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
Our return to Sani Lodge was briefly delayed by a fallen tree blocking the narrow waterway back to the lagoon—a side effect of the recent downpours. Carlos and Vladimir made quick work of it with their machetes, and soon we were gliding back toward the lodge for an afternoon break.
Of course, I wasn’t one to sit idle. I wandered the grounds photographing whatever rainforest creatures presented themselves: the Orion Cecropian with its bold eye spots, the Ruddy Daggerwing with its warm coppery tones, the Many‑banded Daggerwing with its intricate striped wings, and the luminous Sunset Daggerwing, glowing like embers in the soft light.
A cluster of day‑roosting Proboscis Bats clung beneath a sheltered beam, their long snouts and compact bodies arranged in a neat, orderly row.
Eventually I found a few minutes to stop by the bar, where a small bowl of fresh popcorn made the perfect companion to the steady hum of life around the lodge—simple, salty, and delicious.
Soon, Liron gathered our cozy group and led us back along the forest path to check whether the Crested Owls were still roosting in their hidden alcove. The trail had grown considerably muddier, but with the rain finally stopped and the light filtering softly through the canopy, the forest felt renewed. Even with the improved conditions, photographing the owls was no easy task—tangles of branches and looping vines formed a natural curtain around them.
But when we finally found the pair, they were breathtaking. Their tall, sweeping ear tufts, deep chestnut facial discs, and solemn, heavy‑lidded expressions gave them an almost mythical presence, as if carved from the forest itself. A spectacular pair indeed.
NEXT UP: EB#33 “A Quiet Afternoon Spent Shooting on the Sani Lodge Grounds“
Additional Photographs and Video
Previous Ecuador Birding Blog Posts:
- 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. - 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.
>>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