Colombia: Bogotá, Eastern Andes, & the Magdalena Valley February 1–16, 2018
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
COLOMBIA: BOGOTÁ, EASTERN ANDES, & THE MAGDALENA VALLEY FEBRUARY 1–16, 2018 LEADERS: STEVE HILTY & CHRISTIAN DAZA LIST COMPILED BY: STEVE HILTY VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM COLOMBIA: BOGOTÁ, EASTERN ANDES, & THE MAGDALENA VALLEY February 1–16, 2018 By Steve Hilty Our birding route included several traditional sites in the Magdalena Valley and, for the second year in a row, also a circular loop down the eastern slope of the Eastern Andes to the bustling city of Villavicencio and a return to Bogotá via the picturesque little mountain city of Santa María. This route includes some terrific forest birding sites as well as access to the high páramo of Sumapaz National Park, which is the largest contiguous páramo in the world. Botanists describe it as a tropical alpine grassland, but that hardly conveys the beauty of this fairyland of strange and unusual plants dominated by rosette- shaped Espeletia (Asteraceae) and an interesting variety of birds. It is a region Lewis Carroll would surely have loved. We had great birding almost everywhere and experienced rain only one morning at the little Bellavista Reserve near the town of La Victoria. Top birding days would surely include the old Bavaria Beer Company forest near Villavicencio, a morning near the military bases below Santa María, the high montane forest above the city of Ibague, and that last remarkable morning at the Río Claro Reserve where we spent almost an hour and a half at one site, moving little more than a few steps as we watched woodpeckers, trogons, antwrens, woodcreepers, flycatchers, becards, wrens, thrushes, a variety of colorful tanagers (including Swallow Tanagers close at hand), caciques, oropendolas, euphonias, and much more at close range. Remarkably, we also observed a large number of species carrying nest material, building nests, incubating eggs, or searching for suitable nest sites. After our birding loop on the eastern slope of the Eastern Andes, we left Bogotá and began a series of stops westward, descending down into the Magdalena Valley, eventually ending at the Río Claro Reserve and a drive to the Medellín airport for a short flight back to Bogotá to conclude the trip. Each person will have their special moments to remember on this trip, but the Andean Cock-of-the-rock lek above Santa María, and a morning near the river below Santa Maria with a Fasciated Tiger-Heron, wood-rails, ibises, Chestnut-vented Conebills, and oropendolas, and flycatchers amidst a background of red-flowering Erythrina trees will likely be included. For some also, the wonderful elfin-like vegetation of Sumapaz National Forest was a highlight, as was the exquisite little lichen-covered nest that a Yellow-bellied Elaenia was so carefully building at the Mana Dulce Reserve, or the incredible colors of a male Chestnut-bellied Chlorophonia above Ibague. The variety of colorful tanagers was impressive everywhere, and we had an unusual number of opportunities to observe gorgeous little Striped Manakins and hummingbirds almost everywhere. Also impressive was an afternoon in ranchland and marshes of the central Magdalena Valley with Northern Screamers, Fork-tailed Flycatchers, flocks of Yellow-hooded Blackbirds, and many other species almost all at once. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Colombia: Bogota, Eastern Andes, and the Magdalena Valley, 2018 Several of you spent a day or two prior to the trip visiting sights (and doing some birding in Bogotá where you saw Black-tailed Trainbearers and a Sword-billed Hummingbird) with Diana Balcázar. But, beyond birding, it soon became evident to everyone that Colombia is a country at work. Road construction projects are in progress everywhere (and can sometimes cause delays for travelers), large heavy trucks are ubiquitous, the economy is varied and booming, and the country is generally clean and surprisingly cognizant of conservation issues. There also were many recreational cyclists, impressive by almost any standards. Bogotá suffers growing pains like any large metropolitan area (major traffic congestion) but the city is attempting to ameliorate congestion and smog in various ways including private bus lanes; a proliferation of bicycle lanes; an odd-even license plate number system for alternate day driving; Sunday closing of many streets to all but bicycles and foot traffic, and even closing the city to all automobiles one day a year. Road signs throughout the country urge people to take care of the environment (could those of us from wealthier countries learn something here?). For a country that has struggled to rid itself of crippling political and social problems, the transformation is remarkable. The statistics are undeniable—about 1,970+ species of birds (slightly more or less depending upon the taxonomy followed) have been recorded in Colombia including more than seventy endemics and many more that are almost endemics. A recent (2018) National Geographic issue largely devoted to birds quotes prominent conservationist Thomas Lovejoy, who once said . “If you take care of the birds, you take care of most of the big problems in the world.” In this regard, Colombia is doing its share and more. And finally, a popular slogan in Colombia says that the only danger in Colombia now is wanting to stay. And that just may be true. We hope you will want to return and see more of this remarkable country. ITINERARY (major sites) Day 1. Vicinity of Chingaza National Park; hummingbird feeders near Calera, dept. of Cundinamarca Day 2. Laguna Tabacal; San Francisco (Jardín Enchanted; late evening Parque La Florida) Day 3. Sumapaz National Park and eastern Andean slope to Villavicencio. Day 4. Bavaria Forest (near Villavicencio) and drive to Santa María (Boyacá) Days 5-6-7. Santa María and last afternoon to Bogotá Day 8. Chicaque Reserve near Bogotá, dept. of Cundinamarca Day 9. Mana Dulce Natural Reserve Day 10. Vicinity of Ibague and afternoon to Mariquita Day 11. Reserva Natural Bellavista, dept. of Caldas; afternoon drive to Río Claro EcoReserve, dept. of Antioquia with stops in ranchland Days 12-13-14. Río Claro EcoReserve and evening flight to Bogotá the last day Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Colombia: Bogota, Eastern Andes, and the Magdalena Valley, 2018 Heard = species only heard (preceded by (*) [ ] = seen/heard only by SH (Hilty) or CD (Christian Daza) Boldface and underlined (blue and boldface) = endemics and near endemics (loosely defined as any bird found mainly in Colombia) Boldface and black = scarce or local or unusual for various reasons red = migrants from North America BIRDS : subspecies are provided for a select few species for which there are known taxonomic issues. For additional information and comments, interested persons are encouraged to visit the SACC web page; and the ProAves web site http://www.proaves.org/rubrique.php?id_rubrique=372. Other taxonomic information can be found at the IOU (International Ornithological Union) website. TINAMIDAE *Little Tinamou, Tinamus soui, heard at Río Claro ANHIMIDAE Northern Screamer, Chauna chavaria , total of five in ranchland of middle Magdalena Valley ANATIDAE, Ducks and other waterfowl Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Dendrocygna autumnalis, pair and 4 immatures en route to Río Claro Blue-winged Teal, Anas discors , Guasca and Parque La Florida Andean Teal, Anas andium, 12 at Sumapaz Ruddy Duck (Andean form and some with completely white cheeks), Oxyura jamaicensis ferruginea, apparently all were resident forms; Guasca (1) and La Florida (a dozen+) CRACIDAE *Colombian Chachalaca, Ortalis columbiana (endemic), Mana Dulce; Bellavista; Río Claro; previously regarded as a subspecies of Speckled Chachalaca, O. guttata columbiana ; now split by SACC Speckled Chachalaca, Ortalis guttata, Santa María area Andean Guan, Penelope montagnii, Chicaque PODICIPEDIDAE Least Grebe, Tachybaptus dominicus, a few on Laguna Tabacal Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps, 1 also at Laguna Tabacal PHALACROCORACIDAE Neotropic Cormorant, Phalacrocorax brasilianus, various lower elevation sites with water ARDEIDAE Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Tigrisoma fasciatum , 1 on river near Santa María (Boyacá) Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Colombia: Bogota, Eastern Andes, and the Magdalena Valley, 2018 Great Egret, Ardea albus, near water in lowlands Snowy Egret, Egretta thula, wetlands on Magdalena Valley Little Blue Heron, Egretta tricolor, wetlands on Magdalena Valley Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis, all lower- and mid-elevations Striated Heron, Butorides striata, La Florida; Magdalena Valley (dozens on one lagoon) Black-crowned Night-Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax, 1 at La Florida THRESKIORNITHIDAE Bare-faced (Whispering) Ibis, Phimosus infuscatus, almost all areas and elevations up to at least 3000m CATHARTIDAE, Black Vulture, Coragyps atratus, all days Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, almost all days (but not at high elevations); resident birds (with white neck patch); no northern migrants noted Lesser Yellow-headed vulture, Cathartes burrovianus, 1 or 2 in Magdalena wetlands near Río Claro ACCIPITRIDAE White-tailed Kite, Elanus leucurus, above Bogotá; en route to Villavicencio Gray-headed Kite, Leptodon cayanensis , 1 soaring for some time below Santa María Swallow-tailed Kite, Elanoides forficatus, Santa María area; Río Claro (flock of ca. 12) Black Hawk-Eagle, Spizaetus tyrannus , 1 seen close up below Santa María Double-toothed Kite, Harpagus bidentatus, Bavaria forest (pair following Squirrel Monkeys; Santa María area Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus,