Quito and La Carolina

Day 2 of Ecuador 2013

An overnight at Jardin de Quito was very nice for our first impression of Ecuador. This orning we woke up to a nice breakfast and birds calling over the sounds of the city. Great thrush, Eared Doves and Rufous-collared Sparrows were all seen on our block in the few trees.

Orchid

La Carolina Park is in the middle of Quito and it is a small paradise where you can escape the city completely. The majority of the park is public and free. It is cut grass with scattered trees and art. However, for a small feeyou can visit the gardens. This is where is becomes paradise. With small ponds and fountains, greenhouses and a fair number of trails which take you through multiple Ecuadoran habitat types.

We quickly were immersed in calling birds which drowned out the sounds of the city and lush green vegetation. Our first sightings on the trail were Blue-Gray Tanagers and Glossy Black Thrush.

Glossy Black Thrush

Even more surprising  was the discovery of a pair of Brazilian Cardinals (not native to Ecuador). These must have been captives which escaped.
 

Brazilian Cardinal

We were finding many orchids growing along the trails and even more in the fabulous orchid greenhouses. They had a lot of rare and unusual species in the garden both native and exotics. 

Orchid

Orchid

 There were many species that I had never seen before.

Orchid

 We saw many hummingbirds including the spectacular Black-tailed Trainbearer and Green Violetear.

Female Black-tailed Trainbearer

Male Black-tailed Trainbearer

It was a place where I could spend a day but the 4pm bus to Mindo would not wait and I was excited to see more of the country.  The 2.5h bus ride form Quito to Mindo was quite spectacular. We went lower in elevation but saw so much variety in plant life on the way and the views would have been lovely to take pictures of had we been able to stop. Many purple and orange Epidendrum orchids were blooming along the roadside.

The town of Mindo is small and rustic. We arrived at the Dragonfly Inn just before dark. It was lucky it was within walking distance of the bus station. Walking nearby the hotel by the small river I heard frogs calling. It was fairly easy to locate one of the many Pastures Rain Frogs which were calling from the freshly cut grass.  The largest was about two inches long with a blotchy brown back, white underbelly and a black mask.

Pastures Rain Frog (Pristimantis achatinus)