High in the Andes Mountains in Ecuador lives this Ecuadorian Hillstar. Known as the Páramo, the ecosystem which this Hillstar lives is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It has a desert like feel to it due to the types of plant that grow there but the Páramo only exists at an elevation of around 10,000-13,000 feet so it’s very high in elevation and fairly cold. In fact, the nearby volcano was covered in a lot of snow. My friend Dennis, who was the organizer of the birding photography tour that I was a part of in Ecuador, and I were mesmerized by the Páramo and I think that it was both of our favorite places we visited in Ecuador. The Ecuadorian Hillstar only lives in the Páramo regions which seems like it would be rough on a small hummingbird but there are plenty of flowers around for it to sustain itself.

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Another shot of a Sword Billed Hummingbird found at Zuro Loma Reserve in Ecuador.  This was one of my favorite properties to visit and I highly recommend you do as well if you also want to discover the nature that Ecuador has to offer.

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One of the craziest Hummingbirds I have ever encountered.

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When visiting family back in December one of my aunts told me that she likes photos of Hummingbirds and flowers. I took that as a challenge to impress her with photographs that feature Hummingbirds and flowers knowing that I could take some during my Ecuador trip.   I hope others enjoy these photographs as well.

The secondary Hummingbird on the bottom is a Tyrian Metaltail for those interested.

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There is a caveat with this image, Annas Hummingbird 01. You see, this is my resident Anna’s Hummingbird. This male Anna’s Hummingbird lives in my backyard and drinks from my Hummingbird feeder. In my photograph it is taking flight off of its favorite perch. From that branch it looks after its Hummingbird feeder and scares away any other Hummingbird that gets near it. Precisely what it is doing in this photograph.

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