SOUTHERN COLOMBIA: EASTERN & WESTERN SLOPES OF THE ANDES NOVEMBER 7–21, 2019 Andean Condor - Photo: Steve Hilty LEADERS: STEVE HILTY & LUIS EDUARDO URUEÑA LIST COMPILED BY: STEVE HILTY VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM SOUTHERN COLOMBIA Eastern & Western Slopes of the Andes November 7–21, 2019 By Steve Hilty Eastern slope of Colombian Andes above city of Mocoa, Putumayo. Photo: S. Hilty This was a new birding route—in fact, we were the first commercial company to offer this route—unusual in that it included sites on both the east and west slopes of the Colombian Andes as well as the Central highlands. Our route included a high elevation national park (Puracé), a new private reserve in the Magdalena Valley, five other private reserves, two research facilities, and public roads passing through vast areas of magnificent pristine mountain forest. And, in at least three areas, we drove for hours through pristine montane wet forest with practically no sign of human habitation. Was the birding good? We found 41 species of hummingbirds, and tanagers were standouts— Metallic-green Tanagers, Glistening-green Tanagers, and Moss-backed Tanagers all could be called locally common. So also were Orange-fronted Plushcrowns. There were genuine rarities such as Chestnut-bellied Cotinga, and infrequently seen species such as Solitary Eagle, Scarlet- shouldered Parakeets, Orange-eyed Flycatcher, Black Solitaire, Golden-collared Honeycreeper, Golden-eared Tanager, Indigo and Deep-blue flowerpiercers, White-rimmed Brushfinch, and Crimson-breasted Finch. There also was a long list of species whose distributions lie mostly to the south of Colombia, among them Rufous-necked Chachalaca, Ochraceous Attila, Guayaquil Woodpecker, Yellow-throated Tanager, and Olivaceous Siskin. Trip highlights included a spectacular day of birding at the El Escondito Reserve; our remarkable experience with at least three Virginia Rails at Laguna la Cocha; a Ficus tree that offered stunning views of feeding Crimson-rumped Toucanets, Andean Cocks-of-the-rock, and Sickle- winged Guans; and a final day at two research facilities (Finca Maragricola and Agrosavia’s Centro de Investigaciónes El Mira) when we tallied nearly 120 species of birds. And, I expect, no one will forget the birds and hospitality showered upon us at the Reserva El Encanto, and at FELCA (Fundación Ecológica Los Colibries de Altaquer) near the tiny town of Altaquer. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Southern Colombia, 2019 Nothing, however, will surpass the patience of an indigenous Amerindian community in Puracé National Park that has, for some twenty years now, been placing small amounts of meat on a high rock outcrop for Andean Condors each morning. I was skeptical. Would condors really come? It was 10 a.m., breezy, perfect flying weather for condors. But also it was Saturday, and I looked at the growing number of visitors assembling for this “condor event.” There were perhaps fifty people in addition to our group of ten. We gathered close to the rock outcrop, many people barely ten meters from the feeding site. An Amerindian girl pulled a few morsels of meat from a small bucket and placed them on the side of the outcrop. Moments later a huge condor swooped in so low over our heads I could feel the air from its wings. It banked and lit with surprising agility, as three tiny Black Vultures scrambled to move aside. My skepticism immediately vanished. Over the next thirty to forty minutes two more condors arrived; the first was a male, then an immature, and finally a female—all oblivious to a battery of cell phones and cameras large and small trained on them from point-blank range. After ten minutes or so the male departed, then returned. The crowd was quiet and respectful. It is difficult to describe the feeling of being so close to these immense and magnificent birds. Later the condors repeatedly soared back and forth along an adjacent cliff at or near eye level. As far as I know, this is the only site anywhere in the Andes where wild, free-flying condors are both revered (the site is sacred to the Amerindian community) and also now almost completely habituated to humans. Bus rides, however, were long and wearisome, sometimes too long. On one occasion a broken spring reduced our bus to a crawl for several hours and resulted in a very late arrival to our hotel. The next day, partly repaired, it broke again causing yet another lengthy delay and yet another late night hotel arrival using another bus. And a few days later a truck accident (it had tumbled down the side of a mountain a day or two earlier) resulted in a three-hour delay and considerable traffic backlog while two tow trucks struggled mightily to retrieve the remains of the truck, its load of steel now scattered far down the mountainside. There also were frequent paparazzi events associated with our arrival in small towns. Most of the areas we visited—only deemed safe in the last few years after a history of violence—have seen few visiting foreign birders, although young Colombian birders have been scouring these hills and valleys for several years. Local bird clubs and conservation groups were clearly excited to see us. We hired local birding guides at all areas (a total of eight) and were showered with good wishes and some wonderfully heartfelt presentations by local conservation/birding groups. And, almost everywhere, well-used copies of my Colombian bird guide (both English and Spanish editions) dating from the mid-1980s were brought for signatures and photo events. The recent announcement by Lynx/HBW about my forthcoming Colombia guide also preceded our arrival (due to social media), and the buzz about it was palpable. Photo events were a daily occurrence. It was, without doubt, an unusual trip—birds, scenery, interactions with local people, guides, clubs etc., and a pioneering route that proved both productive and also difficult at times because of long roads and unfortunate delays beyond our control. I owe much to Luis Eduardo Urueño for making this trip happen, for his remarkable birding skills and for handling a dizzying array of local logistics that enabled this trip to succeed in a way it never would have without him. It was his idea to employ numerous local guides, and this enriched the trip in many ways, doubtless generated goodwill and a little income, and hopefully provided a positive experience for everyone. Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Southern Colombia, 2019 SOUTHERN COLOMBIA, November 7–21, 2019 KEY: 1. Puracé National Park and Popayán 2. Palestina area; Reserva El Encanto 3. Mocoa area including Yunguillo road, Reserva El Escondito, and the Trampoline road to top of 1 st pass) 4. Laguna la Cocha including Páramo Bordoncito 5. Pasto (including a tract of private land within the city where we birded) 6. Junín area (La Planada Reserve; Bangsia Reserve; Ñambí Reserve; feeders near Altaquer) 7. Tumaco area: beach mangroves on coast; Finca Margarícola; and Agrosavia (oil palm peach palm and forestry research station) Hd = heard (usually also marked with asterisk*) LEU or SH (Luís Eduard Urueño, and Hilty) Red – uncommon/rare or of interest for various reasons Cloud Forest, east slope Andes, Colombia. Photo: S. Hilty. Tinamous, Tinamidae *Little Tinamou, Crypturellus soui, hd Tumaco Ducks & Geese, Anatidae Blue-winged Teal, Spatula discors, Tumaco (Finca Margarícola) White-cheeked Pintail, Tumaco (Finca Margarícola) Yellow-billed Pintail , Anas georgica spinicauda, Laguna la Cocha; Ruddy (Andean) Duck, Oxyura jamaicensis ferruginea, Laguna la Cocha Chachalacas, Guans & Curassows, Cracidae Rufous-headed Chachalaca, Ortalis erythroptera, Tumaco Speckled Chachalaca, Ortalis guttata, Mocoa Andean Guan, Penelope montagnii, Laguna la Cocha (seen by Jeannie) Sickle-winged Guan, Chamaepetes goudotii, Trampoline road Grebes, Podicipedidae Least Grebe, Tachybaptus dominicus, Mocoa (Finca Margarícola) Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps, Laguna la Cocha; Tumaco (Finca Margarícola) Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Southern Colombia, 2019 Pigeons & Doves, Columbidae Rock Pigeon, Columba livia, daily Pale-vented Pigeon, Patagioenas cayennensis, Palestina, Mocoa, Tumaco Band-tailed Pigeon, Patagioenas fasciata, Páramo Bordoncito *Ruddy Pigeon, Patagioenas subvinacea, hd La Planada Plumbeous Pigeon, Patagioenas plumbea, seen La Planada Ruddy Ground-Dove, Columbina talpacoti, Popayán; Palestina Ecuadorian Ground-Dove, Columbina buckleyi, Tumaco area Croaking Ground-Dove, Columbina cruziana, Tumaco (in town) White-tipped Dove, Leptotila verreauxi, Palestina; Tumaco (brief, flying) Tolima Dove, Leptotila conoveri , Palestina (Endemic) *Gray-fronted Dove, Leptotila rufaxilla, hd Mocoa White-throated Quail-Dove, Zentrygon frenata, 1 (by a few lucky people; Junín area) Eared Dove, Zenaida auriculata, almost daily Cuckoos, Cuculidae Smooth-billed Ani, Crotophaga ani, Mocoa; Tumaco area Squirrel Cuckoo (nigricrissa), Piaya cayana nigricrissa, Palestina; Mocoa; Tumaco Swifts, Apodidae White-chested Swift, Cypseloides lemosi, 1 seen well by LEU (El Escondito reserve) Chestnut-collared Swift, Streptoprocne rutila, Trampoline road White-collared Swift, Streptoprocne zonaris, various sites smaller swifts, Chaetura spp. several times in several places; none definitely identified Short-tailed Swift, Chaetura brachyura, Mocoa Fork-tailed Palm-Swift, Tachornis squammata, Mocoa Hummingbirds, Trochilidae (41 species) Bronzy Hermit, Glaucis aeneus, Junín area (maybe seen only by LEU) Rufous-breasted