Tours
Colombia: Andean Endemics
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Operator: Manu Expeditions Birding Tours
Location: Colombia
Duration: 17 days
From : Sat 28th Feb 2009 to Tue 17th Mar 2009
Description:
Colombia – one of the two most diverse countries for birds on the planet along with Peru. North of Ecuador the Andes branches into 3 distinct mountain chains, separated by the Cauca and Magdalena valleys, each with its endemic avifauna. The Santa Marta mountains rise, it seems, straight out of the Carribean and is a spectacular mountain range with a hatful of localised endemics. Mention of Colombia conjures images of Emeralds, Coffee, Vallenato music, Guerillas and Cocaine and indeed like many developing countries Colombia is in flux. We make no excuse for concentrating on endemics in the Colombian Andes, and the tour does not concern itself with common coastal and Amazonian birds, though the route we take we do not ignore anything that pops up in front of us. The trip is based on visits to reserves that protect the last remaining forests and habitats of some of the most endangered birds in the world. The areas and reserves we visit are in safe areas.
Why we think you should book with us:
Colombia – Friendly people and endangered endemic bird species
Special Target Species:
Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Bogotá Transfer to our hotel. Your guide will meet you at the Hotel.
Day 2: Early breakfast in hotel. Dawn to 9:00am we shall visit La Florida Park in search of Apolinar’s Marsh-wren and Bogotá Rail and common Andean wetland birds. Here we’ll get a van to La Florida and return to the airport for flight to Perira. Arriving at the reserve we should have some time for some afternoon birding. B:L:D Night at the Quimbaya Reserve. B:L:D
Day 3: A full mornings birding at La Suiza in pristine forest along a little traveled track. Our priority here is the endemic Cauca Guan. Also to be found are Chestnut-Wood-Quail (endemic), Grayish Piculet (endemic), Wattled Guan, Bar-crested Antshrike, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, Rufous-breasted Flycatcher and Chestnut-breasted Wren. We have seen Multicolred Tanager here too. After lunch we’ll drive towards Ibague. Night at a comfortable hotel in Ibague. B:L:D
Day 4: Drive to fragmented, remnant forest above Ibague for looking for endemics and others, which include Crested Ant-Tanager (endemic), Olive-headed Brush-Finch (endemic), Blossomcrown (endemic), Tolima Dove (endemic), Red-billed Emerald (endemic), Violet-crowned Woodnymph, Andean Emerald, Bronzy Inca, Highland Motmot, Olivaceous Piculet, Apical Flycatcher (endemic), Mountain Elaenia, Slate-headed Tody-tyrant, Whiskered Wren, Yellow-throated Brush Finch, Black-winged Saltator, Rufous-naped and Scrub Greenlets, Rufous-capped Warbler, Oleaginous Hemispingus, Scrub Tanager, Streak-capped Treehunter, Bar-crested Antshrike (endemic), Immaculate Antbird, and maybe Yellow-headed Manakin. In the afternoon we’ll vist Payande specifically for the endemic Apical Flycatcher but there are many others to see here. Night Ibague.
Day 5: We’ll drive six hours to the El Paujil reserve. Once off the main road and on the access road to this reserve we’ll look for Northern Screamer and Bare-faced Ibis. Here also we’ll see Large-billed Seed-Finch, White-throated Crake, the endemic Colombian Chachalaca and Chestnut-fronted Macaw and others. We’ll walk into the reserve birding along the way B:L:D
Day 6-7: El Paujil Reserve. We’ll spend 2 days at this reserve which has a well developed trail system and a lovely stretch of little traveled road on the outside of the reserve. The reserve was created to protect the critically endangered Blue-billed Curassow, a species thought to be nearly extinct until a ProAves expedition located a viable population here in 2003 and has a pleasant rainforest feel to it with en suite rooms. Blue-billed Currasow is anmain target here, (we saw a stunning pair in June 2007). Other birds we’ll look for over the next 2 days include White-mantled Barbet (endemic), Black Antshrike (endemic), Beautifull Woodpecker (endemic), Dull-mantled Antbird, Black-billed Flycatcher (endemic), Colombian Chachalaca (endemic), Red-lored and Saffron-headed Parrot, Pale-bellied and Stipe-throated Hermit, Northern Violaceoaus and Western White-tailed Trogons, Barred Puffbird, Black-mandibled Toucan, Citron-Throated Toucan, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Pale-breasted Spinetail, Black-striped and Cocoa Woodcreeper, Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant, Western Slaty Antshrike, Jet Antbird, Bare-crowned Antbird, Chestnut-backed Antbird, Western Striped Manakin, Sooty-headed Tyrannulet, Southern Bentbill, Cinnamon Becard, Black-bellied Wren, Sooty Ant Tanager (endemic), Plain-colored Tanager and more. B:L:D
Day 8: A travel day. Early birding at El Paujil reserve and then we’ll leave around 9:00am for a 7-hour drive with a lunch stop to the town of San Vicente and the Reinita Cielo Azul (Cerulean Warbler) Reserve. We’ll make quick stop to look for the endemic Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird. Transferring to jeeps we’ll complete the drive in to the reserve accommodations - spacious rooms with a large roomy balcony from which endemic Flame-rumped Tanager and Indigo-capped hummingbirds are common and the very rare Turquoise Dacnis can be seen. Recurve-billed Bushbird has recently been recorded here. B:L:D
Day 9: Full day at Reinita Cielo Azul Reserve with picnic lunch. We’ll head for the forest at first light and spend all day birding here. Several threatened Colombian endemics also occur here, including Gorgeted Wood-Quail, Parker’s Antbird, White-mantled Barbet, Turquoise Dacnis-Tanager, and Black Inca. Mountain Grackle occurs in temperate forest just above the reserve and we saw these in June. Alos here is Mustached Brush Finch, Yellow-breasted Brush Finch, Wedge-billed Hummingbird, Collared Trogon, Mustached Puffbird, Acorn Woodpecker, Stripe-breasted Spinetail, Uniform Antshrike, Slaty Antwren, White-bellied Antpitta, 2 species of un-described Tapaculo’s, Ornate Flycatcher, Rufous-naped Greenlet, Yellow-throated Spadebill. B:L:D
Day 10: Morning walk down through coffee plantations, which should be packed with boreal migrants depending on the time of year. Here we can see Large-billed Seed-Finch, Bar-crested Antshrike and more. A quick look for Chestnut bellied Hummer, if we have not already seen it, and onto Ocaña a 5 hour drive and stay in town at Plaza Real Hotel. B: Lunch on route. B:L:D
Day 11: Full day at the Hormiguero de Torcoroma reserve (Recurve-billed Bushbird). We’ll be in the bamboo and walking the trails at dawn through to lunch. Our target is of course the Bushbird, which we saw well in June. Other interesting species include the endemic Gray-throated Warbler, Moustached Brush-Finch, Lined Quail Dove, Lazuline Sabrewing, Red-billed Emerald, Andean Toucanet, Stripe-breasted Spinetail, Long-tailed Antbird, Yellow-legged Thrush, Speckled Tanager, Black-headed Tanager, and Black-fronted Wood-Quail. Night in Ocaña. B:L:D
Day 12: A long travel day with some stops. Field breakfast and a few stops stops on route we may look for Chestnut-vented Chachalaca, Blue-crowned Parakeet, Bare-eyed Pigeon, Black-faced Grassquit Drive to Santa Marta and Rodadero beach for and stay in our beachside hotel there. B:L:D
Day 13: Field Breakfast. Morning around Salamanca for Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird and Chestnut-winged Chachalaca. Other birds include Bare-eyed Pigeon, Russet-throated Puffbird and Chestnut Piculet, Bi-colored Conebill and Panama Flycatcher. Lots of Herons, Shorebirds/Waders ands coastal species here, and as the day heats up we’ll head east of Santa Marta to Riohacha and bird the afternoon at suitable desert habitat and the Los Flamencos reserve. Specialties here include White-whiskered Spinetail, Blue-crowned Parakeet, Buffy Hummingbird, Black-backed Antshrike, Stripe-backed Wren, Black-faced Grassquit, Vermillion Cardinal, Tocuyo Sparrow and Oriinocan Saltator. Night in Riohacha.
Day 14: Morning agin biridng the Los Falmencos are picking up what we may have missed As the day heats up we’ll head for the cooler Santa Marta Mountains and lunch in Minca. Bird lower elevations near Minca in the afternoon looking for Red and White Wren, Venezuelan Tyrannulet, Black-backed Antbird, Rusty-breasted Antpitta, Santa Marta Tapaculo (endemic), Blossomcrown, Rufous-capped Warblers, Swallow Tanagers, Coppery Emerald Royal Flycatcher, Golden-winged Spa
rrow and more. We’ll arrive at the El Dorado Lodge at dusk. This new lodge is extremely comfortable with a very birdy garden with many endemics visible from the balcony. B:L:D
Day 15 & 16: Two full days on the San Lorenzo Ridge birding different elevations for different species. One day we’ll take our 4-wheel drive jeeps to the higher elevations of the San Lorenzo ridge. Endemic targets include Santa Marta Parakeet, Santa Marta Bush-Tyrant, Santa Marta Seedeater, Santa Marta Warbler, Santa Marta Mountain Tanager, Santa Marta Brush Finch, White-lored Warbler, Yellow-crowned Whitestart, Rusty-headed Spinetail, Streak-capped Spinetail, White-tailed Starfrontlet, Santa Marta Antpitta, Santa Marta Warbler, Black-backed Thorntail (rare) and Santa Marta Woodstar. Others include White-tipped Quetzal, White-rumped Haw, Black-fronted Wood-Quail, Golden-breasted Fruiteater, Grey-throated Warbler and Lined Quail-Dove. An un-described species of Megascops Owl is to be seen here too! Nights at the El Dorado Lodge. B:L:D
Day 17: After an early breakfast we’ll drive to Santa Marta Airport for the 9:20 flight (arriving at 10:45am) to Bogota and international connections home o r join the below extention. B: