Birdwatching in Ecuador

Birding contacts and birdwatching information

Check our personalized year round birdwatching tours in Ecuador for small groups

Local Birdingpal Contacts

Local Birdwatchers Using the Birdingpal resources you must agree to the following: If you contact a local Birdingpal and make arrangement to go birding, you should note it is common courtesy to make sure you show up for the appointment. If for any reason you are unable to do this, the least you must do is contacting the local Pal right away. Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club.
		Initial	Last Name	Area	Available	Language
		C	Rodríguez	Quito, Pichincha	Weekend
Professional Guides If you contact a professional Birdingpal guide you must be prepared to pay a fee for guiding services.
		Initial	Last Name	Area	Available	Language
		P	Andrade	Loja	Anytime	Spanish/English
		February 2005. We hired Pablo to guide for us during our stay near Podocarpus. He drew up an itinerary that included all of the best birding areas in/near the Park, allowing us to visit as many habitats and elevations as possible. The end result was a wonderfully intense and rewarding six days that yielded 250 + species, including four antpittas and three tapaculos. We even visited a particular area of dry forest that is apparently not on the “regular” birding-group circuit, and which gave us a long list of new birds. The biggest thrill, for me, was seeing the Jocotoco Antpitta in the reserve established for them. It took us two visits to tick the bird, but, in the end, we got a very close look at one by using a tape, then we saw two more up the trail without the tape. At that point, they were calling all around us – what a wonderfull and exiting experience. In Fact, when I saw the first one, I will admit to you that I cried. Pablo´s English is good and getting better. We had no trouble understanding each other. And, not only does he know the birds´ common names, he knows most of their Latin names, as well. His passion for birds is obvious. He has been a birder since he was very young, and he did an outstanding job of finding and identifying, both by sight and sound, the species we would likely encounter in the various sites we visited. In the rare instance when Pablo was unsure of an identification, he readily said so and consulted the plates. Pablo is punctual, organized, and persistent. With regard to the last, he did not allowed me to give up – I came close! – when we almost dipped on a very elusive Gray–headed Antbird. In the end, I did see the bird, thanks to Pablo, as well as, in that same area, Black–crested Tit Tyrant and Black–cowled Saltator. It was a very rewarding trip, loads of intense good fun chasing birds. By the way, writing this letter was my idea, not Pablo´s. I just wanted you to know about this guide´s passion and expertise. If you ever do need a competent and reliable local guide, keep Pablo Andrade in mind. Betsy Rogers, Pullayup, WA betsyloveswalking(AT)hotmail.com Pablo Andrade is a long time Birdingpal guide, well known in his own country and by myself or birders from around the world. Knud Rasmussen, Birdingpal
		R	Gelis	Quito, Pichincha	Anytime	English/Spanish
		Rudy Gelis began his career in ornithology when he was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship in 1997. After studying nesting Andean Condors in Argentina and penguins on the Falkland Islands, he settled in Ecuador. Over the past decade, as an active member of the Yanayacu Natural History Group based in cloud forest of northeastern Ecuador, he has collaborated in numerous publications in refereed ornithology journals. In Ecuador he has studied the nests and breeding behavior of Long-wattled Umbrellabird, Red-winged Wood-Rail, Fiery-throated Fruiteater, five species of antpitta, Masked and Bluish Flowerpiercers, Barred Hawk, plus many dozens more. He has assisted in other ornithological works, including breeding bird surveys in the northeast U.S. and clay-lick use by parrots and macaws in the rainforest of southeastern Peru. Rudy instructs university-level natural history courses in Ecuador and frequently offers ecotourism courses and assists in professional workshops for guides and park guards in Latin America. Applying his strong background in botany and great interest in all of the natural world, Rudy leads birding and natural history tours throughout much of Ecuador and Peru. He is co-author with Murray Cooper of “Plumas: Birds in Ecuador ”, a fine art photography book published in Quito. Visit my web site Rudy is an outstanding and remarkable guide for our group in many ways. Aside from his wealth of knowledge about birds in Ecuador and his ability to identify them readily, he is just about the nicest and friendliest guide I can imagine working with. He is well connected with some of the best scientists working in Ecuador and is able to convey this information first hand. Rudy has friends all over Ecuador, which makes for smoothly organizedd trips. The second time I came to Ecuador, there was no doubt that I wanted to have Rudy guide again. I consider him a friend and a colleague, I was able to rely on Rudy for virtually everything I needed in Ecuador, whether it was the scientifice name of a species of a bird, the workings of the tropical ecosystem, or when to catch the next flight to the Amazon. You simply can't go wrong in working with him! David Hastings, Associate Professor Eckerd College Eckerd College, Florida January 2006

Local Information

	Name	Description
	Fundacion Jatun Sacha	Club
	Birding Hotspots around the world	Sites
	Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia	Ecuador
	Local weather	Yahoo
	Electronic maps	Google
	Find lowest prices for field guides, books, maps etc.
	Field guides recommended by Birdingpals
	Printable bird check list
	Trip Reports from Ecuador
	Read a Birdingpal's Trip Report from Ecuador

Last update 08/07/2010