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:

• 
  The Velvet‑purple Coronet and the Science of Color: A Field Photographer’s Reflection
  A quiet Gray Fox along the Stanislaus River offered a moment of Zen‑like stillness, blending natural history, resilience, and the calm grace of wildness moving at its own pace.
• 
  EB100 – Epilogue – Full of Wonder and Gratitude
  This epilogue looks beyond the individual bird highlights to the deeper meaning of the journey, capturing the wonder, gratitude, and renewed perspective that Ecuador left within me. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature.
• 
  EB99 – Ecuador – Favorite Images from the West Andes
  This epilogue looks beyond the individual bird highlights to the deeper meaning of the journey, capturing the wonder, gratitude, and renewed perspective that Ecuador left within me. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature.
• 
  EB98 – Ecuador – Favorite Images from the High Andes Páramo
  A visual tribute to the páramo, where the Andes reveal their rawest beauty and every moment feels carved from wind and light. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature.
• 
  EB97 – Ecuador – Favorite Images from the Eastern Andes
  A visual journey through the cool, moss‑laden slopes of the eastern Andes and the birds that define them. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature.
• 
  EB96 – Ecuador – Favorite Images from the Amazon Lowlands
  A collection of my favorite images from the Amazon Basin, where water, light, and life intertwine in one of the world’s most vibrant ecosystems. 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.
**Unless otherwise indicated in the image caption, all photographs (>99%) are mine.