**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:
- EB74 – When Color Rules the Canopy: Encounters with Rufous Motmot
A long‑awaited encounter in the dim understory finally delivered the Rufous Motmot in perfect light, letting me capture the photographs that had eluded me for years and turning a quiet morning at Tandayapa into one of the trip’s most satisfying moments This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with birds and nature. - 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.
>>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.
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