Week 2 at Los Cedros - June 22 to 29, 2015

Me in the Wonder-filled Cloud Forest

 I like getting up early - especially on these clear mornings - and I like to get to work early before it warms up, but the other volunteers are late risers. At 8:30 on the 22nd there was no sign of them stirring.  Fausto and another guide, Martin, were here to build new bamboo bridges over some streams and I was ready to go along!  So I followed them to the bamboo grove down by the river - and then had to wait while they felled the tall, thick bamboo and cleared them of long sharp thorns (I had no idea that they had those), by which time Jess & Mac had arrived (Madeline, unfortunately, was still laid up with a bad back).

Big forest foliage

Then Mac and I got to carry the long poles to the bridge sites.  I had thought “hollow bamboo - piece if cake”.  Ha!  What I didn’t know was that those hollow sections fill with water!  So the pole were much heavier than we volunteers had anticipated.  But we hauled them to the site of the first bridge along a relatively straight and level trail without too much trouble.

Hauling Bamboo.  Jess tried to help, but it worked better with 2 instead of 3 carriers

Then we carried one of the longest, heaviest poles to the 2nd bridge site - along a narrow, twisting up-and-down trail.  What a pain!  Making a 90 degree turn with a heavy 18-foot pole in a thick forest is no easy task - but with grunting and ingenuity we made it.  Back at the first bridge site Fausto & Martin had already constructed a 3-pole bridge next to a still-existing bamboo hand rail, and we got to fill in the deep approach to the bridge with river rocks.

It was hot sweaty work but we got it done, so Jess, Mac & I headed back to the station for lunch - but not without first taking a quick cool dip in Pozo de Miel (the honey pool) below a cascade.  Very refreshing - and a great prelude to hiking back up the hillside.

Pozo de Miel 

In the afternoon I could have (and maybe should have) rested, but Fausto & Martin were going to reopen a trail that hadn’t been used in 6 years, so I went along.  The trail was very grown in, with lots of blow-downs (none too big, thankfully), so the guys hacked away with their machetes and I tossed things off the trail behind them.

Fausto (back to camera) and Martin clearing trail

We continued on to a pasture where Martin knocked some “monkey eggs” down from a tree.  They were hard-shelled fruits with big seeds surrounded by a little flesh - not bad tasting.  The guys were continuing down the hill - but I was ready to head back to the station and rest.

Here are few some more flowers I saw at  Los Cerros, starting with the orchids:

These were very fragrant!

Dracula Orchids

And some other flowers:

Madeline’s back wasn’t improving, so she was heading out of the reserve on the 23rd.  After saying goodbye to her in the morning, Mac & I headed out for the “Observatory”, a look-out point high on the ridge opposite the station.  We hiked down to the river and then up, up, up the ridge, taking time to investigate and photograph new things we found.

Me at big-trunk tree

When we got to the trail junction at the top of the ridge, we turned toward the Observatory and went quite a ways - but we got to an area with quite a few blow-downs and we weren’t sure about the trail, so after investigating a few side trails we headed back down.  Mac continued to the station, but I stopped and had a very refreshing dip at Pozo de Miel.  After resting there a bit I was feeling very tired, so I hiked very slowly back up the hillside.

These are the unusual fruits of flowers we saw along the trail.  What a color!

Back a the station,  German guests Issy and Julian had arrived.  Julian is a photographer and had brought along his video drone, so we got to see it take off and circle around the grounds, taking great video of the area - and of us watching.  He’s going to provide Jose with a video - so I may make it onto the Los Cedros website.

Left to right:  the drone, Issy, Jose (Los Cedros founder) and Julian

The 24th was supposed to be a rest day, but when I learned that Martin was taking Issy and Julian on a guided hike I decided to go along - even though they were going all the way up to the Observatory.  It was great to have Martin pointing out things along the way - including many orchids that Mac & I had missed, a quarter-inch frog we never would have noticed

Tiny Frog (compare to Martin's thumbnail)

and some new birds - like this toucan barbet.

Toucan Barbet

We continued on beyond where Mac and I had turned around - and went up some really steep slopes, sometimes having to haul ourselves up by ropes and a primitive ladder.

Near the top

 We made it to the Observatory - and were in the clouds.  Luckily windows would open in the mists to give us occasional views.

Me at the top

Limited Misty Views from the Top

We took a long rest and ate a bit of lunch at the top -  while I contemplated going back down that last precipitous laddered slope, at the bottom of which was a narrow ridge that dropped off steeply on both sides.  I deeply regretted that I still hadn’t changed my last will and testament, but I headed down anyway.  After backing down the steepest section, searching for footings while clinging to the rope and then feeling with my feet for the  rungs of the ladder,  I gave a big sigh of relief when I reached some  level ground.

Juli, Issy & Martin resting before tackling more uphill

And then instead of going directly back down, we took an alternate trail that involved going uphill again quite a bit and then down rather steeply on a longer loop back to the river - where we all slaked our thirst with water from the pure mountain stream.

Tree Fern

 Jess and I had talked about taking a dip in the river, but our hunger demanded priority and we all continued back up to the station to complete our 7 1/2-hour trek and eat a 4:00 lunch.  And after many of us took a siesta, we then had a good sized dinner at 7:30.  We were tired and famished!

Thursday the 25th before breakfast, Julian launched the drone again - to get some video with bluer skies.  One flight almost ended in disaster when the battery started petering out early, but Julian managed to get the drone back to the clearing in time for a rough but safe landing.  After breakfast  I took a leisurely walk down to the river, where lots of butterflies were flitting about over the water, then I walked even more slowly back up the hill.  After doing some very necessary washing of clothes, I enjoyed taking the rest of the day off.

After dinner, Fausto took me, Issy and Julian on a short night walk, leading the way in the dark with a big light while we followed carefully behind with our little penlights.  We saw some interesting insetcs, some frogs (one with very long toes)

Long-toed frog

 - and a huge tarantula at the entrance to its den.

Nice big tarantula

Fausto had hoped to show us a “glass” frog, whose translucent body lets you see its internal organs, but he couldn’t find one despite searching all around a little stream where they usually hang out.

Friday the 26th it was back to work - which amounted to going with Fausto, Issy and Julian on a hike to the new waterfall. We had hoped to see monkeys, but still no luck.  We did see a fat millipede and a lovely teal and orange beetle, though, and enjoyed hiking through the lush cloud forest and visiting the splashing waterfall.

In the evening the roaring of the howler monkeys seemed really close, so I decided to investigate.  I went through the upper pasture as the monkeys continued to call, but before I got to the forest they stopped.  I went in a little way, but all was quiet.  Disappointed, I headed back down - only to have them start up again.  So back up I went, and just inside the forest I spotted them - and their roaring increased.  I went up the hill a bit and they were all around me, way up in the trees.  One I could see was way up right above me.  As I looked up through my binoculars, he threw something at me.  It landed so close that it startled me and I stumbled off the trail and fell backwards.  But I hopped back up, brushed myself off and enjoyed the chorus of howling monkeys.  It was dusk and too dark to get any photos - but I was able to point my camera toward the treetops and record their sounds.

I wasn't able to upload the video here but succeeded at YouTube, so you can hear the roaring of the howlers by clicking here:  http://youtu.be/pEEq4oxnH0g

The next day was another lazy day, as Jose had no assignment for me.  Early in the morning I sat in the internet cafe enjoying the view and the birdsongs, then ate a tasty pancake breakfast and took it easy in a hammock.  I finished reading Treasure Island on my computer and briefly checked my email (but without time to respond, as others were waiting to use Jose’s computer before the battery ran down).  I did wash dishes a couple of times - but it was no real chore with this view from the window over the sink:

Dish-washing view

Sunday the 28th was my last full day at the reserve.  I felt like I had had a great experience, I got to explore almost all of the trails and saw lots of birds, butterflies, months, flowers, tropical foliage and vine-draped trees - and even a kinkajou and some monkeys. So I felt like 2 weeks had been enough.  And I got in one more hike, going with Fausto the guide and Issy, Juli, Jess and Mac to the old waterfall.  I got to see another Toucan Barbet as well as a Toucanet,  a nice black snake, some butterflies, more flowers and jungle trees - and a spider whose entire back looked like the face of a jaguar:

Spider with jaguar face

 Though they're less numerous than the moths (of which there are at least 900 species in Los Cedros), I did see lots of butterflies, especially in the clearings and along the rivers.  They're a lot harder to photograph than moths drawn to a light, but here's a sampling of ones I saw (Identification of species bv Doug Taron) :

Confusa Tigerwing (Methona confusa)

Orange-banded Daggerwing (Marpesia corita)

Probably one of the Heliconius, however there are other possibilities.

Rusty-tipped Page (Siproeta epaphus)

Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)

Scarlet Peacock (Anartia amathea)

Daggerwing (Marpesia marcella)

This is the butterfly above - but with wings folded: 
Daggerwing (Marpesia marcella)

Blue-gray Satyr (Magneuptychia libye)

Podotricha judith

This one (and other similar ones) had at least a 6-inch wingspan; wish I could have gotten a pic of the open wings, but they flew too fast: 
Yellow-bordered Owl Butterfly (Caligo uranus)

Mating butterflies - so more to come:   Confusa Tigerwings (Methona confusa)

Rusted Clearwing Satyr (Citherias pireta)

Issy and Juli had brought along the drone and it got some great footage of Mac, Jess and me taking a dip in the pool at the base of the falls.

Me after my dip.  Refreshed!

Then it rose up above the falls taking in views of the forested mountainside and of the waterfall from above.  Unfortunately as it was descending the battery petered out again and it hit a rock, damaging 2 of the propellers (but as I’m typing this I can hear the drone, so I guess it can still fly).

Issy crossing the river below the falls

That morning I hadn’t been able to get a photo of the toucanet, but in the evening I walked up through the high pasture for the view, and on the way back down I heard a bird call from a group of trees and was able to spot and photograph a crimson-rumped  toucanet:

And I don't believe I posted these  beauties yet:

Hummingbird

Nightjar

Spotted Woodcreeper

Thick-billed Euphonia

Flame-faced Tanager

Then I went out from camp a ways on a lower trail as dusk was falling, hoping to spot an armadillo.  No luck with that, but I did see a rather bright little orange light floating through the trees and crossing the trail,  I assume it was some kind of firefly, but it glowed steadily rather than flashing on & off.  Maybe it was Tinkerbell!  (Fausto later said it was some kind of beetle).

And the next morning I rode a mule back down the mountain and took the bus back to Cotacachi, to my little one-room casita, from which I'll continue the adventure....