The flight to Guayaquil was uneventful, but the
traffic in town and humidity are anything but. My room was not ready for
check-in, so I grabbed my camera and walked along the Malecon, hoping to find
something interesting along the Guayas. I was particularly hopeful about the
Botanical Gardens, but I did not recognize them as I strolled right through
them. Regardless, I quickly found a Pacific Hornero.
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| Pacific Hornero |
A small pond contained three juvenile Black-crowned
Night-heron, a Scrub Blackbird, and a Social Flycatcher. There was a
restaurant on the other side, so I wandered over for lunch. While sitting
there, I saw a Striated Heron capture a fish and a pair of Ecuadorian Ground-Dove.
An adult Black-crowned Night-Heron started to hunt and managed to nab a large
fish. As he struggled with how to swallow its catch, I impatiently waited for
the check not wanting to miss the show. Eventually, my waiter came back with
the change and I sprinted around to the area where the Night-heron battled its
prey, arriving just in time to see the beast swallowed in a swift gulp.
Incredibly impressive sight. Walking back to the hotel, I found a jaunty Southern
Beardless Tyrannulet in a tree.
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| Scrub Blackbird |
I returned to the hotel, turned the A/C on full
blast and took a long nap. I only reluctantly woke up and strolled to a sushi
restaurant. Walking the streets of Guayaquil is not recommended and I
understand why. Very desolate. I moved fast, didn’t slow down and didn’t look
around. It was an unnerving 6 blocks.
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