After reviewing Copalinga as an eco-lodge, I thought the hummingbirds were so spectacular they deserved their own post.
These identification guides are available to help you identify the 30 hummingbird species. There is also a birdlist on the website.
Start at the bar with your choice of drink, the hummingbirds have their own drinks!
Green Hermit
TAME is not part of any airline alliance so you have to buy these tickets online with a credit card. Luckily, they are not expensive! TAME flies to certain destinations like Loja (closest airport to Podocarpus & Buenaventura) and other eco-tourism hotspots like Coca for the Amazon and the Galapagos.
Keep an eye out for sale fares like this one. Would you rather take a one hour flight or a 10 hour bus ride with prices like this?
It’s a pretty user-friendly airline. I printed our boarding passes the night before at the Holiday Inn in Guayaquil and the flight actually left on time! The planes are small but I prefer smaller planes with 2×2 rows rather than larger planes with 3×3 rows where a couple has to sit with a stranger.
When you buy your ticket, you may see a notice that you have to show the original credit card you use to purchase the ticket. On our flight, no one asked us. We didn’t have checked bags and they just compared our passports to the printed boarding pass. It’s probably a good idea to bring the credit card along just in case though!
The overheads were a tight squeeze for our backpacks which are normal carry-on sized but we managed to squish them in as they weren’t full anyways.
A few years ago, I saw the Great-Green Macaw in Costa Rica and was aware that a smaller subspecies existed in Ecuador. I was hoping to see them at Cerro Blanco but this didn’t happen, they are just too rare and the populations are very fragmented. The Ecuadorians are very keen to protect this bird and proudly display their image when entering the country at Guayaquil airport.
They are the emblem of Bosque Cerro Blanco shown on the logo and in artwork around the park. Conservation efforts have been increased to save the bird in both Cerro Blanco and Rio Canande. 
Here are some videos showing conservation efforts in Cerro Blanco (Spanish).
The Lilacine Amazon (Amazona lilacina), also known as the Ecuadorian Red-lored amazon, is an amazon parrot native to Ecuador in South America.
I was lucky enough to see a small flock fly by but couldn’t get a decent close up so I have included Wikipedia’s photo.
This species was recently split from the larger taxa Amazona autumnalis so it is now considered as an Ecuadorian endemic. The easiest place to see them is Cerro Blanco just 20 minutes out of Guayaquil. Other possibilities exist between Mindo and the Pacific Ocean but are harder logistcally to reach.
I couldn’t find any videos of wild Lilacine Parrots or Red-lored Amazons filmed in Ecuador so I have to go with a captive bird clip to show the sounds of the bird.
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The Pacific Parrotlet (Forpus coelestis), also known as Lesson’s Parrotlet or the Celestial Parrotlet, is a species of small parrot in the Psittacidae family, native to Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and heavily degraded former forest.
This loving couple was photographed at Bosque Cerro Blanco near Guayaqil, Ecuador. Pacific Parrotlets have a fairly large range throughout Ecuador and northern Peru.
It was really hard to find a non-captive bird video. Most of them are on IBN but I did find ONE clip on YouTube.
Yeah I know, these are captive birds but if you are over 18, scroll down!
Guayaquil is one of two main gateway/airport cities in Ecuador and is the best option if your trip includes the spectacular reserves in southern Ecuador and/or the Galapagos as all the Quito flights stop in Guayaquil so you might as well save the time.
Guayaquil has service with members of all three major alliances so it is pretty easy to get there with miles.
STAR ALLIANCE – Avianca & Copa
ONEWORLD – American & the LATAM Group, Iberia
SKYTEAM – Aerolineas Argentinas
NON-ALLIANCE – TAME (good for smaller airports and Galapagos)
IHG REWARDS – Holiday Inn Guayaquil Airport is normally 20,000 points but often goes on Pointbreaks. We stayed there our first night in Guayaquil, you can see my review.
STARWOOD – Sheraton Guayaquil Airport is a Cat 3 for 7000 points.
HILTON – Hilton Colon Guayaquil is 30,000 points & the Hampton Inn is 20,000 points.
WYNDHAM – Wyndham Guayaquil is 15,000 points.
If these options don’t suit you, you could try earning airline miles by booking with Rocketmiles or Pointshound.
We only spent a night here on arrival and an evening here upon returning from our southern Ecuador loop before flying to the Galapagos so I can’t really get into city sight-seeing. Just don’t miss out on Bosque Cerro Blanco, it’s amazing!
Guayaquil was the jumping off point for a loop through southern Ecuador to visit 2 major birding hotspots (reviews to come) – Podocarpus and Buenaventura. I had been checking the TAME website daily for specials and finally got one in January for around $35 per person plus tax to Loja airport which is actually about an hour out of Loja proper. From there we took a taxi to Zamora for a visit to Podocarpus, then went by bus back to Loja, then to Pinas for Buenaventura and back to Guayaquil. Finally we flew to San Cristobal in the Galapagos.
The White-tailed Jay (Cyanocorax mystacalis) is a very attractive species of bird in the family Corvidae.
They have a fair-sized range in Ecuador and northern Peru. The easiest place to see them is Cerro Blanco since it is only a 20 minute drive from Guayaquil.
A quick smooch and they’re off!
There’s a few clips at IBC but they don’t embed here.
The delightful little Grey-cheeked Parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhoptera) is almost endemic to Ecuador but can also be found in far northern Peru. They vocalize quite loudly despite their size. The sound could be described as a quick, sharp screech, and vocalizations may involve many monotone screeches in succession.
We were lucky enough to see them fairly close-up in Cerro Blanco which is just a short drive from Guayaquil (red dot). This would be the easiest place to find them. Most airlines will put Ecuador in northern South America (same as Peru) for their award charts and bargain can often be found from the USA to Ecuador on LATAM & Avianca.
Some one was brave enough to walk along the Malecon of Guayaquil with camera gear! You can see them in the city but check with your hotel to see if it’s safe.
You can also see them further south in the Jorupe Reserve.
Bosque Cerro Blanco is only about 20 minutes outside of Guayaquil and it is very easy to organize a visit there. You need to contact them in advance so they can arrange a guide and permission to enter the reserve by emailing bosqueprotector@yahoo.com. Use Google translate to communicate in Spanish as they don’t speak English.
In our case, they also organized a taxi to pick us up at the Holiday Inn and take us out there, then to return later to take us back to the hotel. This is the safest option as Guayaquil is not a city you want to take risks with potentially dodgy taxis. Even though it is slightly more expensive, the difference isn’t great in terms of actual dollars.
There is some great information about the reserve and a map HERE.
Our guide, Paul Abad was waiting for us when we arrived around 6am and we were off to explore and hopefully get some good birds!
Although the Guayaquil Macaw (Great Green Macaw) is the flagship species, they are rarely seen in the area of the reserve most birders can access.
We walked along the trails with Paul pointing out all the species. My complete eBird list is HERE. Photography wasn’t the best as it was overcast and many species were far away though I did the best I could with my long lenses.
Amazilia Hummingbird
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Since I was targeting parrot species, I was thrilled to see a small flock of Lilicine Amazon Parrots flying in the distance. 
Southern Yellow Grosbeak 
The White-tailed Jay was a stunning bird! 
This lookout proved to be a real hotspot especially for parrots!
First a flock of Red-masked Parakeets flew by.
Smooth-billed Ani 
Pale-vented Pigeon
Parrotlets are usually my downfall. I have a good success rate on finding most parrots but these little guys are usually elusive. So it was especially thrilling to have a small flock of Pacific Parrotlets land in the trees near the lookout……………….closely followed by some gorgeous and acrobatic Grey-cheeked Parakeets!
To top it off, a Red-masked Parakeet decided to come in closer for a better look!
Yellow-tailed Oriole
The reserve has some educational signs but in Spanish only.
A Saffron Finch
Paul and Ina walking back to the office.
The office had been closed when we arrived so I paid the entry fee $5.00 each and the guide fee $60, then had a look at the hummingbird feeders where Amazilia Hummingbirds can be seen.
I know you aren’t supposed to take pictures in the immigration line but I couldn’t resist because of the Guayaquil Macaw on the poster!
One of the best things about booking the Holiday Inn Guayaquil Airport is that it is literally 5 minutes from the airport. See the green neon in the photo? We could have walked but when we got outside, the shuttle was already there. I had mentioned which flight we were on when I booked it using 20,000 points and they showed up without us having to call! Great service!
The room was nice and very typical Holiday Inn. There isn’t much in the local area but there were some fast food places a couple blocks away so we grabbed some snacks and drinks for the birding trip the next day and crashed out.
This hotel is currently on Pointbreaks for 5000 points a night until 31 July which is a steal! Of course this Pointbreak list was published after we left South America!
The shuttle to and from the airport is free both directions. Even though it’s not far, it was still nice to avoid the mid-day heat.