Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
For many, the primary reason to visit Otavalo, a city about two hours from the Ecuadorean capital Quito, is to experience the largest indigenous market in South America. For me? To spend the better part of a day at the Parque Condór, a rescue and release bird center on a mountain ridge overlooking the city.
The center was founded in 2002 by a Belgian expat and has over the two-plus decades since been a rehabilitation center and sanctuary for several dozen raptor species that have, at one point or another, called the park home. The birds were either rescued from captivity or found injured in the wild, and brought to the Parque – none have been forcibly removed from their habitats. When I visited, its 20 aviaries accommodate several species of hawk, eagle and owl, along with the park’s namesake and Andean icon, the condor.
Above is a Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, a native of open regions of South America. A few minutes earlier, I saw and gawked at a Harpy Eagle for the first time. That isn’t likely to ever happen again.
The park and center rests in an attractive setting on the Pucará de Curyloma hill (2800m /9186ft), about five kilometers from Otavalo, with attractive views in all directions
Below are 49 portraits of 230 different raptors taken during a visit in 2015. If I ever make it back to Ecuador, I’ll be paying another visit. Getting so close to so many big beautiful birds was a unique opportunity, one I relished – I arrived early and stayed as late as I could.
The photos include: American Barn Owl, Andean Condor, Bald Eagle, Barred Hawk, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Great Horned Owl, Gray Hawk, Grey-backed Hawk, Harpy Eagle, Harris’s Hawk, Mottled Owl, Pacific Pygmy Owl, Rufous-banded Owl, Savanna Hawk, Solitary Eagle, Spectacled Owl, Stygian Owl, Tropical Screech Owl, Variable Hawk, and a White Hawk.
Photos are listed alphabetically – click on the photo to view it larger.
American Barn Owl (Tyto furcata)
American Barn Owl, , Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015American Barn Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus)
Andean Condor, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Andean Condor, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Andean Condor, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Andean Condor feet, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Bald Eagle, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Bald Eagle, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Bald Eagle, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Bald Eagle, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Barred Hawk (Morphnarchus princeps)
Barred Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Barred Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Barred Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Barred Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Great Horned Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Great Horned Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Gray Hawk (Buteo plagiatus)
Gray Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Gray Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Grey-backed Hawk (Pseudastur occidentalis)
Grey-backed Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja)
Harpy Eagle, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Harpy Eagle, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Harris’s Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus)
Harris’s Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Harris’s Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Harris’s Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Harris’s Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Harris’s Hawk juvenile, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Harris’s Hawk feet, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Mottled Owl (Strix virgata)
Mottled Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Mottled Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Pacific Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium peruanum)
Pacific Pygmy Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Pacific Pygmy Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Rufous-banded Owl (Strix albitarsis)
Rufous-banded Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Rufous-banded Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Savanna Hawk (Buteogallus meridionalis)
Savanna Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Savanna Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Solitary Eagle (Buteogallus)
Solitary Eagle, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Solitary Eagle, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata)
Spectacled Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Spectacled Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Stygian Owl (Asio stygius)
Stygian Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Stygian Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Tropical Screech Owl (Megascops choliba)
Tropical Screech Owl, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
Variable Hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma)
Variable Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015Variable Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
White Hawk (Pseudastur albicollis)
White Hawk, Parque Condor near Otavalo, Ecuador, 28 March 2015
I'm a reporter, photographer and researcher driven by passions for travel, culture and justice. I've visited 62 countries and write something and make pictures every day.
What an impressive collection, Bob! I was lucky to see the Andean Condor in Peru. They are magnificent. One of your other photos even shows a nictitating eye membrane. Awesome!
Where in Peru? I saw one in the wild in Chilean Patagonia, but from a very (very very) great distance. Yes, I noticed the membrane yesterday when I was sorting through these but forgot to note it in the caption. Will do so now. – thanks for the prompt.
Moving in. Watch your head. And look out for the birds.
This is BobRamsak.com, a public notebook by Bob Ramsak.
I’m a long-time journalist, photographer and researcher driven by passions for environmental, social and refugee justice. I’ve visited 62 countries and write something and make pictures (almost) every day. This site is a notebook and photolog where I track and (sometimes) comment on those interests, journal my travels and log my current obsessions. At the moment the most dominant one is my renewed passion for birding and bird photography.
This site primarily serves as a garden for my memories and experiences, which I hope visitors will find useful or of interest. If you find something helpful here, or have a thought or insight to add, please leave a comment or drop me a line to let me know. I’ll be delighted to make your acquaintance.
Fantastic collection!
What an impressive collection, Bob! I was lucky to see the Andean Condor in Peru. They are magnificent. One of your other photos even shows a nictitating eye membrane. Awesome!
Where in Peru? I saw one in the wild in Chilean Patagonia, but from a very (very very) great distance. Yes, I noticed the membrane yesterday when I was sorting through these but forgot to note it in the caption. Will do so now. – thanks for the prompt.
It was in the Colca Valley, near Chivay. I got a video of two condors with one feeding the other. Here’s a link to that video in my blog:
https://throughbrazilianeyes.com/condors/
The nictitating membrane is so cool to see. I’ve gotten a couple of instances here at home where I caught the membrane in a Red-Shouldered Hawk.
Fantastic post, full of excellence.
Wonderful haul