**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 – Lunchtime
- My Ecuador Species Count including WildSumaco jumps up to: 208 (145 lifers)
- Primary eBird Public Hotspots: WildSumaco Lodge
WILDSUMACO PART 3 — The Golden-tailed Sapphire: A Jewel That Stole the Show
Among all the dazzling species at WildSumaco, one stood out in a way I hadn’t anticipated: the Golden-tailed Sapphire. It wasn’t on my original list of top targets, but the moment sunlight struck its plumage, everything changed. The bird perched briefly on a mossy branch, and suddenly its tail ignited into a cascade of gold—rich, luminous, and almost molten in appearance. Its body shimmered with deep emerald and sapphire tones, each feather catching the light like a polished gem.
What made the encounter unforgettable wasn’t just the color, but the way the bird seemed to glow from within. When it turned, the tail flashed again—this time brighter, as if the forest itself had flicked on a hidden spotlight. In that instant, the Golden-tailed Sapphire became one of the defining species of the entire trip. It was a reminder that in the Andes, even the birds you don’t expect can steal your breath away.
NEXT UP: EB#39 “Wildlife and Mountain Mists on the Road to San Isidro“
Additional Photographs and Video
Previous Ecuador Birding Blog Posts:
- 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. - EB45 – Midday Birding Adventures in the El Quetzal Protected ForestEl Quetzal Bosque Protegido unfolded as a lush, hummingbird‑filled sanctuary where the cloudforest’s color, motion, and quiet magic set the stage for a vibrant midday interlude before the forest shifted toward an entirely new cast of characters. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador.
- EB44 – Warm Light in a Cool World: The Cinnamon Flycatcher of San Isidro
A gentle, steady presence in the cloudforest, the Cinnamon Flycatcher became the quiet emblem of renewal—its warm glow and unhurried grace mirroring the author’s own return to clarity and grounding. This blog series chronicles Jim Gain’s experiences with a birding tour in Ecuador. - EB43 – A New Day of Luck and Light at Cabañas San Isidro
After days of illness and frustration, a clear morning at San Isidro brought a surge of color, energy, and photographic inspiration, marking a joyful return to presence and purpose as the journey moved forward toward new wonders. 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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