**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 6 – Morning
- My Ecuador Species Count up to but not including WildSumaco jumps up to: 192 (132 lifers)
- Primary eBird Public Hotspots: Sani Lodge, Coca (Puerto Francisco de Orellana)
The next morning, after heartfelt goodbyes to the Sani Lodge staff who had become part of our Amazon family, we boarded the canoe one last time and made a brief stop along the south bank of the Napo River at Yasuní National Park.
There, a small family of Red Howler Monkeys lounged in the treetops, their deep russet coats glowing warmly in the early light. The adults sat like statues, chewing leaves with slow deliberation, while a youngster clambered awkwardly along a branch, its soft, plaintive calls drifting across the water. It was a gentle farewell from the rainforest.
From there, the journey upriver became unexpectedly fascinating. The captain zigzagged constantly, weaving across the broad expanse of the Napo in a pattern that seemed almost erratic—until we realized why. The torrential rains of the previous three days had reshaped the river’s underwater terrain, creating shifting sandbars and submerged obstacles invisible from the surface. Even though the river appeared deep and wide, the captain’s practiced eyes read subtle changes in the water’s color and flow, guiding us safely upstream toward Coca.
As we arrived in Coca, the sky darkened again and a fresh curtain of rain began to fall. While trying to outpace the downpour, I managed to capture a few long‑awaited shots of the White‑banded Swallow—a sleek, sharply dressed species with crisp white breast band and glossy blue‑black upperparts that had eluded my camera for the previous four days. It felt like a small triumph amid the rush of travel.
We said our goodbyes to the Mama Lucy and were introduced to José Gallardo, who would be our driver for the next chapter of the adventure. Leaving the urban bustle of Coca behind, we soon noticed the landscape shifting. The dense Amazonian lowlands gradually gave way to taller trees, cooler air, and a rising, rolling terrain. The vegetation changed subtly at first—more palms, more epiphytes, more layers of green—and then unmistakably as we climbed into the low foothills of the Andes.
By late morning we were winding our way toward our next destination: WildSumaco, perched in the lower montane region where Amazonian humidity meets Andean elevation. A new ecosystem awaited us, and with it, an entirely new cast of birds and wildlife to discover.
NEXT UP: EB#36 “A Wild Time at WildSumaco in the Eastern Andes Foothills“
Previous Ecuador Birding Blog Posts:
- EB54 – Life in the Whitewater: Torrent Ducks of the Papallacta River
A breathless, high‑altitude chase along the river turned into a triumphant, hard‑won encounter with Torrent Ducks, ending the day at Guango Lodge with the exhilaration of finally photographing one of the trip’s most coveted species. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador. - 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.
>>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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