Soaring in the Andes

Since I haven't had time to process all the nice photos from the last week here in New Jersey, I am posting two from Parque Condor close to Otavalo in Ecuador. It is a raptor trust, where injured owls, eagles, and falcons are kept until they are healed and zoo birds live out their old age. The most amazing birds I saw there were the harpy eagle and king vulture. They have a show where they let falcons and eagles fly free, and that is what the photos show. It is an incredible place, and beautifully placed on a hill overlooking the Central Valley and Otavalo. It is run by a Dutch scientist and you can tell because it has great interpretive designs, clean bathrooms with toilet paper, and environmentally friendly programs for school children and close-by villages. Visit if you are in the area, it is worth the bumpy ride up the hill.