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 5 – Lunchtime
- My Ecuador Species Count including the visit to El Retiro and San Roque jumps up to: 185 (130 lifers)
- Primary eBird Public Hotspot: Sani Lodge
The river felt strangely quiet after the surreal encounter with the Burrowing Owl—quiet in that charged, anticipatory way the Amazon sometimes adopts, as if the forest itself is holding its breath. We drifted downstream toward the small Kichwa community of San Roque, the morning light softening into a warm, amber haze. New birds—unusual birds—waited for us there, and the promise of discovery tugged us forward.
We stepped ashore onto firm ground and followed a narrow path toward the cluster of modest homes that marked the heart of San Roque. Beyond them, a web of footpaths threaded into the terra firme forest, its drier, elevated soils supporting a different cast of characters than the swampy igapó around Sani Lodge. It didn’t take long before the forest delivered: a pair of Lettered Aracaris materialized in the canopy, their pale bills etched with delicate black “script.” In this region, these small toucans often travel in loose family groups, slipping through the midstory like animated brushstrokes—colorful, curious, and always slightly mischievous.
A little farther on, a Spot-breasted Woodpecker worked its way along a long, sun-bleached snag. Even at a distance, its demeanor felt almost meditative. Each movement was slow and deliberate, as though the bird had all the time in the world and no intention of rushing through its morning routine.
The trail bent gently, and in the filtered light ahead, a pair of White-eared Jacamars perched like ornaments on a low branch. Their emerald bodies glowed against the shadows, and the crisp white ear patch—so striking in this species—seemed to catch and hold the light. Jacamars in this part of the Amazon often sit motionless for long stretches, waiting for the perfect moment to sally out after a passing insect, and these two were no exception: statues with a spark behind the eyes.
Liron’s voice cut through the stillness as he pointed out a Yellow-green Vireo, a true lifer for me in the photographic sense. I’d seen my first one decades ago at Point Reyes, but this was the first time I’d ever managed to capture one with a camera. A small victory, but a satisfying one. Moments later, the forest offered up a familiar silhouette: another Swallow-winged Puffbird, this time close enough—and cooperative enough—for a proper photograph.
Then came a perched Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, glaring down at us with all the intensity of a much larger raptor. Only later did I realize that a perfectly inconvenient stick crossed its face in every frame. The Amazon has a sense of humor.
While we admired a Dusky-headed Parakeet posing obligingly in the open, a shout went up—Hook-billed Kite overhead! I instinctively thought of Paz and Ernesto in Costa Rica and their remarkable work with this enigmatic species. The bird passed quickly, a brief silhouette against the pale sky, but enough to stir a rush of memory and admiration.
The forest continued to deal out surprises: a fleeting Common Squirrel-Cuckoo, a distant Orange-backed Troupial glowing like a spark in the canopy,
and then two final additions to the morning’s growing list. A Magpie Tanager, its bold black-and-white patterning as whimsical as its name, and a Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, clinging to a trunk like a tiny ember with wings.
By late morning the heat was beginning to build, and we turned the bow upstream toward Sani Lodge, expecting an easy glide back for lunch. But the swollen back channels had other plans. The recent rise in water levels had funneled fallen limbs and drifting debris into tight corridors, and soon we found ourselves nose‑to‑nose with a massive downed tree sprawled across the channel. Without a word, Carlos and Bladimir clambered past us—steadying themselves on gunwales and gear as they worked their way to the front of the canoe—machetes already in hand. In the humid stillness, the sharp ring of steel on wood echoed through the flooded forest as they carved a narrow passage through the tangle.
We held the canoe steady while they worked with the practiced confidence of men who know these waterways like an extension of their own bodies. Inch by inch, the blockade gave way, and soon we were slipping through the gap they’d opened, the forest closing behind us as if nothing had happened. Only then did the river release us back toward Sani Lodge, where lunch—and a chance to catch our breath—waited upriver.
NEXT UP: EB#33 “A Quiet Afternoon Spent Shooting on the Sani Lodge Grounds“
Additional Photographs
Previous Ecuador Birding Blog Posts:
- EB31b – An Avian Hodgepodge of Misplaced Species at San Roque
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. - EB31 – Unexpected Sentinel: Burrowing Owl on a Floating Forest Island
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. - EB30 – Napo River Wings: Skimmers, Screamers and Other Surprises
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. - EB29 – Navigating the Flooded River on Our Way Back to El Retiro
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. - EB28b – An Afternoon of Soft Rainforest Harmonies Around the Lodge – Part 2
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. - EB28a – An Afternoon of Soft Rainforest Harmonies Around the 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.
>>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