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 #7
“And Still More Hummingbirds”

A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain

DAY 1 – Mid-Morning

• My Ecuador Species Count including Zuro Loma jumps up to: 38 (30 lifers)
• Primary eBird Hotspot: Reserva Zuro Loma

The morning continued to unfold with a sense of quiet wonder as we took in the emerald embrace of the cloud forest. Mist clung to the branches, drifting in soft veils across the valley, while the distant silhouette of Pichincha Volcano rose like a sentinel above the horizon. I took a moment to pause, breathing in the damp, earthy air and letting my eyes wander across the vast beauty of this landscape—a living tapestry of moss‑laden trees, tangled vines, and blossoms glowing against the gray light.

And then, as if the forest itself wished to punctuate the moment, a SHINING SUNBEAM burst into view. Our sixth hummingbird of the day, it landed boldly on a perch in full sunlight, its coppery wings igniting with a metallic brilliance that shimmered like fire. For a heartbeat, the bird seemed to hold the entire scene together—the volcano, the mist, the forest, and our own astonishment—reminding us that in places like this, wonder arrives not in grand gestures, but in sudden flashes of color and life.

Its plumage glowed copper and bronze in the muted light, as if lit from within—an ember against the cool green of the forest. It hovered briefly, catching the light in a way that seemed almost supernatural. The name felt perfectly chosen, not just for its radiant colors but for the way it appeared—suddenly, brilliantly, and then vanished like a beam of sunlight slipping through the clouds.

It was immediately chased off by a COLLARED INCA, which swept in like a feathered thunderbolt. The Inca didn’t just arrive—it claimed the perch with the confidence of a bird that knows it rules these high‑Andean feeders. Its inky‑black plumage absorbed the dim light, making the crisp white collar around its neck blaze even brighter, like a ceremonial sash worn by a mountain monarch. With each sharp, decisive movement, it radiated a kind of regal authority, wings flicking with the impatience of a creature unaccustomed to sharing. For a moment, the entire clearing seemed to revolve around it.

After another round of admiring the valley and the distant volcano, we picked up yet another new hummingbird—SPECKLED HUMMINGBIRD—a small, subtly marked species with fine white speckles across its throat and chest, blending beautifully with the dappled light of the forest.

It was a morning of magic—of rare birds, fleeting glimpses, and the quiet thrill of being exactly where you were meant to be.

Just then, Edwin called out, “GORGETED SUNANGEL! Quick, come photograph it! This is a rarity here—it normally doesn’t come this high.” I happened to be standing in exactly the right place and managed to capture a series of shots.

The bird was dazzling—its throat ablaze with fiery magenta, its compact body shimmering with violet and green. It perched for just a moment, a jewel against the mossy backdrop, before vanishing into the canopy.

And then the call rang out, “Black-breasted Puffleg!“

NEXT UP: EB#8 “The Critically Endangered Black-breasted Puffleg“

Additional Photographs and Video

Previous Ecuador Birding Blog Posts:

• 
  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.
• 
  EB46 – El Quetzal Bosque Protegido: Songbirds of the Afternoon
  An afternoon walk through El Quetzal revealed a calmer, more contemplative side of the forest, where understated songbirds and familiar species offered quiet beauty and character before the journey carried us onward toward new habitats and fresh surprises. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador.
• 
  EB45 – Midday Birding Adventures in the El Quetzal Protected Forest
  El Quetzal Bosque Protegido unfolded as a lush, hummingbird‑filled sanctuary where the cloudforest’s color, motion, and quiet magic set the stage for a vibrant midday interlude before the forest shifted toward an entirely new cast of characters. 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.