Colombia – The Magdalena Valley & Eastern Andes with pre-tour Green-bearded Helmetcrest extension Naturetrek Tour Report 14th – 25th February 2020 Andean Pygmy Owl Collared Aracari Black Inca Silvery-brown Tamarin Tour report & images by Rob Smith. Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Colombia - The Magdalena Valley and Eastern Andes Tour participants: Rob Smith (tour leader) and Hernan Arias (local guide), with 10 Naturetrek clients. Day 1 pre-tour extension Friday 14th February The group members were on an overnight flight to Bogotá. Day 2 pre-tour extension Saturday 15th February The pre-tour group’s direct flight from LHR touched down in Bogotá early this morning, and everyone soon met up with the friendly ground team at the arrivals’ hall. With little traffic on the roads at this time, we easily slipped out of the city on the opposite side of town and headed up into the beautiful cloud-forested slopes of the eastern Andes. A delicious breakfast was enjoyed (the freshly prepared arepas went down particularly well!) as misty rain fell. Thankfully, by the time we hit our first birding spot the skies had cleared, and the first rays of sunshine brightened up the day and the bird activity started to buzz. The group enjoyed a selection of nice flowerpiecers (Masked, Bluish, White-sided and Black), while the smart Slaty-backed Chat-Tyrant and the striking Scarlet- bellied Mountain Tanager both showed at close range. There were plenty of hummingbirds around, including goodies like Tyrian Metaltail, Glowing Puffleg and one of the regional endemics, Amethyst-throated Sunangel. One of the key targets for the day was the rare and endemic Flame-winged (also known as Brown-breasted) Parakeet. As we moved a little higher, a feeding flock was heard on the wing, and then seen whizzing over pastures – a fleeting glimpse was had by most of the group but we were determined to improve our views of this special bird. As we continued to scan the forest edge a pair of Black-billed Mountain Toucans came into view and eventually settled on some open branches yielding scope-filling views. The birding was going well, but after a little while, we hit a dead 45 minutes or so, where the forest seemed to have little to offer save for Great Thrushes. We jumped in the bus and moved a little higher to see if our fortunes would change – and change they did! We hit some nice activity and enjoyed excellent views of the near- endemic Rufous-browed Conebill and the range-restricted hummingbird, Coppery-bellied Puffleg. A few of the group also had a fleeting glimpse of Swallow-tailed Nightjar. More good activity followed, and another group of Brown-breasted Parakeets was seen flying and eventually settling on a stand of fruiting trees. Everyone soaked up excellent views and, just as the parakeets flew off, an Andean Pygmy Owl was heard close by, before it then flew directly in front of the group! Great flight views, but could we hope for a perched owl as well? Our luck was in and having repositioned ourselves we were soon watching as a selection of smaller birds, including White- throated Woodstar and Amethyst-throated Sunangel, mobbed the owl right in front of us. Top stuff! Having made the most of this wonderful encounter we settled down to a delicious picnic lunch with the eastern Andes spread out in front of us. A Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle floated overhead. Fresh coffee and dark chocolate – Colombian produced of course – booked ended our alfresco meal, and we started to gently wander back down the way we had come up. One thing was missing from our morning’s endeavours though – a nice mixed flock. We need not have worried…Hooded Mountain Tanager melding into Mountain Cacique and then © Naturetrek July 20 1 Colombia - The Magdalena Valley and Eastern Andes Tour Report Montane Woodcreeper, Pearled Treerunner, Golden-fronted Whitestart, Cinnamon Flycatcher, Band-tailed Tyrannulet, Black-capped Tyrannulet, Crimson-mantled Woodcreeper and Grey-hooded Bush Tanager. Breath! Other nice species for the afternoon included White-rumped Hawk, White-banded Tyrannulet, Streak-necked Flycatcher, Green-and-black Fruiteater and Superciliaried Hemisphingus. It had been an excellent first day of the pre-tour extension and we headed back to our comfortable hotel in Bogotá in high spirits. Having settled in, we reconvened to run through the list and then enjoyed a delicious dinner. Day 3 pre-tour extension (Main tour day 1) Sunday 16th February Following an early breakfast, we were soon leaving the southern limits of Bogotá and making our way through a patchwork of small settlements and pastures. As we climbed, fields eventually gave way to beautiful paramo – a special high-altitude neotropical habitat above the tree line. Conditions were on our side and before long we were enjoying many special birds such as Andean Tit-Spinetail, Paramo (Plain-capped) Ground Tyrant, Rufous- browed Conebill and a wonderful flyby of Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle. However, the big target for the day, and indeed the name for the pre-tour extension, was the rare and elusive Green-bearded Helmetcrest – a high- altitude specialist hummingbird endemic not only to Colombia but to a few areas of paramo in the eastern Andes. We stalked out some promising spots with flowering shrubs and soon enough had the helmetcrest in our sights as a stunning male whizzed from plant to plant, stopping briefly at each to feed. A cracking start to the day and the perfect time to break off for a warming cup of coffee and slice of cake in these cool climes. The activity was good, so we decided to stay in the same area – a decision which soon paid off with further top sightings including more endemic species such as Silvery-throated Spinetail and the often elusive Apolinar’s Wren (also known as Apolinar’s Marsh Wren). Continuing a little further we again had glimpses of the helmetcrest, although the now-breezy conditions kept pushing the birds into cover and out of sight. Further time spent close to a lake and fringing marshes produced further goodies such as Tawny Antpitta, Greater Yellowlegs, Andean (Ruddy) Duck and Brown-bellied Swallows. Good views were also had of Chestnut-winged Cinclodes, Plumbeous Sierra Finch, Solitary Sandpiper and another Green-bearded Helmetcrest – this time a female. A tasty picnic lunch was taken in a scenic spot and excellent scope views were had of Red-rumped Bush Tyrant. We then proceeded to make our way back along the same road, making plenty of stops along the way, although we had done so well that few targets remained! The helmetcrest activity had dropped noticeably and a White- chinned Thistletail remained stubbornly out of view despite calling from only metres in front of us. It felt like an omen and we decided to make our way back to our hotel in Bogotá. It had been another cracking day with memorable sightings and a hat-full of major targets in the bag! Meanwhile the other tour participants flew direct from London Heathrow to Bogotá this evening, arriving early the following morning. 2 © Naturetrek July 20 Colombia - The Magdalena Valley and Eastern Andes Tour Report Day 2 Monday 17th February The remainder of the group arrived early this morning and, having cleared customs, we all met up and were soon on our way out of Bogotá heading to a small reserve to the west of the city. We arrived before the gates had been opened so decided to bird the entrance track, and despite a stiff breeze some nice species showed well including Black-crested Warbler, Andean Siskin and Blue-capped, Beryl-spangled and Blue-and-black Tanagers. The range restricted Golden-bellied Starfrontlet is one of the star birds of the reserve and we staked-out a set of hummingbird feeders hoping for a glimpse. A Buff-tailed Coronet was a pleasing first hummer, but it soon became clear that this one individual was driving other individuals away. This, combined with the persistent strong breeze, meant conditions were not ideal for the starfrontlet. We waited for some time, but breakfast was calling so we decided to continue our vigil from the restaurant which overlooked the feeders. Suddenly the starfrontlet appeared and offered good perched views before the coronet swooped in and drove it away. Sadly, that was the last we saw of it and we had a long drive ahead of us so reluctantly we had to move on. Our next site was a forested track close to a mountain lake. The birding was slow to begin with, with a few warblers and common tanagers seen. But things suddenly burst into life with sightings of Moustached Puffbird, Ash-browed Spinetail, Red-headed Barbet, Andean Guan and Olivaceous Piculet. From here we continued our descent into the Magdalena Valley, eventually stopping for a delicious local lunch with spectacular views and several tanagers including Grey-headed, Bay-headed and Blue-and-grey varieties. Arriving on the valley floor, we crossed the river itself. We were now considerably lower, and in the warm dry forest zone, which offered the potential for an entirely different set of birds. A short stint of afternoon birding did not disappoint with new species for the tour coming thick and fast. Notable birds included Barred Puffbird, Barred Antshrike, Rufous- tailed Jacamar, Yellow Oriole and Boat-billed Flycatcher. The difficult and endemic Velvet-fronted Euphonia was heard but frustratingly we couldn’t get a look.