Puerto Lopez; Coast

After a few days in Quito we went on to the coast. This was only the second time I was going to see the Ecuadorian coast and I had big hopes of seeing many shorebirds. Well I had luck with some of them, as there were Frigatebirds and Pelicans all around, but after having been there 5 days I had only seen two Plovers and no other waders...
But I saw many other interesting animals. First of all the impressive humpback whales. We even went a second time onto the ocean, as the first time wasn't enough for us. The first time we went onto the water, wasn't totally dedicated to whale whatching, but also connected with a trip to the so called "Poor Mens Galapagos", the Isla de la Plata.
Eventhough I was unhappy as we didn't go to the Albatrosses, we came very close to Red-footed, Blue-footed and Nazca Boobies, Magnificient Frigatebirds, Red-billed Tropicbirds and a few passerines. I had never been so close to them before, which was a highlight, as where the Red-footed Boobies, which I hadn't seen on Galapagos...
We also went snorkeling and I saw many different fish, but I'm just too spoiled with the fish I have seen in the Red Sea...
Around our hostel were also some interesting birds, like owls, a few hummers, and some little rather unspectacular passerines, like the Parrot-billed Seedeaters. A real surprise were for me the Collared Antshrikes.
Blue-footed Boobie
Red-footed Boobie
Nazca Boobie
Magnificient Frigatebirds
Fish-thief
Magnificient Frigatebirds
Brown Pelicans
Peruvian Pelican
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Pacific Pygmy-Owl
West-Peruvian Screech-Owl
Lesser Nighthawk
Amazilia Hummingbird
Pacific Parrotlet
Vermillion Flycatcher
Many, many Grey-breasted Martins

Concerning mammals there were some fruit-eating bats and a group of 4 always hung under a bush, where I got some funny pictures. There were of course the whales and in one place there were Grey Squirrels...
Fruit-eating Bats
Grey Squirrel



We got to see many humpback whales, doing cool maneuvers, but I only saw them jumping in the distance...

Reptiles were not very common but I found a few Green Iguanas and even two very young ones and once we were visited by a Boa Constrictor imperator, measuring about 50cm, which came out of the book corner and was brought outside...
Green Iguana
Green Iguana juveniles
Boa constrictor imperator


From fishes I can tell much more, as we went snorkeling twice and saw fish like Angelfish, Triggerfish, Parrotfish and a few others, but the Red Sea will always keep me spoiled concerning reef fish, so I wasn't so impressed. More impressing and also sad was the fish market of Puerto Lopez. They landed tons of manta rays and hammerhead sharks, which they said, were just in reproducing time and therefor everywhere. They caught thousands of them eventhough they are forbidden to be caught. It were just bycatches...
The fish they normally should catch were marlins, swordfishes, dorados, wahoos and other stuff like that, but those weren't caught as numerous, eventhough still in big numbers...
Wahoos
A fisherboat loaded with sharks, mantas and a few normal fish
Swordfish
Blowfish