Travel & Taste: Ecuador

Home to glittering hummingbirds, colorful tanagers and gaudy cotingas, Ecuador offers world-class birding in a small package. Conservation photographer Will Freedberg will walk us through the unique birding opportunities in Ecuador’s five distinct ecoregions, from cloud forests, to dry scrub, to the incomparable Amazon. Some of Ecuador’s stranger denizens we’ll meet include the club-winged manakin, which vibrates its wings fast enough to create a beeping sound; the Rufous Potoo, which sways on branches to imitate leaves blowing in the wind; and the many species of antbird that prey solely on insects scared up by swarms of marauding army ants.

Like much of tropical Latin America, Ecuador also offers excellent opportunities for travelers to support conservation while birding. We’ll focus on ways to visit birder-friendly Ecuador without the help of internationally-owned companies and lodges, showcasing community conservation projects that rely on visitors for income, and discussing the ins and outs of community-based ecotourism.

Location-themed buffet dinner and lecture or lecture only. Pre-registration required for dinner by 5pm Tuesday, March 24. Online registration available. Walk-ins welcome for the Lecture Only portion.