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 #3
“First Light Birding at Puembo Birding Garden“
A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain
DAY 1 – Early Morning
- My Ecuador Species Count up to now: 0 (0 lifers)
- Primary eBird Hotspot: Puembo Birding Garden
As I got dressed, the first birds of the trip announced themselves outside my window: Rufous-collared Sparrows with their sweet, whistled songs, and the soft, inquisitive calls of Southern Beardless-Tyrannulets. When I stepped outside, ready to begin the day, I met Mercedes and Alex, my birding partner for the day—and once again had to be gently shushed for being too loud at such an early hour. It turned out our driver had mixed up the pickup time, so we had a little while to explore while breakfast was being prepared.
I wandered the grounds to get my bearings. At one point I followed the wrong path and ended up somewhere guests weren’t supposed to be, but after a quick correction I retreated to the beautiful patio area. It held a long dining table, comfortable chairs, and a small library of bird field guides and local natural history books.
Beyond the patio, the garden opened into a lush mix of shrubs and flowering plants, dotted with hummingbird feeders, whole‑seed feeders, and cracked‑corn trays. The flowers, though, seemed to be the real draw for the hummingbirds.
The first bird I saw—and photographed—was a SPARKLING VIOLETEAR, shimmering emerald and violet as it hovered from bloom to bloom. It was remarkably vocal, giving its sharp, metallic calls as it worked every flower on every bush.
Next came a familiar friend: a BLUE-GRAY TANAGER, drawn to the bananas on the fruit feeders. I’d seen this species many times in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Costa Rica, but it was still a welcome sight.
Alex pointed me toward the cracked‑corn feeders at the back of the garden, where several EARED DOVES and CROAKING GROUND DOVES were feeding. Their soft coos and low, frog‑like calls blended into the morning air.
Soon they were joined by a small flock of SAFFRON FINCHES, their bright yellow plumage glowing against the cool Andean morning.
The day had barely begun, and already the birds were delivering.
NEXT UP: Unofficial Sidetrip to Zuro Loma
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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