MINDO: Life Net Nature and Reserva Las Tangaras

Captain's Log, Day 71: Back in Mindo as of yesterday (with a camera this time, as not to deprive you all from pictures of what may be the most beautiful place on earth). The transition from city life in Cuenca to field life in the cloud forest is refreshingly disorienting; being back in a small mountain town where we drink spring water and are never without our binoculars is bliss. I will spend my last 19 days in Ecuador here...

Mindo. It reminds me a lot of where I studied abroad in Costa Rica (Monteverde).

This is the main road through town (image taken from Google).

More specifically, I will spend the majority of my time here, at Reserva Las Tangaras. You should check out the manager's blog here: http://lastangaras.wordpress.com/, before I post more about my work on this site.

A picture of the station at Las Tangaras from the cow path that leads to the bridge across the Nambillo River. The reserve is set in the Bosque Nambillo, a large area of protected cloud forest in northwest Ecuador. Picture courtesy of the  Las Tangaras blog.  

Las Tangaras is owned by Life Net Nature, and is the brainchild of ornithologist Dr.Dusti Becker. They operate a hostel year-round, and often offer volunteering opportunities for bird banding and station management. If you want to live in, work, or visit one of the most beautiful places on earth, you should check out more at: http://lifenetnature.org/. I will post more about the projects with the Andean Cock of the Rock lek and hummingbird monitoring later this week, when I've taken a few more photos! Until then...

The Nambillo River from the one-man bridge that leads to the Reserve. Picture courtesy of the  Las Tangaras blog.