The full list of birds seen is below, and the eBird trip list is here. I amazed myself by seeing more birds by myself than with Alejandro, but then again I suppose I was in prime habitat for four days and I am nothing if not keen, even in sweltering weather.
184 species was the final total, of which 100 were new for Colombia and 64 were new anywhere.
With my stomach bug behind me I was once again up at dawn and birding. This time I went a little further beyond the track down to the river and birded an area of rough ground around some agrticultural smallholdings, and where some friendly horses gathered. I had a list of eBird targets from the general area but wasn't sure how useful they were given how little data there was. But I felt sure that there were certain birds that I hadn't yet seen were almost certainly here, and this morning's walk was a deliberate effort to try and find them. So it was that I eventually found Scaled Piculet, a tiny woodpecker, in some trees on the outskirts of town, and also picked out a Spectacled Thrush in with the more numerous Pale-breasted Thrushes.
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| As ever the plants I struggle to grow at home in pots grow like weeds in Colombia. This is Phildendron gloriosum. |
It was time to pack up and go. I flew back tonight and we were a seven hour drive from Bogota airport. Don Gilberto had arrived with his van and we all packed into it again. It was slow going, with numerous landslides stopping the traffic. During one of these an Andean Cock-of-the-Rock flew over the van, sub-species equatorialis, so different to the ones I'd seen in Jardin in Antioquia which were sanguilonentus. Somewhere on the outskirts of Bogota the van died, insufficient prayers perhaps, and so I swapped out with a one of the people in Albert's father-in-law's car and he drove me the rest of the way to ensure I did not miss my flight. It had been an excellent trip and so different from most holidays I take. I had hugely enjoyed the experience and Albert and his families had been amazing hosts. I returned as I had arrived, with Iberia via Madrid, which was uneventful - I think I slept almost the whole way. Like all good holidays it had been very tiring!
I had enjoyed my Oilbird excursion so much that Albert helped me hire the driver again for a morning trip a little outside of Sabanalarga. We did not go far, just a little ways outside of town, but a distance I could likely not have got to on foot. The guy actually knew his birds fairly well, and with Albert's help translating I was able to get the gist of what he was saying. For instance at one point he could hear what he knew was a Toucan calling, but then it was up to me to find it on a vast expanse of hillside.
It was good birding of the sort I have come to expect on quiet rural roads in South America. Pishing was incredibly effective, and I added Dusky Antbird, Cinnamon Becard, Purple-throated Euphonia, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Brown Jacomar, Purple and Green Honeycreepers, Grey Seedeater and Buff-throated Saltator to my Casanare list. Best of all was Magpie Tanager, a bird I couldn't find in the guide for ages simply as I didn't equate it with Tanagers.
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| Albert birding |
The birding did not last however. As we pulled up to a bridge over the river and I got out to have a look for birds I felt an uncontrollable urge to be sick. You will know the feeling no doubt, I can only describe it as "When you know, you know". Sure enough a few seconds later I was bent double at the roadside getting rid of my breakfast. Albert had been snoozing in the car as early morning birding isn't really his thing, and leapt out! Well, maybe neither early mornings nor birding are his thing, and together they are definitely not! But he was awake now! Turns out that some kind of bug had afflicted the household as various people were having the same thing. We returned to town where I spent the rest of the day comatose in my room getting rid of whatever had assailed me. What a bummer!
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| The Sabanalarga tree |
Any birder who speaks Spanish will know what a Gaucharos is - the Oilbird, Steatornis caripensis. Albert's brother had suggested visiting this local roosting cave, and so early on Saturday morning four of us - Albert, Albert's brother, Albert's mother-in-law and I set off to the town square in Sabanalarga. On the way I remarked that people at a local café were up pretty early today, but in fact as this was Saturday morning they hadn't gone to bed yet and this was still Friday evening revelry. In the square we met Gustavo Guevara (of Sabana Travel). He is a local guide keen to promote the area and I think we were his Oilbird Cave guineapigs....As you will see the Cueva de los Gaucharos in Sabanalarga isn't a mere stroll in the park!
After a quick chat underneath the amazing Samanea tree (I think), which is wider than it is tall and covers most of the square, we set off the short distance to the cave. It's on some land owned by a farm and a fledgling eco-tourism effort is underway. We were served breakfast and coffee under and awning before the landowner as well as the driver (who's name 11 months later I have unfortunately forgotten but who was a great guy) set off on foot to the cave.
It was a pretty steep climb up towards the cleft in the hillside seen in the photo above, but that was nothing compared to what we had to do when we got the top. Go down again, but with ropes! It was more like abseiling than trekking, and really quite tricky. Once down in the ravine we then had to wade waist deep into the cave. This was no great bother as by then some torrential rain had started and we probably going to be drier inside despite being stood in water than we would be staying outside. We picked/waded our way through various pools and over slippery boulders until we were in the main chamber. Oilbirds were everywhere! Perched on the walls of the cave but also constantly flying around in a swarm. It wasn't quite a cave, more a deep chasm in the rock with various holes and vents to the surface. Photographs were impossible, and even with a proper camera would have remained impossible. Nonetheless I find the second of these two images quite atmospheric. In the first you can just about make out Oilbirds perched on the walls, there are probably upwards of a dozen in view. In the second this is part of a constant vortex of birds swirling around one of the vents.
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| Don Gustavo |
Back in town we were treated to the other half of the tour operation, some nice food and a drink in their headquarters, and boy were we all in need of that. The full list of species seen is here, and included some new birds for the trip such as Chestnut-eared Aracari, Swallow Tanager and Blue-necked Tanager. But it was all about the Oilbirds really, what great birds they are. One of those almost mythical species that you've read about, seen on nature documentaries and so on, but that few people have seen with their own eyes. I'm glad to have rectified that.
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| What better than a restorative fruit salad? |
The daily routine at Sabanalarga was simplicity itself. Half of the morning would be spent asleep at the holiday camp. Mid-morning you would rise and meander over to Albert's Mum's house for some coffee and a snack. Early afternoon a lady and her assistant would arrive with a tremendous amount of food - an entire pig, different parts of which were consumed over the four days. There would be constant music and if you wished it, a cold beer would make an appearance. Replete, you would then go back to sleep, usually on the floor inside which was a little cooler. Late afternoon people would rise and sort themselves out, perhaps have another beer. Then, as the day cooled, we would gather around the swimming pool at the holiday camp and splash about in the water, playing with the various kids or just floating around. I am very buoyant. Mid-evening we would drift into town and assemble at one of the fruit salad cafés and have what was essentially a gigantic icecream sundae - with cheese if you were feeling particularly Colombian. Which I was on the first evening, but for round two I decided to stick with icecream as the sole dairy product. It's an acquired taste I think.
Naturally I could not cope with spending the morning asleep in a town filled with tropical birds, and so I got up nice and early and went for a three hour walk, through the town and out the other side. I found an excellent track down to not quite the river. This first foray netted 40+ species. No doubt there were loads more than that but birding in the Tropics when you know very few of the calls is pretty hard work. I was particularly pleased with Two-banded Puffbird, Spectacled Parrotlet and Straight-billed Woodcreeper, but there were birds everywhere, some of which I managed to identify! White-winged Becard, Yellow-Olive Flatbill, Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet, Piratic and Social Flycatchers, Russet-backed Oropendola, Oriole Blackbird, and Silver-beaked Tanager.
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| Habitat down towards the river |
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| Sabanalarga |
I returned to the house at roughly the same time most of family were getting up, ideal really, and then fell into the routine described above, albeit that I went on a couple of short walks when everyone else had a siesta. I added Black-faced Tanager, lots of Saffron Finch, a very tame Double-striped Thick-knee, both Caracara, Lesser Elaenia, Sepia-capped and Dusky-capped Flycatchers, and Crested Oropendola. At the pool later in the day a flock of 22 Oriole Blackbirds gathered before heading to roost, and a Bat Falcon hunted on the slope down to the river at dusk.
I think I met something like another 15 of Albert's extended family members at the restaurant. I had to write notes to try and remember who everybody was. In addition Albert's wife and son, there were his Mum, Dad, Stepmum and youngest step-brother. One of his sisters was also there with all three of her kids. Also there were his wife's parents and her sister, her sister's boyfriend, her Aunt and her Aunt's son (who I had met briefly at the airport), and finally her Grandma. Later I would eagerly ink in the family tree I had been maintaining. I would name them, but this is a public site and I don't know if they would be comfortable with that so it's easier not to. But I do remember all of their names as I spent nearly a week with them, and they were the most delightful and welcoming family - well, two families - that you could ever meet. I should at this point mention that a saintly miracle (Saint A, Albert's wife's mum) had occured the previous day in that my suitcase of dirty washing had been emptied out whilst I had been birding and all my clothes had been washed. I was back in business!
Despite the late finish we were on the road pretty early the next morning as we had a long drive ahead of us. We didn't leave exactly on time but there were a lot of people to organise and to fit into vehicles. So shortly after dawn a load of us and our luggage piled into Don Gilberto's minivan. The doors didn't all open, and neither did the windows particularly, but despite the decrepitude of the vehicle Gilberto was a particularly cautious driver and ensured continuous divine protection by genuflecting with both hands whenever we came across a roadside shrine to the Virgin.
Despite the leisurely pace it was hard to bird from Don Gilberto's van but there were quite a few breaks along the way. At the first one, still in the larger Bogota area, we stopped briefly alongside an agricultural area on the banks of the Bogota River. Here I managed to see Bare-faced Ibis, American Kestrel, White-tailed Kite and both Glossy and Black Flowerpiercer. Further along the route as we crossed the Cordillera a late breakfast above the Embalse allowed for a bit longer looking through my bins. Crimson-mantled and Golden-Olive Woodpeckers, Bananaquits, Tropical Parulas, Kingbirds, Plain-crowned Spinetail, Common Tody-Flycatcher, and a Spangled Coquette amongst others.
We arrived early afternoon after something like a six hour journey. Most of us were booked into the local holiday camp, with a few of the gang staying at the finca. Albert's brother, a local teacher in Sabanalarga, lives next door to his Mum; they bought the land together, and so I was able to ink in some more of my rapidly-expanding family tree, including two of his children. Later on his wife's brother, wife and young daughter also arrived, and my pen had to come out again.
Normally I begin every trip report with a "Logistics and Itinerary" style post, detailing how I got there, where I went, my preparation and things people may find useful. This trip was a little different though as it was not strictly a birding trip at all. Birds did of course feature but this was primarily a people trip. For many many years I have had a Colombian colleague called Albert. I've known him from the day he arrived in this country, and watched in admiration as he has made his way. Whilst I have a professional relationship with him, over time a family friendship has developed as well. I've got to know various members of his family, and he and his mine. Last year he invited me to meet even more of them in Colombia. He was spending some time there on a break from work, introducing his newborn son to his relatives and frankly relaxing after a long stint working for me! A plan was hatched whereby I would squeeze in a few days in Colombia at his Mum's finca in Casanare, to the east of the Andean chain, enjoying a Colombian family get-together and seeing a side of the country that as a birding tourist in 2022 I hadn't. As such there are not really any logistics to talk about. I booked a cheap flight via Madrid like last time and that was about it.
As in 2022 when, concerned for my safety in big bad South America, Albert's dad had met me at El Dorado to hand me over to Alejandro the Mannakin Nature Tours guide, this time Albert and his cousin were at Bogota to meet me off the plane at an ungodly 4am. Along with Alejandro again, now of Tanager Photo Tours! Yes readers, you know me, I had organised a day of birding before the family festivities kicked off. This was the principal reason it was so critical I made my flight, I had really not wanted to miss this one-off day. I gave Albert my suitcase, organised a time to meet him later on, and departed east with Alejandro and his companion. Destination: the western slope of the Cordillera Oriental. The trip the previous year had taken in some of the Central and Western Cordilleras, each with their own birds, and so the thinking was that even though this was pretty close (as the Cotinga flies) to where I'd been birding before it would result in a host of new species. And so it proved.
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| The habitat around Carpatos |
We carried on up the road known as the Reserva Bioandina entrance track. This was a rural area with fields on the lower slopes and forest on the higher steeper sections, and as we progressed the forested areas became thicker even though we continued birding from the road. One of our stops was at a smallholding that had been set up with feeders as is typical in Colombia, and here I laid to rest my 2022 poor views of Sword-billed Hummingbird, as well as getting great views of Lesser Violetear, Tyrian Metaltail, Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Mountain Velvetbreast and White-bellied Woodstar. Pale-naped Brushfinch were also visiting the feeders here. Would that I had had a proper camera but such is life. At least I was here though, what a disaster that would have been! A highlight along this section of the track was - remarkably I might add - another Antpitta for my collection, Muisca Antpitta. Alejandro heard this calling from deep within cover and managed to momentarily lure it close enough to the edge for me to be able to see it. This is basically another version (of many) of the Rufous Antpitta, which was split into a million different species in about 2020. Think a small orangey blob with almost no tail that likes hiding a lot. The full list of birds seen on this part of the trip is above.
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| Pale-naped Brushfinch |
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| Lesser Violetear |
This area was the furthest east we would go and took up the entire morning, so around lunchtime we were on our way back west to Bogota via some more sites and a picnic. The first of these was the Reserva Natural El Zoque, a montane/semi-paramo habitat which we had driven through earlier in the morning. I think I am right in saying that this is the highest section of the Bogota to Guasca road, and as such had the possibility of some different species. We were challenged by thick cloud (you are at 3,300m here) and sporadic driving rain, but nonetheless managed to see Andean Siskin, Glowing Puffleg, Great Sapphirewing, Bronze-tailed Thornbill, Black-chested Mountain Tanager and Mountain Elaenia.
Our final stops were at a lower elevation specifically looking for Bogota Rail. The first of these was just to the west of Guasca, in some pools behind the Hotel Pedro Paramo. This stop added a number of wetland species to the day list, and another new Hummingbird with Green-tailed Trainbearer in the reeds. We were successful with the Rail, with two seen well on the edge. Sadly I deleted a crappy phone video I took as it was taking up too much space and to retain it would have meant yet another monthly subscription to Google for more space. However if you imagine a Water Rail you are basically there. As the name suggests it is endemic to this one tiny area of Colombia and there are not many of them - I was pleased to be able to squeeze it in. Another stop at the Gravilleras de Capilla de Siecha added another three Rails, as well as a Noble Snipe.
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| Alejandro and I at the end of the day |
Our final stop of the day was along a backroad from Capilla de Siecha to El Salitre. This added some Sparkling Violetear, Silvery-throated Spinetail, Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant, Brown-bellied Swallow and a few more Great Thrush. We had been going for about 12 hours and I was pretty exhausted having come off an overnight flight, but it had been a successful day and we had seen just under 100 species, not bad going at all. Alejandro dropped me at Albert's wife's parents' apartment in eastern Bogota where I enjoyed a deep and restful sleep whereupon I had a quick shower and we all went out for the evening to a rooftop restaurant in central Bogota to celebrate his birthday until the small hours.
Here is a day by day trip list from Colombia. On some days we started in one place, had a bit of a drive, and then finished in another so sometimes it does not really work. However this is neatest way to keep it all in one place and is a good summary. For anyone who requires a further level of detail, eBird's new Trip Report functionality is the way to go, and was the starting point for this table. You can see it here. The taxonomy is how it is presented in eBird, with the exception of Tanagers which are a complete mindfield and where I saw fit to create my own sub-families in order for it to a bit more digestible. I should also point out that this is my list and I that I did miss a few team birds, as everyone probably did. Collectively we probably got to about 340. It did not always feel prolific, but it is clear that we saw a massive amount when you sit down and peruse the list and I would describe the accumulation as fairly measured. The 336 I recorded were all seen, I have not added the heard only birds which included a few more Tapaculos, and (memorably, in the worst sense!) another Antpitta. 239 species were new to me which is a pretty good ratio, helped by never having visited neighbouring countries. The crossover for me was mostly the ABA birding area and to a much lesser extent, Costa Rica and Tobago.Wonderful birding, I would go back tomorrow.
Colombian Andes, November 11th-19th 2022
Packed and ready to go, we left the lodge on food to walk a short way up the Camino Montezuma once again. No jeeps this time, John and Duber got a lie in. No such luck for Alejandro and Gleison! We had not birded this section of the trail in the morning before, and were assured that at this time of day there would be a host of new species to listen out for. They came thick and fast - Slaty Antwren, Parker's Antbird, Zeledon's Antbird, Slaty Spinetail and a rare Spotted Woodcreeper. For a while it was non-stop.
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| Spotted Woodcreeper |
Our morning lasted about four hours, a short walk up the track and back on a section we had mostly only driven through previously. A clear highlight was Plumbeous Pigeon, a bird for which nobody else harboured any enthusiasm whatsoever but I was insistent that I see one. Bloody thing pooting away in the forest constantly but could I see it? No, or at least not until one of the guides found me a silent one just sitting on a branch looking at me. Excellent.
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| Purple-throated Fruitcrow |
Plenty of other good birds seen, Lemon-browed Flycatcher another new one, and also Greyish Piculet which we had seen lower down in the valley and excellent views of Purple-throated Fruitcrow. I missed a flyover Barred Hawk because I was pissing about with Snuffi, but I think you will agree that this was a wholly worthwhile miss! Look!
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| Snuffi is an admittedly small panther, but this is a HUGE leaf! |
I spent a lot of time examing plants in the rainforest, the aroids in particular. All the locations we visit were replete with just stunning plants, and I was very struck with the tropical vines and tuberous plants, philodendrons and alocasias. I grow a number of these at home, but the ones in Colombia were a different level entirely. In their natural habitat of dense, wet, humid forests they can attain their full glory, whereas in Chateau L, whilst lovely, they simply can't develop in the same way. I can dream though. The insects were also pretty incredible, and we all enjoyed following the trail of Leaf-cutter Ants back to their immense nest, a huge pile of earth. Fascinating, but I am glad Chateau L doesn't have any! Richard made a short nature documentary for his kids which I memorably ruined the first take of.
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| Montezuma Lodge |
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| Agouti - lots of these around the accomodation |
All too soon it was time to pack up and go. A quick final lunch on the veranda and then back into the jeeps to bounce back down the track to Pueblo Rico, from retracing our route to Pereira. We had a little space time baked in to ensure we didn't miss the flight, some of which we spent birding a spot near the town of Virginia which sits on the Cauca River. This was the lowland habitat that we had left largely unbirded in our rush to get to Rio Blanco and it delivered a host of new species immediately. We parked the jeeps next to a small tributory and had a little wander. An Ultramarine Grosbeak was in the tree above us, along with Yellow-bellied Elaenia. A pair of Spectacled Parrotlet were nearly, with Grey and Ruddy-breasted Seedeater feeding in the margin. Somewhere closer the river a Limpkin called, but best of all a Dwarf Cuckoo flew by and perched for great views, a lifer for all of us and completely unexpected.
At the airport I was informed that the rear jeep had seen Fork-tailed Flycatcher en-route, whereas I had only managed a poxy Great White Egret. Damn it! Fair enough if there had been a photo that needed taking, but I had just not been paying attention! A big miss. We sat down and started to enjoy a few post-birding beers, and what should fly across from one of the apron floodlights top another. Oh yes.
It was a short flight to Bogota over the Central Cordillera, and here I said goodbye to the Alejandro and the rest of the team. A quick shower, some shopping for the obligatory fridge magnet and some coffee, and soon we were all on board our international flights back to London, or in my case Madrid as I don't ever like to make it easy. What a trip, it had been everything we all wanted, a long time in the making and worth the wait. Mannakin could not have been better, their on-the-ground logistics were incredibly impressive. It has taken me about two months to finally write this final post, and all that is left is the day-by-day, site-by-site trip list - not a simple task given the 300+ species seen but I am building up to it. For now, thanks for reading, and any suggestions for a 2024 trip of equal awesomeness will be gratefully considered as Bob, Richard, Dave and I are already plotting.
We took the jeeps again direct from the lodge. In the dark? In truth I cannot remember, but probably, as we went about half way up and my first eBird list starts before 7am. It wouldn't be a proper holiday unless I came back exhausted though would it? We stopped about half way up, at around 6.30am, for a Moustached Puffbird, Sooty-headed Wren and a Tricoloured Brushfinch - heard by Gleison's keen ears as we drove along (he tended to always have his head stuck out of the window - this is how I like my guides!).
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| Moustached Puffbird |
The main birding started a short while later after breakfast on the fly. Same tactic as the previous day, birding whilst descending with the cars following us in short hops. This allowed us to escape the worst of any rain, and also meant we didn't have to carry water or food, or in my case my camera - by this stage I was getting rather fed up with it, a heavy lump that didn't seem to be doing me much good.
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| The magnificent Cecropia tree. There are c40 species in the Andes, so I don't know which one this is! |
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| Alejandro (L) and Gleison (R) discussing tactics |
The birds were amazing once again, the best of the morning being amazing views of a Blue-fronted Parrotlet. When quizzed later that evening on what the best birds had been, both Gleison and Alejandro picked this bird without hesitation, I think they had only seen it a handful of times, and one of them lived here! Best of the rest included a Scaled Fruiteater, another bird high on our list of targets, three Orange-breated Fruiteaters, a glut of Flycatchers - Cinammon, Ornate, Handsome, Flavescent and Acadian. An Olivaceous Piha was tracked down, and we had unexpected views of an Olive Finch on the path in front of us.
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| Ornate Flycatcher |
A small crowd of agitated birds were gathered around a dense tree hanging over the slope - a Cloud Forest Pygmy-Owl, but try as we might we could only hear it despite knowing almost exactly where it was. That's birding! A heavy shower at about 10am postponed birding for about an hour, but we were reasonably close to one of the shelters so avoided the worst of it. This is an occupational hazard of birding in the Andes, but on our final full day to have any birding time go begging felt distastrous.
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| Toucan Barbet |
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| Deliveroo |
Luckily it cleared again after an hour or so and we were able to resume for a while before another moped lunch. We were a little further down now, and the difference a few hundred metres of altitude makes is remarkable. The birds are not wholly different of course, but there are some that are simply found at this level and no higher. Toucan Barbet was one of these, with three birds seen well in a tree, and also on this stretch of mountainside was a different Tapaculo. Part of what made it different is that I got a photo of it, something I had previously thought impossible, but somehow Tatama Tapaculo made it onto the back of my camera. Not all of it obviously, and the photo is terrible, but it represented a major step up in my interaction with this family.
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| Tatama Tapaculo |
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| Tatama |
Once again the list of birds seen is too numerous to list out, and with most of them not photographed it would also be pretty boring. When I finally finish these blog posts I'll do a day by day bird list which will allow people to see what was seen where. These take ages to prepare, so make sure you read and appreciate it! A bird I will note here is Lanceolated Monklet, a big prize and one that Dave and Richard were super keen on seeing. Gleison was once again the superstar, hearing the bird deep in the forest and somehow attracting it out so that we could all see it. The views were actually sensational, and as well as the bird here is photo of Richard doing his Monklet face. He also has a Monklet finger but I couldn't possibly publish that.
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| Lanceolated Monklet |
We reached the lodge just before 5pm, a long and fulfilling day, and sat around drinking coffee whilst a mere 15 species of Hummingbird buzzed around the feeders. Fifteen! This is worthy of a pre-list!
As you will have gathered by now, Montezuma is an incredible place, easily the best location of the trip; we had definitely saved the best until last. We had a final morning the next day in which to try and get a few more species on the list, but with a three hour journey to Pereira and an early evening flight to connect with our international flights we could not hang around!
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| Silver-throated Tanager |
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| Scrub Tanager |
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| Torrent Tyrannulet |
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| Torrent |
