Post pandemic, our first international birding trip was finally hapenning and we knew exactly where to go. Yes, the third time in a row, we decided to explore the unvisited regions of our favorite birding destination. Hola Colombia aqui vamos¡¡¡ After making a rough draft of the itinerary, we immediately contacted our trusted bird guide, Edwin Acevedo Lopera of Native Birding Colombia (Edwin owns the company). It took a lot of back and forth between Edwin and us but we finally had what we thought was a perfect itinerary for our adventure.
NOVEMBER 18, 2022best flight ever 😲
Not to waste any of our birding time, we took the red-eye from New York to Bogota and this turned out to be the best decision. As usual, we booked a car from New Golden Horse to take us to JFK International Airport. Glad that we got there over 3 hours before our flight. Due to some system issues, checking-in for our Avianca flight took much longer than expected. Once checked-in, it was all smooth sailing. Our flight left exactly on time for Bogota. Now came the worst part of a trip. If you had read my previous posts, you are familiar with my totally irrational fear of flying.
Avianca Check-in Counter
Noel waiting at JFK
one terrified unstable passenger
1 pill later...zzzzz...
Last time I took an overnight flight, I was wide awake the entire duration of the flight. So, for the first time ever, I tried a sleeping pill and boy it worked. As soon as the plane was airborne, I was fast asleep all the way to Bogota! Needless to say, this was the best flying experience of my life!!!
NOVEMBER 19, 2022meet the monster
Thanks to the modern medicine, we arrived at the airport in Bogota at 5am well rested. We then took a short flight from Bogota to the city of Pereira where we were meeting the most important person of the trip, Edwin Acevedo. Unlike the last trip, we decided to splurge a little and have him accompany us the entire duration of the trip to maximize our chance of seeing more birds. Afterall, we hadn't traveled abroad in 3 years. We were so happy to see him standing right ourside of the arrival gate. Our first order of business was to get some cash from the bank ATM as many of the lodges we were staying only accepted cash. It is always wise to get foreign currency in the country as you pay less fees and get better exchange rate. Renting a car was a bit of a pain though. We initially reserved a SUV from Localiza but our reservation quietly disappeared a few weeks ago. Luckily, we caught the cancellation and reserved another SUV from AVIS. Last night, Noel received a text message from AVIS to call them immediately and we knew bad news was coming our way. Since our Spanish is non-existent, we asked Edwin if he could correspond with them. Basically they ran out of SUVs and all they had left was a pick-up truck. In the past, when a rental company didn't have the car we reserved, they would have given us a free upgrade. Well, free anything is long gone post pandemic. We reluctantly agreed to pay extra to rent this MONSTER pick-up truck. The car had a manual transmission so Noel was the designated driver. We drove to the busy downtown Pereira to stock up on snacks and also to pickup SIM cards for our cell phones. With all businesses taken care of, let the birding party begin!
We got to our first birding stop, the legendary Rio Blanco Reserve (a.k.a. The Home of the Antpittas) around 2pm. Antpittas are the crown jewels of South American birding along with all the colorful Tanagers and Manakins. What makes this reserve so special is that they feed 3 different species of Antpittas (in its hay day, they were feeding as many as 5 species). If one wishes to see an Antpitta in the field, be ready to spend an hour or more just to catch a glimpse. They are very skulky and EXTREMELY difficult to observe. So to attract ecotourism, many lodges started feeding Antpittas. In fact, this practice of feeding Antpittas was started by the most celebrated farmer in Ecuador named Angel Paz. We had visited his famed farm in Ecuador and it was spectacular. Angel had turned his farm into a birding Mecca in South America and others followed. After an amazing lunch, we were totally psyched up to bird the reserve. As expected, it was pretty chilly and gloomy in the Andes but we were all smiles.
To get ourselves acquainted, we spent some time admiring gorgeous hummingbirds and some tanagers in their garden. Oh how much we had missed seeing these beautiful little feathered energizer bunnies.
Buff-tailed Coronet
Tourmaline Sunangel
Collared Inca
Bronzy Inca
Long-tailed Sylph
Mountain Velvetbreast Female
White-bellied Woodstar
Blue-winged Mountain Tanager
Summer Tanager
Edwin heard from a local guide that a White-capped Dipper had been hanging around by the water reservoir down the road so we jumped right on his offer to see it. It took us no time to spot this water-loving creature. It was well after 5pm and the rain was falling harder by the minutes. We knew it was time for us to retreat to the comfort of our lodge. The dinner was even more amazing than lunch (if that was possible).
White-capped Dipper
Chestnut-bellied Chat-Tyrant
White-throated Daggerbill
Speckled Hummingbird
Andean Motmot
Delicious Dinner
Rio Blanco Reserve eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122680854
The cabin we were staying was spacious, clean, rustic and absolutely gorgeous. Listening to the sounds of the tropical downpour and roaring thunder we were fast asleep before 9pm.
Day 1 total species: 28, lifer 0
NOVEMBER 20, 2022cuteness overload
Today was one of the most anticipated days of our trip. We had appointments with 3 different species of Antpittas (one of which is endemic, another is near endemic). Our day began later than usual at 6:30am. After our lovely breakfast, we spent sometime around the lodge checking out the feeders. Then a young man came screaming that he had found Rusty-faced Parrots feeding in the tree. We saw Edwin's face lit up like a Christmas tree and knew immediately that the parrots were very special. They were all feeding on top of the highest tree on the hill so you can imagine how hard it was to see them but we saw them well through our binoculars and Edwin's scope. Then Edwin introduced the young man as our local guide, Miguel, who was reserves guide. Just for today, Miguel was the most important person there was to us. Afterall, he was our Antpitta whisperer. Besides being a BFF to Antpittas, Miguel was proficient in English, was as nice as one can be and, most importantly, knew the birds of the reserve like the back of his hand.
Rusty-faced Parrot
Lesser Violetear
Fawn-breasted Brilliant
Blue-winged Mountain Tanager
Blue-capped Tanager
Edwin, Noel, Jun, Miguel
It was now time for us to rendezvous with our first near endemic - Bicolored Antpitta. Miguel lead us to his secret lair and the Antpitta was already waiting for him! Oh what a stunner this one was! Just looking at its long legs made our knees weak.
Miguel then took us to the reserve's forest trail. While walking constant streams of mixed flocks came and went but the forest was thick and dark and it was quite challenging to view tiny birds in the environment. When we went around the curve, Miguel called out 'Poncho' and a male and a female of Chestnut-crowned Antpittas hopped into our view. They are fairly widespread and common but I think they are one of the prettiest Antpittas. Everytime I see them, my heart skips a beat. As an added mega bonus, there was a gorgeous Green-and-black Fruiteater lurking in the area trying to score a free meal.
Chestnut-crowned Antpitta
Chestnut-crowned
Chestnut-crowned
Chestnut-crowned
Green-and-black Fruiteater
We said good-bye to the lovely Antpitta couple and marched on under the cloudy gloomy sky. Luckily for us, the cuteness didn't end with the Antpittas. We were greeted by a quite accommodating Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher. In my birding book, any bird whose name contains 'Tody' is guaranteed to be a cutie-pie and this one was no exception to the rule.
Rio Blanco Reserve
Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher
Golden-fronted Redstart
Streaked Tuftedcheek
Montane Woodcreeper
Great Thrush
Golden-plumed Parakeet
Rufous-breasted Flycatcher
Black-capped Hemispingus
It was well past noon and we started our descent back to the lodge. At that point, it sure wasn't lunch we were craving. We knew it was Brown-banded Antpitta time! This unassuming Antpitta is quite blah in its plumage but it is a very special bird indeed. It is endemic only to Colombia and its range is restricted to a tiny area of cloud forest in Colombia's central Andes. Rio Blanco Reserve is the only place on earth to feed this highly sought-after secretive species. Miguel told us to sit and wait while he went by a small opening in the garden hedge and started calling for the Antpitta. Within 5 minutes, it was there to grab some worms. Oh, what a view, what a bird! We will remeber this day as the day we went to the Antpitta heaven.
It was finally the time to feed ourselves. As usual, the lunch was absolutely phenomenal and we were having jolly good time. However, nature had other sinister plans for us. The dark sky got even darker and big rain drops started to fall. We spent the afternoon watching hummingbirds at the feeders while Edwin took a nap and Miguel was on a look-out for a Masked Saltator (sadly, the Saltator was a no-show).
Collared Inca
Long-tailed Sylph
Sparkling Violetear
Bronzy Inca
Mountain Velvetbreast
Slaty Brushfinch
Squirrel
Thanks to the rain we got to watch a nastiest feather-weight (no-pun intended) fight though. A Buff-tailed Coronet grabbed another Coronet, pinned its face down to a tiny puddle on the ground and held it down. After a while, our referee, Miguel, had to intervene to break up the fight to prevent a possible drowning fatality. Ounce for ounce, hummingbirds might be the smallest but surely are the most fierce fighters in the avian world.
The rain turned into drizzle around 4pm so we set out to see birds of the reserve one last time. Extremely foggy condition made birding near impossible but we made the best of it.
Rio Blanco Reserve eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122746287
It was absolutely a specutacular day of birding at Rio Blanco. Any day to see one Antpitta is a great day but to see THREE in a day was dreamlike! On top of Antpitta bonanza, we bagged a whopping NINE lifers to our list. Today really was something else.
Day 2 total species: 65, lifer 9 (Andean Guan, Bicolored Antpitta, Brown-banded Antpitta, Golden-plumed Parakeet, Gray-browed Brushfinch, Rufous-breasted Flycatcher, Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher, Rusty-faced Parrot, Yellow-vented Woodpecker)
NOVEMBER 21, 2022the one that got away
We woke up already dreading to leave this bird heaven. Couldn't we stay here forever with the Antpittas and all the other amazing birds, throw in speculacularly delicious meals!? Edwin knew exactly what to say to pursuade us to move onto another location. Edwin said that we had to be another place as early as possible to see 2 new Antpittas, one of which we had been dying to see. After our last breakfast, it was time to settle up. In America, a 'heaven' does not come cheap so we were expecting to cough up some big bucks. The final bill came to be about $70 for 5 meals for 3 people, $210 for 2 nights for 2 rooms (we had a cabin to ourselves and Edwin had a smaller room in the main building), $24 guide fee for a full day. Mind you the dollar was at the strongest point (exchange rate USD $1 = COP $4,600) when we traveled but $24 for a full day of guiding with Miguel!? It was just unreal... If it wasn't for the prospect of seeing more Antpittas, we would have stayed here forever!
Our next destination, Hacienda el Bosque, was about 1.5 hours drive away from the Rio Blanco Reserve. We left Rio Blaco bright and early before 5:30am to get to Hacienda el Bosque by 7am to have a quick breakfast. When we arrived at the newly constructed reserve's main building, a delightful young owner was there to greet us. If it wasn't for the beautiful green pasture all around us, we would have thought we were at some posh coffee shop in New York.
At the breakfast table, he explained to us a little about the history of the reserve. His father owns the farm which spreads out to over 2,500 acres. After finishing his study in Boston, he decided to come back to his father's farm and venture into eco-tourism in 2019, converting some of the farm land to boutique cabins and birding trails/observation areas. Now this establishment has become a must-stop spot for many visiting birders from all around the world. It is especially popular among bird photographers, partly due to this teeny tiny Antpitta called Crescent-faced Antpitta. Though this Antpitta is fairly widespread, it lives only at very high elevations in the Andes and Hacienda el Bosque is said to be the world's most reliable place to see this adorable miniature Antpitta. After our scrumptious meal, we drove down to meet our local bird guide, Edison. First, he took us to the bottom of a long sleep hill. At over 10,000 feet altitude, we had to pace ourselves a few times to catch our breaths.
When we got to the bottom of the hill, we quickly grabbed a lifer (White-browed Spinetail) before our date with the Equatorial Antpitta. You've got to love birding in Colombia.
Now off to the main event. I heard it was the tamer of the two Antpittas so our expections were high. Edison carefully cleared fallen leaves off of the feeding area, sat us in a designated area then began calling for the Antpitta. Feeding Antpitta surely is not an easy work. It involves a tremendous amount of time, effort and discipline. The Antpitta handler must feed the bird every day at the same time (usually early in the morning) at the same location to establish a trusting relationship with the bird. With all that work, the handler is still dealing with a 100% wild bird so the bird can come or not come depending on numerous factors beyond his/her control.
We sat there quietly waiting for 'Juli' the Equatorial Antpitta for over 30 minutes. Sadly, Juli never came. You can imagine our disappointment but all birders understand that failing to see a bird is what keeps us going. We thanked Edison for trying and continued on. The time had come for the most eagerly anticipated event, our rendezvous with 'Lunita' the Crescent-faced Antpitta! I had heard that this one was quite shy and skulky so I gave ourselves a 50% chance of seeing it. They had built a wooden viewing blind on top of a steep mountain slope where the Antpitta inhabited. Right under the blind was a well camouflaged feeding area. This clevery built blind should provide us with specutacular views of the bird should the bird decide to appear. The area adjacent to the blind was a hummingbird feeding area specifically to be used as a waiting space for the birders. Now let the waiting game begin! In the meantime, we kept ourselves occupied admiring gorgerous hummingbirds all around us.
Hummingbird Feeding Area + Blind (back)
Tourmaline Sunangel
Sparkling Violetear
Buff-winged Starfrontlet
Shining Sunbeam
About an hour into the wait, we started to hear the Antpitta calling and coming closer. Another 15 minutes had gone by and Edison already had a visual. 'Lunita' was almost here. Our hearts were beating so fast with anticipation. Then all of a sudden, an ill-intentioned Great Thrush flushed the tiny Antpitta and just like that, it was all over, our 'Lunita' was gone...
I could not believe this but I just had to laugh at what just happened. We were enormously disappointed that we had the bird at our fingertips only to lose it the last moment but it was quite comical how it had happened. We spent the rest of the morning checking out other feeders. I could see why this reserve would be a dream destination for bird photographers. They had quite a few hard-to-see species come to their feeders for breathtaking close-up views. Although we felt that it was a tiny bit too well arranged for us (if that's possible), I applaud the reserve for taking eco-tourism to another level.
Hacienda el Bosque eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122781285
We thanked Edison for showing us all the amazing birds of the reserve and were then off to tackle the highest peak of the trip in Los Nevados National Park, standing tall at 17,470 feet. Well, we would be driving only up to 13,500 feet to see one extraordinary hummingbird species called Buffy Helmetcrest. Any bird surviving at such high altitude is remarkable but a tiny hummingbird!? We really had to see it to believe it. As we drove up the well paved winding road of Los Nevados National Park to the Visitor Center where our mystical hummingbird awaits, we were blown away by the stark change in scenery. We knew that we had reached the Paramo, a unique high-altitude ecosystem located only in the Andes of Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. We have birded a Paramo once in Ecuador and the two landscapes were identical, harsh, cold, desolate and sublime. When we arrived, the visitor center area was packed with bus loads of Colombian tourists. They seemed to be all coming back from their drive up to the peak. Not that we needed to as our target birds were all found at this altitude or lower, we were't allowed to drive up further so perhaps only tour buses were given access to higher peaks.
In any case, luckily the tourists were all leaving so we could freely roam the small garden right next to the visitor center to look for this unworldly hummingbird. It didn't take us long to locate the hummingbird, an absolute stunner. Due to the altitude, the hummingbird moved slower and flapped its wings less than lower altitude hummingbirds. After this morning's fiasco with Antpittas, it almost felt undeserving to find this superb hummingbird so quickly. It was as impressive in person as I had seen it in photos. It was just going about its business drinking nectors from one flower to the next. We truly were in awe of this little hummingbird to be thriving in this harsh environment.
Los Nevados National Park eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122805152
On our way down, we made a few stops to look for Paramo specialities and one other important target hummingbird called Rainbow-bearded Thornbill. Thanks to Edwin's prior knowledge, we were able to locate the Thornbill as well as some Paramo specialies along the road.
Los Nevados National Park Laguna Negra eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122795054
It was getting dark and was time for us to head to our hotel, Hotel Termales del Ruiz. It was a lovely old hotel with newly renovated modern interior, famous for its hot springs and wonderful bird feeders. At this point, it was a race against the sun. As soon as we got to the hotel, we ran out to the feeder area and saw some amazing highland species.
Hotel Termales del Ruiz
Hotel Termales del Ruiz
Hotel Termales del Ruiz
Lacrimose Mountain Tanager
Pale-naped Brushfinch
Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager
Shining Sunbeam
Golden-crowned Tanager
Hotel Termales del Ruiz eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122804403
After this action-packed day, we were all beyond exhausted. We concluded our day with a nice late dinner at the hotel. Well, not quite 'finished with the day yet' though. We had to make arguably the most important decision of our trip. Should we try for the missed Antpittas tomorrow or go back to Paramo for missed highland specialities? Frankly, I felt that this was our once in a lifetime opportunity to see the Crescent-faced Antpitta so I said we try again tomorrow and the gang agreed. I really hoped that I would not be regretting the decision tomorrow.
Day 3 total species: 34, lifer 10 (Andean Duck, Andean Tit-Spinetail, Buffy Helmetcrest, Golden-breasted Puffleg, Golden-crowned Tanager, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, Great Sapphirewing, Many-striped Canastero, Plain-colored Seedeater, White-browed Spinetail
NOVEMBER 22, 2022miracle in the colombian paramo
Usually I'm a good sleeper but I had terrible sleep last night. I woke up multiple times with muscle cramps and an awful headache. When I got out of the bed in the morning, the world was spinning and I knew I had altitude sickness. Although the hotel was not as high as the areas we had been yesterday, the air was thin and cold at 11,500 feet. The big problem was that we had so much to do today and I just couldn't take a day off and rest. I didn't have any specific medication for altitude sickness so took one Aleve tablet for the headache. I told Edwin that I was not well and had to take it easy but asked to do everything we had planned to do. Before getting to Hacienda el Bosque for Antpittas, we made a quick drive up to Laguna Negra to check out Paramo specialities. While Noel and Edwin birded, I stayed mostly in the car except to see the two lifers. Then a miracle took place: I started feel better, so much so that I hardly felt any of the earlier symptons. I would like to call it a divine intervention but, in reality, it had to be Aleve kicking in. I'm always extremely hesistant taking any medication but I admit a simple pill saved my day.
Restaurant Cumanday eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122817653
Los Nevados Laguna Negra eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122819066
Carretera Nevado del Ruiz eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122819063
With my new found health, I was ready for Antpittas. We drove back to Hacienda el Bosque and met Edison around 8:30am. This time, as we had hoped, there was no fancy breakfast nor special welcome but only birding. We headed straight to the Equatorial Antpitta site and in less than 10 minutes this rufous-colored fluffball with 2 long legs and bright eyes hopped into our view. Meet lovely Juli! I cannot explain it but seeing an Antpitta always gives us chills down the spine. We enjoyed every bit of this precious time we had with Juli until she disappeared back into her forest.
We then swiftly moved to the Crescent-faced Antpitta location. We nervously paced back and forth in the waiting area. About 40 minutes into our wait, Edison hand-signaled us to come into the blind. We ran as fast yet quietly as possible and apprehensively looked over the small opening in the blind. Then this darling little streak-bodied bird (size of a tennis ball) hopped onto a rock right in front of us. Lunita was there and yes she was unquestionably worth the wait.
After such thrilling encounters with Antpittas, we needed to take a deep breath and relax for just a little bit. What better way to do that than by watching all the beautiful birds around us. Soon it was time for us to leave Hacienda el Bosque. We thanked Edison for all his hard-work and dedication. As I said before, if you were passionate about bird photography (or an Antpitta junkie like us), you must visit Hacienda el Bosque!
Frog
Hooded Mountain-Tanager
Golden-fronted Redstart
Masked Flowerpiercer
Black Flowerpiercer
Purple-backed Thornbill
Shining Sunbeam
SwordBilled Hummingbird
Sparkling Violetear
White-bellied Woodstar
Gray-browed Brushfinch
Slaty Brushfinch
Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan
Black-billed Mountain-Toucan
Andean Guan
SickleWinged Guan
Hacienda el Bosque eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122831810
We were back at the Paramo to get better looks at Rainbow-bearded Thornbill. Our mission was to photograph the "rainbow beard" of the Rainbow-bearded Thornbill. We had spent a good hour trying to catch the moment but the bird just did not cooperate. You win some, you lose some. It was almost 3:30pm and we had to start our decent back to our next hotel in Santa Rosa de Cabal.
Rainbow-bearded Thonbill
Plain-colored Seedeater
Grass Wren
White-throated Tyrannulet
Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant
Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager
Carretera Nevado del Ruiz eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122845986
It was about 6pm and we were famished. Imagine our excitement when Edwin told us to pull into a roadside restaurant called Ranchero Paisa in the town of Chinchiná. As we drove into the parking lot, we spotted Southern Lapwings and Cattle Tyrants in the adjacent field and that was all it took to make us forget all about our empty stomachs and get right back into birding. It was impossible NOT to bird anywhere in Colombia. At our dinner table, we were joined by a gorgeos surprise company dressed in a silky smooth jet black dress. Our guest, Black Phoebe, wasn't much of a conversationalist but certainly was quite a looker. Phoebe also had terrible table manners as she constantly moved from one table to another.
Southern Lapwing
Cattle Tyrant
Vermillion Flycatcher
Ruddy Ground Dove
Blue-gray Tanager
Our Dinner Guest (Black Phoebe)
Ranchero Paisa Restaurant
Ranchero Paisa
Ranchero Paisa eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122855017
We got to our hotel, Casa Confort, in Santa Rosa de Cabal after 8pm. It was a no-frill functional clean comfortable hotel with parking and that was exactly what we needed. We paid about $74 for 2 rooms. As usual, we were totally wiped out and basically collapsed onto the bed.
Day 4 total species: 60, lifer 8 (Crescent-faced Antpitta, Equatorial Antpitta, Glossy Flowerpiercer, Grass Wren, Purple-backed Thornbill, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Stout-billed Cinclodes, Viridian Metaltail)
NOVEMBER 23, 2022community conservation at work
Today, we were exploring the western side of the Los Nevados National Park at a farm called Finca Cortaderal. This is the place to see the very rare and endangered Fuertes's Parrot. The farm is touted as a shining example of successful collaboration between a local farm and birding conservation community. The farm is working with multiple nature protection agencies to preserve the habitat needed for the survival of the rare Parrots. The drive up to the finca was pretty rough but durable (especially with our monster truck). On our way up there, Edwin spotted a gorgeous Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle.
Just past 8am, we stopped to have breakfast prepared by the hotel. I have to tell you that food always tastes better when birding. This stop turned out to be a productive one as we bagged one of our targets, Dusky Piha, thanks to Edwin's keen ear. We had also come across a few nice mixed flocks.
Dusky Piha
Scaly-naped Parrots
Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant
White-throated Tyrannulet
Superciliaried Hemispingus
Tyrian Metaltail
We made a few stops whenever we encountered a mixed flock (which was quite often) or saw/heard something interesting until we got to an open space between the massive valleys. This was going to be our look-out spot for Fuertes's Parrots. Happy that the area also happened to be a living quarter for Grass-green Tanagers. We saw at least four Grass-greens just by standing in the spot. The area became expectedly quiet after 11am (nap/rest time for birds) but a hard-working Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant kept us entertained as it went in and out of its nest burrow in a mud bank with nesting materials. We patiently waited for *the* parrots for well over 2 hours. Many groups of parrots flew by as if they were teasing us but the Fuertes never came. Again, failure is a part of birding and we were OK with that.
Fuertes's Parrot Conservation Sign
Grass-green Tanager
Bar-bellied Woodpeckers
Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant
Sword-billed Hummingbird
Lacrimose Mountain Tanager
Baby Cow
Finca Cortaderal eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122896718
We arrived at charming Hotel Cumanday in La Florida around 4pm. As usual, the hotel had an amazing feeder so we spent an hour admiring hungry birdies. Speaking of, we hadn't eaten a meal since our breakfast. We picked a restaurant near our hotel called Restaurante La Delicia De Los Abuelos. Everything was fine at the restaurant except that the waitress totally forgot Noel's order so Noel and I shared a meal. Oh well, to make-up for the lost meal, we picked up some delicious Papas Rellenas and ate them at the hotel.
Hotel Kumanday
Hotel Kumanday Room
Blue-gray Tanager
Blue-necked Tanager
Great Kiskadee
Summer Tanager
Palm Tanager
Red-headed Barbet
Red-headed Barbet Female
Thick-billed Euphonia
Thick-billed Euphonia Female
Black-billed Thrush
Hotel Kumanday eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122903834
Day 5 total species: 36, lifer 4 (Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Bar-bellied Woodpecker, Carunculated Caracara, Dusky Piha)
NOVEMBER 24, 2022birding blues
Today we were visiting one of the most celebrated bird reserves in the county, Otún Quimbaya Flora and Fauna Sanctuary and naturally our expectations were sky high. Finca Cortaderal was beautiful and relaxing but not as birdy as we had hoped (plus we had missed Fuertes's Parrot, sorry I promised not to talk about it...). So somehow hoping to make it up for the missed opportunity, I had imagined (or desparately hoped) that Otún Quimbaya would be overflowing with birds. At 5:30am, we picked up our packed breakfast at the hotel and off we went into the fabled woods of Otún Quimbaya. The reserve was only about 15 minutes drive from the hotel. Edwin's plan was to drive towards the end of the reserve where there would be an open clearing then work our way back. We drove for another 30 minutes past the reserve entrance and were met with a major obstacle. There was a large tree laying across the road. Edwin said that the tree must have fallen last night as this dirt road was used daily by public buses. We walked around the fallen tree for a while contemplating a way to somehow bypass this large tree but there really was nothing we could do. So we decided to bird the trail back from that point on.
The forest was thick, dark and very tall. We had encountered a few nice mixed flocks but birds were mostly foraging on top of the tree canopies and it really was impossible for us to have a good look. I would say more than half of the birds we saw that day remained unidentified, a very frustrating state of affairs for birders. After 9am, the forest became eerily quiet and we hardly ever saw any living soul after that. When we checked out the photos we had taken there, we only had three species of birds plus a mammal. That really says it all. We basically had decent views of only three species. I was a little sad and highly disappointed, perhaps an early onset of 'birding blues'. While birding on the trail, we did see a public bus loaded with passengers passed us by. Edwin told the driver that there was a fallen tree on the ground ahead and that the trail is impassable but they went ahead anyways and never came back while we were there. Well, people on the bus had much bigger problem for sure than my little heartache stemming from lack of getting good looks at the birds.
Thick Forest of Otún Quimbaya
Montane Foliage-Gleaner
Red-ruffed Fruitcrow
Cauca Guan
Red Howler Monkey
Feeling defeated, we left the dark impenetrable fortress of Otún Quimbaya to look for Torrent ducks in Otún River. Since I was feeling down, I had very low expectation of seeing the duck. Torrent Duck had been our grail bird for a while. It was unthinkable to score such a prized bird on a horrible birding day when we basically saw nothing at one of the birdiest places on earth. Of course, ducks weren't there but we kept ourselves busy looking at birds by the river. About 20 minutes later, Edwin screamed 'Torrent Ducks'!!! Followed by me screaming, "OMG, TORRENT DUCKS"! They were quite a distance away but we saw them well through Edwin's scope. Oh were they stunning! Well, we certainly ended our birding day on a high note.
Rufous-cllared Sparrow
Yellow-bellied Seedeater
Golden-faced Tyrannulet
Torrent Tyrannulets
Torrent Ducks
Otún Quimbaya eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122938916
On our way to our next destination, we stopped by Hotel Kumanday to settle the bill ($58 for 2 rooms, what a bargain!) and to pick up our luggage all while enjoying the great views of colorful tanagers coming to their feeders.
Dog at Hotel Kumanday
Blue-black Grassquit
Scrub Tanager
Summer Tanager
Palm Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Thick-billed Euphonia
Thick-billed Euphonia Female
Black-billed Thrush
Bare-faced Ibis
Hotel Kumanday eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S122941955
We left Hotel Kumanday around 2pm as we had a lot of driving to do today. We stopped to have a quick lunch at Sir Pollo Castilla in a strip mall near Pereira. I wouldn't say the food was great but the large portion certainly made up for the lack of flavor.
On our way to the legendary Montezuma Rainforest Lodge, we noticed that the truck started to randomly make strange rattling noises. Since the truck seemed to be operating fine, we decided to ignore the noise. What we could not ignore was that the gas gauge stopped working. I had been in many vehicles, new and old, in my life but never sat in a car with a broken gas gauge. AND the craziest thing was that this truck was brand spanking new. From that point on, we had to constantly fill up only to make sure we didn't run out of fuel. We drove for another 3 hours to get to the town of Pueblo Rico where we were getting picked up by a driver to go up to to the lodge. As soon as we parked our car in front of a church in the town center, a man walked over and politely introduced himself as our driver, Jhon. We followed him to a parking lot where our car would be resting for the next 3 days. Needless to say, we were happy to leave our unreliable truck there.
In theory, we could have driven our truck (despite all the problems it had) to Montezuma and beyond as our pickup truck was bigger and more powerful than any of the 4x4 SUVs the lodge offered; however, we were glad that we did not have to drive on the narrow winding dirt road along the mountain ridge in the dark. It was almost 8pm when we finally arrived at the lodge. As soon as we arrived, it was dinner time. Believe it or not, we were all still very full from our enormous lunch so we asked for a light dinner before going to sleep. At the dinner table, we were introduced to our local bird guide (mandatory at Montezuma), Fernando. Edwin told us that he was a nephew of the owner and was an excellent guide. To me, Fernando was this bashful, gawky and sweet young boy and I just couldn't quite picture him as a top-notch bird guide. Despite the reputation of being the premier ecolodge in the county, the room we got was pretty dingy and had strong odor of wastewater. The shower came with an instant shower head heater which didn't exactly work, so I thought. Basically, the only way to make the shower heater work was to take a shower with tiniest drips of water. It was still 1,000 times better than taking a cold shower as it was quite chilly at Montezuma. I couldn't say our long-awaited stay at Montezuma started out as smashingly as I had hoped. They did have remarkably thick warm blankets though.
Day 6 total species: 39, lifer 4 (Cauca Guan, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, Torrent Duck, Torrent Tyrannulet)
NOVEMBER 25, 2022meet the boy wonder
Today had to be the most anticipated day of the trip. We were driving up to the summit of Cerro Montezuma at 8,366 feet. It is said that more than 600 bird species has been recorded along the 8.6 mile track from the lodge to the summit, known as Montezuma Road. That is just an insane amount of biodiversity in such a small area. To put it in perspective, that's about 2/3 of total bird species in the United States. After a quick sip of hot chocolate the four of us (Edwin, Fernando, Noel and myself) got into Jhon's SUV and began our ascent to the summit. The road was pretty rough and long but not as bad as we had imagined although Jhon had to take out his machete to clear out the road.
Before 8am, we reached the summit right next to an active military base, a stark reminder of Colombia's violent past.
As soon as we got out of the car at the summit, everything turned to a blur. We were absolutely spellbound by the staggering array of mind-blowing birds at Montezuma. And I was so happy to be proven 100% wrong that our shy young guide truly was sensational. Never judge a book by its cover. He was a gift from birders' heaven. Not only did he know every bird by sight (if I saw a shadow of a bird, he could tell me what bird it was and he was always right), he knew all of them by ear as well (and I mean ALL of them). I think his most remarkable asset was that he had recordings of songs/calls from each individual bird. Birds being the most narcissistic living creature on earth, they find their own voices most attractive. Karaoke would have been the biggest hit in the avian community. So to entice a hardest-to-see skulking bird to show itself, Fernando would use a playback from the very individual he had recorded in the past. Thanks to his clever tactics, we had pretty decent views of most obscure species. Montezuma certainly well exceeded our expectations.
Chami Antpitta
Munchique Wood-Wren
Dusky Chlorospingus
Gold-ringed Tanager
Purplish-mantled Tanager
Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia
Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant
Cinnamon Flycatcher
Chestnut-capped Brushfinch
Tricolored Brushfinch
Montezuma Road eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123003117
It was almost 1:30pm and was time for a quick lunch break. We ate our lunch in a newly constructed covered wooden platform while enjoying the views of various hummingbirds zipping all around us.
Violet-tailed Sylph
Violet-tailed Sylph Female
Velvet-purple Coronet
Rufous-gaped Hillstar
Collared Inca
Brown Inca
Did I tell you that Montezuma sits in one of the rainiest places on earth? It basically rains every day and today was no exception. The rain started around 2pm and didn't let up till well after 6pm. The rain was pretty heavy and consistent so we drove to a covered two-story tower to seek shelter and waited there till about 3:30pm.
Sadly, there was no sign of sky clearing up so we reluctantly started our descent back to the lodge. At the lodge, we were greeted by always hungry hummingbirds and tanagers flying from a feeder to feeder.
Silver-throated Tanager
Flame-rumped Tanager Female
Thick-billed Euphonia
Bananaquit
Black-chested Jay
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Empress Brilliant
Purple-throated Woodstar
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Tawny-bellied Hermit
Purple-bibbed Whitetip Female
Green Thorntail
White-booted Racket-Tail
Agouti
Montezuma Rainforest Lodge eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123009305
Despite losing the precious afternoon birding hours to rain, we had an electrifying day at Montezuma. Now that I had spent a good week in Colombia, I sort of figured out the weather. It had been usually nice in the morning followed by afternoon downpours. I am usually a 'go-with-the-flow' type of birder but I had to stand firm and make a request at the dinner to leave the lodge earlier tomorrow morning. My logic was that we could earn extra birding time simply by leaving earlier. It would have been an easy request if it was just us and Edwin but there was a team of people involved (local guide, driver, chef, and kitchen staff) so I knew it wasn't going to be easy. Finally, they said the best they could give us is extra 15 minutes. Well, extra 15 minutes is better than nothing.
Day 7 total species: 69, lifer 7 (Black-headed Brushfinch, Chami Antpitta, Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer, Dusky Chlorospingus, Fulvous-dotted Treerunner, Gold-ringed Tanager, Munchique Wood-Wren), heard-only lifer 1 (Hooded Antpitta)
NOVEMBER 26, 2022good things come to those who wait
As per my request, our car left the lodge at 5:30am sharp. We could not contain our excitement just thinking about repeating yesterday's magic. Today, we were starting at mid-elevation hoping to spot different species. Right from the get-go, we ran into an absurdly cute Yellow-collared Chlorophonia! Followed by a super-friendly attention seeking Gold-ringed Tanager. Just like yesterday, we were on cloud nine since the moment we had stepped out of the car. It was another magical birding day at Montezuma...
Tatama National Park
Yellow-collared Chlorophonia
Gold-ringed Tanager
Gold-ringed Tanager
Orange-breasted Fruiteater
Golden-winged Manakin
Purplish-mantled Tanager
Golden-headed Quetzal
Empress Brilliant
Tricolored Brushfinch
Well, we knew that the question wasn't if but when. Like clockwork, the rain started around 1:30pm. Pretty soon it became a torrential downpour. The shelter we had used yesterday was occupied by another group so we decided to eat out lunch in the car except for Noel who had a better idea.
After lunch, we took a nap and waited cramped in Jhon's SUV for OVER 3 HOURS. I have to thank Edwin, Fernando, and Jhon for putting it up with us.
Miraculously, the rain let up around 4:30pm so we went right back on the trail.
It was still extremely misty. Then, Fernando found this epic bird through the thick mist staring right at us, a Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl!!! It completely took our breath away including Fernando's. Perhaps the forest took pity on us and gifted us with this extraordinary sighting. Our excitement was short-lived as the rain came back harder than ever shortly after. It really was time for us to head back to the lodge.
Montezuma Road eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123066079
Montezuma Rainforest Lodge eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123075886
Today was the last day to have Jhon and Fernando accompany us as they would be working with a big tour group starting tomorrow. Jhon made sure that we were always comfortable and Fernando was the reason for all our fun and excitement. I can see why this lodge is touted as one of the nation's best - personnel there was just top-notch.
Day 8 total species: 63, lifer 6 (Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl, Northern Tropical Pewee, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Pacific Tuftedcheek, Tatama Tapaculo, Yellow-collared Chloriphonia), heard only lifer 2 (Chestnut-breasted Wren, Scaled Fruiteater)
NOVEMBER 27, 2022last hurrah
Today was our last day at Montezuma and we were going to spend the morning looking at birds around the lodge before leaving for Buga in the afternoon. As good as Edwin was as a bird guide, one could never compare to the knowledge of a local guide and we certainly missed Fernando's local bird expertise. However, Edwin did a great job and we saw as many birds as we could including some nice finds such as a Moustached Puffbird. We birded non-stop for 6.5 hours until lunchtime.
Agouti
Squirrel Cuckoo
Moustached Puffbird
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Roadside Hawk
Russet-backed Oropendola
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Golden-hooded Tanager
Acadian Flycatcher
Buff-fronted Foliage-Gleaner
Smooth-billed Ani
Black Vulture
Montezuma Rainforest Lodge eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123111883
We savored our last meal at the lodge while enjoying the company of beautiful hummingbirds and tanagers. Our last order of business was to pay up. Our 3 nights stay at Montezuma was not inexpensive but it certainly was worth every penny (lodging for 3 nights 2 rooms 9 meals - $430, guide fee for 2 days - $83, transportation - $187). Despite losing half of our precious birding time to rain, we really had magical time here at Montezuma.
Lemon-rumped Tanager
Crimson-backed Tanager
Purple-throated Woodstar
Andean Emerald
White-necked Jacobin
Rufous-gaped Hillstar
Thick-billed Euphonia
Cat
We had over 4.5 hours of driving to get to the town of Buga. Edwin told us that Buga was one of the oldest cities in Colombia and was famous for the Basilica of The Lord of the Miracles. Annualy, over 3 million pilgrims visit Buga to pray for miracles. We got to the charming Boutique Hotel Chrisban located in an old colonial section of the city at 6pm. As soon as we checked in and left our luggages in the room, we drove to the town center to get something to eat. Edwin knew of a good restaurant but it was closed so we randomly picked a restaurant called De Res Y De Cerdo which happened to be very good.
Day 9 total species: 51, lifer 1 (Rose-faced Parrot), heard only lifer 1 (Scaly-breasted Wren)
NOVEMBER 28, 2022with great risk comes great reward
After our lovely breakfast at the hotel, we started our drive to Laguna de Sonso Nature Reserve about 20 minutes away. All was well until we got to the entrance to the Reserve. There was only one dirt road sandwiched between two lagoons connecting the highway to the Reserve. To our dismay, the road was completely flooded and submerged under water for about good 100 feet. There was no way to know how deep or how muddy the bottom was. Noel wanted to try but both Edwin and I said NO WAY. Unlike the fallen tree situation at Otun Quimbaya, this was a serious problem as we had no access to the Reserve whether on foot or by car.
We again put our thinking cap on but came up empty. Then a motorcycle came by and dropped off a local man. Edwin asked him if it was possible to cross the flooded area with our car. To our surprise, the man said that he saw a truck like ours cross yesterday so we should try. We trusted the word of this total stranger and once again put the truck into 4-wheel drive and decided to give it a go. It was reasssuring knowing that he was riding with us as he too needed to get to the reserve. Edwin said that he worked at the Reserve as a construction worker.
So relieved to tell you that the local man was right. We precariously yet safely crossed the flooded section of the road and continued on. Our initial plan was to stop by and bird around the Visitor Center but that certeinly was not happening. Despite the friendly welcome signs at front, it didn't seem that they were welcoming any visitors. The area surrounding the Center was severely flooded. To get to the Center, we had to use the paddle-less canoe left on our side which was basically impossible. Well, we were too busy looking at the birds all around us to check out the Visitor Center anyways.
The crossing of the entrance road certainly was the scariest thing we had done in our entire trip. We were rewarded handsomely for taking such a huge risk though. The reserve was super birdy. Interestingly, this was the only place hot (in mid 80s) and humid and it was sort of a nice change as we had been freezing our butts off birding at higher elevations. We were there for only 3.5 hours but felt like we had spent an entire day considering the volume and variety of birds we saw. The hightlight of the reserve definitely was seeing this tiny endemic woodpecker called Grayish Piculet.
Fisherman
Wattled Jacana
Greater Ani
Yellow-bellied Elania
Slaty Spinetail
Ruddy Ground Dove
Yellow-headed Caracara
Slate-headed Tody-Flycatcher
Spectacled Parrotlet
Gray-cowled Wood-Rail
Grayish Piculet
Apical Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Tropical Parula
Spot-breasted Woodpecker
Acadian Flycatcher
Purple Gallinule
Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet
Bare-faced Ibis
Yellow Oriole
Little Cuckoo
Smooth-billed Ani
Great Kiskadee
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Limpkin
Laguna de Sonso eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123162324
We really didn't want to leave this bird oasis but once Edwin brought up a possible sighting of a Multi-colored Tanager at the next destination, we were all ears. To leave the reserve, we had to cross the water again but it was less scary this time knowing we had done it once (though still pretty scary). Watch the video of the crossing below...
We drove for about 3 hours to beautiful La Minga Ecolodge in the Rio Bitaco Forest Reserve near Cali. There was a minor hiccup that Edwin could not find a key to the gate although the owner had texted Edwin earlier where the key had been hidden. We had no cell reception so Edwin spent about 10 mintues searching and we were starting to get nervous. I said let me try and viola, I found the key exactly where it was said to be. Well, everyone is good at something. Edwin has a god-given talent for finding birds and I have a knack for finding keys (lol).
The caretaker was waiting for us with a delicious lunch. We didn't want to be rude but we could barely sit still being constantly distracted by gorgeous birds coming to their feeders. Again, we were back in the cold climate of the cloud forest, a dramatic change from the lowland we had come from.
Red Squirrel
Saffron-crowned Tanager
Golden-naped Tanager
Orange-bellied Euphonia
Orange-bellied Euphonia Female
Golden Tanager
Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager
Red-headed Barbet
Red-headed Barbet Female
Flame-rumped Tanager
Flame-rumped Tanager Female
Green Honeycreeper
Green Honeycreeper Female
Rusty Flowerpiercer
Scrub Tanager
Palm Tanager
Blue-gray Tanager
Summer Tanager Female
Yellow-backed Oriole
Chestnut-capped Brushfinch
Bananaquit
Rufous-collared Sparrow
Acorn Woodpecker
Eared Dove
Crimson-rumped Toucanet
Sickle-winged Guan
Long-tailed Sylph
White-necked Jacobin
Fawn-breasted Brilliant
Crowned Woodnymph
Buff-tailed Coronet
Brown Violetear
White-booted Racket-Tail
Their feeders were one of the best but it was this one bird we had our eyes on. The first time I laid my eyes on a Multi-colored Tanager, it truly was an awe-inspiring moment. The bird was the absolute stunner as I had imagined.
La Minga Ecolodge eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123189968
It was almost 6 o'clock and we really had to leave this yet another bird heaven to our hotel in El Queremal. On our way down via a winding dirt road, we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. It took us a while but we eventually realized that we had been lost in the foggy nowhere mountain road in the dark. Thank heavens there was a small house with light inside! Edwin called out and a lady and a young boy came to the window. The young boy told us we did indeed take a wrong turn and showed us how to get back to the main road. We made a quick stop to get something to eat in the town of Borrero Ayerbe at a no-frill roadside eatery and had absolutely delicious Sancocho.
It was almost 8:30pm when we got to Hotel El Campanario in El Queremal. OMG, I absolutely fell in love with this hotel. Never mind that there was no one at the front desk when we arrived and Edwin had to text them to come let us in. Never mind that they came on their motor bike 15 minutes later with live chickens in the bag. The building looked as if it came out of an old movie set. I cannot tell you enough how unpretentiously gorgeous the hotel was. It was incomprehensible that a night stay at this unworldly elegant hotel costs less than $20 a room. Oh what a specutacular day we had and we were completely spent.
Day 10 total species: 93, lifer 4 (Apical Flycatcher, Grayish Piculet, Multicolored Tanager, Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet)
NOVEMBER 29, 2022doña dora and the birds
We were not scheduled to leave the hotel before 7am so we birded around the hotel despite the misty rain. When you are in the birdeist country in the world, you can bird anywhere.
We then drove for 20 minutes to the famous roadside cafe called El Descanso also known as Avistamiento de Aves Doña Dora, famous for its amazing cheese Empanadas and even more famous for an array of amazing birds. It is quite a story how this small roadside eatery became such a distinguished birding hotspot for visiting birders from all around the globe. The owner, Doña Dora, bought a small roadside house and opened a cafe for passing truck drivers. A ficus tree in her garden attracted various birds and her place became popular among local birders. Doña Dora saw an opportinity to grow her small cafe business into an international birding hot spot. She added feeders for hummingbirds and tanagers and constructed 2nd and 3rd floor observation decks above the cafe for eye-level views of breath-taking rare and special species. When we visited there, we met a large tour group from Taiwan enjoying the birds of Doña Dora.
Our day at Doña Dora started with amazing breakfast accompanied by her famous cheese Empanadas. Her Empanadas were as good as all the birds we saw there that morning.
Crowned Woodnymph
Green-thorntail Female
Black-billed Thrush
Orange-bellied Euphonia
Orange-bellied Euphonia Immature
Tricolored Brushfinch
White-lined Tanager
White-lined Tanager Immature
Silver-throated Tanager
Golden Tanager
Palm Tanager
Rufous-throated Tanager
Chestnut-headed Oropendola
Rusty-margined Flycatcher
Green Honeycreeper
Green Honeycreeper Female
El Descanso (Doña Dora) eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123220063
It was a real treat to see not just one but two species of Barbets (Red-headed and near endemic Toucan Barbets). By the way, the three of us firmly believe that the popular video game character, Angry Bird, is modeled after the Red-headed Barbet. What do you think?
We ended our stay at El Descanso with a delicious lunch. We birded along the road and came across a few nice mixed flocks. We began our drive to Hotel La Florida in Cali where we would be spending the last night of the trip.
Carreterra Buenaventura eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123220024
We arrived at beautiful Finca Florida - El Bosque de las Aves just before 4pm.
We had less than 2 hours of sunlight left so we birded their grounds like there was no tomorrow. It was a real treat to see a mature male Multicolored Tanager again.
Acorn Woodpecker
Eared Dove
Black-billed Thrush
Sickle-winged Guan
Crimson-rumped Toucanet
Flame-rumped Tanager
Golden-naped Tanager
Black-capped Tanager
Black-capped Tanager Female
Golden Tanager
Scrub Tanager
Multicolored Tanager
Red-headed Barbet
Blue-gray Tanager
Chestnut-capped Brushfinch
Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager
Our day didn't end there. We had a mega bonus surprise at the end of the day (although Edwin did hint it before we came here). We had a date with an Antpitta that we had never seen before called Scaled Antpitta. It appeared at the feeder pretty late around 5:30pm. Ahhh another head turner 😍. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with the pitta before she hopped away into her forest with a mouthful of worms. What a grand finale to end our last night in Colombia.
La Florida Bosque de Las Aves eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123227676
Day 11 total species: 72, lifer 2 (Andean Solitaire, Scaled Antpitta)
NOVEMBER 30, 2022the final countdown
It was our last morning birding in Colombia 😭 We had to leave this avian paradise by 9:30am to get to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali. Where did the time go!!!??? There was one last surprise waiting for us at La Florida. The lodge is known internationally for bird photography. In fact, a bird photography tour group arrived early that morning and the stage was set to photograph the ever-so-elusive Chestnut Wood-Quails. I've often heard that the people who join bird photography tours are not necessarily birders and we experienced that firsthand. We met a lovely elderly couple from Chicago from the photography tour. While waiting for the Wood-Quails, we struck a conversaion and told them that they would get to see a Scaled Antpitta. Any birder would salivate for an opportunity to see an Antpitta let alone a Scaled Antpitta. The lady flatly asked me what an Antpitta was. Hm. Then as the conversation went on, she kept referring Andean Motmot as Andean Mopmop. We didn't have the heart to correct her though as they were enjoying all the beautiful birds as much as we were whether they knew them or not.
Andean Motmot
Eared Dove
Sickle-winged Guan
Canada Warbler
Slate-throated Redstart
Russet-crowned Warbler
Chestnut-capped Brushfinch
Gray-breasted Wood-Wren
Whiskered Wren
White-sided Flowerpiercer
Saffron Finch
After seeing a plethora of most endearing feathered creatures throughout our travel, we didn't think we would see possibly the cutest bird of the entire trip on the last day. Well, then there he was. Meet Barred Becard 😍
Finally, a family of gorgeous Chestnut Wood-Quails appreared providing us with amazing views.
La Florida Bosque de Las Aves eBird Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S123245852
The endemic Chestnut Wood-Quails were the last birds we saw. A fitting end to our magical Andean birding circuit. One night stay for 2 rooms (we had a large room and Edwin had a small room) at amazing La Florida was about $100 plus $17 for 2 meals for the 3 of us. Just too good to be true.
Expectedly, we were pretty sad to leave this avian wonderland. We REALLY REALLY REALLY had a fantastic time!!! A giant credit goes to our main man, Edwin Acevado. He was our super bird guide, trip planner, translator, mentor, emotional support and most importantly, friend. Thank you so much for putting up with us and making our trip another memorable one. It was hard to say good-bye to Edwin at the airport. Good-bye until we meet again. If you are thinking of going on a bird trip (especially a custom trip) in Colombia, Edwin is your man. You can contact him at nativebirdingcolombia@gmail.com.
P.S. It took us about an hour to go through the airpot security to leave the country so plan accordingly. Glad that we gave ourselves extra time. There were a lot of panicking passengers asking us to go in front of the line.
Day 12 total species: 26, lifer 1 (Whiskered Wren)
total species: 298, lifer 56, heard only lifer 4
