HOW MANY BIRDS?!
Isla Corazon, Rio Chone/Manabi Province, Ecuador
With a potential El Nino Phenomenom percoluting along the equator, many locals along the Pacific coast reach back and share stories of the El Nino of 1997 and ’98. One veteran of that extended season of torrential rains and mudslides is “Don Francisco” from the petite community of Puerto Portobelo on the north-east side of Rio Chone. The mangroves on the upper half of Isla Corazon washed away during the 1997/8 disaster, and silt from landslides and farmlands destroyed more trees and altered river channels. Francisco Reyes, who worked on a farm before the upper half of the island washed away, dedicated his time to replanting and restoring this heart-shaped island.
March 2013 Mangroves washing away in Rio Jama
My friend Stephen visited several weeks ago, and I rode with him to Isla Corazon, where we took the two-hour tour of the island. Known best for having one of the largest colonies of frigate birds along the Pacific coast, Isla Corazon hosts many other bird species. I never tire of visiting Isla Corazon, admiring the bird life and hearing new stories. Each tour is unique, depending on which guide takes you on a special canoe ride and which birds and critters step onto the stage.
From February 2015 – Ecuador Expat Journey tour – Preparing to leave the dock!
(High tide last week) Happy crew heading home so the tourists can enjoy the results of their hard work.
As we watch the work crew go back to shore, our boat pulls beside a flat-bottomed canoe. The transfer is quite fun!
Timing is important, and the small window of time changes daily with the tides. This particular tour was racing the fast-falling tide of a full moon. The trees on the left side of the tunnel are all new-growth and planted by the community; the ones on the right are the older survivors of the flood.
Francisco told me that when he worked on the farm, he wore corrective glasses; after working in the mangroves, he no longer needed the glasses! He says that the mangroves are our planet’s lungs, and he credits the pure air/oxygen for restoring his vision.
We exit the tunnel and view the main channel of Rio Chone. Waiting to greet us are ‘The Birds.”
“Here come the tourists! Get ready to puff out your chests!”
“I’d rather hold a yoga pose…”
A calcophony of squawks from the mangrove treetops…
The male frigates puff out their gular pouches in hopes of impressing their lady friends.
Is this puffed out enough to win a prize?
Ha! “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll win this competition….”
Night Herons hunt at night but often lurk in the shadows in daylight hours!
Great egrets preen their wispy feathers.
(“Don’t you think I’m sexy?”)
Next stop, a gateway into the center of the island!
Don Francisco shares the Island’s history with my friend Stephen…
Don Francisco shows how to plant a mangrove.
(He also pointed to the hiking sign and chuckled, “Chikungunya!”)
“Don Francisco” often shares stories about duendes, troll-like beings that roam the mangroves. Stepping back enough to capture him with the zoom lens of my camera, I recorded Franscisco describing the duendes. At the end, he broke into a song, which I thought was about the duendes, but my friend Stephen said it was a story about his parents when his father was courting his mother!
The duende part is still waiting for an edit, but here’s Francisco singing the song.
The Isla Corazon tour costs fifteen dollars per person and lasts several hours. The price for groups is lower per person.
Deep beneath the canopy you might spot an ibis…
Up close with nature! (Sorry Mary!)
Name that footprint! Francisco said it was from some sort of fox, but Stephen and I were not sure what animal it might be.
End of the day; the guides enjoy an easy ride home!
Thanks for taking the tour! For more information about the magnificent frigate birds, start HERE. For reviews about the tour, enjoy the reviews on Trip Advisor.
Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
wonderful birds
Thanks! Yes, it’s amazing to observe so many, especially those with the red ballons!
What a wonderful tour. It was great to hear the bird song in the background of the video.
thank you! the serenity of the mangroves and the quiet journey helps our senses awaken. but you already know that! thanks for taking the tour!
a great tour. The next time you’re down our way , we have a wonderful tour available down the PV river. Hundreds of birds roost in the mangroves along the shore line. haha Lisa, apology accepted. That spider isn’t as bad as some of the ones John has captured on his camera 🙂
I hesitated before uploading the photo of the spider. There are times when it’s ok to set up/play jokes on friends, but never when their reaction would be fear or anger… prompting even a few seconds’ worth of panic would be unkind.
it would be great to see your little river, though you gave us a beautiful peek with your photos/post about that trip. it’s serene and lovely. if there’s a formal tour offered, we should both write about it to help them get more tourists.
enjoy your time with your loved ones!
Really amazing island and all the wonderful wildlife…thank you, for the tour, dear!
Thank YOU, for stepping into that flat-bottomed canoe and riding along w/don francisco!
What a great trip! Thanks for taking us with you.
my pleasure! and see, the canoe didn’t tip over once!
Love those incredible bird displays, Lisa and guides make all the difference.
thanks, amiga, and yes, we learn so much from guides. the ones like francisco are such natural teachers, and they have so much to share.
as usual, i’m unable to comment on ron’s post today re: cuba. i fear that the new changes will taint the uniqueness of cuba, just as the expat dash to conquer the latest trend has done to other latin american countries.
wish i could be part of the tour/workshop, but my obligations here and elsewhere keep my dance card a bit too full for my wanderlust spirit! working at the museum has been a great opportunity, however, and my cup runneth over here!
thanks as always for your support. z
Z, thanks for the tour. Talk about sucking in your stomach and pushing out your chest to impress the ladies!! I thought we homosapien males invented that. Take care, BTG
Ha! You are so right! It’s fun to see our own behaviors in the birds and animals! at least we can laugh at our species!
Great photography … especially liked the Great Ibis … Thank you.
Those are unique birds, aren’t they? There are several dozen that stay near the riverhouse, and I love to watch them probe the mudflats at low tide. This one at Isla Corazon was quite serene. Thanks!
Wow!…….. I so loved the guided tour.. accompanied not only by magnificent photos but by Don Francisco’s Song, what passion he put into it 🙂 Just like those Male frigates puffing out their chests.. What wonderful captures!..
Many thanks for taking me along… And I was so interested in the the restored eye-sight… Nature’s Healing Trees 🙂
Love and Blessings
Sue
Each time I see him, I think of his story about his improved vision, and seeing him is believing! Everyone should have the protective canopy of mangroves over one’s home!
Have you watched the Film ‘Grounded?’ the full length version can be found on Youtube it is about Healing ourselves.. Pain and other ailments.. walking barefoot and grounding ourselves to earth!.. Its about an hour in length.. Mother Earth is healing us every day.. but we have cut ourselves off from her.. we now have soles on our feet.. which insulates us from her.. I try to meditate bare foot outdoors.. and have found great healing in that and Qi Gong. 🙂
That was a great tour Z! I loved the story and song. I guess I remember more Spanish than I thought I did. The footprints look like racoon tracks to me. Are they?
Hugs – B
si, stephen and i thought they were racoon and asked, ‘mapache?’ and don francisco said , ‘no, it’s a different animal.’
Did he tell you what it was?
An amazing tour Z! As always you know how to capture the birds perfectly with your lens.
ha, if you take hundreds of photos, some will be keepers! it’s so nice to use digital and have the ease of the delete function while not worrying about the expense (or scarcity) of 35 mm film!
These were a beautiful series, especially the close-ups of the male birds puffing up.
I have very nice models to work with! This morning I heard two kingfishers outside chattering angrily at each other. Without dashing outside, i knew that it was one large ringed kingfisher saying, ‘I”m cock of this perch” while a smaller green kingfisher challenged its place. Then I heard a big ‘kersplash’ and knew that the ringed kingfisher and scored a fish… the chatter that followed confirmed it. Ah, it’s nice to have such a close view of these beautiful birds!
You speak like you’ve heard this chatter for many a day!!
they are often my alarm clock, and i always laugh when i hear their dawn bickering! they sometimes land on the railing, just through the walls where i’m sleeping.
That is impressive… Never seen those puffed up birds before… Lovely…
some of them are so puffed up that they look like they might pop! thanks!
Thanks for the tour Lisa! One day I hope to see these amazing birds. 🙂
they are handsome and regal in flight, and from personal experience i can vouch for the sharpness of the tip of their bills! youch!
you two will definitely see them when your trail brings you to frigate–friendly skies!
Muchas Gracias for sharing!
Do you see many frigates there where you are in Panama?
Oh, I love frigates! The males sure know how to show off.
My internet is working pretty well today so I even got to see and listen to the video! Francisco is quite the singing guide!
i’m impressed that you were able to se the video – watching videos is not an option for me here at the house., but i can do a search and find titles/links. i uploaded the bird images a few days ago while in the ‘city.’ . yes, it was great when francisco broke into song!
What a fabulous and fascinating tour. You got some great shots of the frigates. We saw the same on the Galapagos though not as many, and didn’t get as close.
Alison
Thanks! I’ve noticed here on the river that the birds are not fearful of a man in a canoe/boat, but they are quite skittish if anyone approaches on foot. They are truly magnificent birds!
The frigates are wonderful. We don’t see them here very often, although they sometimes can be spotted offshore. Ours look like yours (except for that extravagant red pouch) but whether it’s a different species, I’m not sure.Their flight is recognizable. It’s always fun to see the other birds we share: night herons, egrets, kingfishers.
I think I would be read El Nino predictions with a degree of caution. Several of the mets I follow are questioning the level of hype that has shown up already. Here’s one example. (That’s a twitter image link – if it doesn’t work, I’ll get it to you otherwise.)
As Matt said elsewhere, it’s not precisely that the facts in reports are inaccurate,but the data that’s coming in doesn’t justify the “OMG-it’s coming!” response. I suppose the some weather gurus feel the need to whomp things up, just so they can get a little link-love, too. Computer models may not be accounting for all the variables — certainly we’ve seen it happen with hurricane tracks.
Anyway, a nice, well-behaved El Nino could be a boon for many places We’ll just hope there’s none of that terrible beach erosion no mudslides, and no more island-destroying! A little more time may provide some clarity.
your feedback is always appreciated, and it’s good to hear your thoughts regarding el nino. the weather here has been very atypical, but i think it’s been that way all over the world. we had very little rain in the rainy season, and we’ve had more in the ‘dry’ season than we did in jan/feb/march. it’s sprinkling right now and thundering in the distance.
when i ask taxi drivers, random people about this year’s clima, they say, ‘no it’s not typical but it’s very typical for an el nino year.’ it is usually cool at this time of year, and it’s hot like central america…
you’re right. a well-behaved el nino would be well received!
male frigate’s the red pouch is displayed during breeding season.. maybe the ones that you see are in their casual attire!
yes, there are several sites i follow, one regarding health issues, and he has weaned into more of what appears to be a trouble maker, stirring the pot, making people squirm and panic about things happening… he has the choice to deliver those same messages with a sound and calming voice that keeps people from panic or instantly hating/not trusting our government. at times i consider unsubscribing, but it’s good to see what fear he’s spreading each week while trying to peddle his products based on those scares…
I call such people “Profit$ of Doom” 🙂
ha! that’s a good one!
A fascinating tour Lisa those frigate birds are unbelievable the size they can puff themselves up to, and Don Francisco was perfect as a guide because he was so knowledgeable. The passion came through in his song too.
I remember the flooding in California during that El Nino year of 1997/98. Such a contrast to the drought that is present there now. Perhaps the rains will come with the currents. Thank you for sharing — the birds are marvelous. Nature has Her ways of culling through fire and flood but I pray the damage will not be too great this time. Blessings, Alia
The amazing frigates!!! I loved listening to their mating calls and their raucous behavior of puffing and puffing until I thought they could puff no more. Then, there is the story of Don Francisco and his restored vision. And, I can’t forget about his lovely song. There are too many things that captured my attention in this post to mention them all. I really enjoyed the tour. Thanks, Lisa.
The photos of the birds were very impressive especially the male bird.
But I always love spiders that build fantastic webs.
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