Ecuador Cloud Forest Bird Expedition

Become a Life Net Volunteer! Join Dr. Dusti Becker for an exciting 2-week conservation experience in the coastal cordillera of western Ecuador. Dr. Becker, a well-known tropical avian ecologist with over 15 years of experience in Ecuador, will lead the expedition with help from experienced, local, Ecuadorian field assistants. Volunteers help collect data about birds at a community-owned cloud forest protected area called the Loma Alta Ecological Reserve. The project goals are to advance scientific understanding of cloud forest avian communities and to provide local citizens with experience in hosting conservation-minded visitors. The volunteer contribution of $1200 to the project via non-profit conservation organization Life Net is tax deductible.

Loma Alta is home to more than 20 species of hummingbirds and 48 of the 55 Tumbesian endemic birds making it a HOT birding spot. In 2004, our research prompted national and international bird conservation organizations to designate the area as an Important Bird Area (IBA). Red-masked parakeets, crested guans, rufous-fronted chachalacas, Choco toucans, gray-backed hawks, and ornate hawk eagles are just a few of the regional specialties that are typically seen during a Life Net field project at Loma Alta. The ecology of woodstar hummingbirds including the endangered Esmeraldas woodstar is an additional focus of our research and monitoring project, guaranteeing close-up views of these spectacular tropical gems.

Volunteers help set up and monitor mist nets, extract birds from nets, carry birds from nets to a banding station, and record basic ecological data. Bilingual volunteers may contribute to environmental education and ecotourism training Loma Alta. Volunteers will have some afternoons free to explore and bird around the protected area, including searching for Mantled Howlers and White-fronted Capuchin monkeys.

Volunteer contribution covers transportation within Ecuador, room, & meals during the project. The expedition begins and ends in Guayaquil, Ecuador. For further details, contact Dusti Becker: dbecker@lifenetnature.org