An inconspicuous trail in a bend of the road leads to Narupa Reserve, one of Jocotoco Conservation Foundation’s ten reserves. Narupa is located between the towns of Baeza and Coca where the Andes approach the Amazonian lowlands. A ten minute walk down the trail brings you to a hummingbird garden and a casita (little house), the only building in the reserve. Here at an elevation of about 1,000 m, elements of tropical and subtropical faunas mix.
Narupa trail
Though I had only two days to explore this reserve, I got a good taste for the rich diversity of life there. Mixed bird fl0cks include a variety of tanagers, migrant warblers (including Cerulean), furnariids, and more. Beautiful forests clothe the hillside.
Foothill forest at Narupa
A visit to the hummingbird garden was a great place to begin. Several of the hummingbirds here are foothill birds that live primarily at the lowest part of the eastern Andes. Golden-tailed Sapphires are most common in foothill forest but are also found in the Amazonian lowlands.
Golden-tailed Sapphire female
Golden-tailed Sapphire male
Golden-tailed Sapphire male
Another foothill species, the Many-spotted Hummingbird is a feisty bird, frequently chasing other hummingbirds from flowers or feeders.
Many-spotted Hummingbird attack
At this altitude (1,000 m) there is a good mix of Amazonian and Andean faunas. Gould’s Jewelfront is primarily a lowland species, but it also gets up as high as Narupa’s hummingbird garden.
Gould’s Jewelfront
The bridge over the Río Hollin Chico is a good place to spot river-dwelling birds and takes you over to beautiful forest. Birders on the bridge are Gabriela Silva, our friend from Jocotours, and Geronimo Tanguila, one of Narupa’s forest guards.
Birders on hanging bridge
Forest trail Narupa
Tree buttresses
A nighttime walk just outside the reserve is a rewarding experience. Here are a couple of gems I spotted in my headlamp beam.
This Somber Stream-Lizard was roosting peacefully on a twig.
Somber Stream-Lizard, Galenesaurus cochranae
Stick insects (Phasmidae) are generally nocturnal and are much easier to spot at night.
Phasmid stick insect
The restaurant “Susanita,” just a 15-minute walk down the road from the reserve entrance, has typical Ecuadoran food as well as two beautiful rooms overlooking the Cascada de Hollin, where guests can stay.