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 3 – Early Morning
- My Ecuador Species Count up to and including our exploration of El Retiro jumps up to: 110 (75 lifers)
- Primary eBird Public Hotspots: Sani Lodge
The accommodations at Sani Lodge were nothing short of extraordinary—comfortable, thoughtfully designed, and seamlessly woven into the surrounding rainforest. Before dawn had even begun to lighten the sky, we gathered for an early breakfast and then pushed away from the landing platform, our canoes gliding silently across the still blackwaters of the Challuacocha Lagoon. The forest around us rose in dense, towering walls of vegetation dominated by evergreen, flood‑adapted trees like Eschweilera and Macrolobium, their roots gripping the waterlogged soil, while palms such as Astrocaryum and Mauritia arched overhead like cathedral pillars.
As we paddled toward the Mama Lucy, a larger powered river boat waiting to take us deeper into the Amazon, a LESSER KISKADEE burst into view along the water’s edge. Its bright lemon‑yellow belly glowed against the dark tangle of branches, while its crisp black‑and‑white facial mask gave it a sharp, alert expression. It flitted low over the reeds with quick, buoyant wingbeats, calling out in short, energetic notes that matched its lively presence. Not far away, the GREAT KISKADEES made their size and confidence known—larger, bolder, and louder than their smaller cousins, their voices carrying easily across the lagoon as if to remind us who truly ruled the riverside perches.
At the far end of the lagoon, we transferred from the canoes back onto the speedy Mama Lucy and began heading upstream along the broad Napo River, with several birding stops planned along the way. Our first destination was the small Sani community of El Retiro. Just as we approached the landing, movement on a sandbar caught our attention. A pair of YELLOW-HEADED CARACARAS stood alert at the water’s edge, their pale golden heads and streaked bodies giving them a sharp, inquisitive look as they scanned the shoreline for prey. Nearby, a stately COCOI HERON waited in elegant stillness, its tall, slate‑gray form and striking black crown reflected perfectly in the shallow water. It was a serene Amazonian tableau—predators and waders sharing the morning calm as we eased toward the dock.
The “community” of El Retiro turned out to be little more than a pair of modest houses tucked along a narrow footpath—the same path local children used each day to reach their school. Yet despite its simplicity, the area felt distinct from the river’s edge. Because it sat on slightly higher ground, the vegetation shifted noticeably: palms rose in scattered clusters, and the understory held a different mix of shrubs and vines than the floodplain below.
As we explored, a LINEATED WOODPECKER hammered loudly on a trunk, its bold red crest and zebra‑striped face giving it a fierce, almost prehistoric presence. Overhead, flocks of RED-BELLIED MACAWS swept past in tight formation, their green bodies and chestnut bellies flashing as they cut across the sky with sharp, purposeful wingbeats. High in the emerald hush of the canopy, a pair of ORANGE-WINGED AMAZONS flashed into view, their jade-green bodies ignited by sudden bursts of tangerine as they flew, revealing colors meant only for motion. They perched briefly together, exchanging soft, intimate calls before lifting off in perfect synchrony, their voices and wingbeats echoing through the rainforest.
After some determined searching, we finally located a GREATER ANI, its glossy blue‑black plumage and long, keel‑shaped bill making it look both elegant and slightly mischievous as it posed obligingly for us.
We climbed back aboard the Mama Lucy and continued upstream, crossing the river toward Yasuní National Park.
NEXT UP: EB#20 “Yasuni’s Colorful Chaos at the Parrot Licks“
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 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.
>>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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