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. Feeding on a low purple flowered bush, we were able to obtain excellent views of this highly range restricted endemic before attacking the boardwalk. Prothonotary Warbler was so common it was impossible to avoid. Our other major target of the morning was not long in arriving though – a small flock of Bicolored Conebill. Golden-green Woodpecker kept the list ticking along before American Pygmy Kingfisher allowed for stunning views. Some good spotting found a roosting Common Nighthawk before the day became uncomfortably hot and humid. We persevered a little, a very accommodating Pied Puffbird paying us back nicely. Another fifteen minutes was spent with the Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird, before we departed Isla de Salamanca. Twenty minutes were devoted to turning over some waders, White-rumped Sandpiper and Wilson's Plover being the highlights, along with all the usual suspects. We then headed for an excellent fish lunch in Cienaga. Post lunch it was time to exit the heat and humidity for the cooler environs of El Dorado Lodge, perched at around 2000masl on the Santa Marta massif. New birds (and many endemics) were found in a matter of minutes. Santa Marta Toucanet was seen as we climbed out of the vehicles, followed in quick succession by very approachable Band-tailed Guans, White-tailed Starfrontlet, a pair of Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird by Clayton Burne White-tipped Quetzals, Black-fronted Wood RBT Colombia: Santa Marta Extension Trip Report - 2014 3 Quail and Santa Marta Brush Finch. A quick owling session that evening managed to locate a calling Santa Marta Screech Owl (still undescribed!), but alas we could not get any visuals. The next day would be an early start up to San Lorenzo ridge. Having assembled at the bleary-eyed hour of 04:00, we climbed into our 4x4 vehicles and headed up to the San Lorenzo ridge high above our accommodation at El Dorado. A short effort was made for Santa Marta Screech Owl, but we only found some dimly lit Band-winged Nightjars instead. Continuing higher up, we stopped just at the break of dawn to scan for Santa Marta Parakeets. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing a gale – the crystal clear skies no consolation. After an interesting hike up a nearby hill and a fruitless 15 minutes scanning, we descended to warm up with hot chocolate and coffee. We started to bird the road, immediately getting onto two endemics, Santa Marta Warbler and Yellow-crowned Whitestart. Birding was rather tough thereafter with no Pied Puffbird by Clayton Burne flocks to speak of. We did however eke out both Rusty-headed and Streak-capped Spinetails, Santa Marta Mountain Tanager and Strong-billed Woodcreeper. A pair of Bicolored Hawk buzzed the parakeet nest boxes, not exactly helping our efforts, while a Santa Marta Bush Tyrant called incessantly but remained stubbornly within the bamboo thickets. A concerted effort saw most of us getting a view of another tough species, the mouse-like Brown-rumped Tapaculo. With the wind showing no sign of abating, we started to descend the road on foot, adding Scaly-naped Amazon, Golden Grosbeak and Streak-throated Bush Tyrant. While descending, a flock of Santa Marta Parakeets made a mad dash across the road, only their bright green bodies to show for our efforts. Another short snack break was called for. A while later we found yet another endemic, the White-lored Warbler, while Golden-breasted Fruiteater was located and spotted well. Down the mountain we went for lunch. With the afternoon's birding about to begin, a female Santa Marta Woodstar graced the hummer feeders. A little further down the road we stopped at a known Blossomcrown site and waited. Black-hooded Thrush was seen by some, so the rest of us decided to walk a short distance to re-find the bird. As expected, we had no sooner found the thrush when the call for Blossomcrown went up – half of us in the wrong place at the right time. Wait some more we did... In the end, we managed a staggeringly good sighting of this fantastic little hummingbird. The remainder of the afternoon was spent walking the roads and picking up mostly commoner forest species. Rusty-breasted Antpitta played ball, showing well for everyone, as did the colourful crowd pleaser, Keel-billed Toucan. With that, it was back to the lodge for dinner. A spot of after dinner owling failed to elicit the target – so we headed off to bed Santa Marta Brush Finch by Tim Boucher after a rather long day in the field. RBT Colombia: Santa Marta Extension Trip Report - 2014 4 Another early start saw us heading down the mountain towards Minca. A calling Grey-throated Leaftosser had us stopping earlier than planned, to be rewarded by one of the continent’s most 'skulky' genera, sitting on an open branch – calling and flicking its tail for fully 5 minutes! Next we tried the equally tricky Santa Marta Tapaculo – except it wasn't. Two individuals called from the opposite edges of the road, making it a difficult decision of which to hit first. Unusually perched a metre from the ground, then walking over open ground – a dream start to the morning it was. A Moustached Puffbird attempted to hide by remaining motionless, while we enjoyed excellent views. Thankfully this was a portent of what was to come. Groove-billed Toucanets vied with a Black-headed Tanager for our attention and Santa Marta Antbirds were Blossomcrown by Clayton Burne ridiculously co-operative. A calling Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush was not so forthcoming, but later we would find a real poser. Santa Marta Foliage-gleaner made life difficult, but most of us eventually managed a decent enough view. With most of the targets already in the bag, we headed further down the mountain. Both Rufous- breasted and Rufous-and-white Wrens made our lives easy, coming in for excellent views. A Scaled Piculet showed well before we had equally good views of Golden-winged Sparrow and Pale-eyed Pygmy Tyrant. As the day warmed up, we took shelter at our accommodation in Minca, birding the hummingbird feeders while putting our feet up for a few hours. An easy few minutes had both Rufous-breasted and Pale-bellied Hermits. An afternoon stroll then turned up some more target species in the form of Panamanian Flycatcher, Long-billed Gnatwren and Black-backed Antshrike. We made one final stop to look for some macaws in the late evening, an effort that proved ultimately fruitless. An early morning walk around Minca the following day was next in store for us. We got off to a decent start, with Whooping Motmot seemingly plentiful in the gardens next to the path. We greatly improved our views of Black-backed Antshrike while also adding both Golden-fronted and Scrub Greenlets to the list. Bran-colored Flycatcher played coy, while Northern Royal Flycatcher refused to show at all. We left Minca mid-morning and began the drive towards the Guajira Peninsula. Arriving near to Riohacha in the late afternoon allowed us to bird for a few hours. Crested Bobwhite called in the fields that both Smooth-billed and Groove-billed Anis surveyed. Northern Scrub Flycatcher, Tropical Gnatcatcher and Grey Pileated Finch were all found in the scrubby undergrowth. Bare-eyed Pigeons flew overhead intermittently, Red-billed Emerald by Clayton Burne RBT Colombia: Santa Marta Extension Trip Report - 2014 5 while White-whiskered Spinetail showed well. We got onto a perched Red-billed Emerald, unfortunately sitting in a shady spot rendering itself rather dark. Rufous-vented Chachalaca did not come into their known lake for a drink of water or even to roost. Trinidad Euphonia showed for some, while Glaucous Tanager called nearby. The evening finished on an excellent note though: a Chestnut Piculet displaying its beautiful crest and dark chestnut body. With that, it was time to head to our hotel. We had a final dinner together where we celebrated not only the end of the tour, but also Jennifer's birthday, with lobster thermador and toffee cake.

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