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
		S	Herrmann	Quito, Pichincha	Anytime	English/Spanish
		Quito is the center of the Northwestern and Northeastern birding areas. From here you can make day trips to some of the major locations in Ecuador. I am presently putting together information on Eco-route for the Inter-Andean Valley. I have lived in Ecuador for more than 10 years. I recently started a blog http://birdsofecuador.blogspot.com/. I am a regular contributor on BirdForum.net and have been updating their "Locations" database on birding areas for Ecuador.
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

Local Information

	Name	Description
	Birder friendly lodging	Ecuador
	Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia	Ecuador
	Local weather	Yahoo
	Electronic maps	Google
	Field guides recommended by Birdingpals	Ecuador
	Find lowest prices for field guides, books, maps etc.	BookFinder4U
	Bird check list	Printable
	Read a Birdingpal's Trip Report	Ecuador
	Fundacion Jatun Sacha	Club
	Birding Hotspots around the world	Sites

Last update 31/08/2011