Southern Ecuador
29 September - 13 October 2011
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Copalinga
| From Tapichalaca we went back north then
east to Copalinga Lodge, near
Zamora. Copalinga was lower in elevation - only about 3000 ft -
and nicely situated about 3km from the Bombuscaro entrance to
Podocarpus National Park. Copalinga was truly "off the grid",
having their own hydroelectric generator! The intake was about
1km away, 90 meters higher than the property. The
hand-constructed turbine powered a constant electrical load, and a
computerized system managed a system of load balancers (heaters) to
account for varying usage throughout the lodge and cabins. |
 Liza at the entrance to Copalinga |
 Copalinga main house/dining |
 Robert on the path to our cabin |
 Our cabin at Copalinga |
 View from our porch |
 On the dining patio at Copalinga |
 Golden and Green-and-gold Tanagers |
 Edgar turning the bus around |
 Entrance to Podocarpus |
 Ud. está aqui |
 Liza on the trail |
 Robert surveying the lack of view |
 Masked Trogon |
 Our friends, the birds... |
 "Hot Lips" flower |
 This way to the swimming hole! |
 Leaf-cutter ants on the march (see video on the video page) |
 A pineapple! |
 River view |
 Clear-wing butterflies |
 A small cascada (waterfall) |
 Trail to the cascada |
 Pretty butterfly |
 Liza and Robert at an overlook over the Río Bombuscaro |
 Mark Pretti, Edgar, Robert, and Don Couch |
 Liza at the overlook, closer to the river |
 Liza not really climbing the tree tower |
 A couple of small overnight landslides would have interfered with our final departure from Copalinga... |
 Except Edgar wisely parked the vehicle on the far side of the two slides... |
 ...and we walked across. Robert surveys the previous night's slide activity. |
 Robert and fellow birder Linda doing some stream boot-washing after crossing the slide zone |
 Mark Pretti with owners
Catherine Lits
and Boudewijn de Roover |
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Click photos to enlarge...