2024 Narrative
This inaugural trip to Central Colombia was a smashing success! Starting in Bogota, we had our first day in the Eastern cordillera, followed by some time in the Magdalena valley, and then several days at various elevations and in different habitats in the Central cordillera, ending the tour at 13,500+ feet, high in the beautiful paramo of Nevado del Ruiz. It’s hard to pick the best birds of the trip amongst almost 350 wonderful species contacted in only nine days, but here is a selection of some of the best sightings of the tour: ‘Lunita’ the stunning Crescent-faced Antpitta coming to the worms at Hacienda El Bosque, a very cooperative Ocellated Tapaculo showing so well in the elfin Forest at Nevados del Ruiz, a beautiful male Striolated Manakin that we could study for a long time in the scope at the Bellavista Reserve, a pair of Bogota Rails singing out in the open at La Florida near Bogota, a prolonged view of a Rufescent Screech-Owl at Otun Quimbaya, and our wonderful morning at Ukuku Lodge enjoying a delicious breakfast surrounded by birds! Besides these very memorable sightings, we also had fantastic looks at Crested and Sooty Ant-Tanagers, White-throated Quail-Dove, White-mantled Barbet, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Grass-green Tanager, Torrent Ducks, and so many more! We also visited several hummingbird feeding stations and saw no less than 46 species of these fascinating birds! Obviously, besides the incredible diversity of birds, we were amazed by the incredible diversity of flowers, orchids, butterflies, etc. Colombia is definitely THE biodiversity country! The eBird trip report can be seen here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/257484
We spent our first day in the surroundings of Chingaza National Park near Bogota. Located to the northeast of the Colombian capital, the park’s 75,000+ hectares protect several glacier lakes and provide more than 80% of Bogota’s potable water. The park also protects extensive and pristine cloud forest and paramo habitat, home to a wonderful bird community! Leaving the hotel very early (and this would be the rule for most of the tour) we drove towards the Piedra Gorda entrance of Chingaza NP. We stopped just after 6 a.m. in some nice cloud forest for a field breakfast. We had no time to have a cup of coffee before our first mixed-species flock was already flying by, including Buff-breasted and Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanagers, Rufous-browed and Blue-backed Conebills, a few White-throated Tyrannulets and a pair of the stunning Golden-crowned Tanager! What a start!
After breakfast we found a few more flocks and had great views of Glossy and Black Flowerpiercers, Pearled Treerunners, a male Barred Becard, Supercilliared and Black-headed Hemispinguses, Hooded Mountain-Tanager, and a family group of the lovely Rufous Wren. We also started our hummingbirds list with some fantastic species, including the well-named Glowing Puffleg, a Great Sapphirewing (second largest hummingbird in the world) and Coppery-bellied Puffleg. We heard several Pale-bellied Tapaculos (but they all stayed hidden deep in the vegetation) and glimpsed two Muisca Antpittas.
Continuing up, we reached some high-elevation shrublands mixed with paramo with several large patches of Espeletia in bloom. There we had great views of White-chinned Thistletail, Plain-colored Seedeater, Plumbeous Sierra-Finch and a pair of Black-chested Buzzard-Eagles soaring high in the sky. First spotted by Dan and then attracted by the tape, a pair of Plushcaps showed very well and came very close, offering one of the best sightings of the day! A male Purple-backed Thornbill and a Green-bearded Helmetcrest also appeared and immediately disappeared.
After lunch at a nice restaurant near La Calera, where we all enjoyed a tasty Ajiaco (a local specialty; chicken and vegetable soup, served with avocado, rice, capers and sour cream) we stopped at a hummingbird garden where amongst the numerous Sparkling Violetears we found a beautiful male Black-tailed Trainbearer and its relative Green-tailed Trainbearer, a few White-bellied Woodstars and Tyrian Metaltails, at least two male Longuemare’s Sunangels, and the absolutely stunning Blue-throated Starfrontlet! Besides hummingbirds, we also found a pair of Tropical Screech-Owls on their day roost in the garden, a Red-crested Cotinga, a Mountain Elaenia and a lovely pair of Black-crested Warblers. On our way back to Bogota we even found a pair of Silvery-throated Spinetails, which clocked in as Tim’s 3000th bird species! What a fantastic way to end our first day!
After a relaxing night at our Bogota hotel, we left early to avoid the traffic jam, and birded La Florida Park. On the main pond, we found 50+ Bare-faced Ibis, 100+ American Coots, Andean Duck, at least five Striated Herons, a few Pied-billed Grebes, and got great looks at both Spot-flanked and Common Gallinules. And while watching male Yellow-hooded Blackbirds singing on the top of the reeds we also spotted a lovely Subtropical Doradito. This park protects some nice wetlands and reedbeds, home to a small population of the endangered Bogota Rail. After some patient waiting and a bit of playback, a pair came out in the open for a while, offering a fantastic show!
We then started our drive towards the Magdalena valley, and arrived at Tabacal lake by mid-morning. This is a very birdy spot and time always flies here. As soon as we arrived, we found Blue-necked, Plain-colored and Blue-gray Tanagers, Streaked Saltator, Rusty-margined Flycatcher, Spectacled Parrotlet, Orange-chinned Parrakeet, Streak-headed Woodcreeper and a Bat Falcon just from the parking lot! We even heard a pair of Rosy Thrush-Tanagers but they stayed hidden deep inside the vegetation and never showed. Along the trails, we found Golden-faced and Sooty-headed Tyrannulets, Red-crowned Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Elaenias, Crimson-backed Tanagers, and Common Tody-Flycatchers. A small group of Speckle-breasted (Colombian) Wrens also offered great views, as well as a pair of the lovely Chestnut-capped Warbler. It was hard to leave such a great place, but we had to keep moving.
During lunch we found a few birds too, like Black-billed Thrush, a pair of Band-backed Wrens building a nest, Saffron Finches, Palm Tanagers and Tropical Mockingbirds. We then visited the famous ‘Jardin Encantado’ and its 80+ feeders attracting, according to some estimation, up to 1,000 hummingbirds in a day! We were amazed by the hundreds of Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds, Indigo-capped Hummingbirds and Black-throated Mangos buzzing everywhere! Amongst these very numerous ones, we also spotted a few White-bellied Woodstars and the tiny Gorgeted Woodstar, an Andean Emerald, a few White-vented Plumeleteers and a Brown Violetear. We were so amazed by these hummingbirds that we barely had time to look at the seed feeders attracting Ruddy Ground-Doves, Shiny Cowbirds and Crimson-backed Tanagers! After a nice cup of coffee in front of the feeders, it was time to leave and drive the rest of the afternoon towards La Dorada where we stayed for the night.
After an early drive the next morning, we had our breakfast near the little town of La Victoria. From our table, we could enjoy great views of Olivaceous Piculets, Thick-billed Euphonias (including a pair nesting in one of the plant pots on the terrace), Spectacled Parrotlets, Large-billed Seed-Finches and Yellow-bellied Seedeaters.
Together with Arturo Parra, an enthusiastic local birder, we birded the Bellavista reserve for most of the morning. We quickly found a pair of White-mantled Barbets, one of the ‘specialties’ of the reserve, as well as the stunning Striolated Manakin, a pair of Blue Dacnis, and even a White-thighed Swallow flew overhead! In the forest, we had a few flocks containing Plain Xenops, Black-crowned Antshrike, Bay-headed Tanagers, Ochre-bellied Flycatchers, Yellow-rumped Tanagers and Rufous-naped Greenlets. We also had great views of Velvet-fronted Euphonias, as well as a singing pair of Orange-billed Sparrows! It was a bit more difficult to find the Sooty Ant-Tanager (another Colombian endemic whose vocalization would be the perfect ring tone), but after having poor views of a pair in the dense understory, we finally saw a beautiful male on an exposed branch just a few minutes before leaving the reserve! We also made a stop at a known Magdalena Antbird territory where a singing bird was hard to see in the dense foliage.
Arturo then took us to a friend’s garden where a pair of Beautiful Woodpeckers has a nest. It was a short but steep hike, rewarded by a close view of the female at the entrance of her breeding cavity, but also by Black-headed Tody-Flycatchers, a perched Laughing Falcon, Golden-hooded Tanager, Boat-billed Flycatcher and Colombian Chachalaca. We even saw a family of Gray-legged Night-Monkeys! Next we enjoyed our lunch with a view of the Magdalena valley, and a cute Pearl Kite.
In the afternoon, we spent two hours around El Hato, mostly birding in the shade of some trees along a lovely river. The bird activity was superb and we quickly found Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Yellow-crowned Parrot, Gray Seedeater, Straight-billed Woodcreeper, Northern Streaked Flycatcher, Yellow-tufted (Black-faced) Dacnis, and a group of Black-chested Jays. We also had a very close view of a pair of White-eared Conebills, as well as a beautiful male Jet Antbird! Scanning the open fields, we found Vermilion and Fork-tailed Flycatchers, Red-breasted Meadowlark, and a rare Long-winged Harrier (very local in the Magdalena valley) hunting over the short grass. In drier shrub we also found Panama Flycatcher, Northern White-fringed Antbird, the super cute Russet-throated Puffbird, Barred Antshrike, Tropical Gnatcatcher and Shining-green Hummingbird. After a wonderful birding day, we then drove towards Ibague and Iguaima countryside hotel for a two-night stay.
We spent a full morning at the lovely Ukuku Lodge, arriving there after a 1.5 km walk that we started at dawn. The walk was steep at the end, but we were rewarded by an amazing landscape and overwhelmed by the numerous birds found in the garden! As soon as we arrived at the lodge, Truman, the owner, oriented us to a hide where we had excellent views of the very shy and endemic Tolima Dove. The fruit feeders also attracted many birds including Blue-gray, Palm, Saffron-crowned and Scrub Tanagers, Thick-billed Euphonias, Andean Motmots, Black-billed Thrushes, Yellow-backed Orioles, Streaked Saltators and Southern Emerald Toucanets.
Between the hummingbird feeders and the numerous flowers in the garden, we saw an amazing total of 21 species of hummingbirds! The most common species visiting the feeders were Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Buff-tailed Coronet, Indigo-capped Hummingbird and Andean Emerald, amongst which we also found Green Hermit, Sword-billed Hummingbird, White-bellied and Purple-throated Woodstars, Collared and Bronzy Incas. The species only visiting the flowers included the endemic Tolima Blossomcrown, but also Red-billed Emerald, White-booted Racquet-tail and even a White-throated Daggerbill! Having breakfast and lunch at Ukuku allowed us to enjoy the whole morning at Ukuku lodge, and we also found birds not visiting the feeders such as Yellow-headed Brushfinch, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Bar-crested Antshrike, White-tipped Swift, Rusty Flowerpiercer and Smoke-colored Pewee.
After our wonderful morning at Ukuku, undoubtedly one of the highlights of the whole trip, we walked back to our hotel for a relaxing afternoon. In the evening, we took a short walk on the hotel grounds, finding Flame-rumped Tanager, Chestnut-collared Swift, Yellow-faced Grassquit, a flock of Speckle-faced Parrot, and even two cooperative Gray-breasted Wood-wrens.
Leaving early the next morning, we went for breakfast at ‘El Retorno de los Colibries’, where we enjoyed a traditional Colombian breakfast of eggs, arepa (sort of pancake made of corn), cheese, coffee and hot chocolate. From our breakfast table, we could scan the feeders attracting White-vented Plumeleteer, Brown Violetear, Pale-breasted Thrush, Southern Emerald-Toucanet, and the lovely Acorn Woodpecker, here reaching its southern range limit. Driving the rest of the morning, we arrived at Kumanday Hotel near Otun Quimbaya Sanctuary just in time for lunch. Along with the excellent food here, we were also welcomed by Red-crowned Woodpeckers, White-collared Swifts, Green Honeycreepers, Pale-vented Pigeons and Yellow-bellied Elaenias, all seen from the hotel garden.
After an afternoon break at the hotel, we traded our bus for a few SUVs to drive us up to the Otun Quimbaya Sanctuary. On the way we stopped at a bridge over the Otun river, finding a spectacular pair of Torrent Ducks foraging in the tumultuous water! Making a few stops in the reserve we quickly found the endemic Cauca Guan and the sought-after Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, and we also had great looks at Bronze-winged Parrot, Collared Trogon, Fawn-breasted and Black-capped Tanagers and our first Montane Woodcreeper. Lucky us, we even got a view of the superb Crested Ant-Tanager, one more of the many Colombian endemics found on this tour!
Staying in the reserve after sunset, we first heard a distant Collared Forest-Falcon as well as a Black-banded Woodcreeper, and then got to see both Mottled Owl and Rufescent Screech-Owl before heading back to our hotel for a nice dinner.
The next morning we started our drive in the dark, to arriving at the end of the road in Otun Quimbaya Sanctuary just after dawn for our field breakfast. We birded this area for about two hours, and then walked back down finding a few flocks including Rufous-breasted Flycatcher, Marble-faced Bristle-tyrant, Slate-throated Redstart, Three-striped and Russet-crowned Warblers, Ashy-headed Tyrannulet, Orange-bellied Euphonia, Streaked Xenops and Golden Tanager. Along the Otun river we had close views of a pair of White-capped Dippers, and also found a rarely seen Wattled Guan perched over the river. We heard the beautiful song of Chestnut-breasted Wren and eventually saw two of them. In the dense understory we also found a pair of Spotted Barbtails, while a Chestnut-crowned Brushfinch, usually seen foraging on the ground, was seen high in a tree!
Some heavy rain starting at the end of the morning obliged us to leave the reserve a bit earlier than expected, but this gave us some extra time to visit a great city park at the entrance of Manizales. In just one hour, we found some great birds including the lovely Red-headed Barbet, the Colombian endemic Grayish Piculet, Montane Foliage-gleaner and a pair of Slaty-capped Flycatchers. We also heard the lovely song of the secretive Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush. We then headed to our very comfortable hotel in the outskirts of Manizales where we stayed three nights.
We had another early start to spend a full day at the Rio Blanco Reserve, which protects about 5,000 hectares of cloud forest between 2,100 and 3,700m elevation. After meeting Mateo, the local guide who would help us find some of the birds here, we visited one of the Antpitta feeding stations. After some waiting, a stunning Bicolored Antpitta appeared, attracted by the worms, offering amazing views! We then had our breakfast at the headquarters of the reserve. What a luxury to stand with a cup of coffee in front of feeders attracting Buff-tailed Coronet, Long-tailed Sylph, Tourmaline Sunangel, Speckled Hummingbird, Collared and Bronzy Incas, while the fruit feeders had Blue-winged Mountain-tanagers, Slaty and White-naped Brushfinches, Andean Guans, and even two Black-billed Mountain-Toucans! Visiting two other antpitta feeding stations, we failed to see the (usually guaranteed!) Chestnut-crowned Antpitta, but we did get an amazing look at a Slate-crowned Antpitta.
Birding the upper ridge, we found many mixed-species flocks, including numerous Black-capped, Black-eared and Oleaginous Hemispinguses, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Black-billed Peppershrike, Golden-fronted Redstarts, Sharpe’s Wrens, Blue-and-black and Metallic-green Tanagers, Capped Conebills, Gray-hooded Mountain-Tanagers and Black-capped Tyrannulet. Away from the flocks, we also had excellent views of Green-and-black Fruiteaters, Black-collared Jays, a flock of the rare Rusty-faced Parrot feeding atop a tree, Golden-plumed Parakeets, Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatchers and a Bar-bellied Woodpecker. Hard to choose the ‘best bird of the day’ with such an impressive list!
Hacienda El Bosque is one of the new sites in Colombia receiving birders. After serving us a fantastic breakfast, Juan, the owner, spoke about the history of the place and why he wanted to turn part of the cow farm activity into ecotourism. Then, with the help of Edisson, we visited several feeding stations, and were amazed how close the birds came! Edisson was hand-feeding Gray-browed Brushfinches, Grass and Mountain Wrens and Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrants! A pair of the splendid Barred Fruiteater was also attracted by the worms and gave great views. Now, the star of the place and definitely the ‘bird of the trip’, was Lunita, a stunning Crescent-faced Antpitta! What a beautiful bird! But the show was not over with the Lunita appearance, as Edisson was also feeding by hand a pair of Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, and even a family of White-throated Quail-Dove and a pair of Hooded Mountain-Tanager came to the fruits! We also enjoyed great looks at several hummingbird species, such as Tyrian Metaltail, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Shinning Sunbeam, Buff-winged Starfrontlet and Mountain Velvetbreast. A full morning is really deserved at this lovely place, as much for the birds as for the excellent Ajiaco we had for lunch! In the afternoon we prospected the high-elevation shrub, finding a few White-throated Tyrannulets and Golden-fronted Redstarts. And after some hard work, we had a cracking view of an Equatorial Antpitta to cap off the day.
For our last day, we birded the paramo and elfin forest at high elevation, along the road to the popular Nevados del Ruiz. We had a breakfast near Laguna Negra where we found Andean Ducks and Andean Teals, and also Many-striped Canastero, Andean Tit-Spinetail and Plumbeous Sierra-Finch. We made our way to the end of the road, where a Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle was perched atop an Espeletia, when suddenly a flock of 15+ of the rare Rufous-fronted Parakeet appeared from nowhere and disappeared in an instant. At 4,100m elevation (13,500 feet), we enjoyed a cup of warm coffee or coca tea, while watching the most sought-after Buffy Helmetcrest!
When the fog started to close in, we started our way down to lower elevation, making a few stops and finding Viridian Metaltail, Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant and Stout-billed Cinclodes. A Paramo Tapaculo also gave a great show and stayed for a while, singing almost completely in the open and offering a great photo opportunity! In the elfin forest, Dan heard an Ocellated Tapaculo, which behaved nicely, coming to the tape and offering fantastic and unforgettable views. Then after lunch at the popular hot spring of Thermas del Ruiz, we also enjoyed Golden-breasted Puffleg, Great Sapphirewing, Shining Sunbeam, Viridian Metaltail and Buff-winged Starfrontlet, all coming to feed in our hands – such a fun and memorable way to watch hummingbirds! The last addition to our amazing list of almost 350 species was a beautiful Rainbow-bearded Thornbill…a grand finale! Then finally it was time to head towards Pereira where our tour concluded with a farewell dinner and last night before flights home the next morning.
- Fabrice Schmitt
Created: 11 July 2024