Scenes from our Northwest Ecuador trip - January, 2025

This was my forth trip to Ecuador and the second with just Bill Sharkey and I joining guide Nelson Apolo Jaramillo. We asked Nelson to plan a trip covering the northwest portion of the country that concentrated on photo oportunities. Nelson exceeded our expectations in every way. This probably my all-time favorite trip. I didn't expect a lot of lifers (since it was our fourth trip to this wonderful country, but I ended up with 98 new birds! Here are a few non-bird shots from this adventure.


A moth that mimics an owl's eyes.



Spider Monkey.



Yanacocha Reserve was an incredible first stop.



We saw a wide variety of interesting beetles.



This Mountain Sipo was one of two species of snakes we saw on this trip.



Owl Butterfly.



Our great guide Nelson had a close encounter with a millipede.



A velvet-purple Coronet checking out Bill.



One of several lizard species on this trip.



This beetle's body was over for inches long.



This beetle's body was over for inches long.



A very large lizard with a great name - Hippie Anole!



Hummers were happy to take Bill's hand out.



Bill and Nelson on the prowl.