Jocotoco Foundation has established preserves for some of the rarest and most beautiful birds in the world. Ecuador has 1,600 bird species, compared with around 800 in the U.S.
In 1998, a small group of bird-watchers in Ecuador stared intently as a diminutive bird darted along the ground. They soon realized they had discovered a Jocotoco antipitta, which was thought to be extinct. The fact that this species was alive and well in Tapichalaca’s cloud forest in southwest Ecuador galvanized them into action. Within a short time, the group founded one of Ecuador’s leading nonprofit conservation groups, the Jocotoco Conservation Foundation, and raised enough money to buy more than 12,000 acres of the steamy forest.
Soon after, they built a lodge at Tapichalaca and hired a local staff to maintain the reserve. From this humble beginning, the Jocotoco Foundation has steadily expanded to 11 reserves scattered around the country, conserving some of the planet’s most endangered birds and accompanying biodiversity.
You don’t have to be a hard-core bird-watcher to be mesmerized by the dazzling display of hummingbirds and various other tropical birds that swarm to the feeders at the Jocotoco reserves we visited, especially our favorite one, Buenaventura. Although the larger birds provided momentary excitement when they appeared, what truly captured our attention was the never-ending stream of hummingbirds of every size and shape — ranging from tiny brown-green hummers with almost no tail, to impressively large, rainbow-tinted ones, some with tails longer than their body.
Some of best in world
My wife, Sharen, and I discovered this admirable organization while visiting Quito, Ecuador, at the beginning of our four-month tour of South America, and thank goodness we did. Through Joco Tours, we managed to experience some of the best bird viewing in the world (Ecuador has 1,600 bird species, compared with around 800 in the United States.)
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Our first introduction to this remarkable organization took us to the Yanacocha Reserve, about 45 minutes from Quito. Perched high in the Andes mountains at 11,000 to 13,000 feet, this reserve, like the others, was mainly established to protect critically endangered birds — in this case, the 300 remaining black-breasted puffleg hummingbirds, found nowhere else on earth. In addition to admiring beautiful birds at the feeding stations, we marveled at the diverse shapes, colors and textures of the tropical plants we saw during our hike. My favorite was a plant whose leaves measured nearly 5 feet across.
The next phase of our Ecuadorean exploration took us to Cuenca, and from there we set out to discover three other Jocotoco reserves, starting with Buenaventura, one of the larger reserves near the southern coast.
Buenaventura Reserve felt like an oasis in a vast expanse of tropical forests. After many kilometers of bumpy, winding roads, we relished our clean wood cabin with its private bathroom and two comfy beds. Several times, Sharen, reposing in an outdoor hammock, called out “Doug, come quick. Two gorgeous toucans are sitting in the tree close to me,” and I felt lucky to get great photos of them.
Howler monkeys, too
During our three-day Buenaventura stay, we particularly enjoyed hiking on a 4-kilometer dirt road through the cloud forest, inspecting colorful insects and tropical plants while being serenaded by distant howler monkeys and melodic bird songs.
During our return drive to Cuenca, we stopped at the 378-acre Yunguilla Reserve, tucked away in the hills at the end of a rough 5-kilometer dirt road. The reserve’s “forest guard” met us, and with machete in hand, he led us across a stream and up a narrow trail into the hills until we reached a small grove of trees harboring two bird feeders. Soon, a diminutive gray and white bird, the pale-headed brush finch, appeared, and I was thrilled to witness a visit by one of the rarest birds in the world; the species’ remaining 200 birds reside in this one small reserve.
During our stay farther south in the town of Vilcabamba, we decided to spend two days at our final Jocotoco reserve, Tapichalaca. The 75-minute journey, like others we had experienced, led us along a scenic road that offered beautiful panoramas along with the adventure of dodging occasional landslides, overflowing streams and rocks randomly sitting in the middle of the road. Upon reaching our lodging at the reserve, we donned calf-high rubber boots and marched into the dense cloud forest along soggy trails wrapped in a cloak of tropical plants. Sitting quietly while our guide placed juicy worms on a special spot, we were soon treated to a rare close-up view of a trio of the famed Jocotoco birds.
When I reflect on why we travel, one of the reasons is to experience magical moments in unique places like the nature reserves we visited, and to find those who make a difference in the world, which is exactly what the Jocotoco Conservation Foundation does.
IF YOU GO: Tours and lodging can be arranged through Joco Tours, jocotoursecuador.com.