Animal life in Mindo

Have you ever heard of a guatusa?  Imagine a mammal between the size of a guinea pig and small dog. Guatusas (agoutis in English) hang out near the house here in Mindo.  We couldn't get a good picture of one, but here's what they look like.  They are very shy.

There are also lots of poisonous snakes here.  One bit a horse the other day, and sadly, the horse is not going to make it.  We are very careful to walk around with boots and closed toed shoes.

On a brighter note, we see lots of great birds from our porch here.  Nevertheless, it was well worth it to get up early yesterday to see more birds with Santos, our guide.  During 3 hours walking near the house, we saw at least 30 species, some endemic to this area, some migratory.

We saw three kinds of toucans, and flocks of at least two kinds of parrots.  Another highlight was a large bird nicknamed, "lengua de vaca."

Birder friends, can you identify these birds photographed through a telescope?

We also saw a transparent butterfly.

By 9 am, we were back home, ready for coffee and naps.