Ecuador is inch per inch (or centimeter per centimeter for the modern, metric crowd) one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth. It has something like 1,600 bird species, thousands of plant species, and an undetermined, ridiculous number of insect species.

One of the reasons that this small equator-straddling nation has so many species is because several major habitats (that are all biodiverse on their own) meet in Ecuador. For example, in the western part of the country, the extremely wet rain forests of the Choco bioregion reach their southern terminus and are replaced by the dry forests of the Tumbesian bioregion. These dry forests are restricted to western Ecuador and northwestern Peru and have become threatened due to deforestation.

One of the most important parks for protecting this type of habitat in Ecuador is Machalilla National Park. The large protected area reaches the coast near Puerto Viejo and is located near the eco-resort known as Alandaluz. Despite its costly sounding name, this hotel offers lodging for a wide variety of budgets and even welcomes the tent-carrying, camping crowd. Buildings at the lodge were constructed with driftwood from their beach and wood from sustainable forestry operations. They work at being as self sustainable as possible and thus make use of solar power and composting toilets (pretty important in this low-rain region).

They also employ a number of local people, some of whom work as guides when bringing guests to the nearby national park or their own private reserve that protects a very rare type of forest. One of the best things about this lodge, though, is their organic restaurant. The majority of the ingredients come right from on site organic gardens and the results are gourmet, absolutely delicious creations that are available for low prices!

Although you can’t swim on their beach (because of dangerous currents and rip tides), it plays host to a gorgeous sunset over the Pacific Ocean just about every evening.

People with an interest in the natural world tend to become birdwatchers rather than say bat watchers for the simple reason that birds are easier to see than other members of the animal kingdom. They are also popular to watch because many species make pleasant sounding noises (except for crows and peafowl), some sport brightly colored plumage, and most have evolved the enviable ability to fly.

This latter attribute also allows birds to migrate huge distances in a short amount of time during which they pass through areas not frequented at other times of the year. While they migrate, many of our feathered friends stick to following rivers and coastlines for navigation and because it’s safer than flying over the water. Because of this, migrating birds sometimes concentrate in huge numbers on peninsulas that are strategically situated in the areas they use for migration.

One of the most effective of the “migrant traps” is Point Pelee National Park in southern Ontario, Canada. This park is shaped like a funnel and it has the same affect on migrating birds as a funnel does for pouring liquid. In the Fall, scattered birds on their way south become more concentrated in numbers as they fly down the land mass of the point that becomes more and more narrow until a thin strip of sand juts south into Lake Erie. In the Spring, the point acts like a beacon of hope to huge numbers of birds that are tired and hungry from flying long distances.

The months of May and September are the best times of the year to visit the park and witness flocks of hundreds of small birds trooping through the woods as well as endless strings of ducks, cormorants, gulls, and terns that fly past the point. There are a number of picnic sites, various trails and marsh boardwalks, and because much of the point is closed to cars, the park is also a beautiful place to go biking or for a walk.