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 – Late Afternoon
- My Ecuador Species Count including the entire day at Sani Lodge and Canopy Tower jumps up to: 162 (85 lifers)
- Primary eBird Public Hotspots: Sani Lodge
Thus far we had managed to dodge the unpredictable major Amazonian showers, or at least get our rain gear on before the skies opened. But as we neared the lodge, a deep crack of thunder rolled overhead, and dark clouds gathered with unmistakable intent. We quickened our pace for the final hundred meters, the first drops beginning to fall just as the landing platform came into view. We stepped onto the boards only seconds before the sky unleashed its full fury—a roaring wall of rain that hammered the lagoon and drowned out every other sound. Grateful for our narrow escape from yet another torrential downpour, we watched as a canoe farther out on the water paddled desperately toward the dock, its passengers completely exposed and getting thoroughly soaked before they could reach shelter.
While we relaxed at the lodge—snacking on popcorn, sipping tropical drinks, and listening to the rain pulse on and off against the thatched roof—we still managed to add a few more treasures to our growing collection of bird photographs. A pair of SOUTHERN LAPWINGS strutted boldly across the open lawn, their striking black‑and‑white faces and sharp, metallic calls giving them an air of perpetual indignation. SMOOTH-BILLED ANIS gathered in loose, sociable clusters, their glossy black plumage and oversized ridged bills making them look like a troupe of curious, slightly disheveled onlookers.
A lively LESSER KISKADEE perched nearby, its bright yellow belly and crisp black‑and‑white facial pattern glowing even under the muted, rain‑washed light. From the edge of the lagoon, a magnificent WHITE-TROATED TOUCAN appeared, its enormous bill and bold contrast of black, white, and lemon‑yellow making it look like a living emblem of the Amazon. And then, as if to crown the moment, one of my top target birds—the VIOLACEOUS JAY—swooped in, its deep indigo plumage shimmering with purples and blues that seemed to shift with every movement. It was the perfect finale to a rain‑soaked afternoon at the lodge.
By this time, exhaustion had settled over all of us—a pleasant, satisfied tiredness earned through a full day of exploration. Still, none of us were quite ready to retreat to our cabins. We gathered for a few minutes at the bar, raising a quiet toast as the sun slipped behind the treetops and the nocturnal chorus began to rise: frogs trilling, insects buzzing, and distant night birds calling from the darkness. It was the perfect ending to a long Amazonian day.
NEXT UP: EB#25 “Avian Action en Route to the Sani Canopy Tower“
Additional Photographs and Video
Previous Ecuador Birding blog posts will be linked below.
- EB73 – Colors in the Canopy: Meeting the Toucan Barbet at Tandayapa
A single, resonant call drew us from the moth‑light quiet into the vivid presence of the Toucan Barbet, a cloudforest icon whose bold colors and commanding voice anchored the entire morning in unforgettable brilliance. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature. - EB72 – Drawn to the Flame: Photographing New Birds at Tandayapa’s Moth Light
At dawn beneath the moth lights at Tandayapa Lodge, we shifted from the previous night’s flash‑photography lessons into a challenging but magical low‑light session that revealed a Three‑striped Warbler and a quartet of Funariidae woodcreepers and treehunters. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature. - EB71 – Freezing Wings in Mid‑Air: An Afternoon Flash Photography Class
Our late afternoon at Tandayapa Lodge transformed into a masterclass in high‑speed flash photography, where we learned to freeze hummingbirds in mid‑air and reveal details the human eye could never catch on its own. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature. - EB70 – Behind the Scenes: My Photo Processing Process — From Download to Gallery Display
This behind‑the‑scenes look walks through my complete post‑processing workflow—from organized hard‑drive folders and Lightroom edits to eBird documentation and SmugMug gallery uploads—showing how each image travels from field capture to final presentation. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature. - EB69 – Illuminating the Iridescence: Hummingbirds of Tandayapa Lodge Through Forest Light
A late‑afternoon return to Tandayapa Lodge offered the perfect chance to capture hummingbirds in their natural light—iridescence glowing, wings blurring, and the cloud‑forest atmosphere turning every moment into a fleeting spark of color. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature. - EB68 – More Colorful Songbirds at Guaycapi
As the hummingbirds faded into the background, a fresh wave of brilliantly colored tanagers swept through Guaycapi Lodge, setting the stage for an afternoon of dazzling forest jewels 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.
Leave a Reply