DOCSLIB.ORG

Caribbean Colombia: Rio Magdalena Wetlands, Santa Marta Mountains, & the Guajira Desert

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Caribbean Colombia: Rio Magdalena Wetlands, Santa Marta Mountains, & the Guajira Desert CARIBBEAN COLOMBIA: RIO MAGDALENA WETLANDS, SANTA MARTA MOUNTAINS, & THE GUAJIRA DESERT JULY 17–25, 2019 Santa Marta Antpitta. Photo S. Hilty 2019 LEADERS: STEVE HILTY& ALEJANDRO PINTO LIST COMPILED BY: STEVE HILTY VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM CARIBBEAN COLOMBIA: RIO MAGDALENA WETLANDS, SANTA MARTA MOUNTAINS, & THE GUAJIRA DESERT JULY 17–25, 2019 By Steve Hilty Figure 1. Snow-capped peaks of Santa Marta Mts. Photo S. Hilty 2019. This trip followed our Chocó Pacific tour and offered dramatically different birdlife as well as a different climate, landscape, and culture. Following our arrival in Barranquilla, we worked our way eastward the following two days, birding in habitats that included ranchland, freshwater marshes, seacoast mudflats, and dry forest before finally reaching the arid scrub of the Guajira Peninsula. Once on the peninsula we were joined by a Wayúu Amerindian guide (Johnny) the first afternoon, and another the next morning (Juan). We also visited a new feeding site not far from the villages of Camarones where, remarkably, several Vermilion Cardinals could easily be seen, as well as Buffy Hummingbird, Pileated Finch, and other Guajira Desert birds. A welcome change because in the past, cardinals have often been a bit tricky to locate. The second leg of this trip involved backtracking to the Santa Marta area where we transferred to 4x4 Land Cruisers for a short, smooth drive to the village of Minca in the foothills of the Santa Marta Mountains. Here we overnighted at the Hotel Minca and enjoyed some late afternoon time watching hummingbird feeders. Four regulars— White-necked Jacobin, Steely-vented Hummingbird, White-vented Plumeleteer, and Rufous-tailed Hummingbird—dominated, and a timid Pale-bellied Hermit came late in the evening. Surprisingly absent from this mix were Rufous-breasted Hermit, Black- throated Mango, and Red-billed Emerald, all present in October of 2018. The following morning we journeyed from Minca (c. 600m) upwards to the El Dorado Lodge (2000m), and the following day we continued much higher still (c. 2400m), at Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Caribbean Colombia, 2019 which point I believe everyone began to appreciate why we used such robust 4x4 Toyota Land Cruisers for this trip. The trip to the lodge, and especially beyond, was indeed rough and tumble—worse even than in previous years due, apparently, to heavy rainfall the past months. The El Dorado Lodge has been open since 2008, and it offers birders considerable comfort and an array of birding options along the long steep ridge known as the Cuchillo (Knife) of San Lorenzo but at considerable cost of comfort to actually reach it. It is no trip for shrinking violets but one that almost all birders seem willing to endure…once. The El Dorado Lodge is built along the original road constructed for various telecommunication towers that were established higher up, between ca. 2300 and 2800m. Unfortunately, there has been little road maintenance since the late 1960s when these towers were built, and, more recently, a forest fire destroyed much key high elevation forest along the upper end of this road. Driving up this road is an adventure (an understatement perhaps), as it surely ranks as one of the most difficult roads you are likely to travel (think driving up a rocky creek bed). As a side benefit, this road allows travelers (at least early in the morning) to view the stunning snow- capped peaks of the Santa Marta Mountains. And, it is still possible to see many of the endemic birds of the Santa Marta Mountains at various locations along this road, especially the Santa Marta Parakeet and Santa Marta Warbler. We found the warbler easily, but the parakeets left at dawn and did not return. Most surprising to me, however, was the young girl at the San Lorenzo field station (operated by the park service) who has been feeding an endemic Santa Marta Antpitta immediately behind one of the buildings. With a bit of patience, she coaxed the bird to appear for us, much to the delight of photographers as well as everyone else. We spent our three afternoons mostly around the El Dorado Lodge, or along the road, or on trails nearby where we checked the compost pit, a grain feeder, numerous hummingbird feeders, and a fruit feeder for an array of species. Also, the bright orange Marmolade bushes ( Streptosolon ) around the lodge provide nectar for hummingbirds and White-sided Flowerpiercers. Band-tailed Guans were more in evidence than on any previous trip, most now so habituated to humans they do not bother to flee or hide themselves and, instead, allow close approach. Black-fronted Wood-Quails, usually present from time to time at the compost, were nowhere to be seen this trip, but a pair of White-tailed Starfrontlets and a lovely male Lazuline Sabrewing competed at hummingbird feeders, along with hoards of violetears and woodnymphs. On the day of our departure we continued adding endemics and interesting species on our descent from the El Dorado Lodge to Minca. Among key species were Santa Marta Antbird (several and with much song), Rusty-breasted Antpitta (also much song), Santa Marta Tapaculo, Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush, Yellow-legged Thrush (male going to nest site on roadcut), Yellow-backed Oriole, and a surprising number of Swallow Tanagers. Lunch in Minca was interrupted briefly by some vigilante justice delivered to an apparent thief, all taking place across the street and below us at a private residence. This ultimately attracted dozens of onlookers, and the hapless thief received even more floggings down the street. However, the crowd soon Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Caribbean Colombia, 2019 dispersed, school kids in uniforms began traipsing past the restaurant again, returning home from school with books in tow, and life quickly returned to normal even before we left for our final drive to Barranquilla. We spent our last hour of birding in dry scrub and woodland adjacent to the Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla. Here, most people got decent views of some skittish Chestnut-winged Chachalacas and better views of several scrub birds including Black-crested Antshrikes, Rufous-browed Peppershrikes, Common Ground-Doves, Trinidad Euphonias, Mouse-colored Tyrannulets, and several Northern Scrub-Flycatchers among others. It was an enjoyable trip full of birds and plants and new places, and I thank you for choosing this trip and VENT for your travels. I do hope you enjoyed this northern Colombia birding route. I also hope that you consider returning to Colombia (some of you already had traveled in Colombia with me previously) to see many other spectacular birds in Colombia’s Andes and elsewhere. As Colombians will tell you, “your only risk is wanting to stay,” and I guess I am proof of the validity of their statement. Figure 2. Caribbean Beach, Jorará Lodge, Colombia. Photo S. Hilty 2019 ITINERARY (major sites): Day 1, July 17. Arrival in Barranquilla. Day 2, July 18. Birding near the Río Magdalena. Late morning drive to Hotel Jorará for lunch and a very hot late afternoon bird walk and hot sleeping night. Day 3. July 19. Morning birding along Las Gaviotas road. Lunch at Hotel Jorará and afternoon birding along the Cai-Cai road south of the village of Camarones. Day 4, July 20. Early morning departure to desert scrub near Camarones and nearby areas. Afternoon drive back toward city of Santa Marta, transfer from our bus to three Toyota Land Cruisers, and on to the village of Minca for the night. Day 5, July 21. Morning departure from Minca to explore the road upward to the El Dorado Lodge. Last afternoon bird walk. Day 6-7, July 22-23. Two days in vicinity of El Dorado Lodge. Day 8, July 24. Early departure from El Dorado Lodge; mid-elevation birding (below the “Y” road fork where road construction has the road completely blocked from 7 a.m. onward), lunch in Minca; p.m. drive to Barranquilla. Day 9, July 25. Various international flight departures today. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Caribbean Colombia, 2019 KEY hd = heard (preceded by (*) [ ] = seen/hd by SH (Hilty) and/or AP (Alexander Pinto) red = migrants from North America (boreal migrants) boldface blue = endemic or near endemic species Violet = birds of interest BIRDS: subspecies are provided for a few species with taxonomic issues. For more information see SACC (South American Checklist Committee) web page. At least 20 endemic recorded. TINAMIDAE *Little Tinamou, Crypturellus soui , heard along Gaviotas Road CRACIDAE Chestnut-winged Chachalaca, Ortalis garrula (E), B/q (skittish and hard to see) Band-tailed Guan, Penelope argyrotis , numerous around El Dorado Lodge; coming to grain feeders and compost (see photo opposite, 2019. Sickle-winged Guan, Chamaepetes goudotii , much less evident than previous guan; 3 seen ODONTOPHORIDAE Crested Bobwhite, Colinus cristatus , group of 8-9 in Camarones area *Black-fronted Wood-Quail, Odontophorus atrifrons , heard our last morning descending from El Dorado; none near Lodge Figure 3. Band -tailed Guan, El Dorado. Photo S. Hilty 2019 COLUMBIDAE Rock Pigeon, Columba livia , towns and cities; 100s B/q Pale-vented Pigeon, Patagioenas speciosa , Gaviotas Rd., above Minca last day Bare-eyed Pigeon, Patagioenas corensis , desert areas (“google-eyes) Band-tailed Pigeon, Patagioenas fasciata , highlands higher elevations of Santa Marta Mts. (mostly <2000 m) Common Ground-Dove, Columbina passerina , 1 at B/q Ruddy Ground-Dove, Columbina talpacoti , lower elevations Scaled Dove,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • TAG Operational Structure
    PARROT TAXON ADVISORY GROUP (TAG) Regional Collection Plan 5th Edition 2020-2025 Sustainability of Parrot Populations in AZA Facilities ...................................................................... 1 Mission/Objectives/Strategies......................................................................................................... 2 TAG Operational Structure .............................................................................................................. 3 Steering Committee .................................................................................................................... 3 TAG Advisors ............................................................................................................................... 4 SSP Coordinators ......................................................................................................................... 5 Hot Topics: TAG Recommendations ................................................................................................ 8 Parrots as Ambassador Animals .................................................................................................. 9 Interactive Aviaries Housing Psittaciformes .............................................................................. 10 Private Aviculture ...................................................................................................................... 13 Communication ........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • COLOMBIA 2019 Ned Brinkley Departments of Vaupés, Chocó, Risaralda, Santander, Antioquia, Magdalena, Tolima, Atlántico, La Gu
    COLOMBIA 2019 Ned Brinkley Departments of Vaupés, Chocó, Risaralda, Santander, Antioquia, Magdalena, Tolima, Atlántico, La Guajira, Boyacá, Distrito Capital de Bogotá, Caldas These comments are provided to help independent birders traveling in Colombia, particularly people who want to drive themselves to birding sites rather than taking public transportation and also want to book reservations directly with lodgings and reserves rather than using a ground agent or tour company. Many trip reports provide GPS waypoints for navigation. I used GoogleEarth/ Maps, which worked fine for most locations (not for El Paujil reserve). I paid $10/day for AT&T to hook me up to Claro, Movistar, or Tigo through their Passport program. Others get a local SIM card so that they have a Colombian number (cheaper, for sure); still others use GooglePhones, which provide connection through other providers with better or worse success, depending on the location in Colombia. For transportation, I used a rental 4x4 SUV to reach places with bad roads but also, in northern Colombia, a subcompact rental car as far as Minca (hiked in higher elevations, with one moto-taxi to reach El Dorado lodge) and for La Guajira. I used regular taxis on few occasions. The only roads to sites for Fuertes’s Parrot and Yellow-eared Parrot could not have been traversed without four-wheel drive and high clearance, and this is important to emphasize: vehicles without these attributes would have been useless, or become damaged or stranded. Note that large cities in Colombia (at least Medellín, Santa Marta, and Cartagena) have restrictions on driving during rush hours with certain license plate numbers (they base restrictions on the plate’s final numeral).
    [Show full text]
  • Colombia Trip Report Santa Marta Extension 25Th to 30Th November 2014 (6 Days)
    RBT Colombia: Santa Marta Extension Trip Report - 2014 1 Colombia Trip Report Santa Marta Extension 25th to 30th November 2014 (6 days) Buffy Hummingbird by Clayton Burne Trip report compiled by tour leader: Clayton Burne RBT Colombia: Santa Marta Extension Trip Report - 2014 2 Our Santa Marta extension got off to a flying start with some unexpected birding on the first afternoon. Having arrived in Barranquilla earlier than expected, we wasted no time and headed out to the nearby Universidad del Norte – one of the best places to open our Endemics account. It took only a few minutes to find Chestnut- winged Chachalaca, and only a few more to obtain excellent views of a number of these typically localised birds. A fabulous welcome meal was then had on the 26th floor of our city skyscraper hotel! An early start the next day saw us leaving the city of Barranquilla for the nearby scrub of Caño Clarín. Our account opened quickly with a female Sapphire-throated Hummingbird followed by many Russet-throated Puffbirds. A Chestnut-winged Chachalaca by Clayton Burne White-tailed Nightjar was the surprise find of the morning. We added a number of typical species for the area including Caribbean Hornero, Scaled Dove, Green-and-rufous, Green and Ringed Kingfishers, Red-crowned, Red-rumped and Spot-breasted Woodpeckers, Stripe-backed and Bicolored Wrens, as well as Black-crested Antshrike. Having cleared up the common stuff, we headed off to Isla de Salamanca, a mangrove reserve that plays host to another very scarce endemic, the Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird. More good luck meant that the very first bird we saw after climbing out of the vehicle was the targeted bird itself.
    [Show full text]
  • Checklist of Birds of Colombia
    Checklist Of Birds Of Colombia Caducean and pestilent Ramsey lain so headlong that Chris larns his penetration. Barty usually shrill ungrudgingly or scandalise compassionately when twinning Stig jellifies mutationally and ocker. Evincive Shaine pull-on virtuously and trilaterally, she measuring her muffles sum brilliantly. Contribution to apple music and threats operate at present record was our checklist of birds colombia is. Lunch we bird the birds near cali area, checklists may reflect slower pace than happy to highlight ecosystems and. Photography needs a leaving of patience and time, just I sketch with pleasure. If you the colombia, plus things like magic, click here it to checklist of birds of colombia. Another forested areas in bird here it makes them to. Some hummingbirds of the same sequence and finished with! Get one day amidst lush forest at the names in bogotá will also involved with audubon society, and wildlife and the two areas in a bird! Hence, it department not means an indication of which locales are then best birding sites. The den is generally well big and enjoyable to read. Iding birds of one species, mostly on how you? The Republic of Colombia is a unitary, democratic, participatory and pluralistic State with separation of powers. The main drivers of columbia at sunbird images first will inevitably creep into our website verwendet cookies to some mistakes. The IUCN Red List. Five days before flying to Colombia I found Kimkim online and was encouraged by the favourable reviews. Welcome dinner and listen to checklist of birds colombia. Parrot and Dusky Starfrontlet. Woodnymphs flaunt their brilliant green throats and blue bellies at the feeders.
    [Show full text]
  • FIELD GUIDES BIRDING TOURS: Colombia: Bogota, the Magdalena
    Field Guides Tour Report Colombia: Bogota, the Magdalena Valley, and Santa Marta 2014 Jan 11, 2014 to Jan 27, 2014 Jesse Fagan & Trevor Ellery For our tour description, itinerary, past triplists, dates, fees, and more, please VISIT OUR TOUR PAGE. A fun group and the most productive tour we have had to date! We observed 582 bird taxa in 17 days of birding, which beat our record last year of 555 by a bunch. As we fine-tune our birding route and learn more about Colombian birds things just seem to get better and better. This year we saw 33 endemics and loads of interesting subspecies and near-endemics. Highlights included a female Blue- billed Curassow, Kelp Gull(s) at Los Camerones (only the second time it has been recorded in Colombia), Dwarf and Pavonine cuckoos (the latter a lifer for Trevor!), a splendid Crested Owl, Sapphire- bellied Hummingbird (nice comparisons with Sapphire-throated), Double-banded Graytail in the coffee finca below Reinita Cielo Azul lodge, the always elusive Santa Marta Bush-Tyrant and antpitta, Turquoise Dacnis, and singing Yellow-bellied Siskin. It is really hard to pick just one from so many! I want to thank all of you again for a really enjoyable trip. Thanks also to Trevor Ellery, our local guide, and Giovanni, our driver, for their hard work. I look forward to seeing you again in the field. Bird On. --Jesse a.k.a. Motmot (from Lima, Peru) KEYS FOR THIS LIST One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant This dazzling Black-cheeked Mountain-Tanager is a Santa Marta endemic; it was one of 33 endemics we tallied on this species-rich tour.
    [Show full text]
  • The Northern Colombia Birding Trail
    TRAVEL ITINERARY The Northern Colombia Birding Trail Colombia has the richest birdlife on the planet with more than 1,900 species! Enjoy the spectacle while helping communities conserve their local natural heritage. Vermilion Cardinal. Photo: Luis E. Urueña/Manakin Nature Tours audubon.org Colombia is one of the world’s these mountains offer a lot more local people through birdwatching “megadiverse” countries, hosting to Colombia than just exportable you can help make a difference. The close to 10% of the planet’s species, stimulants. Each of the ranges, and project trained local Colombians to with more than 1,900 species of the dense tropical jungles between become bird guides and ecotourism birds—a figure that continues to them, house a variety of habitats for service providers helping give an increase every year. The country has birds and other wildlife. The Northern economic value to birds and the nearly 20 percent of the world’s total Colombia Birding trail is a series forests that sustain them. The bird species, including 200 migratory of ecolodges, national parks, and Northern Colombia Birding Trail species, 155 threatened birds, and 79 otherwise-notable habitats in the helps conserve critical habitat and endemics. Perijá region, in the Sierra Nevada de species—it is also helping improve Colombia sits atop South America, Santa Marta, and along the Caribbean the income of the local communities flanked by Panamá, Ecuador, coast that provide particularly good by generating new jobs. In fact, more Venezuela, Peru, and Brazil; its birding opportunities for extreme than 40 community members and southern reaches straddle the and not-so-extreme birders alike.
    [Show full text]
  • The Following Is a Section of a Document Properly Cited As: Snyder, N., Mcgowan, P., Gilardi, J., and Grajal, A. (Eds.) (2000) P
    The following is a section of a document properly cited as: Snyder, N., McGowan, P., Gilardi, J., and Grajal, A. (eds.) (2000) Parrots. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan 2000–2004. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. x + 180 pp. © 2000 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and the World Parrot Trust It has been reformatted for ease of use on the internet . The resolution of the photographs is considerably reduced from the printed version. If you wish to purchase a printed version of the full document, please contact: IUCN Publications Unit 219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, UK. Tel: (44) 1223 277894 Fax: (44) 1223 277175 Email: [email protected] The World Parrot Trust World Parrot Trust UK World Parrot Trust USA Order on-line at: Glanmor House PO Box 353 www.worldparrottrust.org Hayle, Cornwall Stillwater, MN 55082 TR27 4HB, United Kingdom Tel: 651 275 1877 Tel: (44) 1736 753365 Fax: 651 275 1891 Fax (44) 1736 751028 Island Press Box 7, Covelo, California 95428, USA Tel: 800 828 1302, 707 983 6432 Fax: 707 983 6414 E-mail: [email protected] Order on line: www.islandpress.org The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or the Species Survival Commission. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge, UK. Copyright: © 2000 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and the World Parrot Trust Reproduction of this publication for educational and other non-commercial purposes is authorised without prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged.
    [Show full text]
  • 2013 in Al Wabra BIRD DEPARTMENT King Bird-Of-Paradise
    News Highlights • News Highlights • News Highlights • News Highlights • News Highlights • News Highlights 2013 in Al Wabra BIRD DEPARTMENT King Bird-of-Paradise. Simon Matthews Courtesy of Simon Matthews. 013 was a record breaking year at Al Wabra, seeing the chicks, which were extremely hard to spot for the first few weeks 2most birds-of-paradise bred in its history. against their sandy substrate, but once they lost their down they quickly became just has hard to distinguish from the adult birds. Our first chicks of the year were three Marabou storks (Leptoptilos crumeniferus) that hatched at the end January, joining two chicks The blue macaws started their account of 2013 with four Spix's being reared by a neighboring pair which hatched in late in 2012, Macaws (Cyanopsitta spixii) hatching in mid May which were giving us five young birds bred over the winter. joined by three more as we moved from June into July. This equaled the 2006 record when 7 chicks were also successfully The Red Birds-of-Paradise(Paradisaea rubra) started the year reared. But one of the other most important firsts of last year for the New Guinea passerines, laying 2 clutches of 2 fertile came from the spix, as not only one but two of the eggs that eggs at the beginning and end of March, all of which were produced chicks were fertilized by artificial insemination. pulled and successfully hand-reared. The same female laid This was possible because of a combined effort with the Parrot fertile eggs again in June which were again pulled and hand- Reproduction team, who we will continue to work with over reared, as she failed to rear chicks left with her in May.
    [Show full text]
  • Colombia, February-March 2016
    Tropical Birding Trip Report Colombia, February-March 2016 Colombia February 25th to March 10th, 2016 TOUR LEADER: Nick Athanas Report and photos by Nick Athanas White-whiskered Spinetail – bird of the trip! It had been a while since I had guided a Colombia trip, and I had forgotten how neat the birds were! This two week customized tour combined a Northern Colombia trip with some of the best sites in Central Colombia. The weather was beautiful, the birds were spectacular and cooperative, and most importantly we had a fun and friendly group; we all had a blast. Custom trips are a great option for groups of friends that like to travel together, and it really worked well this time. I really love that White-whiskered Spinetail was voted “bird of the trip” – it’s the only time I can remember a spinetail winning that honor – it’s an often unappreciated group, but this one is really special and we had point-blank views. Runner up was Santa Marta Antbird, which was also highly deserving as one of the newest splits of a truly www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Colombia, February-March 2016 amazing genus. Other favorites were Golden-winged Sparrow, Russet-throated Puffbird, Scarlet Ibis, Turquoise Dacnis, Blue-billed Curassow, Red-bellied Grackle, Sword-billed Hummer, Crested Owl, Chestnut Piculet, Striped Manakin, and shockingly, even a couple of tapaculos, which impressed some by showing amazingly well. We started off in the “megapolis” of Bogotá, which served as our base for the first few nights as we made day trips to nearby sites in the eastern cordillera of the Andes.
    [Show full text]
  • Santa Marta Extension 2019 2
    Colombia Santa Marta Extension th th 12 November to 17 November 2019 (6 Days) Trip Report Santa Marta Screech Owl by Tuomas Seimola Trip report by tour leader: Tuomas Seimola Local guide: Angel Ortiz Trip Report – RBL Colombia – Santa Marta Extension 2019 2 Colombia is home to more than 1900 species of birds and countless amazing birding locations. The scenic mountain range of Santa Marta is among of the best birding spots in Colombia – and in the world even. This endemic filled mountain range combined with the dry Guajira peninsula with is range-restricted species makes this tour a very enjoyable experience. This years Santa Marta extension was again a great success! ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tour Summary 12th November: Evening we enjoyed a good dinner in Barranquilla and chatted about our forthcoming adventures. 13th November: Our day started before sunrise when we boarded our bus and drove towards the Northern part of Barranquilla. Dry forests near the University of Barranquilla hold a good population of Chestnut-winged Chachalacas among other typical dry forest species. Chachalacas were easily seen and some of the other birds seen at the site included Roadside Hawk, Whooping Motmot, several Bicolored Wrens, and Pale- eyed Pygmy Tyrant. Trinidad Euphonia we only managed to hear. Our next area to bird was a well known site near a town of Palermo just half an hour's drive away. We had a quick breakfast and started to walk along an Santa Marta Bush Tyrant by Tuomas Seimola amazingly birdy farm road that transects a large wetland. Right at the start smart trio of Pied Puffbirds entertained us.
    [Show full text]
  • The Very Best of Colombia Trip Report 2018
    THE VERY BEST OF COLOMBIA TRIP REPORT 23 JANUARY - 15 FEBRUARY 2018 By Eduardo Ormaeche Gold-ringed Tanager (photo Gleison Guarin) www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 2 | T R I P R E P O R T The Very Best of Colombia 2018 Our first 24-day Colombia tour 2018 was a fabulous experience, which allowed us to see probably the best birding route of the country and most of the highlights that this amazing country has to offer to birdwatchers and real adventurous travelers. No other country holds more species than Colombia, and we had the chance to see some of the most spectacular birds in this part of the world and finished the tour with most of the Neotropical families well represented on our list. This first Colombia tour of the year was rather easy for a group of very enthusiastic birders who contemplated the birds, became familiar with them, and admired their natural behavior in a more relaxed pace than usual. We did not get as large a list total as on some previous trips, but we had fun from beginning to end and learned a lot about the distribution of species in one of the countries with the most complex geography in the Americas. Our trip started in Cali, where the group arrived on different flights, and the participants were transferred to our comfortable hotel in town. The following morning we left Cali and drove to the famous Km 18 on the Cali-Buenaventura Road. Here we visited the by now famous Finca Alejandria, where we had an amazing start with species such as the endemic Colombian Chachalaca, Golden-headed Quetzal, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, and Squirrel Cuckoo around the gardens.
    [Show full text]
  • Northern Colombia, August 2019
    Tropical Birding - Trip Report Northern Colombia, August 2019 A Tropical Birding SET DEPARTURE tour NORTHERN COLOMBIA The Santa Marta Mountains & The Caribbean 2-10 August 2019 TOUR LEADERS: Nick Athanas (NA) and Fito Downs (FD) Report by Nick Athanas Vermilion Cardinal was a trip favorite – it was coming to a feeder at Los Flamencos (FD) This has long been a popular short trip since it combines a nice variety of habitats, a superb mountain lodge, and over 20 possible endemic birds along with numerous other regional specialties. We had a successful trip notching 19 of those endemics, 18 of which are restricted to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. This isolated mountain range holds Colombia’s highest peaks, though we only reached about 8500 ft. (2600 m.) on the tour. Some of the highlights from the mountains included nesting Santa Marta Parakeets, a Santa Marta Antpitta coming to a worm feeder, the often difficult Santa Marta Bush-Tyrant, the recently split Hermit Wood-Wren, www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.1 Tropical Birding - Trip Report Northern Colombia, August 2019 and great hummers like Santa Marta Woodstar (more of them than any other tour I’ve guided) and Santa Marta Blossomcrown. The hot lowlands played host to a very different set of birds. The deserts of the La Guajira Peninsula gave us the blazing Vermilion Cardinal featured on the first page along with other superb regional endemics like White-whiskered Spinetail (the world’s best spinetail?) and the very cute Chestnut Piculet. The lowland rainforests were hot and a bit quieter than usual but still held a few gems including Lance-tailed Manakin and the endemic Cotton-top Tamarin, a fantastic monkey.
    [Show full text]