DOCSLIB.ORG

Colombia Trip Report

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Colombia Trip Report Colombia Trip Report 1,000 Birds Mega Tour 18th January to 15th February 2015 (29 days) Guianan Cock-of-the-rock by Sue Wright Trip Report compiled by Tour Leader: Forrest Rowland Trip Report - RBT Colombia Mega I 2015 2 Top 10 Tour Highlights (as voted by participants): 1. White-tipped Quetzal 2. Guianan Cock-of-the-rock 3. Ocellated Tapaculo 4. Golden-headed Quetzal 5. Blue-billed Curassow 6. White-whiskered Spinetail 7. Red-fan Parrot / Orange-breasted Fruiteater / Violet-tailed Sylph 8. Bicolored Antpitta 9. Blue-and-yellow Macaw / Gartered Trogon 10. Chestnut-crested Antbird / Tanager Finch / Purplish-mantled Tanager Tour Intro The following is an abbreviated account of one of the most spectacular journeys on Earth. This author cannot possibly do justice to the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes encountered during our short month in the paradise that is Colombia. With an outstanding 1009 species logged, we enjoyed the best that Latin American hospitality, and neotropical birding, has to offer. And true to form, at the end of it I was left wondering: Are more species possible on the next tour? For now, I hope readers enjoy this narrative of our marvellous adventure, the wonderful locations we visited, and an account of the splendid array of wildlife we came across during our travels. Tour Summary The tour commenced with participants descending on the high capitol city of Bogota. Some arrived in less than a day, while others came all the way from Central Europe, enduring some serious jetlag – only to be awoken at an ungodly hour from Day #1. Well…it’s a birding tour!!! And we kicked it off in fashion, taking a caravan of 4x4 vehicles across Chingaza National Park and its environs. Our birding in the Eastern Andes, at least the upper elevations, was restricted to our first day-and-a-half around Bogota, including the famed wetland areas close to town. Chingaza National Park and its accesses, paired with a descent across the back of the park to Mundo Nuevo, allow one to travel through habitats ranging from Elfin Forest up to Paramo, then back down into Temperate and Subtropical Forests. Focusing on endemics, as always, we saw Pale- bellied Tapaculo, Silvery-throated Spinetail, Rufous- Flame-winged Parakeet by Sue browed Conebill and several Bronze-tailed Thornbill Wright within the first couple hours of daylight! The hummingbird show up there includes much more than just the endemic thornbill. Glowing and Coppery-bellied Puffleg, Blue-throated Starfrontlet, and some of the more common species were evident. Working our way down from the paramo and elfin forests, we sought out, and found, perhaps the most wanted species of the day: Flame-winged (Brown- breasted) Parakeet. We saw 4 feeding on a melastome (a type of flowering plant) right next to the road!!! Crowned Chat-Tyrant, Barred Fruiteater, and gorgeous views of Black-billed Mountain Toucan all ranked amongst the morning’s highlights. The afternoon was spent at some nearby Trip Report - RBT Colombia Mega I 2015 3 wetlands, yielding great views of Bogota Rail, a few Noble Snipe, Spot-flanked Gallinule and some nice waterfowl. We then flew out to Mitu, near the Colombian border, for a good dose of some serious Amazon birding. Mitu is fabulous, with comfortable hotel accommodations in town (even air-conditioning!), decent transport with drivers willing to wake up before down, and some of the most enjoyable local guides anywhere. The birding sites are easy to access and the birds are plentiful, with many near endemics, white sand specialists, terra firme specialists, and many scarce species readily seen. The 4 full days, plus two half-days, allowed us to visit all of the important birding areas. Naturally, not every target was seen. We missed Tawny- tufted Toucanet and Pompadour Cotinga, for example. But, well, there aren’t many other examples! We had the great fortune of finding a flowering tree, several mixed flocks, numerous responsive antbirds, and enough rain (but not too much) to keep the birds pumping nearly all day long. While we did lose some birding time to Amazonian Umbrellabird by Sue Wright rain, I think the latter was of utmost importance to our success. The backdrop of monolithic basalt domes jutting hundreds of feet above the forest, and wide meandering rivers, helps add to the obvious allure of this exceptionally remote site. The list of special birds encountered? It was long: Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Orange-cheeked Parrot, Festive Amazon, Red-fan Parrot (at nest!), Fiery Topaz, Black-bellied Thorntail, 4 species of Jacamar (Yellow-billed, Bronzy, Paradise and Great), Rusty-breasted Nunlet, Orinoco Piculet, Yellow-throated Woodpecker, Chestnut-winged Hookbill, Chestnut-winged, Cinnamon-rumped, and Olive-backed Foliage-Gleaner, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Rufous-tailed and Slender-billed Xenops, many Woodcreepers (including Striped, Ocellated, and Elegant), 35 species of Typical Antbirds (including Fulvous and Blackish-gray Antshrikes, Rufous-tailed, Spot-backed, Cherrie’s and Yellow-throated Antwrens, Imeri Warbling, Black-headed, Gray-bellied, White- plumed and Chestnut-crested Antbirds), Rufous-capped and Striated Antthrushes, Dusky-chested and Yellow-throated Flycatchers, Guianan Cock-of-the-rock, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Saffron- crested Tyrant-Manakin, Yellow-crested Manakin, Amazonian Schiffornis, Brown-headed Greenlet, Azure-naped Jay, Plumbeous Euphonia, Red-shouldered and Paradise Tanagers, and Short-billed Honeycreeper, amongst the 320+ species we found!!! The monkeys came out for us as well. We had a massive troop of Mottle- cheeked Tamarins come foraging right over us, as well as views of the rare Collared (White- handed) Titi monkey. They were huge for a Titi monkey, which led me, at first, to think that they could’ve been some sort of Saki. Upon investigation, I found out that the white throat markings and white hands of the monkeys only belong to this species of Titi. We flew back to Bogota, where we had one morning’s birding in the La Florida area before Cherrie's Antwren by Sue Wright embarking on our short flight North to Trip Report - RBT Colombia Mega I 2015 4 Bucaramanga. The Apolinar’s Wren show this morning was utterly unbelievable, had I not been there to witness it for myself. We had a pair not only sing for us, in the open, but follow us back to the bus! Subtropical Doradito, Rufous-browed Conebill, several migrant passerines, and more waterfowl helped boost the trip list. After our flight to Bucaramanga, we drove to San Vicente de Chuchurri, arriving, finally, at the Cerulean Warbler Preserve Lodge around 7pm. This late arrival was partially due to an absolutely amazing stop we made en route. A previously unexplored side road near one of the new bridges along the way gave access to some typical Magdalena scrub. Northern White-fringed Antwren, Apical Flycatcher, Jet Antbird, and numerous species of Seedeater, Seed Finches, and other scrub birds were out in force! And a fine spot was made by one participant – one female Hoffman’s Two-toed Sloth…with young! A magical 60 minutes on this road only gave a taste Blue-capped Tanager by Sue Wright of the potential. To top it off, I spotted a Beautiful Woodpecker going into a nesthole in a roadside tree. The best travel day of the tour! The Cerulean Warbler Preserve was wonderful, as always. Spending one day below the lodge in the coffee areas and scrub produced some 120 species the first day, while the subtropical forest above the lodge produced a list nearly as extensive, and completely different, the following day! We had some rainy moments, but managed most of our target birds nonetheless. The visit even yielded a few beautiful, eye-level views of the stunning namesake of the Preserve itself: Cerulean Warbler. Indigo-capped and Chestnut-bellied Hummingbirds, Bar-crested Antshrike, Turquoise and Yellow-tufted Dacnis, several species of tanagers, Golden-winged Warbler, Slaty Spinetail, Slate- headed Tody-Flycatcher, Spectacled and Pale-vented Thrushes, and the endemic Yellow-browed Shrike-Vireo were all highlights from the lower elevations. The best bird of the lower plantation areas was the critically endangered Niceforo’s Wren pair that came out for views! The following day, after an uphill slog through cow pastures in early morning light, we made it to the forests of the Lengerke Trail, and the heart of birding in the area. Black Inca, Gorgeted Wood Quail, Lined Wood Quail, White- bellied Antpitta and Moustached Puffbird were around the feeding station, and a few of the best birds frequented the mixed flocks of the forest, excepting Parker’s Antbird, and the Upper Magdalena Tapaculo, which are true skulkers. Rufous-rumped Antwren, Plumbeous-crowned and Rufous- browed Tyrannulets, Variegated Bristle Tyrant, Black- banded Woodcreeper, Whiskered Wren, Black-capped, Metallic-green and Blue-winged Mountain Tanagers all appeared for us. The drive from San Vicente de Chuchurri to the Blue-billed Beautiful Woodpecker by Sue Curassow Preserve can be a long one. Lucky for us, the new Wright road sped us along our way, enabling us to arrive in time for Trip Report - RBT Colombia Mega I 2015 5 dinner. Some birding was done en route, naturally. We stopped only a few times to take in the sights of some wetland and open country species. Northern Screamer was, as always, the day’s favorite bird – and a worthy one! However, when a Russet-crowned Crake came walking out of a heap of grass into full view, the race for bird-of-the-day became a close one. Stellar views of Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Orange-winged Parrot, White-headed Marsh Tyrant, Pied Water Tyrant and other species helped the trip along. Our visit to Paujil was perhaps, for me, the most exciting visit made to that site.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • FIELD GUIDES BIRDING TOURS: Amazonian Ecuador: Sacha
    Field Guides Tour Report Amazonian Ecuador: Sacha Lodge III 2012 Jun 29, 2012 to Jul 8, 2012 Mitch Lysinger For our tour description, itinerary, past triplists, dates, fees, and more, please VISIT OUR TOUR PAGE. Well, once again, Sacha Lodge proved that it just can't disappoint! What an awesome spot from which to base Ecuadorian, Amazon basin birding. Accommodations are delightful, the food delicious and abundant, the staff possibly as well-trained as at any other lodge (and so friendly), and the forests are just full of exciting bird species, from the understory all the way up to the canopy treetops! One of the most impressive features that Sacha has to offer - and certainly its greatest birding strength - are the jaw-dropping canopy towers; the metal towers and walkways have to be seen to be believed! How could anybody ever forget mornings spent up there, eye-to-eye with some of the hardest canopy species to find? Three hundred bird species can be a lot to digest in a week's worth of birding, especially when many of them are new to most folks! One thing is for sure though: it is always big fun! Picking favorites is a personal thing, but there are always some birds - whether for rarity's sake, or just because they are flashy or performed well - that deserve some special recognition from the leader. So here are my picks for their moment in the birding limelight: how about that Bartlett's Tinamou that came strutting out right in the open for us... and that happened to be a visual lifer for the leader!?; that immature Agami Heron that even
    [Show full text]
  • Birding the Madeira‐Tapajos Interfluvium 2017
    Field Guides Tour Report GREAT RIVERS OF THE AMAZON II: BIRDING THE MADEIRA‐TAPAJOS INTERFLUVIUM 2017 Aug 1, 2017 to Aug 16, 2017 Bret Whitney, Tom Johnson, and Micah Riegner For our tour description, itinerary, past triplists, dates, fees, and more, please VISIT OUR TOUR PAGE. Incredible sunsets were met with full checklists, full (and then empty) caipirinhas, and full stomachs back on our riverboat home, the Tumbira. Photo by guide Tom Johnson. An extended voyage into remote areas full of amazing birds but infrequently visited by birders? Yes, please! This two-week tour of the Madeira-Tapajos interfluvium (south of the Amazon) was chock-full of birds and lots of adventure in a comfortable setting with fantastic company. We kicked off this grand adventure in Amazonia in the bustling metropolis of Manaus where we boarded a comfortable and fast speed launch, checking out the meeting of the blackwater Rio Negro and the whitewater Solimoes just downstream from Manaus before blasting off. We shot down the Amazona and then up the Rio Madeira to the riverside town of Borba, cruising past Amazon River Dolphins, Horned Screamers, and Short-tailed Parrots along the way. Borba was our home for three nights, and we used this frontier base as our hub of land-based exploration of the right bank of the Madeira. This was a location notable for the ornithological collections of Natterer, and an area that Bret has visited repeatedly due to its interesting avifauna. Contrasting with a fire-choked season during the tour in 2015, we were fortunate to bird several excellent forest tracts this without issue - well, our endless stream of replacement VW Combi vans notwithstanding! Fortunately, our team on the ground managed our vehicle problems and we were able to continue birding.
    [Show full text]
  • Nature Colombia Trip Report - Eastern Andes & Mid-Magdalena´S Valley 2018
    www.naturecolombia.com EASTERN ANDES & MID-MAGDALENA´S VALLEY 3rd March – 8th March 2018 Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) is characterized by its unusually long bill size; it is the only bird to have a beak longer than the length of its body. As all the pictures in this report, this picture was taken during this trip, in the Hummingbird Observatory Reserve - Bogotá. Nature Colombia Tour Leader: Roger Rodriguez Ardila 2 Nature Colombia Trip Report - Eastern Andes & Mid-Magdalena´s Valley 2018 Colombia is famed for its extraordinary diversity of birds. Thanks to its wide variety of landscapes and climates, Colombia is a megadiverse country with some of the highest biodiversity on the planet. Regardless of size, Colombia holds almost 20% of all birds in the planet (1,944 species, with new species still being discovered). Robert Holt, Lynne and I traveled together for 5 days, visiting some birding sites in the Eastern Andes and the Mid-Magdalena´s Valley looking for some endemic and special birds of this areas. In overall the trip was fast paced, designed to visit as much birding sites as we could of these two very different kind of environments. That also forced us to be in the car for long hours most of the days. We recorded 235 species (47 families), including 11 endemic bird species and 7 near-endemics. This was in spite of the complicated conditions mentioned before. Day Date Morning Afternoon Overnight Blue Suites Hotel - 1 03/03/18 Chingaza National Park Hummingbirds Observatory Bogotá 04/03/18 La Florida Park and El Enchanted Garden and transfer Rio Claro Reserve 2 Tabacal Lagoon to Rio Claro 3 05/03/18 Full day birding at Rio Claro Reserve Rio Claro Reserve 4 06/03/18 Rio Claro Reserve El Paujil Reserve El Paujil Reserve Blue Suites Hotel - 5 07/03/18 El Paujil Reserve Transfer to Bogotá Bogotá TOUR SUMMARY: Day 1.
    [Show full text]
  • 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)
    [Show full text]
  • 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
    [Show full text]
  • Colombia Mega II 1St – 30Th November 2016 (30 Days) Trip Report
    Colombia Mega II 1st – 30th November 2016 (30 Days) Trip Report Black Manakin by Trevor Ellery Trip Report compiled by tour leader: Trevor Ellery Trip Report – RBL Colombia - Mega II 2016 2 ___________________________________________________________________________________ Top ten birds of the trip as voted for by the Participants: 1. Ocellated Tapaculo 6. Blue-and-yellow Macaw 2. Rainbow-bearded Thornbill 7. Red-ruffed Fruitcrow 3. Multicolored Tanager 8. Sungrebe 4. Fiery Topaz 9. Buffy Helmetcrest 5. Sword-billed Hummingbird 10. White-capped Dipper Tour Summary This was one again a fantastic trip across the length and breadth of the world’s birdiest nation. Highlights were many and included everything from the flashy Fiery Topazes and Guianan Cock-of- the-Rocks of the Mitu lowlands to the spectacular Rainbow-bearded Thornbills and Buffy Helmetcrests of the windswept highlands. In between, we visited just about every type of habitat that it is possible to bird in Colombia and shared many special moments: the diminutive Lanceolated Monklet that perched above us as we sheltered from the rain at the Piha Reserve, the showy Ochre-breasted Antpitta we stumbled across at an antswarm at Las Tangaras Reserve, the Ocellated Tapaculo (voted bird of the trip) that paraded in front of us at Rio Blanco, and the male Vermilion Cardinal, in all his crimson glory, that we enjoyed in the Guajira desert on the final morning of the trip. If you like seeing lots of birds, lots of specialities, lots of endemics and enjoy birding in some of the most stunning scenery on earth, then this trip is pretty unbeatable.
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • Table of Contents
    AVIAN INVENTORY AND MONITORING REPORT LOMAS DE SIERPE ÁREA DE CONSERVACIÓN OSA PIEDRAS BLANCAS, OSA, PUNTARENAS, COSTA RICA PREPARED BY: KAREN M. LEAVELLE MSC. FOR: OSA CONSERVATION APRIL 2013 Baird’s Trogon TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2 METHODS 2 STUDY AREA 2 BIRD SURVEYS 2 DISTANCE ESTIMATION 8 RESULTS 9 COMMUNITY COMPOSITION AND DENSITY 9 RESIDENT BIRD SPECIES 9 NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRD SPECIES 10 MELINA COMMUNITY COMPOSITION 14 FERN GROVE COMMUNITY COMPOSITION 15 MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS AND NEXT STEPS 16 LITERATURE CITED 18 TABLE 1: Species richness 9 TABLE 2: Cumulative list of Neotropical migratory bird species 2010-2013 11 TABLE 3: List of resident bird species 2013 11 TABLE 4: List of resident and Neotropical migratory bird species in the Melina plantation 2013 14 TABLE 5: List of resident and Neotropical migratory bird species in the Fern Grove plot 2013 16 TABLE 6: Densities 17 Appendix A: Cumulative list of resident and Neotropical migratory birds 2010-2013 19 RECOMMENDED CITATION Leavelle, K.M. 2013. Avian Inventory and Monitoring Report, Lomas de Sierpe, Área de Conservación Osa, Piedras Blancas, Costa Rica. Report prepared for Osa Conservation. p23. Washington, DC. 1 INTRODUCTION In concordance with the specific objective outlined for the development and continuance of scientific investigative activities on Osa Conservation’s Lomas de Sierpe property (Friends of the Osa and CATIE 2010), I conducted a formal avian inventory of resident and Neotropical migratory bird species from 9 March to 17 March 2013. Survey objectives were designed to assess avian community composition and estimate the density and abundance of individual target bird species of management and conservation concern in future survey years.
    [Show full text]
  • Volume 92 Issue 4 Jul-Aug 2015
    Jack Pine Warbler THE SUMMER ISSUE: Lead and Loons Red, White, and Black 2015 Piping Plover Activity at Whitefish Point Biological Surveys Explore Breeding Birds and Habitat at Michigan Audubon Sanctuaries THE MAGAZINE OF MICHIGAN AUDUBON JULY-AUGUST 2015 | JackVOLUME Pine 92Warbler NUMBER 1 4 Cover Photo Red-headed Woodpecker Photographer: Roger Eriksson The photo was taken from Roger’s vehicle on May 3, 2013 at Tawas Point State Park. Iosco County is a great place to observe this beautiful woodpecker through- out the year. One day this past winter, 54 Red-headed Woodpeckers were seen all around Sand Lake, making CONTACT US Iosco County the Red-headed Woodpecker capital of By mail: Michigan. 2310 Science Parkway, Suite 200 Okemos, MI 48864 The camera body was a Canon EOS-7D attached to a Canon EF 800mm f5.6L IS lens. Shutter speed: 1/1250 By visiting: seconds. Aperture: f 6.3. ISO: 400, +2/3 Exposure Suite 200 compensation. 2310 Science Parkway Okemos, MI 48864 Phone 517-580-7364 Mon.–Fri. 9 AM–5 PM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Contents Jonathan E. Lutz [email protected] Features Columns Departments STAFF 2 8 1 Wendy Tatar Lead and Loons MBS: Celebrating Birders Program Coordinator Executive Director’s Letter [email protected] Kristin Phillips Marketing and Communications Coordinator [email protected] 5 9 4 Biological Surveys Explore Chapter Spotlight: Sable New Members Rachelle Roake Breeding Birds and Habitat Dunes Audubon Society Conservation Science Coordinator at Michigan Audubon [email protected] Sanctuaries 10 Special Thanks for Tawas EDITOR Point Birding Festival Laura Julier [email protected] PRODUCTION 6 11 12–13 Kristin Phillips Red, White, and Black 2015 Piping Plover Activity Calendar Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Whitefish Point Announcements [email protected] ADVERTISING Guidelines available on request.
    [Show full text]
  • Colombia 1 000 Birds Mega Tour II 21St November to 19Th December 2014 (29 Days)
    Colombia 1 000 Birds Mega Tour II 21st November to 19th December 2014 (29 days) Lance-tailed Manakin by Dennis Braddy Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: Rob Williams Trip Report - RBT Colombia Mega II 2014 2 An early start on day 1 saw us heading to Mundo Nuevo. Our first stop en route produced a flurry of birds including Northern Mountain Cacique, Golden-fronted Whitestart, Barred Becard, Mountain Elaenia and a Green-tailed Trainbearer feeding young at a nest. We continued up to the altitude where the endemic Flame-winged Parakeets breed and breakfasted while we awaited them. We were rewarded with great scope looks at this threatened species. The area also gave us a flurry of other birds including Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager, Rufous-breasted Chat- Tyrant, Pearled Treerunner and Smoke-coloured Pewee. We continued up to the edge of the paramo and birded a track inside Chingaza National Park. Activity was low but we persisted and were rewarded with a scattering of birds including Glossy, Masked and Bluish Flowerpiercers, Slaty Brush Finch, Glowing and Coppery-bellied Pufflegs, and Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant. The endemic Bronze-tailed Thornbill only gave frustrating brief flyby views. Great looks however were had of the endemic Pale-bellied Tapaculo, singing from surprisingly high up in a bush. The track back down gave us Rufous Wren, Superciliated and Black-capped Hemispingus and Tourmaline Sunangel. Further down the road a Buff- breasted Mountain Tanager and some Beryl-spangled Tanagers were found before we headed back to La Calera. After lunch in a local restaurant we headed to the Siecha gravel pits.
    [Show full text]
  • Brazil's Eastern Amazonia
    The loud and impressive White Bellbird, one of the many highlights on the Brazil’s Eastern Amazonia 2017 tour (Eduardo Patrial) BRAZIL’S EASTERN AMAZONIA 8/16 – 26 AUGUST 2017 LEADER: EDUARDO PATRIAL This second edition of Brazil’s Eastern Amazonia was absolutely a phenomenal trip with over five hundred species recorded (514). Some adjustments happily facilitated the logistics (internal flights) a bit and we also could explore some areas around Belem this time, providing some extra good birds to our list. Our time at Amazonia National Park was good and we managed to get most of the important targets, despite the quite low bird activity noticed along the trails when we were there. Carajas National Forest on the other hand was very busy and produced an overwhelming cast of fine birds (and a Giant Armadillo!). Caxias in the end came again as good as it gets, and this time with the novelty of visiting a new site, Campo Maior, a place that reminds the lowlands from Pantanal. On this amazing tour we had the chance to enjoy the special avifauna from two important interfluvium in the Brazilian Amazon, the Madeira – Tapajos and Xingu – Tocantins; and also the specialties from a poorly covered corner in the Northeast region at Maranhão and Piauí states. Check out below the highlights from this successful adventure: Horned Screamer, Masked Duck, Chestnut- headed and Buff-browed Chachalacas, White-crested Guan, Bare-faced Curassow, King Vulture, Black-and- white and Ornate Hawk-Eagles, White and White-browed Hawks, Rufous-sided and Russet-crowned Crakes, Dark-winged Trumpeter (ssp.
    [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]