DOCSLIB.ORG

The Andes Introtour - December 2014

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Tropical Birding Trip Report ECUADOR: The Andes Introtour - December 2014 Trip Report The Andes Introtour 8th to 15 th December 2014 Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan Report and photos by guide Andres Vasquez www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-0514 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report ECUADOR: The Andes Introtour - December 2014 ITINERARY: Accommodation 8-Dec Arrival in Quito Quito 9-Dec Yanacocha Tandayapa Bird Lodge 10-Dec Lower Tandayapa Valley Tandayapa Bird Lodge 11-Dec Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary Tandayapa Bird Lodge 12-Dec Upper Tandayapa Valley Tandayapa Bird Lodge 13-Dec Refugio Paz & Mashpi Tandayapa Bird Lodge 14-Dec Milpe Bird Sanctuary Quito 15-Dec Departure INTRODUCTION: It had been a while since I last guided this tour so I had forgotten how enjoyable it is. It covers a big spectrum of habitats and altitudes, each one with its own charm and set of birds, making the 6 birding days a whole new experience every day. From the cold temperate forest at 11000 ft. to the hot and steamy rain forest at 800 ft, with a short visit to arid inter-Andean scrub, and sleeping in the heart of the cloudforest in the famous Tandayapa Bird Lodge, this trip is hard to match. In only 6 birding days (8 in total counting arrival and departure days) we registered a total of 353 birds within 46 different families of which 303 were seen by at least one of the participants, 8 were only seen by the guide and 42 were heard only records. We recorded 39 hummingbird species, 58 species of the Tanager family, 5 toucans, 4 species of Fruiteaters (like this Orange-breasted in the photo here), 6 seen antpittas, and a bunch of iconic birds like Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Golden-headed Quetzal, Lyre-tailed Nightjar, Red-billed Scythebill, Toucan Barbet, the endemic and rare Beautiful Jay, and the hulking Andean Guan. It’s no surprise that this is our best-selling tour. DAY BY DAY SUMMARY: 9 Dec: Yanacocha Reserve: The first day of the tour takes place at the highest elevations of the entire trip while we bird in this reserve at 11000 ft. We left Quito (the capital of the country) behind and started ascending towards the temperate zone passing through some farmlands that host some open areas birds. The first stops along these farms produced Golden-bellied Grosbeak, Paramo Pipit, Black-tailed Trainbearer, Variable Hawk, and Tawny-rumped Tyrannulet. After a few more kilometers on a patch of forest still within the disturbed area, we stopped for noisy Black- crested Warblers which required some tape to bring in but while trying for it we found a perched Red-crested Cotinga and an active Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant. Later on, already inside the reserve, we walked the mile and a half long trail that ends at a hummingbird feeding station that attracts highland jewels among which the Sword-billed Hummingbird stands out. The walk is always enjoyable, not only due to the frequent flocks but also due to the amazing landscapes all along the trail. Some of the highlights that we got during the walk were Barred Fruiteater, Andean Guan, Black-chested www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-0514 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report ECUADOR: The Andes Introtour - December 2014 and Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanagers, the rare but dull Paramo Seedeater, the recently split Gray-browed Brush-finch and more flock birds. After the walk we returned to the headquarters of the reserve where we had our box lunch, and immediately afterwards we started the descent towards the Tandayapa valley through the old Nono-Mindo road. We drove for not more than 5 kilometers and we already found some highlights like Andean Lapwing and a soaring Short-eared Owl. Further down the slope the road starts to cross through pristine subtropical forest where a whole new set of birds are on the menu. We stopped several times that afternoon before reaching our final destination, the famous Tandayapa Bird Lodge. Some of the best birds we found include Plate-billed Mountain-Toucans, Toucan Barbets, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, the inconspicuous but beautiful Slaty-backed Chat-Tyrant (photo left) and a hoard of tanagers that kept us on the road until quite late in the afternoon. We only in fact got to the lodge just in time to look at the hummingbirds on the feeders with the last light of the day for a super finale to an over-70-species day. 10 Dec: Tandayapa lodge grounds and lower valley: We started the day by visiting before dawn the forest blind located just a couple hundred meters from the main lodge. About 45 minutes there produced Ochre-breasted Antpitta, Streak-capped Treehunter, Russet-crowned Warblers, Zeledon’s Antbird, Masked Trogons (photo left), Uniform Antshrike, and Chestnut-crowned Brush-Finch. Just outside the blind and already with plenty of light I found a vocal Scaled Antpitta, but before I could show it to anyone, it jumped away never to be found again. On the way back to the lodge for breakfast we found a few birds out of which the best were a pair of Scaled Fruiteaters. We enjoyed breakfast overlooking the fruit feeders quickly found Montane Woodcreepers, more Toucan Barbets (photo below), Slate-throated Whitestart, Dusky- capped and Golden-crowned Flycatchers, a surprising Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner and the first of many Crimson-rumped Toucanets. Right after breakfast we moved down the trails towards the town of Tandayapa and further; during the rest of the morning we found several attractive birds like Rufous-winged Tyrannulet, Whiskered Wren, Barred Becard, Ecuadorian Thrush, Metalic-green, Golden, Golden-naped, Beryl-spangled, and Silver-throated Tanagers. During the afternoon we birded the road up towards Nono in search of a target bird that just a few on the group got to see the previous afternoon: White-capped Dipper. This time views were short but most of the participants managed views; this was a particularly skittish bird. We found a few birds that we had seen already the day before, and a few interesting new ones that made it worth the trip: Sickle- winged Guan, a pair of Torrent Tyrannulets, a couple of Beautiful Jays (a quite localized and uncommon bird), and Andean Solitaire, plus close up and prolonged views of a female Cock-of-the-Rock feeding on a low bush full of fruit. www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-0514 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report ECUADOR: The Andes Introtour - December 2014 11 Dec: Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary: A very early start was required to get to the lowlands just past dawn. This small reserve, protected by the Mindo Cloudforest Foundation, is a safe haven for many scarce forest birds amidst the surrounding agricultural areas. The almost 6 km of dirt road between the highway and the reserve are quite open and this attracts species of birds typical of more disturbed areas and drier habitats, and can be surprisingly productive for birds, even scarce species like the pair of Barred Puffbirds that we managed to call in. We saw lots of new birds for us along the road, among the most interesting are Yellow-tailed Oriole, Red-billed Scythebill, Crimson-breasted Finch, Hook-billed Kite, Collared Aracaris (photo to right), Choco Toucans, Guayaquil, Lineated, and Black-cheeked Woodpeckers, Pacific Antwren, and many more. Once we reached the reserve we walked along the trails inside forest looking for birds that prefer the shady forest understory. Even though it was quiet at the beginning, activity picked up and produced some specialties like Scarlet-breasted Dacnis, Broad-billed Motmot, Dot-winged and Checker-throated Antwrens, Northern Barred Woodcreeper, Tawny-faced Gnatwren, Chestnut-backed Antbird, Fulvous-vented Euphonia, and more. We walked until close to noon and then had a break and a nice boxed lunch to help us regain some energy. We could not stop birding though due to the constant activity that started happening right around the area we were having lunch. So, we ate quickly and soon after we birded the forest edge around the parking lot were we found White-bearded Manakins, Orange- fronted Barbets, Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo, Moustached Antwren, Dusky Pigeon, Olivaceous Piculets, and both Purple-chested and Blue-chested Hummingbirds. We started heading back to the lodge after a long day of birding, tired but very happy with what we had seen. 12 Dec: Upper Tandayapa Valley: We did not need to drive to far this morning to reach the upper valley, only 6 km up the hill from our lodge. The ride up, although short, takes us over 600 m higher in elevation where many specialties reside; this includes a couple hummingbirds that we cannot find elsewhere in the valley like Gorgeted Sunangel and Collared Inca, both of which we saw with some work. We spent both morning and afternoon in this location with a pause in the middle of the day back at the lodge for lunch. During this time we found other target birds like Grass-green Tanager, Hooded Mountain-Tanager (photo to left), Powerful and Crimson-mantled Woodpeckers (photo next page), Flammulated and Streaked Treehunters, Black-capped Tyrannulet, Green-and- black Fruiteater, Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant, and Slaty-backed Nightingale- Thrush, among the more eye-catching. Along this altitudinal belt the forest is patchily dominated by bamboo which forms thickets that form a micro- www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-0514 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report ECUADOR: The Andes Introtour - December 2014 ecosystem in itself; there are a couple species that live exclusively in these bamboo thickets which we targeted, and with some work we found Plain-tailed Wren, Streak-headed Antbird, and Black- eared (Western) Hemispingus.
Recommended publications
  • Bird List Column A: 1 = 70-90% Chance Column B: 2 = 30-70% Chance Column C: 3 = 10-30% Chance

    Bird List Column A: 1 = 70-90% Chance Column B: 2 = 30-70% Chance Column C: 3 = 10-30% Chance

    Colombia: Chocó Prospective Bird List Column A: 1 = 70-90% chance Column B: 2 = 30-70% chance Column C: 3 = 10-30% chance A B C Tawny-breasted Tinamou 2 Nothocercus julius Highland Tinamou 3 Nothocercus bonapartei Great Tinamou 2 Tinamus major Berlepsch's Tinamou 3 Crypturellus berlepschi Little Tinamou 1 Crypturellus soui Choco Tinamou 3 Crypturellus kerriae Horned Screamer 2 Anhima cornuta Black-bellied Whistling-Duck 1 Dendrocygna autumnalis Fulvous Whistling-Duck 1 Dendrocygna bicolor Comb Duck 3 Sarkidiornis melanotos Muscovy Duck 3 Cairina moschata Torrent Duck 3 Merganetta armata Blue-winged Teal 3 Spatula discors Cinnamon Teal 2 Spatula cyanoptera Masked Duck 3 Nomonyx dominicus Gray-headed Chachalaca 1 Ortalis cinereiceps Colombian Chachalaca 1 Ortalis columbiana Baudo Guan 2 Penelope ortoni Crested Guan 3 Penelope purpurascens Cauca Guan 2 Penelope perspicax Wattled Guan 2 Aburria aburri Sickle-winged Guan 1 Chamaepetes goudotii Great Curassow 3 Crax rubra Tawny-faced Quail 3 Rhynchortyx cinctus Crested Bobwhite 2 Colinus cristatus Rufous-fronted Wood-Quail 2 Odontophorus erythrops Chestnut Wood-Quail 1 Odontophorus hyperythrus Least Grebe 2 Tachybaptus dominicus Pied-billed Grebe 1 Podilymbus podiceps Magnificent Frigatebird 1 Fregata magnificens Brown Booby 2 Sula leucogaster ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ WINGS ● 1643 N. Alvernon Way Ste. 109 ● Tucson ● AZ ● 85712 ● www.wingsbirds.com (866) 547 9868 Toll free US + Canada ● Tel (520) 320-9868 ● Fax (520)
  • N° English Name Scientific Name Status Day 1

    N° English Name Scientific Name Status Day 1

    1 FUNDACIÓN JOCOTOCO CHECK-LIST OF THE BIRDS OF YANACOCHA N° English Name Scientific Name Status Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 1 Tawny-breasted Tinamou Nothocercus julius R 2 Curve-billed Tinamou Nothoprocta curvirostris U 3 Torrent Duck Merganetta armata 4 Andean Teal Anas andium 5 Andean Guan Penelope montagnii U 6 Sickle-winged Guan Chamaepetes goudotii 7 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 8 Black Vulture Coragyps atratus 9 Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura 10 Andean Condor Vultur gryphus R Sharp-shinned Hawk (Plain- 11 breasted Hawk) Accipiter striatus U 12 Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus 13 Black-and-chestnut Eagle Spizaetus isidori 14 Cinereous Harrier Circus cinereus 15 Roadside Hawk Rupornis magnirostris 16 White-rumped Hawk Parabuteo leucorrhous 17 Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus U 18 White-throated Hawk Buteo albigula R 19 Variable Hawk Geranoaetus polyosoma U 20 Andean Lapwing Vanellus resplendens VR 21 Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe Attagis gayi 22 Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda R 23 Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii VR 24 Andean Snipe Gallinago jamesoni FC 25 Imperial Snipe Gallinago imperialis U 26 Noble Snipe Gallinago nobilis 27 Jameson's Snipe Gallinago jamesoni 28 Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius 29 Band-tailed Pigeon Patagoienas fasciata FC 30 Plumbeous Pigeon Patagioenas plumbea 31 Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina 32 White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi R 33 White-throated Quail-Dove Zentrygon frenata U 34 Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata U 35 Barn Owl Tyto alba 36 White-throated Screech-Owl Megascops
  • Avian Diversity Across Three Distinct Agricultural Landscapes in Guadalupe, Chiriquí Highlands, Panama Jarred Jones SIT Study Abroad

    Avian Diversity Across Three Distinct Agricultural Landscapes in Guadalupe, Chiriquí Highlands, Panama Jarred Jones SIT Study Abroad

    SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection SIT Study Abroad Fall 12-5-2014 Avian diversity across three distinct agricultural landscapes in Guadalupe, Chiriquí Highlands, Panama Jarred Jones SIT Study Abroad Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part of the Biodiversity Commons, Latin American Studies Commons, Ornithology Commons, and the Physical and Environmental Geography Commons Recommended Citation Jones, Jarred, "Avian diversity across three distinct agricultural landscapes in Guadalupe, Chiriquí Highlands, Panama" (2014). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 1999. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/1999 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Avian diversity across three distinct agricultural landscapes in Guadalupe, Chiriquí Highlands, Panama Fall 2014 Jarred Jones School for International Training ABSTRACT La deforestación de los bosques tropicales para fines agrícolas amenaza la pérdida de hábitat de las especies nativas. El valor de los diversos paisajes agrícolas en la conservación de las poblaciones de aves es útil para determinar los planes de desarrollo de diversidad consciente. Sin embargo, los resultados generalizados de los estudios a escala regional no se pueden aplicar a los hábitats de aves insulares. Este estudio sirve como el único estudio de la diversidad aviar actual de las tierras altas de Chiriquí. Para determinar el efecto del uso de la tierra agrícola dentro de un hábitat aviar insular, comparé aviar diversidad y sitio similitud población en Guadalupe, Chiriquí tierras altas de la Cordillera de Talamanca, Panamá.
  • Ornithological Surveys in Serranía De Los Churumbelos, Southern Colombia

    Ornithological Surveys in Serranía De Los Churumbelos, Southern Colombia

    Ornithological surveys in Serranía de los Churumbelos, southern Colombia Paul G. W . Salaman, Thomas M. Donegan and Andrés M. Cuervo Cotinga 12 (1999): 29– 39 En el marco de dos expediciones biológicos y Anglo-Colombian conservation expeditions — ‘Co­ conservacionistas anglo-colombianas multi-taxa, s lombia ‘98’ and the ‘Colombian EBA Project’. Seven llevaron a cabo relevamientos de aves en lo Serranía study sites were investigated using non-systematic de los Churumbelos, Cauca, en julio-agosto 1988, y observations and standardised mist-netting tech­ julio 1999. Se estudiaron siete sitios enter en 350 y niques by the three authors, with Dan Davison and 2500 m, con 421 especes registrados. Presentamos Liliana Dávalos in 1998. Each study site was situ­ un resumen de los especes raros para cada sitio, ated along an altitudinal transect at c. 300- incluyendo los nuevos registros de distribución más m elevational steps, from 350–2500 m on the Ama­ significativos. Los resultados estabilicen firme lo zonian slope of the Serranía. Our principal aim was prioridad conservacionista de lo Serranía de los to allow comparisons to be made between sites and Churumbelos, y aluco nos encontramos trabajando with other biological groups (mammals, herptiles, junto a los autoridades ambientales locales con insects and plants), and, incorporating geographi­ cuiras a lo protección del marcizo. cal and anthropological information, to produce a conservation assessment of the region (full results M e th o d s in Salaman et al.4). A sizeable part of eastern During 14 July–17 August 1998 and 3–22 July 1999, Cauca — the Bota Caucana — including the 80-km- ornithological surveys were undertaken in Serranía long Serranía de los Churumbelos had never been de los Churumbelos, Department of Cauca, by two subject to faunal surveys.
  • Linnaeus at Home

    Linnaeus at Home

    NATURE-BASED ACTIVITIES FOR PARENTS LINNAEUS 1 AT HOME A GuiDE TO EXPLORING NATURE WITH CHILDREN Acknowledgements Written by Joe Burton Inspired by Carl Linnaeus With thanks to editors and reviewers: LINNAEUS Lyn Baber, Melissa Balzano, Jane Banham, Sarah Black, Isabelle Charmantier, Mark Chase, Maarten Christenhusz, Alex Davey, Gareth Dauley, AT HOME Zia Forrai, Jon Hale, Simon Hiscock, Alice ter Meulen, Lynn Parker, Elizabeth Rollinson, James Rosindell, Daryl Stenvoll-Wells, Ross Ziegelmeier Share your explorations @LinneanLearning #LinnaeusAtHome Facing page: Carl Linnaeus paper doll, illustrated in 1953. © Linnean Society of London 2019 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrival system or trasmitted in any form or by any means without the prior consent of the copyright owner. www.linnean.org/learning “If you do not know Introduction the names of things, the knowledge of them is Who was Carl Linnaeus? Contents Pitfall traps 5 lost too” Carl Linnaeus was one of the most influential scientists in the world, - Carl Linnaeus A bust of ‘The Young Linnaeus’ by but you might not know a lot about him. Thanks to Linnaeus, we Bug hunting 9 Anthony Smith (2007). have a naming system for all species so that we can understand how different species are related and can start to learn about the origins Plant hunting 13 of life on Earth. Pond dipping 17 As a young man, Linnaeus would study the animals, plants, Bird feeders 21 minerals and habitats around him. By watching the natural world, he began to understand that all living things are adapted to their Squirrel feeders 25 environments and that they can be grouped together by their characteristics (like animals with backbones, or plants that produce Friendly spaces 29 spores).
  • Field Guides Tour Report Colombia: Cali Escape 2019

    Field Guides Tour Report Colombia: Cali Escape 2019

    Field Guides Tour Report Colombia: Cali Escape 2019 Nov 2, 2019 to Nov 10, 2019 Jesse Fagan & Daniel Uribe For our tour description, itinerary, past triplists, dates, fees, and more, please VISIT OUR TOUR PAGE. Our birding group at the summit of Montezuma in the Tatama National Park. There is permanent military outpost here to protect the communications towers. The soldiers are always happy to see birding groups. This is the site for Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer and Munchique Wood-Wren. We started the tour in one of the two major economic and political centers of the region, Santiago de Cali (or just "Cali"), in the southern part of the Cauca Valley. Medellin, the other large metropolitan city, is a few hours north where the valley begins to narrow considerably. The Cauca Valley is pinned to the west by the Western Cordillera and to the east by the Central Cordillera, both splinter ranges of the Andes Mountains. This valley is known for its large sugercane production, and as a result, its famous rum. We made our first stop on the east slope of the Eastern Cordillera at El 18 and Finca Alejandria. This was a nice way to 'ease' ourselves into the diverse and intense birding we would be experiencing over the next few days. The feeders (both hummingbird and fruit) at Finca Alejandria teemed with exotic tanagers (including Multicolored), honeycreepers, toucanets (Crimson-rumped and Southern Emerald), and colorful and fancy hummingbirds. We made our first lunch attempt at bandeja paisa (for some) before descending into the valley and our first night in Buga.
  • Colombia - Multicoloured Tanager Tour & Santa Marta Endemics

    Colombia - Multicoloured Tanager Tour & Santa Marta Endemics

    Colombia - Multicoloured Tanager Tour & Santa Marta Endemics Naturetrek Tour Report 13 February - 3 March 2017 Silver-throated Tanager Multicoloured Tanager Santa Marta Mountain-Tanager Buffy Helmetcrest Report and images by Johnnier Arango Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Colombia - Multicoloured Tanager Tour & Santa Marta Endemics Multicoloured Tanager Tour participants: Johnnier Arango (leader) with nine Naturetrek clients Santa Marta Endemics participants: Johnnier Arango & Ferney Salgado (leaders) with 11 Naturetrek clients Summary This report is comprised of two separate tours, but works well as one. On this occasion seven clients completed both tours, with two flying home after the first and another four arriving for the second. Colombia has one of the longest bird list in the world, stunning scenery and one of the best safety records after civil conflicts. Naturetrek is now operating two amazing trails for birdwatchers. The first one in the Cauca Valley visits beautiful places that were once banned for tourists, but who are now allowed to enjoy the amazing birds. The second is in the amazing Santa Marta Endemics tour where time is spent visiting the northern Caribbean coast of Guajira and the special endemic location of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta with its foothills and San Lorenzo ridge. Day 1 Monday 13th February The group left Heathrow on an overnight flight to Bogotá Day 2 Tuesday 14th February The flight landed around 4am at Bogotá airport and after a short wait, we caught a domestic onward flight to Cali.
  • Peru: from the Cusco Andes to the Manu

    Peru: from the Cusco Andes to the Manu

    The critically endangered Royal Cinclodes - our bird-of-the-trip (all photos taken on this tour by Pete Morris) PERU: FROM THE CUSCO ANDES TO THE MANU 26 JULY – 12 AUGUST 2017 LEADERS: PETE MORRIS and GUNNAR ENGBLOM This brand new itinerary really was a tour of two halves! For the frst half of the tour we really were up on the roof of the world, exploring the Andes that surround Cusco up to altitudes in excess of 4000m. Cold clear air and fantastic snow-clad peaks were the order of the day here as we went about our task of seeking out a number of scarce, localized and seldom-seen endemics. For the second half of the tour we plunged down off of the mountains and took the long snaking Manu Road, right down to the Amazon basin. Here we traded the mountainous peaks for vistas of forest that stretched as far as the eye could see in one of the planet’s most diverse regions. Here, the temperatures rose in line with our ever growing list of sightings! In all, we amassed a grand total of 537 species of birds, including 36 which provided audio encounters only! As we all know though, it’s not necessarily the shear number of species that counts, but more the quality, and we found many high quality species. New species for the Birdquest life list included Apurimac Spinetail, Vilcabamba Thistletail, Am- pay (still to be described) and Vilcabamba Tapaculos and Apurimac Brushfnch, whilst other montane goodies included the stunning Bearded Mountaineer, White-tufted Sunbeam the critically endangered Royal Cinclodes, 1 BirdQuest Tour Report: Peru: From the Cusco Andes to The Manu 2017 www.birdquest-tours.com These wonderful Blue-headed Macaws were a brilliant highlight near to Atalaya.
  • Spatuletails, Owlet Lodge & More 2018

    Spatuletails, Owlet Lodge & More 2018

    Field Guides Tour Report Peru's Magnetic North: Spatuletails, Owlet Lodge & More 2018 Jun 23, 2018 to Jul 5, 2018 Dan Lane & Jesse Fagan For our tour description, itinerary, past triplists, dates, fees, and more, please VISIT OUR TOUR PAGE. The name of this tour highlights a few of the spectacular birds that make their homes in Peru's northern regions, and we saw these, and many more! This might have been called the "Antpittas and More" tour, since we had such great views of several of these formerly hard-to-see species. This Ochre-fronted Antpitta was one; she put on a fantastic display for us! Photo by participant Linda Rudolph. The eastern foothills of Andes of northern Peru are one of those special places on the planet… especially if you’re a fan of birds! The region is characterized by pockets of white sand forest at higher elevations than elsewhere in most of western South America. This translates into endemism, and hence our interest in the region! Of course, the region is famous for the award-winning Marvelous Spatuletail, which is actually not related to the white sand phenomenon, but rather to the Utcubamba valley and its rainshadow habitats (an arm of the dry Marañon valley region of endemism). The white sand endemics actually span areas on both sides of the Marañon valley and include several species described to science only since about 1976! The most famous of this collection is the diminutive Long-whiskered Owlet (described 1977), but also includes Cinnamon Screech-Owl (described 1986), Royal Sunangel (described 1979), Cinnamon-breasted Tody-Tyrant (described 1979), Lulu’s Tody-Flycatcher (described 2001), Chestnut Antpitta (described 1987), Ochre-fronted Antpitta (described 1983), and Bar-winged Wood-Wren (described 1977).
  • Peru's Magnetic North: Spatuletails, Owlet Lodge & More 2015

    Peru's Magnetic North: Spatuletails, Owlet Lodge & More 2015

    Field Guides Tour Report Peru's Magnetic North: Spatuletails, Owlet Lodge & More 2015 Jul 22, 2015 to Aug 2, 2015 Dan Lane & Pepe Rojas For our tour description, itinerary, past triplists, dates, fees, and more, please VISIT OUR TOUR PAGE. The Rufous-crested Coquette is always a crowd-pleaser. Photo by participant Tim Skillin. As is becoming increasingly obvious, the El Niño of 2015-6 is shaping up to be a bad one! This has affected weather globally, which certainly has been obvious in Peru. On the Pacific coast, the usually cool, overcast weather has been warmer and sunnier. Meanwhile, on the Amazonian slope of the Andes, the May-to-September dry season has been marked by considerably more precipitation than normal. We witnessed this first hand but, happily, it didn't make birding in San Martin impossible; we just had to have some patience. And the birding in the Peruvian departments of San Martin and Amazonas was incredible! On our first day, driving from Tarapoto to Moyobamba, we enjoyed the Oilbird cave under the highway and some open-country birds that are rather rare and local in Peru (and not much easier to see elsewhere!), such as Cinereous-breasted Spinetail, Masked Duck, and Black-billed Seed-Finch. Our next day, we continued to enjoy the interesting avifauna of the unique Mayo Valley, where there are influences of Amazonian rainforest (Green- backed Trogon, Scaly-breasted Wren, Peruvian Warbling-Antbird, and Fiery-capped Manakin), the drier cerrado of Bolivia and Brazil (Stripe-necked Tody-Tyrant, Little Nightjar, and Pale-breasted Thrush), and one or two elements all its own (the undescribed "Striped" Manakin).
  • The Birds of Páramo De Frontino, Western Andes of Colombia

    The Birds of Páramo De Frontino, Western Andes of Colombia

    Ornitología Colombiana No4 (2006): 39-50 39 THE BIRDS OF PÁRAMO DE FRONTINO, WESTERN ANDES OF COLOMBIA Aves del Páramo de Frontino, Cordillera Occidental de Colombia Niels Krabbe Zoological Museum,University of Copenhagen.Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. [email protected] Pablo Flórez, Gustavo Suárez, José Castaño Fundación ProAves, Cra 20 36-61,Bogotá,Colombia. pfl [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Juan David Arango Diagonal 75 cc # 01-110 Kalamary I tercera etapa casa 105, Medellín,Colombia. [email protected] Arley Duque Parque Nacional Las Orquídeas, Urrao, Antioquia, Colombia. ABSTRACT We conducted an ornithological survey of Páramo de Frontino, the largest páramo in the Western Andes of Colombia and rarely visited by ornithologists. Here we present the fi rst records from this cordillera of Geranoaetus melanoleucus, Hapalopsittaca amazonina, Lurocalis rufi ventris, Grallaria alleni, Myornis senilis, and Notiochelidon fl avipes, as well as Uropsalis segmentata, Acestrura mulsant, and Leptopogon rufi pectus. The latter three had been previously recorded from southern Antioquia, but had remained unpublished. We also obtained signifi cant latitudinal range extensions for 23 species and altitudinal extensions of 300 m or more are given for 26 species. The avian biogeography of the cordillera is discussed and an annotated list given of the species recorded during the survey. Key words: avian biogeography, Colombia, Páramo de Frontino, range extensions RESUMEN Realizamos una exploración ornitológica en el Páramo de Frontino, el páramo más grande de los Andes Occidentales de Colombia y rara vez visitado por los ornitólogos. Presentamos aquí los primeros registros para la cordillera de Geranoaetus melanoleucus, Hapalopsittaca amazonina, Lurocalis rufi ventris, Grallaria alleni, Myornis senilis, Notiochelidon fl avipes, así como de Uropsalis segmentata, Acestrura mulsanti y Leptopogon rufi pectus.
  • Central Colombia, Febrauary 2019

    Central Colombia, Febrauary 2019

    Tropical Birding Tour Summary Central Colombia, Febrauary 2019 A Tropical Birding CUSTOM tour Central Colombia 1-19 February 2019 TOUR LEADERS: Nick Athanas, with Ben Knoot for Part 1 Report and photos by Nick Athanas Gold-ringed Tanager is one of the fantastic Colombian endemics possible on this trip This is a summary of a custom tour I guided in 2019 that had almost the exact same itinerary as our current Central Colombia tours taken together. Since it’s been two years since the trip, I am focusing on describing the sites and summarizing what we saw and where, rather than writing a detailed narrative. Memories fade after all! However, this should be helpful for people interested in these tours, since we currently don’t have a trip report for a set departure tour with the same itinerary. All photos were taken during the trip. www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] 1 Tropical Birding Tour Summary Central Colombia, Febrauary 2019 Day 1, Bogotá: This is just the arrival day. Everyone had come in a day early since flights tend to arrive late into Bogota and we didn’t want to risk any delays. Everyone did their own thing this morning including sightseeing and just resting. Ben went off to do some birding on his own. We got bed as early as possible tonight (and every night in Bogota) since all sites require a fairly long drive and you want to leave before the traffic gets bad. Some wonder why we spend so much time in such a big city.