referred to as the punk rock frog. Since its description, several other Rainfrogs have been found to have this ability

Mindo Rainfrog (Pristimantis mindo): A rather new species described in 2012. We hear this species calling frequently around Reserva Las Tangaras, but due to their highly arboreal and cryptic nature they are only seldomly seen. They were provided the species name ‘mindo’ after the anuran-diverse region they are endemic to.

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So to conclude: frogs in the cloud forests of Ecuador are diverse! I have attempted to provide a framework as to why. Yet there certainly are many more reasons behind this diversity and it extends far beyond just amphibians. The birds are unlike anything I have encountered. The bugs are 10 times as plentiful and as colorful. The flowers.. well Juliana’s covered that. Mindo is an incredible place, and Juliana and I both have seen so much and learned far more than we could have expected.

And now, it’s time to move on for us. We will miss Reserva las Tangaras and all its inhabitants (especially the Hummingbirds) tremendously, but we are forever grateful for this experience and will never forget it for the rest of our days. Do yourselves a favor and come visit so yous can get a taste of what we’re raving about! 

Ciao for now, Reserva las Tangaras! 

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Orchid Citations:

10. https://raincoastorchids.com/unique-orchid-species/
11.https://www.ctu.edu.vn/~dvxe/Hoa%20Lan/Doc%20on%20web/Orchid%20Anatomy.htm
12.http://staugorchidsociety.org/PDF/OrchidPlantPartandWhyTheyMatterbySueBottom.pdf
13.http://goorchids.northamericanorchidcenter.org/species/tipularia/discolor/
14. http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150202-three-ways-orchids-trick-insects
15. https://www.livescience.com/830-bizarre-sex-life-orchid.html
16. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep521
17. https://excelsior.asc.ohio-state.edu/~rothacker/Rothackers_orchid_pages/Fungi_and_orchids.html

Frog Citations:

1.  This transformation can be initiated by a number of factors. And as they get older, or as food in the environment decreases, or as predation increases, or for whatever reason (WILBUR COLLINS model, 1973)
2. Some amphibians even return to the water for a third life stage such as Notophthalmus viridescens
3. Gomez-Mestre et al. 
4. Yes that is the actual common name of this frog. The entomology of the species name ‘carnifex’ translates to hangman. This is in relation to herpetologist John Lynch, who collected many of the early specimens leading to the description of this species. I believe common name is in relation to this as well.
5.  Gomez-Mestre et al. 
6. darwinwallacei may carry their young to suitable water holes. However, if food is scarce the tadpoles will often consume each other. Best parent award, yes, but best sibling? I don’t think so.
7. Though I have laid this post out in a seemingly flawless transitional sequence, it turns out direct development in frogs did not evolve from frogs more prone to laying their eggs on land and taking their tadpoles to the water. Rather, taxonomical research suggest this form of development evolved from the ‘traditional’ method of laying eggs in the water. Gomez-Mestre et al. 
8.  https://www.sdbcore.org/object?ObjectID=316
9. I speculate this work-around could only work in the tropics. The closer to the equator, the less fluctuation in photoperiods and temperatures. Animals outside of the tropics are required to cope with an array of weather conditions, thus restrictions would be tough to impose. Adults would feed during the winter days because they would match the summer nights, and vice versa for juveniles. Even though there is a clear divide between activity periods in adult and juvenile Rainfrogs, this is not collectively agreed upon. If there is food to be eaten and you can eat it, you do. That is life.
10. S. BLAIR HEDGES et al. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): Molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeog- raphy, and conservation

 

If you’re not coming to Las Tangaras to see these guys (Andean Cocks-of-the-rock), you might be wondering what else the reserve has to offer. We’ll be the first to tell you, A LOT.

There’s birds, bugs, herps, orchids, bromeliads, ferns (tree ferns!), swimming holes, camping, colibres, mammiferos, fungi, and the list could endlessly go on if we don’t stop ourselves now.

You can enjoy ALL of the above listed things (and more) by taking a trip down one of Las Tangaras’ 10 hiking trails. Each trail is different in its own right, whether that be flora and fauna frequencies, elevation, difficulty, length, etc etc.

To give you a better understanding of the reserve and what wonders you can enjoy here, we’re gonna break down each trail for you and show ya some pictures, too!

Entrada Trail (Entrance):

Travel Time 45 minutes
Distance 2.0 km
Elevation minimum 1340 m – maximum 1515 m

This trail is the FIRST impression someone gets of Las Tangaras, but it’s misleading. Your initial vista views are of cleared farmland, which isn’t Las Tangaras at ALL. Since our reserve is located on the far side of the Nambillo river, you’ve gotta trek through other properties to get there. The trail cuts through farms and a patch of cloud forest owned by another reserve. Its status as a share trail (meaning it’s used by the owners of the farms and their mules) means this trail gets the most traffic and as such, gets the most muddy (especially in the rainy season).  It’s best to wear boots on this trail and if its your first time ‘mud skiing’, be sure to take it slow.

As you make your way to the reserve, don’t forget to look up! On a clear day, the views of the forested mountains are spectacular and you might even see toucans flying along the canopy. Make sure to scan for  mudslide scars. Brown scars are fresh (mud), green are old (new plants).

About 30 minutes into your walk on the Entrada trail, you’ll begin to notice a roaring sound growing ever louder. This is the Nambillo river and it is your final obstacle to get to the reserve. Don’t worry, we’ve made it easy by building and maintaining a hanging bridge.

As soon as you start hearing the river, you’ll begin your descent through a Club-winged Manakin Lek, an onslaught of Darwin Wallace Poison Frogs, and Crested Guan resting trees. The rushing river ruido (noise) means you’re close to the lodge.

Of all the trails, we are most familiar with this, simply because it is our lifeline to all things modern. It’s muddy, it’s grassy, and pock marked by mule prints, but at its end, after you catch wind of the Nambillo river and cross it to the reserve, it becomes cloud forest lushary.

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Los Patos (ducks), Los Colibres (hummingbirds), y Tres Tazas (three cups):

Total Travel Time 25 Minutes
Total Distance 0.60 km
Elevation minimum 1335 m – maximum 1370 m

These three short trails join up to make one long trail, but each has its own characteristics.

Los Patos: This is one of our easiest trails and we frequently suggest it to those looking for a quick jaunt through the reserve. It’s also one of our favorites to stroll after sunset as there’s plenty of Emerald Glass frogs to go around.

Los Patos is a low trail (by comparison), because it runs alongside the river. You are never out of range of its roaring and almost never out of sight of the river. It starts with a duck (pun not intended) under a fallen tree trunk covered in bromeliads, orchids, ferns, mosses, lichens, and bladderworts. Though they’re a pain to manage, fallen trees lend a sneak peak into the going ons of the canopy (orchid photos, mosses, etc).

At night, you can often hear Emerald Glassfrogs as they call to each other over the rush of the raging river.  During the day, Darwin Wallace frogs are often heard and seen moving in and out of the leaf litter. There’s a camp site and a swimming hole (Playa de las Ranas aka Frog Beach). Depending on the river level, you can enjoy some great rock hunting at the beach, maybe see Basilisks basking and running on water, and find orchids in the trees along the trail.   

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Tres Tazas:  This trail is an offshoot from Los Patos. It dead ends at a stream that eventually meets the Nambillo River. At one point in time, it ended at a swimming hole, but the ever failing foliage has filled that area in. This trail doesn’t seem to be the most frequented, despite it’s proximity to one of our most often suggested trails, but it’s got a lot to offer. You must pass through one creek (now several creeks due to the amount of rain we’ve had…), duck under Angel Trumpet shrubs, watch out for Babbling torrenters, and look for hanging heliconia flowers.

As mentioned, a portion of the trail is in a shallow stream and much of it is muddy, so keep those rubber boots on while you search its subtle wonders.

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Los Colibres: While the Los Patos and Tres Tazas trails are largely flat, the Colibres trail takes a sharp incline up to the elevation of the lodge, leading you away from the river. The staircase is beautiful and covered in the types of plants often found in hobbyists’ terrariums.

This trail is short and sweet, but it sheds a lot of light on the daily (nightly) going ons of the cloud forest. Animal tracks litter the trail. We’ve found evidence of Red-brocket Deer, Jaguarundi, Coatis, Agoutis, and white-faced possum on this trail. We think the animals like to use it to get to the river and given the amount of mud in the area, they usually leave a trail for us to follow.

Colibres ends at the lodge, bringing the LosPatos/TresTazas/Colibres loop to an end.

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Quetzales Trail (Quetzals): Travel time 40 minutes
Total Distance 1 km
Elevation minimum 1330 m – maximum 1440 m

Quetzales trail is the “popular kid” of the reserve. It’s one of our most frequently suggested trails for tourists looking for a hike longer than 20 minutes.

Quetzales takes you up into the mountain and brings you back down again in a horseshoe. It features beautiful root staircases (courtesy of the trees), a variety of flora communities, canopy-level views (bird nerd alert!), several small streams you must cross (herp nerd alert!), and one small mudslide sight (Geo nerd alert!). It’s here, as you climb over the wide trunk to continue your hike, that you really begin to understand the ins and outs of the cloud forest.

The Quetzales represents both the light and dark side of the cloud forest. It’s the perfect trail for all hiking skill levels and takes up just the right amount of time to get you back to town again before nightfall.

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Barbudos Trail (Bearded): Total Travel Time 20 Minutes
Total Distance 0.4 km
Elevation minimum 1350 m – maximum 1470 m

Barbudos is a “stepping stone” trail. As in, you must use it to connect to other trails. It’s entirely up hill (one way, at least) and connects hikers to the Bosque and Tucanes trails.

Barbudos is incredibly different from any other trail on the reserve. It’s canopy-less and made of clay, which does make it a tad bit slippery, despite the amazing staircases built by previous managers. Given the lack of shade, there are gads of colonizing shrubs taking over the area and plenty of sun-loving organisms (i.e. bugs) to gaze at. (Seriously, though, if you haven’t taken the time to look at the bugs in the cloud forest, you are really missing out.)

Though it’s a lot of work in a short amount of time, the view from the top and halfway points of the Barbudos trail are simply lovely, even if the clouds are sitting low (typically happening). One can almost always appreciate the cloud forest for its cloud-covered mountains here and we’ve even been fortunate enough to see a rainbow. It’s also where the sun first hits the trees early in the morning, meaning lots of tanagers to look at (just as colorful as the bugs).

We don’t typically suggest this trail on its own, it’s a package deal.  And if you’re going on an ACOR tour, you gotta put up with it, because it’s your ticket to the Bosque trail.

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Bosque Trail (Forest): Travel Time 2 hour
Total Distance 1.4 km
Elevation minimum 1470 m – maximum 1800 m

The Bosque trail is like the kindly, wise old woman that lives a few doors down from you, but don’t you EVER cross her, because she can be a real tough lady.

The Bosque features lots of primary growth forest (you can find it on other trails, but this is the best place to experience it). It is laden with laenas, bromeliads, orchids, mosses, fungus, lichen, etc which, simply put, means it’s really stinking green, like a forest wonderland. It is always, ALWAYS wet because it is pretty much always in the clouds. The higher you climb, the more frequent the drops, even if it isn’t raining.

The Bosque dead ends at a clearing through which you *COULD* see a view of the surrounding mountains if it weren’t for the clouds. We’ve yet to enjoy that experience…

But, lower on the trail, we do sometimes get lucky enough to see the views. And if you’re willing, it’s a great place to enjoy the sunset on a clear evening.

The Bosque trail is best known for the ACOR lek (Andean Cock of the Rock mating site). The ACORs come to the same spot every day, twice a day, to get it on. The males form small groups and try to attract females by harshly crying, clumsily flying, and showing off their florescent red plumage.

The trail is less well known for its nightlife, but equally as notable. This is where we frequently go when exploring the dark side of the reserve. Anything from delicate, beautiful orchids to tough, spiky katydids can be discovered here.  It’s also where we’ve most frequently encountered lizards, rainfrogs, and mammals (including the jaguarundi and capuchin!).

If you decide to do this trail, be prepared to work hard in some areas, as it’s mostly up hill. It’s not easy, but it’s truly worth it. The Bosque is a beautiful slice of life in the cloud forest and a shining gem in the Las Tanagaras crown.

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Tucanes Trail (Toucans): Travel Time, 20 minutes.
Total Distance 0.5 km
Elevation minimum 1425 m – maximum 1470 m

The Tucanes trail is a short trail that also leads you in a horseshoe, but takes you down and then up again (opposite of the Quetzales trail). It rests on the downward slope of the mountain that pushes towards the river which slices around the property. It’s lush, filled with low lying plants, and wet. Because of it’s proximity to both the river and a sunny, canopy-less spot on the reserve, you can almost always run into mixed flocks here. Tune in for bird chatter and have fun!

Cascades Trail (waterfalls): Travel Time 15 minutes

Total Distance .4 km

The Cascades trail is a brand new trail that hasn’t even made it on the maps yet. Granted, it’s still a work in progress, but the novel thing about the Cascades trail is that it ends at a waterfall. Definitely wear your boots, though, because where there’s a waterfall there’s water, and where there’s water, there’s mud.

Motmotos Trail (Motmots): Travel Time TBD
Total Distance TBD
Elevation minimum 1357 m – maximum 1455 m

This is probably our favorite trail and we can’t even share it with guests because it’s currently closed (should be opened again within two weeks tops, though!)

When we aren’t in town and aren’t at the lodge, we are most likely at the Motmotos trail working on our main project, a reroute. The motmotos has got problems, y’all, but we love it and it’s recovering.

Motmotos has got it all! Intrigue, daring, innovation, romance (maybe?)! It features the widest variety of micro-ecosystems of the cloud forest. Walking this trail takes you through recovering mudslide zone (no canopy), a fresh water wetland (in the rainy season), a small canyon (you could call it that), a reforestation zone, over a ridge and back down again, along the river (both above and next to), and through lush, green riverside forest. You can never get tired of the scenery on the Motmotos trail because it doesn’t stay the same for long.

It also features views of the mountain tops looming overhead and not one, not two, but three swimming holes. One of which is the most divine place on this planet. Seriously. Stop whatever you are doing and do everything you can to get here and see it. When we first happened upon it, we were both awe-stricken. Our reroute, of course, does not prevent visitors from experiencing the joy of this secluded, waterfall swimming hole.

Since the Motmotos has a variety of transitions through ecosystems (which inevitably means altitudinal ups and downs), it’s one of our harder trails, ranking up there with the Bosque. But like the Bosque, it is so worth it.

The reason it is currently closed is because we are working on rerouting the trail around a mudslide that happened a little over a year ago. The slide completely wiped out a portion of the trail, but c’est la vie in the cloud forest.

We can’t wait for this trail to be finished because when it is, it will be our TOP recommendation to visitors as a must see area of the reserve.

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So there you have it. There are our 10 babies we tediously look after. And even though you’re not supposed to have favorites..we do (can you tell?), so maybe you should just visit us and come to your own conclusions?

Thanks to 9 super-enthusiastic volunteers and our Ecuadorian staff we had a very successful avian monitoring project at Reserva las Tangaras in December.  We recorded 173 bird species during our two-week expedition and netted 419 birds of 71 species.  Volunteers also learned how to use Hall traps to net hummingbirds, make hummingbird bands, and band the little gems. We all participated in the Mindo Christmas Bird Count and racked up 104 species for the count.

Please support Reserva las Tangaras during the giving season with a donation via the Life Net Nature website.

Reserva las Tangaras will be open with full services for guests starting January 10, 2018.  Meanwhile, contact Dr. Becker (dustizuni@yahoo.com), or call Pascual Torres in Ecuador at 098-680-1316 to organize day visits, overnights, group uses, or internships.

Reserva las Tangaras will be closed to overnight guests for annual winter avian monitoring – December 4-17, 2017.  Day guests are welcome.

Please also note that Life Net Nature is recruiting Bird Banding Volunteers for June 2018 avian monitoring at Reserva las Tangaras.  Contact Dr. Becker for details and Life Net Nature application form.

Life Net Nature bird banding team  – July 2017

WE WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!!

 

Andean Cock-of-the-Rock

September 2017.  Sadly and shockingly, our reserve managers were robbed at gunpoint at the end of June, 2017, so we closed the reserve, and are still not back to normal operations.  We are hoping it was a freak event, but we aren’t taking any chances. Police are currently investigating the situation.  We hope to reopen with full services for guests in 2018.  Meanwhile, visitation is limited to day visits and camping, with advanced notice.

If you would like to visit and are in Ecuador, please contact our current stewards, at 099-058-7084 or email them at lastangarasreserve@gmail.com prior to making the wilderness hike into the reserve.  We encourage going as a group, and not alone. For reservations for overnight stays or volunteering, please contact the reserve stewards or Dr. Dusti Becker – dustizuni@yahoo.com.

A Rufous Motmot often seen around the guest cabin.

 

Hola!

We are John Whitefield and Jaclyn Knapp, the new seasonal managers of Reserva Las Tanagaras. We are very grateful to be here in such a gorgeous location bursting with vibrant diversity. We are excited to become acquainted with all the other creatures that live at Reserva Las Tangaras.

While we have not been here long it has been enough to leave a lasting impression and endow a love of the diversity offered in the New World Tropics. Every morning (unless we are doing ACOR tours and monitoring) we awake to a symphony of voices, singing for love or the morning sun. We attempt to spot where all the voices come from and identify them but we have yet to find them all! All the birds are very quick, sneaky and do not like to stay put for long, adding an extra challenge for us. The pictures below are a good example of how difficult it can be to spot wildlife amongst all the crazy diversity of plants. Try to find the Creature!

A Golden Tanager (Tangara arthus) hunting for it’s breakfast.

 

Choco Toucans (Ramphastos brevis) saluting the morning.

An Ornate Flycatcher (Myiotriccus ornatus) on it’s perch

The reserve offers many gorgeous subjects for photography both male and female, avian and mammalian.

On the right we have a common agouti (Dasyprocta spp.) enjoying some fruit. On the left we have a Plain Brown Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla fuliginosa) hunting in the moss.

The most common visitors to the reserve can be quite demanding in the mornings, but are soon satisfied once their sustenance has arrived (below).

A White Whiskered Hermit (Phaethornis yaruqu) approaches on the right, to the chagrin of a Green Crowned Woodnymph (male) (Thalurania fannyi) and Purple Bibbed Whitetip (female) (Urosticte benjamini).

Of course we shan’t forge the main attraction, available every morning and evening for your viewing pleasure!

Two male Andean Cock of The Rock’s (Rupicola peruvianus) perch and call as they perform for perspective mates at the lekking site. The lek is truly a spectacle of sound and color. Well worth the early rise or late return!

This is a snapshot, pun intended, of our first week as new managers of Las Tangaras. Stay tuned for further updates!

J & J

By Luis e Inés  (Reserve Managers Jan- Mar 2017)

 

Estando sentado en el porche de la cabaña no es difícil darse cuenta del privilegiado lugar en el que nos encontramos. Tras recorrer durante 45 minutos el sendero de entrada se llega al puente colgante que da acceso a la Reserva Las Tangaras, al otro lado del río Nambillo. El tramo final de escaleras en subida requiere un último esfuerzo que se ve recompensado al llegar al bonito jardín de la cabaña de madera. Una vez sentados en el porche llega el momento de relajarse y disfrutar del verde paisaje que invade nuestro campo de visión.

El murmullo del río y el canto de los pájaros ayudan a recuperar la serenidad aunque hay que mantener siempre los ojos abiertos. Si eres un apasionado de la naturaleza y los animales existe la posibilidad de observar una gran variedad de especies simplemente estando sentado en el porche.

Los colibríes son visitantes permanentes desde primera hora de la mañana pues acuden puntuales a los bebederos de agua con azúcar que colocamos alrededor del porche. Las especies que pueden avistarse varían según los meses aunque entre las más comunes se encuentran el Brillante Coroniverde (Heliodoxajacula), el Zafiro Coroniverde (Thalurania fannyi) y el Colibrí Punta Blanca Pechipúrpura (Urosticte benjamini). Así mismo, tal y como indica el nombre de la Reserva, también pueden observarse gran cantidad de Tangaras de pequeño tamaño y de todos los colores.

Además contamos regularmente con la presencia de Momotos Piquianchos (Electron platyrhynchum), también  conocidos como  relojeros debido al movimiento de su larga cola como el péndulo de un reloj de pared cuando se posan. Su gentil y silencioso vuelo capta la atención de cualquiera pues poseen un colorido patrón que hacen de su avistamiento un evento espectacular. Más ruidosos son los Tucanes, las Pavas y los Gallitos de la Peña que dejan oír sus cantos por todo el valle y permiten desvelar su localización en la densa vegetación verde.

En cuanto a mamíferos, tenemos otro pequeño vecino que anda siempre merodeando en busca de comida por el jardín. Se trata del Aguti o Guatusa (Dasiprocta puntactata), un pequeño roedor de unos 35cm que tiene por habito esconder los frutos que encuentra para volver a por ellos cuando escasea la comida. Suele olvidar donde entierra su despensa  por lo que contribuye así a la dispersión de semillas en el bosque. Cierto es, que suele hacer el mismo recorrido para encontrar su almuerzo a diario pero es además porque tiene su madriguera cerca de la cabaña. También se pasean por el jardín sin ningún temor el Coatí (Nasuella olivacea) y la Paca (Cuniculus paca) aunque esta última tiene hábitos nocturnos y hay que madrugar para poder descubrirla antes del amanecer. Otro mamífero que escarba en la oscuridad buscando raíces, bulbos e insectos es el armadillo de nueve bandas (Dasypus novemcintus) y deja continuamente el rastro de sus agujeros por el jardín y los laterales de los senderos.

Los múltiples senderos con lo que cuenta la Reserva ofrecen caminatas para todos los niveles. Partiendo de la cabaña a unos 1400 metros hasta llegar a los límites del bosque protector Mindo-Nambillo a unos 1800 metros de altitud. Por ellos se puede caminar cerca del río y disfrutar de varias pozas de agua para bañarse con agua cristalina procedente de las siete cascadas que recorren el río Nambillo a su paso por la Reserva. También cerca del agua pueden observarse variedad de aves acuáticas como el Cinclo Gorriblanco (Cinclos leucocephalus) que vuela de roca en roca capturando pequeños gusanos y, el Pato Torrentero (Merganetta armata) que suele posar en las piedras en medio del río. Además, si se tiene suerte, puede observarse la Nutria de río (Lontra longicaudis) pescando y disfrutando de las olas que crea el agua en su encuentro con las grandes rocas del río.

Si comenzamos a subir un poquito en altura podemos ver como la distribución de aves va cambiando ligeramente hasta llegar a los 1500 metros de altitud donde se puede disfrutar de una de las maravillas de Mindo: el LEK o zona de exhibición del Gallito de la peña (Rupicola peruviana). Los machos se reúnen dos veces al día, al amanecer y atardecer, durante todo el año para realizar una serie de sonidos y danzas para llamar así la atención de las hembras.

Sin duda alguna a lo largo de los senderos de la Reserva se puede disfrutar de cientos de aves diferentes, desde pequeñas Bataras a los increíbles Trogones y Quetzales. Pero incluso sin moverse de la cabaña puede apreciarse la gran diversidad de flora y fauna que caracteriza la región del Chocó en la que nos encontramos.  Una maravilla de la naturaleza a poco mas de una hora a pie de Mindo y a dos horas en Bus de Quito.

By Dr. Dusti Becker (Co-director Life Net Nature)

In December 2016, Life Net Nature volunteers working at Reserva las Tangaras, completed 1050 net hours of mist netting, four afternoons of Hall trapping of hummingbirds, avian surveys in 3 habitats, and also participated in the Mindo Christmas Bird Count (CBC).

2016 Cloud Forest Birds Monitoring Team at Reserva las Tangaras, Ecuador

Here are a few highlights from the bird-monitoring expedition:

• 437 birds netted representing 71 species
  • 31% recaptures
  • 69% first time captures
• 26 hummingbirds sampled by Hall trapping – 10 different species
  • Purple-bibbed Whitetip – surprisingly the most common
• 112 bird species recorded during the CBC on & near the reserve
• Pale-vented thrush netted for first time – a new record for the reserve
• Canada warbler & purple honey-creeper netted for the first time
• 172 different bird species detected on & near reserve during the project!

Mike Walker and Galen Dolkas at the “Pasture-Edge” banding station and a Zeladon’s antbird (alias – immaculate antbird) in the hand.  

Given that we were a team of bird-science enthusiasts,  we each evaluated an aspect of the team data and presented findings to each other at the end of the project.

Volunteers with scientific posters they made about avian monitoring at Reserva las Tangaras

From left to right in the above photo: Clarice Clark presented data showing that not surprisingly male club-winged manakins were particularly abundant in pasture-edge nets (near where they lek), but in contrast, on the other side of the river, in thick second growth sites, breeding females and hatch-year birds were more often netted. Galen Dolkas compared species diversity in different years and sites, and Megan Zagorski presented information about the diversity of habitats used by hummingbirds.  Savannah Robinson  reflected on some of the challenges associated with aging tropical birds having found several species that were clearly adult (by brood patch or other indicators), but that lacked fully ossified skulls.  Mike Walker compared average capture rates of commonly netted passerines over the past 4-years of monitoring.

Dr. Dusti Becker compared mist-netting results before and after an illegal road and clearing were made near the monitoring site called “Low Forest”.  As shown in Table 1, compared to the three years before the habitat damage, capture rate, species detected, and indices of diversity all declined in the 2016 sample.

Table 1. Mist netting results at Low Forest banding station (Reserva las Tangaras) before (2013-15) versus after (2016) illegal deforestation for a road and a clearing. 

MEASURES	2013	2014	2015	2016
Captures/150 nh	41	43	44	36
Species Richness (SR)	19	25	20	16
SR/Captures/150 nh	0.46	0.58	0.45	0.44
D (Simpson’s)	10.42	11.24	10.10	7.04
H (Shannon’s)	2.55	2.86	2.65	2.33

Want a copy of the final field report? or results of the Mindo CBC? Contact Dr. Dusti Becker at dustizuni@yahoo.com and she’ll send you PDFs.

BTW – The next avian monitoring session at Las Tangaras will be July 15-29, 2017.  Want to join this exciting expedition as a cost-share volunteer? Contact Dr. Dusti Becker for application forms and more info – dustizuni@yahoo.com

Bottom line – high avian diversity site, great birding, lots of fun, great way to learn how to mist net and band birds and add to your professional resume and connections!

Here are a few more photos from the 2016 avian monitoring project, and more can be found at the Life Net Nature Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/LifeNetNature/

Above: “Eye candy”:  Red-headed barbet, green-crowned woodnymph, purple honey-creeper (female), &  flame-faced tanager.

Above: Our resident broad-billed motmot – often seen near the Reserva las Tangaras research cabin.

Above: Yellow-throated Toucan (previously chestnut-mandibled toucan) is often seen on forest edges along roads and pastures.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to intrepid Life Net Nature volunteers: Dr. Larry Vereen, Mike Walker, Clarice Clark, Megan Zagorski, Debbie Brown, Savannah Robinson, Galen Dolkas, and Tom Roher for their assistance with and funding for the 2016 annual bird monitoring at Reserva las Tangaras!  Y gracias a nuestro equipo de Ecuador: Pascual Torres, y Mauricio Torres (Research Assistants), and their lovely wives Jessica Medina y Alicia Torres, who prepared our meals and kept the research cabin tidy.

Hello, fans of Las Tangaras!  We, the managers, are trying a new experiment, and we hope you’ll help us with it.

Las Tangaras now has an Instagram account, so that everyone in the Las Tangaras community can share beautiful photos they’ve taken at the reserve.  We, the managers, will post photos that we take while we are living at the reserve.  Follow our account, reserva_las_tangaras_mindo, by clicking here!

You’ll see photos of moments we’ve managed to capture at the reserve, like this one:

Now, here’s where we’d like your help.  We would love to see photos taken by past guests, former managers, bird banders, and anyone else who has visited the reserve.  Do you have an Instagram photo you’ve taken at Las Tangaras?  (We know that some of you do!)  Please add the tag #reservalastangaras to your photo.  We may ask you if we can repost your photo on our page, to share it with the larger Las Tangaras community.   Thank you!

As we get our Instagram page up and running, if you’d like to see other photos of the reserve, visit our Photo Gallery by clicking here!

(By the way, this is the last post from Annie and Skyler.  By the time you read this, our time as managers will have come to an end, and we’ll be traveling on, full of fond memories of this truly special place.)