**Due to the high resolution quality of the images in this blog series it is highly recommended to
view posts in Landscape Mode on a desktop PC from the actual blogsite at Ecuador Birding**
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.
A Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain
DAY 5 – Mid-Afternoon
- 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
Soon it was time for our final late‑afternoon circuit around the lagoon. But before stepping into the canoe, I couldn’t resist photographing yet another Hoatzin—this one perched confidently on the thatched roof, its spiky crest and prehistoric profile making it look like a relic from another age.
We pushed off and glided into the flooded blackwater mangrove channels. This was a true auditory immersion. The forest around us pulsed with life: the chattering of Squirrel Monkeys leaping through the branches, the rich, bubbling duets of Black‑capped Donacobius, and the deep, resonant hoots of an Amazon Motmot, heard but never seen. The stillness of the canoe, the soft drip of water from the leaves, and the layered chorus of the forest created a moment that felt suspended in time—one of those rare experiences that imprint themselves forever.
As we emerged from the side channel, a Spot‑breasted Woodpecker posed beautifully on an open branch above the water, its spotted breast and bold facial stripes glowing in the late‑day light.
Off to our left, the lodge reflected perfectly in the calm lagoon, bathed in warm afternoon sun. It was a spectacular ending to our final afternoon at Sani Birding Lodge—a farewell wrapped in color, sound, and the quiet magic of the Amazon.
NEXT UP: EB#35 “Goodbye Amazon, Hello East Andes“
Additional Photographs and Video
Previous Ecuador Birding Blog Posts:
- EB53 – Back to the Cloudforest: A Gentle Afternoon at Guango 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. - EB52 – High Hopes in High Places: A Visit to the Andes Páramo
The climb from Guango Lodge into the fog‑shrouded páramo unfolded as a dramatic journey through wind, altitude, and high‑Andean specialists—culminating in rare encounters, fleeting moments of luck, and a gradual descent back into the familiar embrace of the cloudforest. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador in October 2025 - 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.
>>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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