Birding with Alpacas in Ecuador

presented by Dan Kotter

Guest speaker Dr. Dan Kotter will recount his experiences birding in Ecuador at the September 14 Flathead Audubon meeting. The meeting begins at 7 PM, and will be available via Zoom and phone for those who wish to attend. (Check your inbox for the latest Pileated Post with the link for the meeting or email info@flatheadaudubon.org and we’ll get you the information.)

Dan’s tale is a mix of science and storytelling that involves avian and landscape ecology across the Andes, Amazon, and Southern Choco regions of Ecuador. He spent 5 months there as a volunteer for an NGO, helping with indigenous land restoration in the cloud forest in critical Andean Bear habitat. He spent half that time hiking and looking for new bird species in sub regions of the country, but sometimes the birds just find you. 

Dan has been working in the areas of ecology and cartography in Northwest Montana, Yellowstone, and Colorado for 13 years. He moved to Montana in 2007 after earning a degree in Geology. He has contributed to research on willows, beavers, grizzly bears, and fish in Montana.