Loser like me....(posting from the road)

I doubt it’s a question most of you have, but I will answer it anyway. Birds, specifically the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock pick up dates at a lek – sort of a jungle discotheque if you will. I seemed silly to come all the way to the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest and not see their most infamous bird. The best way to see the bird in all of its silly looking glory is to rise at 0400 and hit the road.

We travelled about 20 min from lodge by four-wheel drive truck and then hiked another 40 min into the jungle. ‘Hike’ makes it seem so civilized...we walked on an overgrown path through tall grasses and thick mud, occasionally tripping on tree roots in the pitch black. We were outfitted with headlamps which did little to provide more than a light source to attract every giant moth and blood sucking insect from a 2 mile radius. Eventually Jorge turned to us and said “okay, here we wait”. I have no idea how he knew where here was but he got us some large leaves so we could try to sit upon the mud while we waited.

So we sat there...waiting for the sun to rise...all around us were horrible screeching noises – which gave me something to focus on and distract my mind from cycling through the variety of insects that I know were about to crawl on me.

Dawn eventually came and the “nightclub” came to life. Over 20 males flocked to the area and started to strut their stuff. The Cock-of-the-Rocks are large red, white and black birds (there is an orange variety as well) that attract females by dancing on the branches. They wiggle their behinds and bop their heads up and down to the beat of their own screech. Come to think of it, I dance very similar to this bird – which is precisely why I do not dance.

For the next hour we crawled through the muddy jungle, attempting to snap photos of this majestic bird pick up a mate. The club seems to only be open for about an hour with ‘last call’ coming just after 7 am. I am here to report that just like me, these birds went home alone – it seems we both need to develop some new dance moves.