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.
- EB53 – Back to the Cloudforest: A Gentle Afternoon at Guango Lodge
In October 2025, Jim Gain joined a birding tour in Ecuador, exploring its rich biodiversity and stunning landscapes over 14 days. The blog series chronicles his experiences with birds and nature. - 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.
>>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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