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 Afternoon
- My Ecuador Species Count up to and including our arrival at the Sani Lodge jumps up to: 76 (52 lifers)
- Primary eBird Public Hotspots: Sani Lodge–Río Napo y entrada
For the next hour and a half, we sped along the broad, sediment‑rich Napo River, the wind warm against our faces and the forest rising in dense green walls on either side. Eventually the engine throttled down as we approached the transfer point where smaller, hand‑paddled canoes waited to take us the rest of the way. Just then, Liron called out with unmistakable excitement—three PIED PLOVERS were strutting along a sandy island bank, their crisp black‑and‑white plumage and bright orange legs glowing against the pale sand. This species is one of the most sought‑after birds in the region, and seeing a trio of them felt like an early gift from the Amazon.As we photographed them, Liron pointed skyward to an uncommon LESSER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE, its pale head and two‑toned wings circling effortlessly on the rising thermals.
Over the next four days, we would come to cherish the quiet serenity of these canoe rides—gliding silently through wetlands and narrow channels, the only sounds the dip of paddles and the distant calls of unseen birds. Our first approach to the lodge set the tone. The black‑water lagoon, framed by mangroves and dense vegetation, felt like an entrance to another world. As we neared the landing platform, a deep thunderclap rumbled across the sky, and dark clouds churned overhead. We stepped out of the canoes just as the first raindrops began to fall—gentle at first, then suddenly transforming into a pounding tropical deluge.
As we settled into the warm welcome at the lodge, I paused for a quiet moment, letting it sink in that I was finally standing in the Amazon lowlands—a place I had dreamed of since childhood. With no urban noise to intrude, the forest’s natural chorus rose around us in full clarity. As the afternoon wore on, we were assigned our cabins and given a bit of free time to explore the lodge grounds.
YELLOW-RUMPED CACIQUES flashed their bright lemon rumps as they darted into the nearby trees, their sharp, metallic calls ringing through the humid air. Smooth‑billed Anis, with their glossy black plumage and oversized ridged bills, clambered through the shrubs just below the windows, moving in loose, chatty groups like curious onlookers. From deeper in the canopy, RUSSET-BACKED OROPENDOLAS let out their bubbling, liquid calls, their rich chestnut backs flashing as they shifted among the branches like animated embers.
Right on the heels of the oropendolas, a BLACK-CAPPED DONACOBIUS appeared along the lagoon’s edge, its bold black crown and rich tawny body glowing in the soft Amazon light. It flicked its long tail in animated bursts, delivering its loud, duet‑like calls with theatrical flair—an unmistakable presence that seemed to command the reeds like a stage.
Moments later, RED-CAPPED CARDINALS lit up the scene with a flash of color so vivid it felt almost unreal. Their brilliant crimson heads blazed against a crisp white breast and glossy black wings, creating a striking contrast that drew the eye instantly. Perched confidently on a low branch, they seemed to pose in the open as if welcoming us to the Amazon with its own burst of tropical brilliance. Together, their voices wrapped around us completely, a living soundtrack announcing that we had truly arrived in the heart of the Amazon.
NEXT UP: EB#17 “Feathers from the Past: The Remarkable Hoatzin of Ecuador“
Additional Photographs and Video
Previous Ecuador Birding Blog Posts:
- 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 ForestEl 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.
- EB44 – Warm Light in a Cool World: The Cinnamon Flycatcher of San Isidro
A gentle, steady presence in the cloudforest, the Cinnamon Flycatcher became the quiet emblem of renewal—its warm glow and unhurried grace mirroring the author’s own return to clarity and grounding. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador. - EB43 – A New Day of Luck and Light at Cabañas San Isidro
After days of illness and frustration, a clear morning at San Isidro brought a surge of color, energy, and photographic inspiration, marking a joyful return to presence and purpose as the journey moved forward toward new wonders. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador. - EB42 – The Day the Photos Disappeared at Cabañas San Isidro
A day defined by illness, small mistakes, and the devastating loss of an entire set of photos ultimately became a story of resilience, perspective, and the quiet grace of getting a second chance in the Andes. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador. - EB41 – Same Jay, New World: Discovering the Inca Green Jay of Ecuador
A familiar species seen across the Americas becomes something astonishingly new in the Andes, where the “Inca” Green Jay reveals a deeper, richer, and more dramatic expression of a bird I thought I already knew. 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 
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