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.
- EB52 – High Hopes in High Places: A Visit to the Andes Páramo
The climb from Guango Lodge into the fog‑shrouded páramo unfolded as a dramatic journey through wind, altitude, and high‑Andean specialists—culminating in rare encounters, fleeting moments of luck, and a gradual descent back into the familiar embrace of the cloudforest. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador in October 2025 - EB51 – Back to the Feeders: New Colors in the Gardens of Guango Lodge
The lower gardens at Guango Lodge offered a gentle, intimate finale to the morning, where warblers, tanagers, thrushes, and a trio of hummingbirds created a quiet tapestry of color and motion. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador. - EB50 – Called From the Mist: Gray‑breasted Mountain‑Toucan at Guango
A steep climb above Guango Lodge led to an unforgettable encounter with Gray‑breasted Mountain‑Toucans and Pale‑naped Brushfinches. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador. - EB49 – Turquoise Jay: The Andean Jewel of Ecuador
At Guango Lodge, the Turquoise Jay’s explosive burst of color and the challenge of photographing its shifting blues transformed a rich morning of cloudforest birding into a defining moment that propelled us up the trail in search of the next Andean treasure. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador. - EB48 – Moth Lights and Mountain Birds: A New Chapter Begins at Guango Lodge
Arriving at Guango Lodge felt like entering a cooler, quieter Andean world where dawn birds and the forest’s layered rhythms created a timeless, living welcome woven from mist, movement, and the murmur of the Río Papallacta. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador. - EB47 – Ascending Into Mist and Mountain Air at Río Quijos EcoLodge
Climbing from El Quetzal toward Río Quijos, the day unfolded as a seamless blend of roadside surprises, river‑edge targets, and cloudforest color, each stop adding new species and renewed momentum as the journey pressed on toward Guango Lodge. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador.
>>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.
Reflections of the Natural World 
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