Synopsis: A dazzling parade of hummingbirds and a long‑awaited meeting with Ángel Paz brought our Refugio Paz de las Aves experience to a brilliant, unforgettable conclusion.
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
**Due to the high resolution and quality of the images in this blog series it is highly recommended
that readers view posts in Landscape Mode on a desktop PC from the actual blogsite at Ecuador Birding**
DAY 11 – Morning
Refugio Paz de los Aves: Morning of Hummingbird Fireworks
Our morning at Refugio Paz de las Aves had already given us more than we could have hoped for—antpittas stepping out of the shadows, tanagers glowing like embers in the canopy, and the steady, deliberate climb of the Strong‑billed Woodcreeper. Each encounter felt like a gift, a quiet unveiling of the forest’s most secretive residents. But even as we lingered in those moments, letting the mist settle and the understory breathe again, we knew our time with Ángel Paz wasn’t quite finished.
Refugio Paz is a place where the forest reveals itself in chapters, each one building toward something larger. And after the antpittas had taken their bows and the last tanager slipped back into the leaves, Ángel led us toward the terrace—toward the final, unforgettable act of our visit. If the understory belonged to the antpittas, the air belonged to the hummingbirds, and what waited for us at the feeders was nothing short of an eruption of color and motion.
It felt fitting that our last moments at the refuge would end not with a whisper, but with a burst of life—an explosion of wings, iridescence, and impossible speed. This was the closing chapter of our time at Refugio Paz de las Aves, and it unfolded in a dazzling storm of hummingbirds.
Hummingbird Fireworks at the Feeders
Purple‑throated Woodstar: A Hummingbird the Size of a Thought
Before the larger, flashier species fully claimed the stage, a tiny blur zipped past us—so small and so quick that at first it felt like a trick of the eye. Then it hovered, perfectly still for a heartbeat, and the Purple‑throated Woodstar revealed itself. Barely bigger than a bumblebee, the woodstar moved with a delicacy that bordered on magical. Its wings beat in a soft, whisper‑fast hum, almost silent compared to the sharp, metallic buzz of the coronets and brilliants. When the light caught its throat just right, a brilliant violet patch flared to life—an iridescent spark that vanished the moment it shifted angles, like a gemstone glimpsed only in passing.
What struck me most was its flight style. Unlike the aggressive, darting species around it, the woodstar hovered with a gentle rocking motion, its tail often cocked upward in a posture that felt almost playful. It would drift in, take a quick sip, then zip away in a tiny arc before returning again—never lingering long, never challenging anyone, simply existing as a small, bright punctuation mark in the chaos. In a place overflowing with spectacle, the Purple‑throated Woodstar offered something different: a moment of quiet wonder, a reminder that beauty doesn’t always need to be bold to be unforgettable.
Velvet‑purple Coronet: A Living Jewel in Motion
The Velvet‑purple Coronet was the first to command attention, bursting into view like a gemstone hurled through sunlight. Its plumage shifted between deep violet, inky black, and electric blue depending on the angle, each feather catching the light with impossible richness. When it hovered, its wings flashed a fiery copper—an unexpected flare that seemed to ignite the air around it. The bird moved with bold, assertive energy, chasing rivals with sharp, buzzing dives that left the feeders trembling. It was a creature sculpted from color and confidence.
Fawn‑breasted Brilliant: Warm Light in the Cloudforest
The next hummingbird to sweep into the scene was the Fawn‑breasted Brilliant, a species whose beauty reveals itself not through explosive color but through a warm, glowing elegance. It hovered at the edge of the feeders with a steady, purposeful flight, its chest suffused with a soft wash of buffy‑fawn that seemed to gather and hold the morning light. In contrast, its emerald crown and shimmering green back flashed with a richer brilliance, creating a gentle but striking interplay of tones.
The bird moved with a confidence that felt almost serene—never as aggressive as the coronets, yet not nearly as timid as the woodstars. It approached the feeders with deliberate precision, pausing just long enough for the light to catch the subtle iridescence along its throat. When it turned, the fawn tones deepened into warm amber, giving the bird a quiet radiance that stood out amid the more flamboyant species swirling around it.
Every so often, the Fawn‑breasted Brilliant would perch on a nearby branch, its posture upright and dignified, as if surveying the commotion with patient amusement. In a morning filled with dazzling extremes, this hummingbird offered a moment of balance—a reminder that beauty can be bold, but it can also be gentle, warm, and wonderfully understated.
Violet‑tailed Sylph: A Ribbon of Light in the Cloudforest
Then came the Violet‑tailed Sylph, drifting into the clearing with a grace that felt almost unreal. Its long, iridescent tail streamed behind it like a ribbon of living amethyst, catching the light in shifting purples and blues. The bird’s emerald‑green body glowed against the dark foliage, and its hovering flight was delicate, almost balletic—each movement smooth and unhurried. When it darted forward to feed, the tail trailed behind in a slow, fluid arc, as if time itself had softened around it. Few hummingbirds feel as otherworldly as the sylph.
What makes the Violet‑tailed Sylph even more fascinating is how it fits into a pair of “mirror species” shaped by the Andes. This sylph reigns on the northwest slope, in the humid Chocó cloudforests around Mindo and the Tandayapa Valley—exactly where we stood watching it shimmer in the morning light. Its close relative, the Long‑tailed Sylph, occupies the opposite side of the Andes, replacing it on the eastern slope from the foothills toward the Amazon basin. The two species look strikingly similar at first glance—both with elongated tails and brilliant green plumage—but the Violet‑tailed Sylph’s tail glows with deep purples and blues, while the Long‑tailed Sylph tends toward cooler blues and greens. Their ranges never overlap, as if the Andes themselves drew a line between them, giving each species its own side of the mountain to illuminate.
Watching the Violet‑tailed Sylph at the feeders felt like witnessing a creature stitched from light and motion, a bird that seemed to bend the forest’s color palette around itself. It hovered with a calm confidence, unbothered by the chaos of coronets and brilliants around it, as though it knew it didn’t need to compete for attention. Its presence was a reminder of how the Andes shape not just landscapes, but the very birds that inhabit them—creating pockets of beauty so distinct and so dazzling that encountering them feels like stepping briefly into another world.
Speckled Hummingbird: Subtle Beauty in a Flashier Crowd
Amid the glittering chaos, the Speckled Hummingbird offered a quieter kind of charm. Its plumage was understated—soft browns and greens dusted with pale speckles across the throat—but in the right light, those markings shimmered like tiny flecks of frost. It moved with quick, efficient precision, slipping between feeders with a confidence that belied its modest appearance. Unlike the more aggressive species, it rarely chased or postured; instead, it waited for the perfect opening, darting in with a swift, practiced motion that spoke of quiet resilience. In a forest full of showstoppers, its subtlety felt refreshing.
White‑booted Racket‑tail – A tiny dancer in white boots
The White‑booted Racket‑tail arrived like a spark of mischief, zipping into the feeders with a confidence far larger than its size. Its tiny white “boots” flashed with every hover, giving the bird an almost playful elegance as it danced in place. The twin rackets at the end of its tail flicked and bobbed independently, like punctuation marks to every abrupt turn and mid‑air pause. In the shifting light, its emerald body glowed with a metallic sheen, revealing hints of blues and golds as it twisted toward the next perch. Though small, it carried itself with the swagger of a bird that knows it’s unforgettable — a perfect blend of charm, agility, and attitude in a single hummingbird.
Brown Inca: A Study in Shadow and Light
The Brown Inca arrived next, gliding into view with a calm, almost solemn presence. Its chocolate‑brown plumage absorbed the light rather than reflecting it, giving the bird a velvety, shadow‑like quality. But when it turned just right, a brilliant white shoulder patch flashed like a signal flare—an elegant contrast that transformed the bird from muted to striking in an instant. Its flight was smooth and deliberate, and it often perched longer than the others, as if surveying the scene with quiet authority. In a place full of glittering, high‑energy hummingbirds, the Brown Inca felt like the forest’s contemplative heartbeat.
A Meeting Years in the Making
As the feeders settled into a gentler rhythm, Ángel Paz stepped onto the terrace, and for a moment I felt the same jolt of recognition you get when meeting someone whose story you’ve followed for years. I had read so much about what he had accomplished here—how he transformed his family’s land into a refuge that changed the way the world sees antpittas—that finally standing beside him felt surreal. Ángel radiated the same warmth and quiet pride that infuses every corner of his forest, and when he smiled for a selfie with me, it felt like capturing a small piece of the refuge’s history to carry home. It was a moment I knew I’d treasure long after the trip ended.
Onward to Guaycapi Lodge
With the morning’s magic still humming in our minds, we packed up and began the journey toward Guaycapi Lodge. The road wound through folds of green and drifting mist, the forest slowly giving way to new elevations and new possibilities. Leaving Refugio Paz de los Aves felt less like departing a destination and more like closing a beloved chapter—one written in antpitta footsteps, hummingbird fire, and the generosity of the people.
Looking Back as I Look Ahead
As I reflect back in my writing process to that transition toward Guaycapi Lodge, I found myself thinking not only about the birds ahead, but also about the stories behind the stories — the quiet work that goes into shaping each post in this series. Before we step fully into the next chapter of the journey, I’ll be sharing a brief behind‑the‑scenes look at how I reconstruct each day from my photographs, field notes, and dictated memories, and how Microsoft Copilot helps me polish those raw impressions into a clear, consistent narrative. It’s a small window into the craft behind the adventure, offered in the same spirit of openness that guides this entire Ecuador Birding series.
NEXT UP: EB#65 “How I Create Each Ecuador Birding Post: A Behind‑the‑Scenes Look at My Process“
Additional Photographs (Many!)
Previous Ecuador Birding Blog Posts:
- 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. - EB68 – More Colorful Songbirds at Guaycapi
As the hummingbirds faded into the background, a fresh wave of brilliantly colored tanagers swept through Guaycapi Lodge, setting the stage for an afternoon of dazzling forest jewels 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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