Ecuador Birding – Where Every Feather Tells a Story
From October 26, 2025 through November 8, 2025 I joined 5 other adventurers and an outstanding photographer and birding guide (Liron Gertsman) with Eagle-Eye Tours to Ecuador. This blog series highlights the animals (mostly birds), people and locations we encountered over the 14 full days in this beautiful land.
*Unless otherwise indicated in the image caption, all photographs (>99%) are mine.
**Best when viewed on full computer screen**
Ecuador Birding: Blog Post #2
“An Airport Welcome and Arrival at Puembo Birding Garden“
A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain
DAY 1 – MIDNIGHT
I knew that Mercedes, our host at Puembo Birding Gardens, had arranged for someone to pick me up from the airport, but after such a long travel day—and with no familiarity with the Quito airport—I wasn’t entirely sure how the handoff would work. All of that uncertainty evaporated the moment I stepped out of Immigration with my bag in tow. The very first person I saw was holding a large sign that read simply: “Jim Gain.” Just like that, every lingering anxiety dissolved. From here on out, it was all adventure.
My driver, Jorge, was warm and talkative, and despite the late hour I peppered him with questions about the city and especially about Puembo, where the Birding Garden Boutique was located. He told me about one of the neighborhood’s charming quirks: the flowerpot walls—macetas—lining the streets, each one overflowing with color.
In my pre‑trip research I had learned that Puembo Birding Garden sits in the Interandean Valley at nearly 2,500 meters (7,900 feet), a small, nature‑focused lodge designed specifically for birders and naturalists who want a peaceful, bird‑rich base close to the airport. Beautiful as it was, based on my research, I also knew the garden itself wasn’t large enough to occupy my camera for more than an hour or so. A friend familiar with the area had suggested that I consider a side trip for our first free morning before the official tour began that evening. With that in mind, I reached out to the other participants, and Alex Volkoff immediately jumped at the idea of a bonus adventure. Mercedes arranged for a birding guide and driver to take us to Zuro Loma Reserve at dawn.
When Jorge and I first pulled into the lodge, Mercedes’ daughter Kelly greeted us—though she had to shush me almost immediately, as my late‑night enthusiasm wasn’t exactly compatible with the sleeping guests. By the time I settled into my room it was a little after 1 a.m., and I knew I’d be up again in less than four hours.
I fell asleep instantly, only to wake before my alarm, buzzing with anticipation.
NEXT UP: First Light Birding at Puembo Birding Garden
Previous Ecuador Birding blog posts will be linked below.
- EB72 – Drawn to the Flame: Photographing New Birds at Tandayapa’s Moth Light
At dawn beneath the moth lights at Tandayapa Lodge, we shifted from the previous night’s flash‑photography lessons into a challenging but magical low‑light session that revealed a Three‑striped Warbler and a quartet of Funariidae woodcreepers and treehunters. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature. - EB71 – Freezing Wings in Mid‑Air: An Afternoon Flash Photography Class
Our late afternoon at Tandayapa Lodge transformed into a masterclass in high‑speed flash photography, where we learned to freeze hummingbirds in mid‑air and reveal details the human eye could never catch on its own. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature. - EB70 – Behind the Scenes: My Photo Processing Process — From Download to Gallery Display
This behind‑the‑scenes look walks through my complete post‑processing workflow—from organized hard‑drive folders and Lightroom edits to eBird documentation and SmugMug gallery uploads—showing how each image travels from field capture to final presentation. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature. - EB69 – Illuminating the Iridescence: Hummingbirds of Tandayapa Lodge Through Forest Light
A late‑afternoon return to Tandayapa Lodge offered the perfect chance to capture hummingbirds in their natural light—iridescence glowing, wings blurring, and the cloud‑forest atmosphere turning every moment into a fleeting spark of color. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature. - EB68 – More Colorful Songbirds at Guaycapi
As the hummingbirds faded into the background, a fresh wave of brilliantly colored tanagers swept through Guaycapi Lodge, setting the stage for an afternoon of dazzling forest jewels This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature. - EB67 – Brilliants, Woodstars, Coronets and More: A Hummingbird Spectacle at Guaycapi
A late‑morning surge of iridescent wings transformed Guaycapi Lodge into a living kaleidoscope, as a vibrant wave of hummingbirds swept in to claim the stage just moments after the tanagers faded into the canopy. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature.
>>Ecuador Birding Blog Home Page Link https://reflectionsofthenaturalworld.com/ecuador-birding/
*This Ecuador Birding blog post was shaped and polished with the assistance of Microsoft Copilot, helping bring clarity and a consistent flow to my field notes and dictated memories.
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