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This great bird has managed to escape from my sightings until I visited the great lodge of Tundaloma.  This Ecuadorian owned business provides a very comfortable and secure lodge to visit the most northern-western Chocó area in Ecuador. It is located on the highway that goes from Ibarra to San Lorenzo and it is approximately [...]

If you are thinking about visiting the Amazon, and enjoying great birds, a bit of luxury, relaxation, and good food, then you should consider coming to Ecuador and gliding over the Napo River on the Manatee Amazon Explorer .  They offer multiple packages and we took a five day trip that took us right down [...]

Here is my contribution to Bird Love Week from the tropics.  The Maroon-tailed Parakeet lives in northern South America.  In Ecuador it is found mostly in the tropical and sub-tropical forest of the east and west slopes.  It is probably the most commonly seen parakeet encountered in the slopes but it is not always easily [...]

The Puluahaua crater is a unique collapsed caldera formed about 2500 years ago.  It is unique in many ways including its bird life an it is part of our national reserves.  I am not a big fan of Owls because they require nocturnal searching and it is very difficult to find them.  In the three [...]

While exploring the grounds of Wildsumaco Lodge on the east slope of the Andes in Ecuador I came across a rather large bug lying on its back.  I assumed it was some kind of dead freakish moth and flipped it over to get a better look and was very surprised that it opened its wings [...]

There’s something about a toucan, isn’t there? Toucans tell you that you aren’t in Kansas anymore. They affirm that the tropics are true, not just myths manufactured to make those of us with winter jealous. Thanks to a childhood steeped in sugary cereal, I’ve always had a soft spot for Toucan Sam and his ilk. [...]

Gareno Lodge made its claim to fame when they had a Harpy Eagle nest near their lodge.  The most amazing show lasted almost two years while the eagle parents prepared their new born for his first flight. I have visited Gareno in search of the mythical bird but failed to see it until my last [...]

The closest site to Quito to reliably see the Umbrellabird is Recinto 23 de Junio covered by Corey here and also written by me: here and here.  Now the humble Ajila family has made a great effort and built a brand new small cabaña where you can stay the night before. I stayed there with six other [...]

The amazonian basin is a very important area for Ecuador since it produces 500,000 barrels of oil per day which is the main source of income for our economy.  Unfortunately only 63% of this oil is produced by state owned companies, and the 37% left is still fattening the profits of other companies that are [...]

Let me proudly introduce a new exotic bird that has been trained by the ambassador of hand feeding the most difficult skulking birds in Ecuador: the Ocellated Tapaculo. For those of you that have tried and failed to see this bird now you have a reason to visit Refugio Paz de las Aves where Angel [...]

It is a very small antpitta that lives in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Bolivia. This antpitta is found in southern Ecuador (near Peru) and curiously also inside the Puluahua Crater which is my residence near Quito in northern Ecuador. There has been no studies that explain why this bird only resides inside our homey [...]

Last week I was doing a birding tour of the east and west slopes of Ecuador and encountered some warblers that have already made it to Ecuador.  It is really amazing how far and how fast they can fly to improve the living conditions that assure their millenarian survival.  Here are a couple of pictures [...]

The south of Ecuador presents some very interesting opportunities for birdwatchers that have already visited the north-east and north-west slopes near Quito. On a recent tour we were pleasantly surprised by the high degree of endemism and the beauty of the birds that make the south such a special place. Here is my “Top Twenty [...]

I photographed this amazing bird yesterday at Utuana Reserve in the South of Ecuador. Too busy to write more..  enjoy!

Isla Corazon was formed by sediment deposition of the Rio Chone on its way out to the ocean to the central coast of Ecuador.  The estuary of this river had been populated by mangroves for centuries but most of it has been destroyed to give way to shrimp farming, luckily the local community of Puerto [...]

Birding the High Andes is no joke. If, like me, you have trouble breathing at sea level, consider bringing an oxygen tank. Florida, where I currently live, is many things. But high is not one of them unless you’re referring to a large percentage of the population. So, having been to Ecuador before, I knew [...]

Bird watching Recinto 23 de Junio is always a great experience.  On my latest visit we encounter the Moss-backed Tanager and the Gray Hawk next to the road that leads to the community.  Also we had some great views of a female Long-wattled Umbrellabird near the town itself, and finally we drove to higher elevation [...]

Birdwatching and visiting the Enchanted Islands is a dream that can be materialized by many more people than one would guess. The fact is that the entire tourism industry benefiting from Darwin’s discoveries want you to believe that you must spend a small fortune to be able to realize your dream. In fact this is [...]

What’s the deal with manakins? Are they for real? These are just a few of the questions that come to mind when watching these bizarre little birds. On a recent filming trip with Tropical Birding in Ecuador I had the awesome experience of getting up close and personal with two bizarre manakin species. Most manakins [...]

On our lowland birdwatching trip we visited Rio Canande Reserve, Botrosa Road and then we also visited the nearby reserve of Mache Chindul; specifically we went to Bilsa Research Station of Jatunsacha Fundation.  Jatunsacha purchased the land it currently protects in 1994 and the government declared it an Ecological Reserve in 1996 due to it [...]