Frigatebird

We had 2.5 hours in the bus to the coast where we got a boat through mangrove delta looking at birds before running the gauntlet of swarms of mosquitoes when we went ashore on a very swampy island. Despite deet on body and clothes we all got covered in bites. It was due to it being high tide when we went ashore.

A quick walk through the swarm took us to the area with over 6000 nesting and mating frigate birds. The males puffed up to show a big red throat area, while the females were quite undistinguished in appearance, though more elegant.

As the tide had gone out considerably by the time we got back to the boat, it was quite a mission to get back on board as we had to negotiate the mud, cling to trees and brave the mozzies as we swung ourselves across the mangrove roots. On the way back up the delta we saw some blue-footed boobies and a bottle-nose dolphin playing. Near the jetty young men were diving down beside long poles to collect clams.

Before the long drive back to Guayaquil we visited a beach for a quick dip in the Pacific.

I decided on the male Frigatebird for my blip rather than my 10 mozzie bites per square inch of my body.