Biologist and naturalist Lou Jost, who lives and works in Ecuador who regularly sends WEIT examples of his amazing photography and art has sent in some more photographs of hummingbirds, this time with a difference. Here’s what he wrote to Jerry.
In case people think that all hummingbirds are like the little buzzy things we have in the US, here is a hummingbird I saw last week that was almost as big as a swift or swallow. It’s called the Great Sapphirewing (Pterophanes cyanopterus). It is a very high elevation Ecuadorian and Colombian hummingbird, living around timberline at 3400-4000m. These huge hummingbirds have a more stately flight than the little guys, and they glide a lot. This is one of the largest hummingbirds in the world.
I watched it feeding on the turquoise-blue flowers of a giant terrestrial bromeliad (Puya sp.) whose wooly flower stalk was about 3-4m tall. This was a strange paramo (tropical high-elevation alpine grassland) studded all the way to the horizon with white-leaved Espeletia plants, in the aster family. These Espeletia are only found in very wet paramos and have a limited distribution in Ecuador. WEIT readers with good memories might recall reading about this genus of plants in relation to the recently-rediscovered Oxypogon hummingbird in Colombia. We were looking for Oxypogon hummingbirds here, but we didn’t find any, and none have ever been seen in Ecuador. But we have Espeletia in some spots, so maybe some day we’ll find one. (If one is ever found here, it will surely be a different species from the rediscovered one.)
In the shrubby transition zone just below this paramo, my group saw another iridescent blue bird, the Golden-crowned Tanager (Iridisornis rufivertex). This is one of my favorite birds for its subtle but beautiful colors, and I was really happy to finally get pictures of it. We lured it in with recordings of its own song and the songs of small owls (which little birds love to mob).
For more info see:
Brilliant how the hummingbird coloration and the flowers align! Thanks, Lou.
My pleasure!
It occurs to me that it’d be literally impossible for all seven billion of us to experience wonders such as this in person. I’m just glad I live at a time where I at least have a chance to experience them vicariously.
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Yep, I think seven billion people would churn up that paramo pretty badly.
What beautiful birds – I always enjoy your pics and info Lou. 🙂
Thanks very much!
I visited Ecuador once while on a diving trip to the Galapagos. We drove through some high country like this in a bus tour, but never got the chance to stroll about with binoculars. These lovely images help dampen the regret at missing so much.
You should come back. The Amazon rainforest is now easily accessible, with comfortable lodges, canopy towers and walkways, and excellent indigenous birding guides. There is no better time; some of the most spectacular avifauna, like the big macaws, the curassows, and the Harpy Eagles, is not going to last much longer…
That is a tempting offer.
That tanager photo is spectacular, Lou!
Thanks. One of my favorite birds.
The hummingbird photos are stunning, Lou 🙂
Wish I had been closer, but I was very surprised and happy that some of them turned out alright. Love that Panasonic Z200 with its f2.8 lens! By the way there is now a nice weatherproof version, the Z300.
I am afraid I am guilty of enjoying all these wonderful photos day after day without saying ‘thank you’ to any of the wonderful photographers. So many thanks, Lou, for today’s; but also thank you Stephen B, Diana and all the rest. Ain’t life grand?!
Glad you liked them, Steve.
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