Adventures on Isla Corazon

Monday morning, we set sail for Isla Corazon. OK, that’s not accurate… no sailboats involved. We took a taxi with our guide from downtown Bahia to the launch area on the other side of the Chone River. Isla Corazon (Heart Island) is farther inland in the middle of the Chone River, in an area where the salt water from the ocean and the freshwater coming down the Chone River met and mix. This condition creates an environment where mangrove trees flourish and the sea birds roost.

We had to wait about an hour because two last minute guests were joining us (two young women from France who were on their last week of a four month trek thru Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Ecuador). The launching point had a nice covered area with hammocks, so Phillip and I watched the local birds and the people come and go while we waited. Also, our guide showed us a video about the ecological impact of cutting down the mangrove forests, something that has happened in Ecuador in the past.

Shortly before 10 am, we loaded into a motorized boat and towed canoes across the river to the island. Probably because of the current and distance, the guides don’t paddle us over to the island. Once we arrived near the island, the two French women, Phillip, and I transferred into a canoe with our guide, Francisco.  I think he put us in by weight to balance to canoe, and I ended up in the front of the canoe, an excellent vantage point to video our journey thru the mangroves. I got a picture of our group by holding the camera over my head and shooting back.

We began seeing the birds even before Fransisco paddled the canoe into an opening in the mangroves.  These long-legged white ones were on the west side of the island.

This is the opening that was cut thru the island for the canoes. Because it was closer to high tide, the canoe could navigate the entire distance. As we entered the canoe channel, the trees closed around us.

Sometimes, the canopy of branches opened up and we could see the sky, but most of the time, it was as if we were in a living tunnel. Crabs scurried along the tree branches. We could hear the birds moving thru, but couldn’t always see them because the mangroves were so dense. And the mangrove trees!

Their roots are branches that go down into the water like hundreds of legs.  I expected them to start chasing after us. Francisco didn’t talk much on this part of the trip, as he didn’t want to disturb the birds overhead and nearby. It was a fascinating adventure  thru the island.

When we came out on the other side, we saw the birds, hundreds of huge birds nesting in the mangrove trees. The frigate birds were easy to spot because of their size and black and white or black and red colorings and markings. Red-throated frigates roosted on this island. The males have the red throat, and they puff it out to attract the female frigates. The more colorful and larger the puffed out throat is, the more desirable he is to the ladies. You can see some Brad Pitt-ish frigates and some Steve Buscemi-ish frigates in the following series of pictures.

After visiting the frigate area, we got back in the motorized boat and went around the island, passing the pelican roosting area. I guess they don’t mind the noise of the boat motor, as they didn’t leave their trees.  I looked for Big Bird, but none of these birds were yellow. They were big enough to be him, just the wrong color.

The motor boat took us to a dock on the island. From the dock, Franscico led us along an elevated wood walkway thru the mangroves. Here, he explained the difference between the mangrove root types. The tree grows up from the roots in the water and mud, but it also sends out “air roots” which are like small branches that grow down, but break off when they hit the water or mud. These air roots don’t have leaves like the branches that grow up. Rather they act as roots, getting the nutrients from the air. We also had an opportunity to plant a mangrove by dropping one of their torpedo-shaped seedlings into the mud.

At the end of the walkway was an observation area. A family of bats lived under the roof. They sounded upset with us because the group took pictures and the flashes made them mad. However, they just put their furry little arms across their eyes and ignored us. Along this trek thru the mangrove forest, we saw these clumps attached to the trees. The clumps averaged about two feet across, and some were bigger than that. Franscico said they were termite colonies. When we ate lunch back at the launch area, we did see evidence of termite infestation in the bamboo covering the patio, hundreds of tiny holes in the bamboo poles.  After our traditional lunch of shrimp, rice, and salad (no soup this time), we returned by taxi to Bahia with the French women.

We enjoyed this day’s adventures, especially the spooky mangroves and the fascinating red-throated frigates.