Colombia 1000 Birds Mega Tour 31St January to 29Th February 2020 (30 Days) Trip Report
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Colombia 1000 Birds Mega Tour 31st January to 29th February 2020 (30 days) Trip Report Antioquia Brushfinch by Stephan Lorenz Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: Stephan Lorenz Trip Report – RBL Colombia – 1000 Birds Mega Tour 2020 2 Tour Summary The list of highlights for this Colombia Mega Tour was long, not surprisingly, since we recorded nearly 950 species. The top bird of the tour as chosen by participants was the Hooded Antpitta with honorable mentions given to Blue-billed and Black Curassows, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Rufescent Screech Owl, Fiery Topaz, White-tipped Quetzal, Collared Puffbird, Toucan Barbet, and Guianan Cock-of-the-rock. The tour was also filled with surprises and many firsts for the tour, most notably Rio Negro Gnatcatcher in Mitu, a rare bird that has only been recorded a handful of times in Colombia, and the recently rediscovered Antioquia Brushfinch. We were treated to lengthy studies of this endangered brushfinch with no less than six seen at the site of rediscovery north of Medellin. Some other fun statistics are that we recorded an astonishing 83 species of hummingbirds, 53 species of ovenbirds, and 55 species of antbirds, which are always a favorite. Another surprise were the 11 species of tapaculos, all of which were seen with good to excellent views, quite a feat! The tour encompassed nearly the entire length and breadth of Colombia, ranging from the steamy Amazon around Mitu to the freezing paramo in the Sierra Los Nevados, the cloud Hooded Antpitta by Stephan Lorenz forests in between, through lowland jungle and dry forests of the Magdalena and Cauca Valleys, and ending in the endemic rich Santa Marta Mountains with a grand finale in the desert scrub of the Guajira Peninsula. We amassed an astounding total of more than 900 species, including around 60 country endemics and 75 near-endemics. Although the weather provided some challenges with much fog and wind in the highlands and dry conditions in the lowlands, we persisted, returning home with a treasure trove of birding memories. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Tour in Detail Since everyone arrived a day or several hours early, we decided to start the tour with some extra birding at the productive Laguna Tabacal near Bogota. We met midmorning after everyone had the opportunity to check-in and, following introductions, tackled our first section of Bogota traffic. Fortunately, the traffic was not too slow, and we were soon rolling out of Bogota towards the lower Andean slopes to the west of the city. We reached the reserve just after lunchtime and entered along the main trail. Here, we quickly located the endemic and range-restricted Velvet-fronted Euphonia with two males and a female offering close studies. We then followed one of the narrower trails recording plenty of excellent species along the way, including Plain Antvireo, heard only Jet Antbird, and White-bellied Antbird that showed exceedingly well for such a skulking species. Other finds included White-bearded Manakin, Sooty- headed and Golden-faced Tyrannulets, localized Speckle-breasted Wren, Grey-headed Tanager, the near- endemic Scrub Tanager, and several migrant warblers rounded out our visit to Laguna Tabacal. We then continued to Jardin Encantado, an impressive set of hummingbird feeders in a small town on the way back towards Bogota. We did not have as much time as we had hoped for, but still found ten species of Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Colombia Trip Report – RBL Colombia – 1000 Birds Mega Tour 2020 3 hummingbirds with the endemic Indigo-capped Hummingbird being abundant and a handful of Gorgeted Woodstars present, the only locality where we recorded that species. Afterward, we traveled back to Bogota where we enjoyed a delicious welcome dinner and the official start to the tour at the hotel. Our first full day of the tour started with an early departure and breakfast on the road from the hotel, a routine we would follow for the next four weeks. Our main destination for the day was the Chingaza area to the east of Bogota where a mixture of paramo, cloud forest, scrub, and wetlands hold a variety of specialties and endemics. We, of course, focused on the endemics of the area and in between tried to scoop up as many species as possible. After a nearly two-hour journey, we arrived at the high point on the road towards the Bioandina area and were greeted by thick fog and drizzle, which persisted for most of the morning. We got right into the birding though and after some searching Golden-faced Tyrannulet by Stephan Lorenz found the Ochre-breasted Brushfinch and very localized species on this itinerary. We also added our first Andean Guans, Band-tailed Pigeon, Golden-headed Quetzal that showed very well despite the fog, a pair of showy Black-billed Mountain Toucans, flighty Smoky-brown Woodpecker, and Slaty Brushfinch. After reaching the open habitat along the road, we birded the edge of the scrub and forest patches getting good views of Glowing and Coppery-bellied Pufflegs, Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Mountain Velvetbreast, responsive Pale-naped Brushfinches, and Black and White-sided Flowerpiercers. We walked back down along the road for quite some distance, a strategy that proved successful since we found two or three feeding flocks that included the stunning Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Pearled Treerunner, Green-and-black Fruiteater, White-banded, White-throated, and Black- capped Tyrannulets, Rufous-breasted and Brown-backed Chat-Tyrants, Grey-breasted Wood-Wren, Golden-fronted Whitestart, Superciliaried Hemispingus, Hooded and Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanagers, and Blue- capped and Blue-and-black Tanagers, wow what a great haul of birds. Yet, despite the busy morning, we were still missing the main Green-and-black Fruiteater by Stephan Lorenz target of the area, the endangered and endemic Flame-winged Parakeet. The weather had not improved, but we did not want to give up. We wandered down the road a bit and then back up, deciding to take a short break for water and snacks by the van paid off when a small flock of parakeets shot into a tree downslope. We quickly got onto them with binoculars, but they flew before the scope was ready. Luckily, they came towards us and landed very close to the road for some of the best views possible of this scarce species — in the end, our Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Colombia Trip Report – RBL Colombia – 1000 Birds Mega Tour 2020 4 persistence paid off. With the major target under our belts, we drove back to a nearby town and enjoyed a local lunch. Then we carried on to the Siecha Gravel Pits, despite the unpromising name this is one of the best sites for the impressive Noble Snipe. The surroundings of the gravel pits and marshes are changing fast and we had to wait for permission from a local landowner to enter. While we waited to enter, a pair of Whistling Herons flew by at a distance and we had excellent views, an unexpected species for the area and big surprise on this itinerary. At first, things looked dry from a distance, but once we got nearer it was clear that water and the birds were still present. On the open water, we quickly found Blue-winged and Andean Teals, Andean Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, and in the reed-fringed wetlands, we instantly lured out the endemic Bogota Rail, found half-dozen Noble Snipes and a single migrant Wilson’s Snipe. In the reeds and nearby fields, we also added Yellow-hooded Blackbird and Grassland Yellow Finch as a bonus. After such fast-paced birding, we moved on to the Observatorio de Colibris, where we enjoyed a relaxed hour or two of watching a diverse array of Spotted Puffbird by Stephan Lorenz hummingbirds visiting the well-placed feeders. In fact, we would visit more than a dozen hummingbird feeder setups before the tour was over, each with their own set of species and specialties. While overall hummingbird activity was low in terms of numbers, a trend that continued throughout the tour, overall diversity was excellent and we got exactly what we came for. While some species were only present in singles or twos, we enjoyed great views of Sparkling Violetear, Black-tailed and Green-tailed Trainbearers, Tyrian Metaltail, Glowing, and Coppery-bellied Pufflegs, Blue-throated Starfrontlet, the one-of-a-kind Sword-billed Hummingbird, Great Sapphirewing, and White-bellied Woodstar. Before the final return to Bogota, we made one more strategic stop to catch up with excellent views of the endemic and occasionally tricky Silvery- throated Spinetail. After such a long day filled with lifers, we welcomed a celebratory dinner back at the hotel in Bogota. Today was mainly a travel day, with an early afternoon flight scheduled to Mitu and the Colombian Amazon. We had plans to make the most of the morning by visiting the Parque La Florida near the airport. We arrived at dawn and soon entered the park, heading straight toward the most productive section of the wetland. The best finds on the Rusty-breasted Nunlet by Stephan Lorenz open water and in the reed-filled marshes included locally scarce Lesser Scaup, more Bogota Rails, Spot-flanked Gallinules that showed well, migrant Sora, several shorebirds, and after some dedicated scanning, a single Subtropical Doradito. Carefully scoping the distant trees revealed roosting Merlin and Peregrine Falcon. Since we had extra Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Colombia Trip Report – RBL Colombia – 1000 Birds Mega Tour 2020 5 time, we slowly walked through the woodland and birded the hedgerows, finding Black Phoebe, Andean Siskin, the ubiquitous Rufous-collared Sparrow, Yellow-backed Oriole, American Yellow Warbler, and best of the all, the near-endemic Rufous- browed Conebill that came very close.