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

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 for a photography-focused tour. This blog series highlights the animals (mostly birds), people and locations we encountered over the 14 full days in this beautiful land.

• My Ecuador Species Count including Mirador y Restaurante Guaycapi jumps up to: 63 (45 lifers)
• Primary eBird Public Hotspots: Restaurante Mirador Guaycapi

DAY 1 – Early Afternoon

With its open‑air terrace overlooking a lush valley where hummingbird feeders, fruit stations, and flowering shrubs were to draw a constant parade of dazzling birds the Mirador y Restaurante Guaycapi did not disappoint. The first birds that caught my attention were those arriving at the fruit feeding stations. ORANGE-BELLIED EUPHONIAS appeared first, their compact bodies glowing with a rich golden‑yellow belly that contrasted beautifully against their glossy blue backs. They moved with quick, purposeful hops, their sweet, whistled calls adding a cheerful soundtrack to the morning.

Soon after, both BLACK-CAPPED TANAGERS and GOLDEN TANAGERS joined the feast. The Black‑capped carried a subtle elegance, their turquoise bodies shimmering in the light, capped by a neat black hood that gave them a dignified air. The Golden Tanagers, by contrast, were pure brilliance—radiant yellow plumage edged with black markings, like living flames darting among the branches.

Back at the hummingbird feeders, the show intensified. As GREEN-CROWNED BRILLIANTS flashed familiar brilliance, their shimmering green crowns and bold white leg puffs reminding me of encounters in Costa Rica, now rekindled in this Andean setting. Alongside them, FAWN-BREASTED BRILLIANTS hovered with a quiet confidence, their warm buffy underparts glowing against emerald backs, a new species for me and a delight to watch.

Next came the diminutive ANDEAN EMERALD, a small hummingbird with a glowing green body and snowy white underparts, darting in and out of the feeders with delicate precision. Following close behind was the PURPLE-THROATED WOODSTAR, tiny and bumblebee‑like, its rapid wingbeats producing a soft hum as its throat flashed violet in the shifting light.

NEXT UP: EB#12 “More Feathered Encounters at Mirador Guaycapi“

Additional Photographs

Previous Ecuador Birding Blog Posts:

• 
  EB56 – The High Andes Unfold: Our First Moments at Tambo Cóndor
  Our arrival at Tambo Cóndor unfolded as the high Andes revealed themselves in sweeping ridges, sharp light, and the first flashes of local specialists—Sparkling Violetear, Shining Sunbeam, and Cinereous Conebill—welcoming us into a landscape shaped by wind, altitude, and vast silence. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador.
• 
  EB55 – Leaving Guango Behind: Birds, Volcanoes, and the Long Drive to Tambo Cóndor
  A quiet final morning at Guango Lodge eased us from the familiar rhythm of cloudforest birds into a dramatic high‑Andean crossing, where stark volcanic landscapes and sweeping vistas carried us toward the cliffs of Tambo Cóndor and the promise of a new chapter in the journey. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador.
• 
  EB54 – Life in the Whitewater: Torrent Ducks of the Papallacta River
  A breathless, high‑altitude chase along the river turned into a triumphant, hard‑won encounter with Torrent Ducks, ending the day at Guango Lodge with the exhilaration of finally photographing one of the trip’s most coveted species. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador.
• 
  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.

>>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.
**Unless otherwise indicated in the image caption, all photographs (>99%) are mine.