Presentation: Geographic Good Fortune: Birding 3 Faunal Zones in Ecuador - Karen Dostal

The small South American country of Ecuador presents bird lovers with unique opportunities to visit no less

than 8 different geographic zones along with the birds associated with these areas. Ecuador, with Columbia to

the north and Peru to the south, only the size of the state of Colorado, is divided by the Equator and sharply

divided by the Andes Mountains, creating faunal zones that support bird diversity of over 1500 species.

During the winter of 2024, Karen Dostal had the great fortune to travel to Ecuador with her husband Mark and

friends Sheldon and Trish. Scuba diving for a week in the Galapagos was followed by land tours on 6 of the

islands snorkeling, birding and wildlife watching. They were so fortunate to see the most northern flock of

penguins along with many other of the endemic birds of the Galapagos.

While visiting the Galapagos was the initial reason for the trip, the “might-as-wells” of trip planning took over.

As in, “we might as well see the Ecuadorian Amazon and the Andes, too!”

The group stayed at Napo Wildlife Center in Yasuni National Park within the Ecuadorian Amazon. The park is

at the center of a small zone where amphibian, bird, mammal, and plant diversity all reach their maximum

levels in the western hemisphere. Colorful birds were abundant!

Traveling to and from both regions took them through the capital of Quito, located at over 9,000 feet in

elevation in the Andes Mountains. Along with seeing some of the historic places in Quito, Karen was able to

bird in Yanacocha preserve in the Andean cloud-forest north of Quito. Many lifers were logged along with a

surprising number of hummingbirds including the Sapphire-vented Puffleg.

When not traveling, but wishing she was, Karen spends her time on their small farm in Custer, WI with her

husband Mark, a couple of goats and a big garden. She devotes time to gardening, hiking, biking, swimming,

cross-country skiing and generally playing outside. Her indoor pursuits include reading, weaving and playing

music. She earned her BS in education and her MS in Environmental Education from UWSP. Karen has

served on the board of the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society board since 1999 and is the current President. She

has taught many, many children in the classroom and in her role as the Director of the Boston School Forest

about the environment, ecology and the love of nature.

Join Karen as she takes us on her wonderful adventures during our first program of the 2024-25 season! ALAS

programs for the 2024-25 season will continue to be hybrid with the in-person presentation held at the Lincoln

Center (1519 Water St., Stevens Point, Wisconsin) and available to view remotely live via Zoom. To view via

Zoom, register at https://tinyurl.com/ALAS2024Sept. Find this link on our website under the Events-Presentations tab.