Mindo -- orchids and hummingbirds

Before we left the butterfly house, we stopped for a bit at the feeders outside, to see the hummingbirds! You can get really close and there are many. I never before had realized how LOUD hummingbirds are! Their wings beat so fast that you can hear them quite clearly as they zip by. And they can make a lot of noise to each other as they "fight" for prime spots at the feeders. They are beautiful too. Last summer I bought a special issue of a nature magazine in Ecuador that was all about hummingbirds. I have a colleague at work who went on a trip to Ecuador this spring with her daughter, to do some birdwatching, so we poured over that issue before she went. And the few IDs that I have for these handsome subjects I owe to her.

 This large hummer is a Great Sapphirewing. 

 And this little beauty is a Jacobian.

After lunch we went to the orchid house. The gentleman who owns the house does tours of his orchid collections/gardens. It was pretty fabulous, even if he doesn't have anywhere near all 4200 types of orchids found in Ecuador.

 Yes! The Dracula orchid. How phenomenal.

 A pretty little phrag. I love these.

 Sadly, my traveling companion had all the field notes, and I failed to get them from her. I remember that these grow in pairs, one plant male and the other female. At least, I think I remember that.....

 These are super tiny. This pixie bunch grows straight out the center of the leaf. Cool!

 Pretty butterfly on some type of heliconia.

 And, wait for it..... Yup, the hummingbird orchid. So fabulous.

 He had several feeders too, which were very active in the late afternoon. I'm not sure what type this one is with the red. We saw others too, but as you can imagine, they are often blurs in the photos.

We watched for a while, trying to get a good fix in before having the hit the road back to Quito. I could have stayed and watched them for hours -- the colors, the power, the grace. And if you watched long enough, "personalities" too. Hummingbirds are pretty fabulous.

So, by this time it was getting late, and it's more than 2 hours driving back to Quito, so we didn't have time to visit the clinic and find my friend. But, next time I get back to Ecuador, hopefully I'll be able to spend a couple of days in Mindo. Of course, our schedules probably won't overlap then! But at least I made it this time. One personal goal accomplished.