Ecuador Birding – The place Each Feather Tells a Story
From October 26, 2025 by means of November 8, 2025 I joined 5 different adventurers and an impressive photographer and birding information (Liron Gertsman) with Eagle-Eye Excursions to Ecuador. This weblog collection highlights the animals (largely birds), individuals and places we encountered over the 14 full days on this lovely land. *Until in any other case indicated within the picture caption, all pictures (>99%) are mine.
Weblog Publish #4 “Unofficial Sidetrip to Reserva Zuro Loma”
A Reflections of the Pure World Weblog Publish Sequence by Jim Acquire
DAY 1 Early Morning
As I discussed beforehand, I knew that we had the higher a part of a day to kill earlier than the official begin of the Eagle-eye Tour so Alex and I organized by means of Mercedes for a sidetrip to Zuro Loma. After loading into the automobile with our driver and information Edwin Perez, Alex and I set out for the western slopes of the Andes and it felt just like the true starting of my Ecuador birding journey.
As we left the town middle, our driver and information, Edwin, threaded us by means of the outskirts of Quito, previous clusters of small retailers, roadside fruit stands, and the fixed hum of a metropolis of greater than three million individuals.
Finally the pavement gave strategy to a mud highway that rose at a surprisingly steep angle, pointing us towards the cloud‑wrapped mountains forward. As we continued upward, the climate shifted right into a sample that might outline a lot of the day: low clouds, scattered rain showers, and a persistent grayness that softened the panorama. The highway, nevertheless, was something however smooth. As soon as we hit the steep hills, the drive turned punishing. Edwin’s automobile appeared to have way back surrendered its shock absorbers, and each rut or rock despatched the backseat—my seat—right into a jarring bounce. With every affect, my backbone protested a bit of extra. Edwin drove with a confidence that bordered on alarming given the highway situations, and by the point we accomplished the 2‑hour ascent, my again felt prefer it had been hammered from the within. I might barely twist sufficient to climb out of the automobile. Nonetheless, we made a couple of hopeful stops alongside the way in which, scanning the open slopes for certainly one of my early goal birds, the Andean Lapwing. The hillsides remained stubbornly empty, however the anticipation stored me alert regardless of the discomfort.
Reserva Zuro Loma itself has a narrative that provides weight to each birding second spent there. As soon as a patchwork of privately held forest and recovering pastureland, it was progressively protected by means of the dedication of native conservationists who acknowledged the organic richness of the Chocó‑Andean transition zone. Through the years, the reserve has develop into a sanctuary for species that exist nowhere else on Earth, together with a number of hummingbirds whose populations have dwindled to the brink.
For the birding group, Zuro Loma is greater than a cease on an itinerary—it’s an emblem of what decided stewardship can protect. Its feeders, trails, and restored habitat have given numerous birders the possibility to witness species that may in any other case slip quietly towards extinction. Figuring out that historical past made my go to really feel much less like tourism and extra like a small act of participation in one thing fragile and ongoing.
Once we lastly reached the reserve, the very first thing that greeted us was a fantastically painted mural on the outside wall—vibrant colours, sweeping shapes, and birds rendered with a sort of reverence. On the entrance was a small present store with souvenirs and snacks, however we barely slowed down. The hummingbird feeders had been calling, and we had been too wanting to waste even a second indoors.
Two species had been on the prime of our checklist, however for me, your complete journey had been anchored round one dream: seeing the Sword-billed Hummingbird, a fowl so unbelievable it appears like a creature imagined relatively than advanced. After which, simply days earlier than my departure, I discovered that the Black-breasted Puffleg—critically endangered, with fewer than 120 adults left within the wild—had returned to the reserve after almost three years of absence. The potential of encountering each species in a single morning felt virtually unreal. Standing there, sore and exhausted however buzzing with anticipation, I noticed that this was precisely the sort of second I had hoped for once I first determined to return to Ecuador: a mix of hardship, marvel, and the electrical risk of seeing one thing uncommon and extraordinary.
NEXT UP: EB#5 “The Ecuador Species Checklist Grows“
Earlier Ecuador Birding Weblog Posts:
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EB4 – UNOFFICIAL SIDETRIP TO ZURO LOMA
In October 2025, Jim Acquire joined a birding tour in Ecuador, exploring its wealthy biodiversity and gorgeous landscapes over 14 days. The weblog collection chronicles his experiences with birds and nature. This submit focuses on the drive by means of Quito upwards to the Zuro Loma Birding Reserve on the Western facet of the Andes.
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EB3 – FIRST LIGHT BIRDING AT PUEMBO BIRDING GARDEN
In October 2025, Jim Acquire joined a birding tour in Ecuador, exploring its wealthy biodiversity and gorgeous landscapes over 14 days. The weblog collection chronicles his experiences with birds and nature. This submit focuses on the early morning birds encountered at Puembo Birding Gardens.
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EB2 – AN AIRPORT WELCOME AND ARRIVAL AT PUEMBO BIRDING GARDEN
From October 26 to November 8, 2025, Jim Acquire joined a birding tour in Ecuador with Eagle-Eye Excursions. Together with his toes now on the bottom, this submit begins from his arrival at Mariscal Sucre Worldwide Airport and his arrival at Puembo Birding Backyard.
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EB1 – PROLOGUE TO MY TRIP OF A LIFETIME TO ECUADOR
In October 2025, Jim Acquire joined a birding tour in Ecuador, exploring its wealthy biodiversity and gorgeous landscapes over 14 days. The weblog collection chronicles his experiences with birds and nature.
*This Ecuador Birding weblog submit was formed and polished with the help of Microsoft Copilot, serving to carry readability and a constant circulate to my area notes and dictated recollections.