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. This blog series highlights the animals (mostly birds), people and locations we encountered over the 14 full days in this beautiful land.
DAY 2 – Early Morning
- My Ecuador Species Count including this morning at Puembo Garden jumps up to: 66 (48 lifers)
- Primary eBird Public Hotspots: Puembo Birding Garden
The first light of morning began beneath the familiar veil of light showers and brooding gray skies—weather that had already become a defining rhythm of the trip. There was a charged stillness in the air—a sense of anticipation so tangible it felt almost electric—as if the forest itself were holding its breath, waiting for us to begin our descent. After days in the thin, windswept heights, the promise of warm, humid air rising from the lowlands carried its own thrill, stirring a mix of excitement, curiosity, and quiet awe. It was the kind of morning that made you feel wide awake in every sense, ready to step into the unknown and let the Amazon reveal its secrets one layer at a time.
After another wonderful breakfast prepared by Mercedes, I found myself with a few quiet minutes to wander her garden, camera in hand, hoping to capture whatever birds might appear before our ride to the airport. A WESTERN EMERALD hummingbird hovered like a tiny shard of green fire, its iridescent plumage flashing brilliantly each time it pivoted in the dim morning light. Nearby, a small group of SHINY COWBIRDS strutted across the lawn, their glossy purple‑black feathers catching the faintest hints of color even under the overcast sky.
Then one of my target species emerged—the SCRUB TANAGER, a subtly beautiful bird whose soft blue‑gray tones and warm buff highlights seemed perfectly suited to the quiet, misty garden.
Before long, the vans arrived and we loaded our gear for the short ride to Mariscal Sucre International Airport. The morning felt unhurried yet full of anticipation, as if the day were quietly gathering momentum. Soon we were airborne, lifting away from the high Andean valley for a quick thirty‑minute flight eastward. Our destination was the Francisco de Orellana Airport in the town of Coca—gateway to the vast Amazon Basin and the next chapter of our adventure.
Since no roads reach the Sani Isla community deep in the Amazon lowlands, our journey continued with a short drive to the river dock, where members of the Sani community greeted us warmly. They moved with practiced efficiency, helping load our luggage and gear onto the Mama Lucy, the long, narrow river vessel that serves as the main transport for travelers heading down the Napo.
The boat—steady, powerful, and unmistakably part of life on this great river—would carry us from Puerto Francisco de Orellana (Coca) downstream toward Sani Isla and the renowned Sani Birding Lodge.
NEXT UP: EB#16 “The Mama Lucy and Canoe Transit to Sani Birding Lodge“
Additional Photographs and Video
Previous Ecuador Birding Blog Posts:
- 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. - 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.
>>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.
Reflections of the Natural World 
Leave a comment