colombia endemics galore november 2010 · colombia diary november 20 0 itinerary october 30 –...

� Colombia Diary November 20�0

Colombia Endemics GaloreNovember 2010

2 Colombia Diary November 20�0

Participants:

Peter Ginsburg, David Houghton, Ketil Knudsen, Juan Carlos Luna (guide), Niels Poul Dreyer, Tau Rasmussen, Greg Roberts (co-leader), Kath Shurcliff, Jeff Skevington, Bill Watson

Birdlist & Itinerary:

Greg Roberts: [email protected]

Diary and Layout:

Niels Poul Dreyer: www.dreyerfoto.dk

Logistics:

Ecoturs, (Pro Aves): http://www.proaves.org


ItineraryOctober 30 – Arrived Bogota. Hotel Chico Imperial. The group met in the evening with Juan Carlos.

October 31 – Our bus, with the competent Jovani as driver, travelled to the paramo and montane moss forests of Chingaza National Park (3500m), birding the upper reaches of the road in the park. In the afternoon we visited an area where Pro Aves has put up nest boxes for Brown-breasted Parakeet.

November 1 - We visited the Parque La Florida near Bogota for wetland birds in the morning before a lunchtime flight to Bucaramanga and a 3-hour drive to the Pro Aves Cerulea Warbler Reserve 1300m (Reinita Cielo Azuel). Overnight at the lodge.

November 2 – A strenuous climb took us to the slippery, 150-year-old Camino de Lengerke trail and some superb mid-montane forest. Birding along the trail began with a successful stake-out at a spot where grain is left for Gorgeted Wood-Quail. We were fortunate to score unusually close views of Mountain Grackle at a small clearing on the trail. Overnight at the lodge.

November 3 – Some of the group opted in the morning to battle an area of sharp limestone rocks and thick vine tangles near the lodge in an ultimately successful quest to see Recurve-billed Bushbird. We spent much of the day birding remnant forest patches and coffee plantations below the lodge. Overnight at the lodge.

November 4 – Some early morning birding below the lodge before a long drive to the town of Puerto Pinzon, including a vehicle change to deal with the rough roads and a decidedly dodgy bridge. We were transferred to a boat for a short trip up-river to the Pro Aves El Paujil Reserve, arriving after dark. Overnight at the lodge, meeting volunteer biologist Mark Bezuijen.

November 5 – We were ferried across the river early in the morning for the long, hot hike up the ridge through the lowland forest of the reserve. Overnight at the lodge.

November 6 - We birded areas close to the lodge in the morning, including a small lake, riverine forest and a lookout. In the afternoon we returned to the ridge trail. Overnight at the lodge.

November 7 – A 7-hour drive through the Magdalena Valley, stopping at wetlands in the morning. In the late afternoon we birded the road to Laguna del Hato (400m) leaving our vehicle mid-stream after it became badly bogged. Jovani had no trouble negotiating a tow before driving us to the Hotel Le Posada del la Hermita in the town of Mariquita.

November 8 – A day of birding the forest above La Victoria (1100m) in the Bellavista Reserve, with the first half of the morning rained out. Overnight Mariquita.

November 9 – We drove to the town of Libano, birding forest patches in the nearby foothills, before making our way to the city of Ibaque. Overnight Hotel Ambala.

November 10 – An early morning departure for a 3-hour drive to the Giles-Fuertesi Reserve (3300m). We could have spent more time in this beautiful montane forest, where we were fortunate to have a close encounter with Indigo-winged Parrot. We looked for antpittas below the reserve in the afternoon before driving to La Suiza (1800m). Overnight in the government-owned lodge in the Otun Quimbaya Reserve.

November 11 – With a morning’s otherwise fruitful birding at Otun Quimbaya disrupted by the antics of an overfriendly dog, we proceeded through the city of Manizales to the Pro Aves Rio Blanco Reserve. We were entertained in the late afternoon by the wonderful hummingbird feeders at the lodge and arm’s length views of Brown-banded Antpittas being fed worms by the lodge manager. Overnight at the lodge.

November 12 – All day in Rio Blanco (2200m) birding around the lodge, the road below and the ridge track above, with a captive Spectacled Bear providing a sideshow. Overnight at the lodge.

November 13 – We left early to bird the paramo along the entrance road to Los Nevados National Park (3400m). In the afternoon we were stuck roadside for 7 hours by a landslide, necessitating an itinerary change to travel to the delightful touristy town of Jardin, where we arrived, exhausted, shortly before midnight. Overnight Hotel Valdivia Plaza.


November 14 – We ascended the mountains in 4x4 vehicles to visit the Pro Aves Loro Orejiamrillo Reserve (2500-2900m), where we enjoyed excellent mid-afternoon views of Yellow-eared Parrot and ran into Colombian birding guides Diego Calderon and Jose Castana. Overnight Jardin.

November 15 – Crossing the Cauca Valley, we travelled through the lively city of Bolivar to the town of El Carmen (900m), birding en route some dry scrub on the Bolonba Road. Overnight Hotel El Carmen, where we connected with Ecoturs international organiser Robert Giles.

November 16 – This was a thoroughly enjoyable day in the mid-elevation choco forest of the Pro Aves Las Tangaras Bird Reserve (1500m), where we birded a 1.5km track leading to a lookout, and along the road. In the late afternoon we watched some newly positioned hummingbird feeders below the lookout track. We were joined for our four-night stay in the choco by Pro Aves guide Trevor Ellery. Overnight El Carmen.

November 17 – A 3am start was required for a 4-hour drive to lowland choco along the Quibdo Road (500m), a new destination on the birding map due to the recently improved security environment. The site had previously been checked out by Juan Carlos. We got some good birds here, and encountered the only antswarm of the trip. However, the afternoon was rained out and we dipped on the much-wanted Sapayoa, which had been misnetted by Juan Carlos in the area. The site is rewarding and could do with more time. Overnight El Carmen.

November 18 – We returned to the mid-elevation forest of Las Tangaras to look for the few species we had missed two days earlier. Overnight El Carmen.

November 19 - Landslides forced us to make another itinerary change, dropping our plan to visit the Piha Reserve and travelling instead to the city of Medillin. Overnight Hotel El Porton de San Joaquin.

November 20 – We visited remnant forest at Alto Romera near Medillin in the morning before flying north to Barranquilla. Hotel Barranquilla Plaza.

November 21 – Early in the morning we checked out some roadside xeric vegetation on a suburban road near the University dal Norte before proceeding to coastal scrub, mangroves and wetlands in the Isla de Salamanca National. In the afternoon we drove to Minca (700m) in the foothills of the Santa Marta Mountains. Overnight at the charming Sierra’s Sound Hostel.

November 22 – With the changed itinerary we had an extra day, so some of the group opted to travel to the dry xeric scrub and wetlands of the La Guajira Desert. Others joined Miles McMullan, the chief author of the new Colombian field guide, for birding around Minca. In the late afternoon we drove in 4x4 vehicles to the Pro Aves El Dorado Reserve in the Santa Marta Mountains. Overnight El Dorado Lodge (1950m).

November 23 – We had a relaxing day birding the road above the lodge and enjoying the numerous hummingbird feeders. Overnight at the lodge.

November 24 – We drove as far as the stunted moss forest of the San Lorenzo Ridge (2700m) to search for higher altitude Santa Marta specialties. Overnight at the lodge.

November 25 – It was downhill this day, to a tienda at 1400m and the gardens of some homesteads above it, with more birding in the afternoon around the lodge. Overnight at the lodge.

November 26 – On the home stretch, we birded above and below Minca and in some scrub near Santa Marta city before catching our afternoon flights to Bogota.

November 27 – Depart Bogota.


IntroductionColombia – the country with most birds in the world – is a new destination and had to be tried. Greg Roberts, a journalist from Australia, organized this trip and he was able to assemble a very independent minded and active group. It turned out to be a fantastic four-week journey, resulting in an impressively long list of 750 species plus 50 endemics, which is very good. We opted to go with EcoTurs, the commercial arm of ProAves, http://www.proaves.org/, a non-profit organisation, which for many years has been doing excellent conservation work in Colombia. Our guide, Juan Carlos Luna, was competent at finding undergrowth skulkers. However, he is not like some of the professional field guides, which gave us an opportunity to be more active and involved in identifying and locating birds. Juan proved to be a reliable and able organiser in often trying circumstances, as well as a congenial companion. We were also pleased to be joined in the choco by EcoTurs guide Trevor Ellery.

The trip included all three Andean ranges in Colombia, from hot humid rainforests in Choco, to cold paramo expanses, finishing in the spectacular Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Most of the itinerary was planned to be reasonably relaxed, but became harder as we had the worst rains in Colombia in the last 50 years. We had about five days with longish drives, and one day we had to wait seven hours on the road between Rio Blanco and Jardin because of a landslide. On three other occasions the drive was prolonged by 2-3 hours because the roads were temporarily blocked by mudslides. Generally, the main roads between capital cities are very busy, as all transport in the country goes by lorry, bus or car. The roads are still in a bad shape, but improvement projects are underway, so the system is due for an upgrade. In one place we could see preparations for hydroelectric projects. Colombia is in a transition between the troubled past and modern times.

The food is generally fairly plain, with beans, hard cooked meat, eggs and fried bananas and potatoes. However, the juice is fantastic, with 6-7 different varieties ranging from pineapples, mango, orange, lime, etc. As country has become safer, the people are genuinely happy to see foreign tourists again However, we saw several military camps, helicopters, and patrolling soldiers. In El Veinte, in lower Choco, we meet with the friendly soldiers and we were asked to bring some spare parts back to a camp up-road from the main base.

Our accommodation was generally reasonable and sometimes excellent. Some of the reserves are fairly small, so single rooms were not readily available. Physically most of the tour was fairly easy, with a bit of hiking each day, with the altitude effects unlikely to be noticeable as we rarely got above 2700 meters. Only in Chingaza and Serra dos Nevados we were above 3500 meters. The description of locations is found on http://www.proaves.org/rubrique.php?id_rubrique=222


Diary of the tripOur group arrived in Bogotá on 30 October. All of us had some trouble in finding the transfer people in the arrival area of the airport. Tau and I had to wait about 1½ hours before the taxi was ready to bring us to the Hotel Chico Imperial. Because of the heavy traffic, it took about two hours before we could settle into our comfortable hotel in the fashionable (and secure) Parque 93 neighborhood of Bogotá.

ChingazaWe arrived after two hours drive to Chingaza National Park on 31 October at dawn, which turned out to be a crisp and cold morning. At the gate we had packed breakfast with coffee in thermos flasks. This national park features montane forest, mountain lakes, and paramo covered with a vast expanse of frailejones (Espeletia uribei), a spectacular and rare plant found in only a handful of paramo sites. In addition to enjoying the beautiful scenery, we quickly found a good number of paramo and temperate forest specialties, such as Rufous-browed Conebill, Matorral Tapaculo (great close up views), Bronze-tailed Thornbill, Glowing Puffleg, Pale-naped Brush-Finch. During the day it became cloudy, but we were able to find a flock of the rare Black-chested Mountain-Tanager during our lunch break. In the afternoon, we went down to a site where ProAves have set up nest boxes for the endangered endemic Brown-breasted Parakeet. In the mist we could not see much, but later in the afternoon the noisy parakeets appeared in a tree nearby. We had great views of several pairs together with two Black-billed Mountain Toucans. On the way back, Greg and Tau went quicker and were rewarded with a view of a Blue-throated Starfrontet, a rare bird the rest of the group missed. The rain was at times heavy. We were back in Bogotá just before dinner, which we ate at our hotel.

La FloridaThe next morning we went to La Florida near the airport, a dirty place next to a polluted river, but the area still contains marsh birds. Here we were lucky to find the three special Bogotá endemics: Bogotá Rail, Apolinar’s Wren and Silvery-throated Spinetail. All three species responded well to tape playback. The rail came into view in an opening in the reeds on several occasions near the hide. The wren arrived after a longer flight. The spinetail was harder to see in the thick bush near the parking lot about a kilometer from the marsh, but eventually came out in the open after many attempts. The area was a bit swampy, so rubber boots (Wellingtons) were useful. Later, we went to the nearby airport to catch our midday internal flight to Bucaramanga, which is a rather industrial city located north of Bogotá in the foothills of the Eastern Andes. Just after arrival, well outside the city, we met our driver Giovanni, who brought us on a 2.5 hour drive to San Vicente de Chucurí. In the rush a Faciated Tiger Heron and Blue-headed Parrots were spotted along the way in the woods. In town we switched to three four-wheel drives to make a 1½ hour steep ascent to the Cerulean Warbler Reserve.


Cerulean Warbler Reserve.We had three nights in the comfortable reserve lodge, located in a mosaic of coffee and cacao plantations. Both endemics, Turquoise Dacnis and Indigo-capped Hummingbirds, several tanagers, thrushes and neo-tropical migrant warblers came into the garden. The feeders were attended by several hummingbirds such as emeralds and wood nymphs. On the morning of November 2, we commenced with an uphill hike lasting one hour on a slippery and muddy pasture to the main feeder in the primary the forest. Here we saw a group of critically endangered Gorgeted Wood-Quail and Lined Quail-Dove come to feed on the worms. At the hummingbird feeder we saw a nice Green-capped Brilliant and Black Inca. Then we continued into the main forest on a 150-year-old stone path, which climbs through the excellent subtropical oak forest (moderately strenuous). En route, we found a big tanager flock and heard a Powerful Woodpecker. At a level area near a stream we stopped near some flowering bushes. Both a While-bellied Antpitta and a male Parker’s Antbird were calling.

With great endeavor and using playback we were all able to see those great birds very well. A rare Wedge-billed Hummingbird together with Booted Racket-tails and Black Incas were busy feeding among the flowers. Further uphill, Joan Carlos found a Yellow-throated Spadebill and we saw glimpses of the shy Upper Magdalena Tapaculo. Right at the summit a group of Colombian Mountain Grackle flew into the trees near us, and an Emerald Toucanet came into a view at the same time. The weather was cool and rainy in the afternoon, but it did not prevent us from birding. On the way back on the slippery trail, I had a fall but fortunately landed softly on my back on the moss right beside the rocky path.

On the second day, 3 November, we went uphill to the edge of the primary forest at dawn to locate the Recurve-billed Bushbird. It was a hard slog as we had to penetrate the forest edge among rocks and vines. We arrived at different positions, consequently some people got better views of this very shy bird than others. We spent about two hours on the bushbird. Later we continued on to a coffee grove to look for the endemic Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird, which came to a feeder together with a Green Hermit. Nearby, we found the rare endemic Niceforo’s Wren, and Jeff located a McGillivary’s Warbler. In the afternoon some of us went on a walk down into the plantation, while others stayed back on the lodge to photograph hummingbirds. The prize for those who went on the walk was the Cerulean Warbler!

PaujilWe left the Cerulean Warbler Reserve mid-morning on 4 November, but stopped on the way downhill for the rare Yellow-browed Shrike-Vireo, which we quickly found without much trouble as it was calling vigorously. We had a long day ahead of us, as we had to get to Paujil Reserve in the humid Magdalena River Valley lowlands before dark. It was a long drive. First we went with four wheel drives for three hours, then we transferred to a bus which was waiting for us. We had lunch at a roadside place. Ketil, Tau and Jeff had meatballs and were sick for a few days with stomach pain and diarrhea. After lunch we drove for a few hours before reaching a road town at about 4 pm, where we switched to a red four wheel drive bus to take us to the river. A river bridge had been damaged by high water levels caused by the heavy rains, so we had a challenging

Chesnut-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia. castaneiventris)


crossing. The driver’s skill, we just made it. We arrived to the boat ramp at night and had to get into the boats with our bags in darkness. The cruise took about half an hour and from the boat we saw an owl and a snake. We got to Paujil lodge at about 8 pm, just in time for dinner.

The Magdalena Valley is distressingly deforested, and we saw lots of cattle but little intact humid forest until our arrival at the reserve. We had three-night stay in this wonderful area. On the first day in Paujil, on 5 November, we crossed the river in a small boat. On the far side we had to wade through mud in the inundated riverbed before climbing the hill. There we found the rare Black-billed Flycatcher close to the river.

A pair of Motmot nested in the sandy river bank. We had to ascend to about 1300 meters to get into the area where the critically endangered Blue-billed Curassow had been recently seen. We did not bring enough water and food to stay all day in the area. On the way I had a close encounter with a pair of Marbled Woodquails, and later we logged Beautiful Woodpecker, Golden-headed Manakin and Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant. A pair of Swallow-Tangers were looking for nest holes on a sandy slope on a small escarpment in the forest.

I went up behind a tree in front of the site in order to photograph the birds returning to the probable nest, but it was in vain as they newer showed up again. We started to descend about midday for lunch while Jeff stayed behind in order to catch flies for his research project.

He located a pair of Currasows in the late afternoon not far from the Swallow-Tanager nest. He had to follow the birds over a ridge in order to get a view, but failed the first time. Later one male was sitting in a tree right above him much closer than Jeff thought. Consequently, he only saw it flying out of its roost when he moved ahead. I don’t think we stood a chance with seven people as it is very shy bird, so it is best to be alone if you want to see this Cracid.

The lodge in Paujil

Green Hermit (Phaethornis guy)

Below:

Poison Arrow Frog

Opposite Page:

Orange-bellied Euphonia (E. xanthogaster)


However, we were rewarded to see the blue crown on a male Bare-crowned Antbird. Additionally, three male White-mantled Barbets landed just above us as Juan played his tape. They were singing in turn, first the left one, then the middle barbet, and finally the right one. They bend their head down while exclaiming their voices.

In the afternoon we spent some time on a look-out platform scoping into adjacent treetops where we saw a good variety of hummingbirds, parrots, toucans, raptors, trogons, flycatchers. Nearby, we saw a pair of White-bearded Manakins displaying with their clicking noises, while a White-throated Crake came into a view along the lake bed. Adjacent to the lake, Rufous-breasted Hermits and Band-tailed Barbthroat were busy feeding in the heliconia. The Black Antshrike proved to be too elusive and didn’t respond to our tape playback; perhaps it’s used to birdwatchers. Near the road a pair of Orange chinned Parakeets were digging a hole in a dead tree. As they were there for ages, I decided to go back to the lodge to get my camera. On the way back one of the scientists who also stayed at the lodge had just found two female Red-rumped Woodpeckers fighting, at eyelevel, as the ants climbed the sapling. While not fighting they attacked the ants.

At the lodge we had a great view of a Cinnamon Woodpecker, Fulvous-vented Euphonia and Orange-chinned Parakeets feeding in the palms. Several mammals like Crab-eating Foxes and Raccoons came into the dump at night. Every morning a troop of Capuchin Monkeys went through the lodge area along the river, and in the afternoon on the following day, November 6, a return trip to the hill produced some endangered Variegated Spider Monkeys as well. The weather was hot and humid, not a common feature on this trip as we had to contend with wet and cold conditions in the mountains!

Early in the morning of 7 November, we walked by road while the bags went back with Tau on the boat. En route we found a few birds such as White-tailed Trogons. Outside the reserve, the red bus picked us up one hour late. On the way back we noticed that the bridge had been fixed. Alongside the unmade road there was a Northern Screamer perched in the top of a bush. Further on, we photographed a nesting pair of Blue & Yellow Macaw. In the afternoon, we arrived to Laguna del Hato.While we were birding, Jovani’s bus got stuck in a stream, but was later pulled out. Unfortunately, in the confusion, I dropped my camera in the water. I

took the battery out immediately and left it to dry in the sun and later used a hairdryer in the hotel – which fortunately saved my camera. We had to cross the river barefoot to get on the other side along the road to the birding site. There, Juan produced a pair of White-bellied and a male Jet Antbird. Along the road we could study many seed eaters such as Grey and Slate-colored Seedeaters.

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Magdalena Valley

We arrived to our hotel, Le Posada del la Hermita, at about 7.30 pm. This was situated further south in the town of Mariquita. We stayed there for two nights. This hotel was not decorated to my taste, and the rooms were confined to the hallway without windows to the other side. And the serving of food was slow. However, the staff were helpful with laundry and hairdryers, etc. When we left the hotel, Ketil discovered that he had forgotten his tripod and the hotel contacted our driver Jovani on the mobile phone so we quickly returned to pick it up. The next morning, on November 8, we drove towards La Victoria to visit the Bellevista Reserve, which is a patch of forest along the road.

The rain was heavy, so birding was difficult. However, Jeff managed to find a Connecticut Warbler, which appeared to feed in the rain along a fence. Normally, it would be a skulking bird rarely seen in the open. As the rain eased off the bird went into hiding so we dipped. In the late morning the sun came out and we found a nice Sooty-headed Ant-Tanager, but failed to see a Tody Motmot. After eating lunch in a nice restaurant in La Victoria, we headed up a ravine. Half of the group saw the endangered and very local White-footed (Silvery Brown) Tamarin. It was certainly the worst ‘miss’ I had on the trip, as I turned around only 50 meters before the rest of my group saw the monkey. In the late afternoon, at dusk, someone ard a calling Velvet-fronted Euphonia from the bus, and we watched this rare bird just before the daylight slipped away.

This region is where rainforest and dry forest appear in close proximity, yielding an interesting avifauna in a small area. We had an assortment of short drives to birding sites in the Mariquita area. The weather was cool but not too wet when it eventually stopped raining. On 9 November, we climbed the slopes of the Central Andes in search of the endemic Yellow-headed Brush-Finch and Tolima Dove, Bar-crested Antshrike and Black-headed Brush-Finch.

We missed the Tolima Dove, but scored the ultra rare Yellow-headed Manakin. It just popped up and showed off in the midst of a flock of tanagers. Additionally, some of us saw the Golden-winged Warbler and everybody got a view of a Moustached Puffbird. This area is affected by deforestation. Later, in the afternoon, we drove to the city of Ibague to spend the night in this farming city of two million inhabitants. Our driver got into a wrong lane so the drive took about 1½ hour from the outskirts of the city. The rain set in just when we arrived at our hotel. The shopping malls were the usual standard feature in this increasingly uniform consumer world. It doesn’t matter whether we go to Indonesia, Europe or South America, the same products are on sale.

Fuertes’ Parrot ReserveWe bid our farewells to the Magdalena Valley on 10 November (for the time being) to head up into the mountains in search of the extremely rare Fuertes’ Parrot. The town of Cajamarca is reached after about a 1½ hours’ drive from Ibague – if there is no traffic. Three jeeps were waiting for us in the dark. The site has just opened for tourism this year. After more than two hours ascent, we finally arrived in the morning at this wet and misty place.

We spent about one hour birding in light rain before the parrots flew in and landed close by in front of us. The parrots were quietly feeding in the epiphytes and the moss in the oak trees, and consequently were only noticed when flying. ProAves has just established a reserve with nesting boxes in the small patches of forest in a pasture country.

Additionally, we had good views of Black-thighed Puffleg along with Red-crested Cotinga and a few Grass-green Tanager in this marshy highland area at 3300 meters elevation. On our return, we stopped in a bamboo forest and with a stroke of luck saw a responsive Bicolored ansd

�� Colombia Diary November 20�0

Buff-tailed Coronet (Boissonneaua flavescens)

Slaty-capped Antpitta in the rain. Back in the town of Cajamarca, we noticed that expressways have yet to be developed in Colombia, as trucks pass right trough the plaza area. After a nice lunch we descended to the west, towards La Suiza, in the Otun-Quimbaya Reserve. Traffic jams caused by landslides delayed us several hours.

The Otun-Quimbaya SanctuaryThe Otun-Quimbaya Sanctuary protects excellent upper subtropical and montane forest through the Rio Otun valley above the city of Pereira, and holds a great sample of Andean birds, including both Cauca Valley and Central Cordilleran endemics and specialties. The following morning, 11 November, we woke up to a calling Colombian Screech Owl, which after making a playback landed in a small tree. Unfortunately, it took off before we could illuminate it with a flashlight. The amazingly common Red-ruffed Fruitcrows were everywhere in the garden and forest. Jeff had his first Multicolored Tanager here; later we saw one bird in a flock. Back on the road we quickly came across both the endemic Cauca Guans and the more widespread Sickle-winged Guian. A dog was very curious and did not want to leave despite our efforts to chase it way. We even asked our driver Jovani to bring it into the bus. During a Moustached Antpitta session, the dog jumped up in the front.

The Antpitta turned out to be a merry dance for many of us. Greg and I went further down the road and tried again in another place. The huge Antpitta came right in and landed five meters from me and sang for 10 minutes. Interestingly, this was achieved even though the taping had been carried out beforehand. It was also a good chance to see the elusive Chestnut-breasted Wren, which didn’t seem to mind the dog. Other birds to mention were: Red-breasted Flycatcher, Chestnut Wood-Quail and Red-crested Ant-Tanager. The birding was pleasant, along a seldom-traveled road, and our accommodation was comfortable, but the food was a bit dry and plain. After lunch we had to continue on to our next site, and as we entered the bus just before the heavens opened!

Rio Blanco reserve We arrived to our destination in the Rio Blanco reserve near Manizales, the hub of Colombia’s coffee industry, just in time to see a flock of Rusty-faced Parrots landing in a tree in front of the lodge. It was a cold place at 2700 meters, with a lot of rain. Only two participants could stay in the main house, while the rest of us had to stay in a dormitory about 200 meters up the hill. The house had flowers in the garden, where hummingbirds could feed. The Buff-tailed Coronet dominated the feeders, while the Tourmaline Sunangel preferred the flowers. Just before dark, down the trail, we had cracking views of the endemic Brown-banded Antpittas. The people at the lodge had in the last six months been feeding the Antpittas with worms. They told us that it takes about five months for the birds to discover the feeding station and get used to it.

The rich cloud forests at Rio Blanco are full of mixed flocks, and we had a chance to build an impressive list while successfully searching for other goodies like Golden-plumed Parakeet (Tau & Greg), Rusty-faced Parrot, Bicolored Antpitta, Dusky Piha for some and two Masked Saltators. We had a large flock of birds near the top

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longtail Skipper (Urbanus sp)

Firetip Skipper (Pyrrhopyge sp)

feeder above the lodge where Spillman’s Tapaculo came into view. Overhead a Green and Black Fruiteater was feeding in a fruiting tree. A Brown-breasted Antpitta appeared also at this feeder in bright sunlight, together with a Stripe-headed Brush-Finch. It was a bit chilly at Rio Blanco, with a lot of rain. In the evening we had a good view of a White-throated Screech-Owl.

Sierra los Nevados (Nevada de Ruiz) A vote of what to do came out in favor of going to Sierra los Nevados at 3800 meters elevation early next morning on, 13 November. On our arrival, as the mist was hanging above the landscape and open water was frozen, we twice saw the large Bearded Helmetcrest clinging to an Espeletia schultzii flower, enabling everybody to

get a view of this rare hummer. Further down, in a ravine, a Rainbow-bearded Thornbill landed on a branch after a long flight. A Paramo Tapaculo could be seen by some as it moved around like a mouse. At the top of the ridge, a Stout-billed Cinclodes, a Plumbeous Sierra Finch, and a Tawny Antpitta were seen in the open near a house feeding on discarded food.

Medellin Road

Later, we descended to the valley to continue on the main Medellin Road. For the first time in five days we had sun, which was a rare event on this trip. While enjoying our lunchtime near the pool at a roadside posada. At this stage nobody knew what was going to happen, but shortly after we departed, the traffic came to a standstill. Nothing moved in the traffic jam for a few hours.

As time passed we began to get frustrated. Juan was in contact with the main office in Bogotá to inform us what was happening. Police told them that six major landslides had blocked the road. As we were supposed to go to El Cairo or Bolivar in the Choco – normally about seven hours away – time was running out as dusk was approaching. It didn’t help on the situation that a thunderstorm approached. What were we to do? An option was to return towards Bogotá to take another longer route of 12 hours drive?

After some discussion, Juan managed to rearrange the trip, so we could drive a few hours to Jardin in the Western Andes instead of going further to our primary destination Las Tangaras in the Choco. Shortly afterwards, Juan was able to confirm everything over the mobile, including rebooking jeeps and hotels, etc.

After a while, some cars came toward us in the opposite direction, which confirmed that one lane on the road had been cleared. I decided to go with Juan up to the front of the blockade to investigate. The line was five kilometers long, so we arrived to the site one hour later in heavy rain. Here the police navigated the traffic to pass the landslides. In total, we were delayed seven hours and arrived in Jardin after midnight.


Jardin We had no chance to try some of the famous restaurants and coffee in this town. The next day, 14 November, we had a two hour jeep ride uphill to the site where the rare Yellow-eared Parrots are supposed to live. We climbed up through beautiful cloud forests in bright sunshine, but clouds were building up in the valley. This town adjacent to the reserve is famous for its population of the critically endangered Yellow-eared Parrots, a magnificent Colombian endemic. This bird is the subject of a dramatic conservation success story in Colombia, but is considered extirpated in Ecuador. The walk through the mud was an experience in itself. Diving into the swamp would have been a very wet affair! After a couple hours, half of the group saw the parrots, but Niels, Kath, Jeff and Greg missed them as we were looking for a Tinamou. Because of the afternoon rain, people who already saw it decided to go back to town. We who missed it stayed in the area until late afternoon. On the way back to the site we met the group from Colombia Birding, which is another tour company. After a short exchange of birding experience we continued uphill in our jeep. A few seconds later, the driver received a call on this mobile. “The Tanager Finch has just been seen”. We just jumped out of the jeep and ran down the hill and fortunately we were lucky enough to get there in time to see it very well, while the finch was quietly feeding close to the ground adjacent to the road. Upon our return to the vintage point, a flock of the macaw sized parrots came into view. Again, we should not have left early, as a group of White-capped Tanager passed through the area a few minutes later just as the other group got there. This time no mobile phone helped us! In the meantime, we had good views of the endemic Munchique Wood-wrens, and nearby two Red-hooded Tanagers showed off. Tired, we went to a nice café to enjoy some of Colombia’s finest food, but not coffee, in the colonial-era town square next to our hotel.

Las Tangaras The next day, 15 November, we went in vain to try for the Red-bellied Grackles, but instead saw the parrots flying overhead at a much lover elevation than usual. We packed and departed just after breakfast. Our first birding destination was right outside town where a group of Cock of The Rocks were supposed to display. Again, the main observation was not the target species, but instead a tree full of birds mobbing a Paraque.

We crossed the Cauca Valley, journeying west to the Western Andes, to reach Bolivar. En route, we stopped along Bolonba road, which follows a river, to look for Apical Flycatcher and Grey Piculets. Among butterflies in bright sunlight we eventually located both birds, and got both photographs and great views. The river along the road was full, and several

Yellow-eared Parrot (Ornorhynchus icteroti)

Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant O.rufipectorali

Loro Orejiamrillo


Clockweise:

Orange-breasted Fruiteater (Pipreola jucunda), Brown Inca (Coeligena wilsoni), Purple-throated Woodstar (Calliphlox mitchillii), Red-bellied Grackle (Hypopyrrhus pyrohpogaster).


habitations were inundated. At a late lunch, we rolled into Bolivar, which is a classic frontier town, with hot dancing and clubs full of girls. After lunch we switched to three jeeps (blue, red and yellow) to do the last two hours of rough driving to El Cairo. Just before dusk, our jeeps were sitting in front of a torrent of water coming right across the road. It did not concern the drivers. We were able to cross, but the yellow jeep got stuck in the torrent, and had to be pulled out.

ProAves has established a hot new birding reserve, Las Tangaras, at 1600 meters, which is an excellent site for a large variety of exciting Choco middle-elevation birds. After around an hours jeep ride from town, we arrived at the reserve on the clear morning of 16 November, so we could enjoy the mossy oak forest without carrying umbrellas or foggy binoculars. After a dawn breakfast, we quickly headed uphill on a narrow ride track look for the Gold-ringed Tanager, which is usually very easy to see before 9 am. We divided the group in two as Jeff wanted to stop for birds en route. Remember Rule 1: Never pass a fl ock as you may never see the birds again! That was a good decision as we got great views of two species of antpittas: both the elusive Yellow-bellied and later the Ochre-breasted, right on the trail. An Olivaceous Phia came into a view as it was foraging for fruit, and later an Orange-breasted Fruit-eater showed up. We just got on the ridge in time to see the tanager together with a Golden-crested Quetzal. Two days later, when we were on the same trail, the much-desired Black Solitaire appeared on six occasions, but strangely the birds were not in sight the fi rst day. Tau saw a Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl as he stayed back to smoke a cigarette. On the way down, a Toucan Barbet was located eating a mushroom on a dead tree. The other specialties and endemics we encountered were mainly along the road: Purplish-mantled Tanager, Black-chinned Mountain Tanager, Glistening-green Tanager, Fulvous-dotted Treerunner, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Bicolored Antvireo, Indigo Flowerpiercer, Yellow-collared Chlorophonia, Club-winged Manakin, Red-bellied Grackle, Choco Vireo. At the hummingbird feeders in the rain, we photographed Purple-throated Woodstar, Brown Inca, Velvet Purple Cornet, Violet-tailed Sylph, Empress Brilliant, White-tailed Hillstar and Greenish Puffl eg.

Quibdo Road, El VeinteOur target site was the Quibdo road down to El Viente, at 500 meters, in foothill Choco. Most of this area is not really safe as we could see with a lot of military personnel. As Diego from Colombia Birding – who we met in Jardin – wrote to our participant Peter Ginsburg “ I have heard El Veinte is a good site, but for sure not safe and stable enough (for my taste) to take clients down there... jeje, and a trail for 10 is quite unbelievable!. quite funny lack of serious planning by your trip local operator...!.. anyways, Blue-whiskered Tanager is always a great bird, congrats!”

We left the hotel a little past 3 am in the morning and with a few brief stops on the way we arrived at the site around 9.30 - 10 am. We left the restaurant where we had lunch with the soldiers about 2 pm. That gave us in total about six hours of birding out of a 16-hour day on the road! I do not think it is productive to do a day trip like that. However, we did encounter a huge antswarm on the muddy trail at El Veinte. It was interesting to see Bicolored, Occelated, Chestnut-backed Antbirds chasing the insects. A Fulvous-breasted Leaftosser was also in action with a Plain-brown Woodcreeper. Overhead, a Black-breasted Puffbird was sailing down from


mid-story level of the forest to catch caterpillars and grasshoppers from the swarm. Right up in the canopy a Stripe-throated Wren was calling. Some went out on the road and were rewarded with sightings of three rare tanagers: Blue-whiskered, Scarlet-browed and Rufous-winged. The rain started right after lunch, so the people who missed the first road secession dipped on the tanagers. We were back in El Cairo after dark after a long and wet day! Tau and I noticed that very little traffic passed though on this supposedly main road which links a town of a quarter million people with the rest of the country.

We only saw about 10 trucks carrying timber uphill; nothing went downhill. Juan told us that most goods are transported by boat from the Pacific coast. We spent 18 November the Los Tangaras Reserve. Birding was much slower, but improved in the afternoon as the rain eased off. On the way back to Bolivar, we could see stones hitting the road in front of us – a landslide in action! Because of this we had to give up a morning trip to a site at lower elevation, as the road we had been on the previous day was blocked by mudslides caused by massive rainstorms during that evening. If we had left later on that afternoon from El Viente, we would not have been able to reach El Cairo at all. We were lucky this time!

Medellin We had to give up on going to the Piha reserve due to mudslides, so the trip was changed to two nights in Medellin, including one session in a hill forest above town. I got the idea that we should rebook our flight to Barranquilla one day earlier to gain time for a visit to La Guajira desert. It was a bit more complicated this time as 10 seats have to re- arranged and the charge for changing flight schedule was 100 dollars per person. Fortunately, EcoTours was able to carry out the reorganization without extra costs to us. However, we had to pay 50 dollars extra for the desert trip.

While driving from Bolivar to Medellin, Juan managed to reorganize the trip and get it reconfirmed on the phone within one hour. I thought back to the days of traveling before we had the internet and mobile phones. Consequently, little birding time was lost despite of having the worst weather in 50 years in a country where 1½ million people have been displaced from inundations and landslides. Much of the country ground to a halt because of continuous disruptions from massive thunderstorms and low-pressure systems which continuously hit the mountains generated from the unusually warm water in the Western Pacific (La Niña). The government of Colombia declared a National Emergency.

Fortunately, we were heading to Santa Marta at a time when the situation went from extremely bad to critical. For example, since May the Choco region had received 16 meters of rain. For a change, we had a smooth ride to Medellin and got there early in the afternoon. The nice Hotel El Porton de San Joaquin had all the facilities such as fast internet connections, and coffee was free.

Our dinners in a conference room had an ambiance of a work trip. The next day, 20 November, the site to visit was Alto Romera, above the town. We arrived in the morning and as usual on this trip, it was very cold. As the mountain is facing east, the sun didn’t reach us until after 9 am. The highlight was a sighting of a Common Potoo and a Gorgeted Woodstar.

Yellow Oriole (Icterus negrogularis)Butterfly at La Cuajira


Barranquilla After lunch, we went to the airport for our internal flight north to the Caribbean city of Barranquilla. Here we had some problems as the changed reservation did not get through on the booking system, so four people could not get a boarding pass. Fortunately, we were able to fix this with our contact to Bogotá. As we flew north it was possible to see all the inundations from the window seat.

It was massive! Upon arrival in the nice warm town we continued on in an over air-conditioned bus to our hotel. The city looked like rubble: no garden or landscaping and with a lot of garbage lying along the main roads. We arrived to a fancy hotel by the name Barranquilla Plaza in a towering building. Unlike the other places, we noticed that more people were of African origin. I think it was only 15 degrees in the reception, but fortunately it was possible to shut off the air- conditioning and open a window in the bedroom.

Even though it was the most expensive dinner we had on the trip, it was not the best. The Plaza Hotel showed it worst side when we had to settle the drinks bill. The price tag of a beer on the menu card was 6500 pesos, but they asked for 11,000 pesos. To make things worse, people who paid in the bar before leaving was charged once again when the final bill had to be paid. In total one beer costs about 20,000 pesos! I think EcoTours should save the money and use it for conservation.

Isla de Salamanca National ParkOn 21 November , we started well before dawn in order to get to the bird-filled mangroves and wetlands of Isla de Salamanca National Park in time. We observed waders, shorebirds, herons, ducks, the endemic Chestnut-winged Chachalacas, Lesser nighthawk, Sapphire-throated Hummingbird. The park staff were in the process of constructing boardwalks through the mangroves. It was a bit muddy, so rubber boots came in handy. We continued driving along the coast to the east, turning uphill from the city of Santa Marta to Minca. There we stayed in Sierra’s Sound hostel. The posada was next to a clear mountain stream. During a thunderstorm that evening the level of stream raised three meters and became a roaring torrent.

Guajira Desert As we couldn’t stay in a rather posh hotel at Mendihuaca, we had to commute to the desert from Minca. Consequently seven of us left the hostel at 3 am together with Juan, while Peter and Greg did some local birding around Minca. We arrived to the Guajira desert in the rain on 22 November, but it soon cleared. Our bus went into a side road overgrown with acacia trees. The fields were extremely muddy, so only those of us with boots were able to venture off the road. The bus got stuck in a pothole. As we had to push the bus, Jeff dropped his iPod in the water, but fortunately he was managed to save it.

The birds we saw here were Bare-eyed Pigeon, Buffy Hummingbird, Russet-throated Puffbird, White-whiskered Spinetail, Slender-billed Inezia (A tyrannulet), Orinoco Saltator and the stunning Vermilion Cardinal. In another place, some of us got a view of a White-tailed Nightjar and a Striped Hog-nosed Skunk. We had fresh caught fish for lunch on the beach. Then we returned on the three-hour but scenic drive along the coast to Santa Marta and up the slopes of lower Santa Marta Mountain to Minca.

White-cheeked Pintail (anas bahamensis)Boys playing in a stream at Sierra’s Sound Hostel


Clockweise: Green Violetear (Colibri thalassinus), Longwing (Heliconius sp), mushroom, Santa Marta Brush-Finch (Atlapetes melanocephalus).

Opposite Page: Blossomcrown (Anthocephala floriceps)


Minca & El Dorado Reserve At the Sierra’s Sound hostel, three jeeps were waiting for us to bring the group further uphill, on a very rough road, to our excellent lodging at El Dorado Reserve for a four night stay. However, in the confusion of transfer, some people left some of their belongings in the bus. Without any notice the bus suddenly left us. Consequently, Juan lost his loudspeaker, Jeff his jackets and Tau his raincoat. Juan phoned the driver who responded. “There is nothing in the bus!” I certainly hope the driver get his sack when EcoTours file a complaint of theft to the bus company. On the way up to El Dorado, we made a stop at 1300 meters near a bar . Here we saw the Santa Marta Tapaculo and the local Santa Marta (Rufous) Foliage-gleaner, which will soon to be reclassified to Santa Marta Foliage-Gleaner.

On November 23, we checked the feeders behind the lodge and to our great satisfaction we saw four Black-fronted Wood-Quails walk into view together with the now split Colombian Brush-Finch. In the garden we could watch the hummingbirds come to flowers and feeders while the Emerald Toucans were looking for fruits above us. A new bird for Colombia, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, came into view behind the building. Tau was lucky to see the rare Blossomcrown, a bird the rest of us found a day later and photographed at Tienda at the elevation of 1650 meters. White-tailed Starfrontlets, Santa Marta Woodstar, Lazuline Sabrewing for some Santa Marta Sabrewing occasionally visited feeders, and Santa Marta Brush-Finches were everywhere. The Green Violetear was the most dominant hummingbird and chased away other species, which less frequently visit the feeders. Perhaps someone should study the effects of having 10 feeders in a garden. How do feeders change the composition of hummingbirds in the forest? And do dirty feeders transmit diseases?

The next day, 24 November, we went on a very rough jeep ride up to 2750 meters to a site with stunning views of the central peaks of Santa Marta Mountain. Here a military outpost has been established and we could at times see helicopters flying around the top. The hill is not Santa Marta proper. The big high mountain is to the east and could be seen on the other side of a deep valley. Because of the unusually wet and cold weather, the peak was covered with deep snow. It is the highest mountain adjacent to the sea anywhere in the world and the summit of Pico Cristobal Colon is 5250 meters. We were very lucky to see Santa Marta Parakeet feeding in the trees, and the dark Santa Marta Bush-Tyrant calling from a small tree just above our heads. The Tyrant was first spotted by Tau, but most of us got a view when it sat in a bush above us. On the ridge we also found Santa Marta Mountain-Tanager, Santa Marta Warbler, White-lored Warbler, Yellow-crowned Whitestart. Further down the road, a host of other goodies including Band-tailed Guan, White-tipped Quetzal, Golden-breasted Fruiteater Rufous-headed Spinetail, Streak-capped Spinetail, and the local Rufous Antpitta, Brown-rumped Tapaculo came into view.

One morning, Jeff, Greg and Niels went early in the morning to a small shed to try for the recently discovered Santa Marta Screech-Owl. After one playback, the owl hooted with low voice nearby. When Jeff turned his torch on the bird, we could see the small rufous screech owl sitting one meter from us hooting. It could almost be picked up and brought back to the lodge. In the afternoon of the same day we went to the Antpitta feeding station. After a wait of half an hour it almost became dark as it started to rain. I had just dismantled

20 Colombia Diary November 20�0

my photo gear and packed it away when the large streaked Santa Marta Antpitta came into view. This is a truly world-class birding destination and, after loading up on endemics, we commenced our travel home on 26 November by bouncing down the road back to the Santa Marta airport. At a lover elevation we had good success with Coppery Emerald, Rosy Thrush-Tanager and Golden-winged Sparrow. In the afternoon, we had to fly back to Bogotá. The check in was extremely slow, but it didn’t matter because the flight was delayed for three hours because of an inundated runway at Bogotá. It seemed the rain wouldn’t let up and give us a break. However, we were lucky in Santa Marta, as it was mainly dry during the daytime. At night, we had severe thunderstorms. The staff at the lodge told us that before we got there they had 14 days of persistent rain.

Return to Bogotá Tau had to connect for his Lima flight while the rest of us had a Farwell diner in the Hotel Imperial. Ketil, who won a trip to Alaska though his photo submissions, celebrated it with two bottles of nice Chilean red wine. Thanks for at great trip, good company, super guiding, and perfect organization by EcoTours.

In the international terminal, Ketil had his laptop stolen in front of the check in counter while two police officers was standing next to him. Beforehand, he was asked to take half a kilo of belongings out of his suitcase because it exceeded the weight limit. I was asked to get a tax exception tag to our boarding passes in an office opposite the check in, so I was unable watch his bags. This was definitely a setup, but in the end Ketil saved his pictures as he had an extra hard disk in his pocket with backed up photos.

Niels Poul Dreyer www.dreyerfoto.dk

Blue and Yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna), Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus menstruus)

Colombia Birdlist November 20�0 2�

MAMMALS 12 species LocationCrab-eating Raccoon 1 El PaujilStriped Hog-nosed Skunk Conepatus semistriatus 1 La GuajiraBrazilian Rabbit Mountain Paca Cuniculus taczanowskiiNeotropical Red-tailed Squirrel Sciurus granatensis several El PaujilAndean Squirrel S. pucheranii several Rio BlancoRed Howler Monkey -calling El Paujil; a group Otun QuimbayaWhite-fronted Capuchin several groups El PaujilLong-haird (White-bellied) Spider Monkey Ateles belzebuth (= hybridus)

2 groups El Paujil

White-tailed Deer 2 ChingazaNorthern Night Monkey Aotus trivirgatus 1 El PaujilWhite-footed (Silvery Brown) Tamarin Sanguineus leucops a group La Victoria.

BIRDS 770 speciesBird names follow the Checklist of the Birds of Colombia (Salaman et al 2010) and the Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia (McMullan et al 2010). These publications are guided by findings of the South American Checklist Committee and in turn The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World

which is expected to follow precedent with future taxonomic amendments by adopting SACC recommendations. [] = heard only. E = Endemic. If no comment it is a widespread species not counted.

[Tawny-breasted Tinamou Nothocercus julius Loro Orejiamrillo][Great Tinamou Tinamus major El Paujil[Little Tinamou Crypturellus soui El Paujil]Northern Screamer Chauna chavaria roadside wetlandsFulvous Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna bicolorBlack-bellied Whistling-Duck D. autumnalis White-faced Whistling-Duck D. viduataTorrent Duck Merganetta armata 2 below Giles-Fuertesi; 2 Otun QuimbayaWhite-cheeked Pintail Anas bahamensis - several Isla de SalamancaAndean Teal A. andium several ChingazaBlue-winged Teal A. discors common Isla de SalamancaSickle-winged Guan Chamaepetes goudoti several Otun Qimbaya, Alto RomeroBand-tailed Guan Penelope argyrotis a pair seen twice El Dorado LodgeAndean Guan P. montagnii several ChingazaCauca Guan P. perspicax several Otun QuimbayaChesnut-winged Chacalaca Ortalis garrula 3 Barranquilla & 1 Santa Marta cityColombian Chachalaca O. columbiana several in transit El Paujil & Laguna del HatoBlue-billed Curassow Crax alberti 1 male seen and a pair heard by Jeff at El Paujil[Crested Bobwhite Colinus cristatus near El Paujil]Marbled Wood-Quail Odontophorus gujanensis several seenBlack-fronted Wood-Quail O. atrifrons group of 4 showed well on compost heap at El

Dorado LodgeChesnut Wood-Quail O. hyperythrus pairs seen others heard Otun QuimbayaGorgeted Wood-Quail O. strophium party of 4 seenLeast Grebe Tachybaptus dominicus Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podicepsBrown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis

22 Colombia Birdlist November 20�0

Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus Anhinga Anhinga anhingaMagnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens Rufescent Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma lineatum 2 in transit El PaujilFasciated Tiger-Heron T. fasciatum 1 in transit CeruleaBlack-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Striated Heron Butorides striata Green Heron B. virescensCattle Egret Bulbulcus ibis Capped Heron Pilherodius pileatusGreat Egret Ardea alba Great Blue Heron A. herodiasCocoi Heron A. cocoi Tricoloured Heron Egretta tricolorSnowy Egret E. thula Little Blue Heron E. caeruleaRoseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja Bare-faced Ibis Phimosus infuscatus Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellusWhite Ibis Eudocimus albus - several Guajira Scarlet Ibis E. rube 2 GuajiraTurkey Vulture Cathartes aura Black Vulture C. atratus Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture C. burrovianus several in transit El PaujilKing Vulture Sarcoramphus papa 1 El Paujil & 1 in transit El PaujilOsprey Pandion haliaetusHook-billed Kite Chondrohierax uncinatus 1 Laguna del Hato; 1 below Bolonbo RoadPearl Kite Gampsonyx swainsonii 1 in transit La Victoria; 1 in transit MincaWhite-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus 2 La FloridaSnail Kite Rostrhamus sociabilis several Isa de SalamancaDouble-toothed Kite Harpagus bidentatus 1 La VictoriaSharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus Bicoloured Hawk A. bicolorSavanna Hawk Buteogallus meridionalis Black-collared Hawk Busarellus nigricollis Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris Broad-winged Hawk B. platypterusWhite-rumped Hawk B. leucorrhous 1 El DoradoGrey Hawk B. nitidus Short-tailed Hawk B. brachyurusSwainson’s Hawk B. swainsonii White-tailed Hawk B. albicaudatusBlack Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus tyrannus singles Cerulea & El DoradoLaughing Falcon Herpetotheres cachinnansBarred Forest-Falcon Micrastur ruficollis 1 Las Tangaras; heard El Dorado[Collared Forest-Falcon M. semitorquatus El Dorado]Crested Caracara Caracara cheriway Yellow-headed Caracara Milvago chimachimaAmerican Kestrel Falco sparverius Merlin F. columbarius 1 LibanoBat Falcon F. rufigularis


Aplomado Falcon F. femoralisLimpkin Aramus guaraunaBogota Rail Rallus semiplumbeus E 1 showed well[Grey-necked Wood-Rail Aramides cajanea - El Paujil Isla de Salamanca]White-throated Crake Laterallus albigularis 2 showed well others heard El PaujilSora Porzana carolina 1 La FloridaCommon Gallinule Gallinula galeata American Coot Fulica americanaSouthern Lapwing Vanellus chilensis Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola northern coastal areasBlack-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus northern coastal areasWilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata 1 Chingaza; 1 GuajiraNoble Snipe G. nobilis 1 La FloridaSpotted Sandpiper Actitus macularius northern coastal areasGreater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca northern coastal areasWillet T. semipalmata Lesser Yellowlegs T. flavipesSolitary Sandpiper T. solitaria northern coastal areasWestern Sandpiper Calidris mauri northern coastal areasLeast Sandpiper C. minutilla northern coastal areasWhimbrel Numenius phaeopus northern coastal areasWattled Jacana Jacana jacana northern coastal areasBlack Skimmer Rynchops niger northern coastal areasFranklin’s Gull Leucophaeus pipixan northern coastal areasLaughing Gull L. atricilla northern coastal areasLarge-billed Tern Phaetus simplex 1 in transit El PaujilRoyal Tern Thalasseus maximus northern coastal areasCabot’s (Sandwich) Tern T. acuflavides northern coastal areasCaspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia northern coastal areasGull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica northern coastal areasCommon Tern Sterna hirundo northern coastal areasCommon Ground-Dove Columbina passerinaRuddy Ground-Dove C. taipacotiScaled Dove C. squammata uncommon lowlandsEared Dove Zenaida auriculata Blue Ground-Dove Claravis pretiosa 1 in transit El PaujilRock Dove Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciataPale-vented Pigeon P. cayennensis common lowlandsPlumbeous Pigeon P. plumbea several Las TangarasRuddy Pigeon P. subvinacea uncommon El Paujil[Dusky Pigeon P. goodsoni Quibdo Road]Bare-eyed Pigeon P. corensis several La GuajiraWhite-tipped Dove Leptotia verreauxi [Tolima Dove L. conoveri E - Libano]Lined Quail-Dove Geotrygon linearis several Chingaza, El DoradoBlue-and-yellow Macaw Ara ararauna several El Paujil and in transit El PaujilChesnut-fronted Macaw A. severus several El Paujil and in transit El Paujil

2� Colombia Birdlist November 20�0

Yellow-eared Parrot Ornorhynchus icterotis E 30+ in flight and perched in palms at Loro Orejiamrillo; a large flock unexpectedly flying overhead next morning near Jardin

Scarlet-fronted Parakeet Aratinga wagleri La VictoriaBrown-throated Parakeet A. pertinax uncommon northern coastal areasGolden-plumed Parakeet Leptosittaca branicii 2 Rio BlancoSanta Marta Parakeet Pyrrhura viridicata E we were fortunate at San Lorenzo Ridge to

have two parties perch close byBrown-breasted (Flame-winged) Parakeet P. calliptera E 10-15 ChingazaBlue-winged Parrotlet Forpus xanthopterygius 2 MincaSpectacled Parrotlet F. conspicillatus fairly common Magdalena & Cauca valleysGreen-rumped Parrotlet F. passerinus several La GuajiraOrange-chinned Parakeet Brotogeris jugularis[Rose-faced Parrot Pyrilia pulchra Quibdo Road]Saffron-headed Parrot P. pyrila flock of 12 from lookout El PaujilRusty-faced Parrot Hapalopsittaca amazonina several pairsIndigo-winged (Fuertes’) Parrot H. fuertesi E a trip highlight were 20+ birds at Giles-

FuertesiBlue-headed Parrot Pionus menstruus commonRed-billed Parrot P. sordidus fairly common Santa Marta MtnsSpeckle-faced Parrot P. tumultuosus 2 Giles-Fuertesi; 2 Rio BlancoBronze-winged Parrot P. chalcopterus several below Giles-FuertesiRed-lored Parrot Amazona autunalis several El PaujilYellow-crowned Parrot A. ochrocephala El PaujilOrange-winged Parrot A. amazonica widespread but uncommonScaly-naped Parrot A. mercenaria 2 La FloridaMealy Parrot A. farinosa 2 in transit CeruleaSquirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani Greater Ani C. major common Magdalena ValleyGroove-billed Ani C. sulcirostris several Laguna del HatoStriped Cuckoo Dromococcyx naevia singles CeruleaTropical Screech-Owl Megascops choliba regular CeruleaColombian Screech-Owl M. colombianus 1 Otun Quimbaya[Vermiculated Screech-Owl M. guatemalae El Paujil]White-throated Screech-Owl M. albogularis 1 seenSanta Marta Screech-Owl M. gilesi a trip highlight was a bird at arm’s length near El Dorado Lodge before dawn others heard[Crested Owl Lophostrix cristata El Paujil][Mottled Owl Ciccaba virgata Cerulea[Rufous-banded Owl C. albitarsis Rio Blanco]Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium brasillanum 1 Santa Marta cityCommon Potoo Nyctibius griseus 1 perched during day Alto RomeroRufous-bellied Nighthawk Lurocalis rufiventris 2 Rio BlancoLesser Nighthawk Chordelles acutipennis singles Laguna del HatoPauraque Nyctidromus albicollis


Band-winged Nightjar Caprimulgus longirostris 1 taped in Rio Blanco; 2 El DoradoWhite-tailed Nightjar C. cayennensis 1 La GuajiraSwallow-tailed Nightjar Uropsalis segmentata 1 Otun QuimbayaSpot-fronted Swift Cypseloides cherriei several Quibdo RoadChesnut-collared Swift Streptoprocne rutia several El PaujilWhite-collared Swift S. zonarius commonGrey-rumped Swift Chaetura cinereiventris uncommon El PaujilShort-tailed Swift C. brachyura common El PaujilLesser Swallow-tailed Swift Panyptila cayennensis several BolivarWhite-necked Jacobin Florisuga melivora common El PaujilRufous-breasted Hermit Glaucis hirsutus several El PaujilBand-tailed Barbthroat Threnetes ruckeri 2 El PaujilStripe-throated Hermit Phaethornis strigularis common El PaujilPale-bellied Hermit P. anthophilus several El PaujilWhite-whiskered Hermit P. yarugui 1 Quibdo RoadGreen Hermit P. guy several CeruleaTawny-bellied Hermit P. syrmatophorus several Otun QuimbayaLong-billed Hermit P. longirostris fairly common El PaujilGreen-fronted Lancebill Doryfere ludovicae 1 Alto RomeroWedge-billed Hummingbird Schistes geoffroyi singles CeruleaBrown Violetear Colibri delphinae uncommon El DoradoGreen Violetear C. thalassinus common highlandsSparling Violetear C. coruscans common highlandsPurple-crowned Fairy Heliothryx barroti 2 Quibdo RoadRuby-topaz Hummingbird Chrysolampis mosquitus 1 MincaBlack-throated Mango Anthracothorax nigricollis widespread lowlandsTourmaline Sunangel Heliangelus exortis fairly common Giles-FuertesiSpeckled Hummingbird Adelomyia melanogenys widespreadBlossomcrown Anthocephala floriceps E 2 in gardens below El DoradoLong-tailed Sylph Aglalocercus kingi several Rio BlancoViolet-tailed Sylph A. coelestis fairly common Las TangarasPurple-backed Thornbill Ramphomicron microrhynchum singles Chingaza, Los NevadosBronze-tailed Thornbill Chalcostigma heteropogon 2 ChingazaRainbow-bearded Thornbill C. herrani several ChingazaBearded Helmetcrest Oxypogon guerinii several Los NevadosTyrian Metaltail Metallura tyrianthina common Chingaza, Loro Orejiamrillo, El

DoradoViridian Metaltail M. williami several Los NevadosGreenish Puffleg Haplophaedia aureliae several Otun QuimbayaGlowing Puffleg Eriocnemis vestila 2 ChingazaBlack-thighed Puffleg E. derbyi 2 Giles-FuertesiGolden-breasted Puffleg E. mosquera 2 Giles-FuertesiShining Sunbeam Aglaeactis cupripennis 1 Los NevadosBrown Inca Coeligena wilsoni several Las TangarasBlack Inca C. prulellei E common CeruleaCollared Inca C. torquata common Rio Blanco


Green Thorntail Discosura conversii 1 Quibdo RoadWhite-tailed Starfrontlet Coeligena phalerata E common El DoradoBlue-throated Starfrontlet C. helianthea 1 ChingazaMountain Velvetbreast Lafresnaya lafresnayi several Loro OrejiamrilloGreat Sapphirewing Pterophanes cyanopterus 2 Los NevadosBuff-tailed Coronet Boissonneaua flavescens common Rio BlancoVelvet-purple Coronet B. jardini a stunning birdBooted Racket-tail Ocreatus underwoodii CeruleaWhite-tailed Hillstar Urochroa bougueri several Las TangarasPurple-bibbed Whitetip Urosticte benjamini 1 Las TangarasFawn-breasted Brilliant Heliodoxa rubinoides CeruleaGreen-crowned Brilliant H. jacula common CeruleaEmpress Brilliant H. imperatris several Ls TangarasLong-billed Starthroat Heliomaster longirostris 1 MincaWhite-bellied Woodstar Chaetocercus muisant several Rio BlancoGorgeted Woodstar C. heliodor 1 near JardinSanta Marta Woodstar C. astreans E regular at El Dorado Lodge feedersPurple-throated Woodstar C. mitchelli several Las TangarasWestern Emerald Chlorostilbon melanorhynchus several Alto Romero & south of MedillinRed-billed Emerald C. gibsoni 2 LibanoBlue-tailed Emerald C. melisugus several CeruleaCoppery Emerald C. russatus several above MincaLazuline Sabrewing Campylopterus falcatus a pair below Cerulea; 1 or 2 around El Dorado

Lodge feedersSanta Marta Sabrewing C. phainopeplus E 1 of this rare species at Minca; 1 around El

Dorado Lodge feedersWhite-vented Plumeleteer Chalybura buffonii common El PaujilViolet-crowned Woodnymph Thalurania colombica common CeruleaEl Dorado MincaRufous-tailed Hummingbird Amazilia tzacati widespreadChesnut-bellied Hummingbird A. castaneiventris E 1 showed nicely at a specially placed feeder in

coffee at CeruleaAndean Emerald A. franciae several CeruleaBlue-chested Hummingbird A. amabilis fairly common El PaujilSteely-vented Hummingbird A. sauceerrotei common El DoradoIndigo-capped Hummingbird A. cyanifrons E common CeruleaShining-green Hummingbird Lepidopyga goudoti several Laguna del HatoSapphire-throated Hummingbird L. coeruleogularis several Isla de SalamancaViolet-bellied Hummingbird Damophila julie 1 La VictoriaWhite-chinned Sapphire Hylocharis cyanus several MincaBuffy Hummingbird Leucippus fallax several La GuijiraGolden-headed Quetzal Pharomachrus auriceps 2 Las Tangaras; heard CeruleaWhite-tipped Quetzal P. fulgidus 2 El DoradoWhite-tailed Trogon Trogon chlonurus several El PaujilCollared Trogon T. collaris 2 Otun QuimbayaMasked Trogon T. personatus several Cerulea


Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon Ringed Kingfisher M. torquataAmazon Kingfisher Chloroceryle amazona Green Kingfisher C. americanaAmerican Pygmy Kingfisher C. aenea 2 Isla de SalamancaBroad-billed Motmot Electron platyrhynchum 2 El PaujilRufous Motmot Baryphthengus marti several El PaujilWhooping Motmot Momotus subrufescens 2 MincaHighland Motmot M. aequatorialis common highlandsRufous-tailed Jacamar Galbula ruficauda 2 MincaBlack-breasted Puffbird Notharchus pectoralis 2 at Quibdo Road antswarm, heard El PaujilRusset-throated Puffbird Hypnelus ruficollis several Laguna del HatoMoustached Puffbird Malacoptia mystacalis singles Libano, Las TangarasWhite-mantled Barbet Capito hypoleucus E several El Paujil, heard CeruleaRed-headed Barbet Eubucco bourcierii uncommon Otun QuimbayaToucan Barbet Semnomis ramphastinus fairly common Las TangarasBlack-mandibled Toucan Ramphastos ambiguus several El Paujil[Chesnut-mandibled Toucan R. swainsonii Quibdo Road]Keel-billed Toucan R. sulfuratus several below El DoradoChoco Toucan R. brevis 2 Quibdo RoadChannel-billed Toucan R. vitellinus fairly common El PaujilEmerald Toucanet Aulacorhynchus prasinus common AndesGrey-breasted Mountain-Toucan Andigena hypoglauca 2 Giles-FuertesiBlack-billed Mountain-Toucan A. nigrirostris 2 Chingaza; 1 Loro Orejiamrillo;heard Rio BlancoCollared Aracari Pteroglossus torquatus - 2 Quibdo RoadScaled Piculet Picumnus squamulatus 1 MincaOlivaceous Piculet P. olivaceus 2 El PaujilGreyish Piculet P. granadensis E 1 Bolonbo RoadYellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius a species seemingly unknown on the

Colombian mainlandRed-crowned Woodpecker Melanerpes rubricapillusBeautiful Woodpecker M. pulcher E 2 El PaujilSmoky-brown Woodpecker Picoides fumigatus fairly common highlandsRed-rumped Woodpecker Veniliornis kirkii several El PaujilYellow-vented Woodpecker V. dignus 2 Las TangarasBar-bellied Woodpecker V. nigriceps 1 Giles-FuertesiGolden-olive Woodpecker Colaptes rubiginosus uncommon but widespreadCrimson-mantled Woodpecker C. rivolii 2 Loro Orejiamrillo; heard ChingazaSpot-breasted Woodpecker C. punctigula - singles Cerulea Laguna del HatoCinnamon Woodpecker Celeus loricatus several El PaujilLineated Woodpecker Dryocopus lineatus uncommon but widespreadPowerful Woodpecker Campephilus pollens 1 CeruleaCrimson-crested Woodpecker C. melanoleucos several El Paujil[Broad-billed Sapayoa Sapayoa aenigma Quibdo Road]Tawny-throated Leaftosser Sclerurus mexicanus 1 Quibdo RoadGrey-throated Leaftosser S. albigularis 2 El Dorado LodgePale-legged Hornero Furnarius leucopus several El Paujil


Stout-billed Cinclodes Cinclodes excelsior 1 Los NevadosWhite-chinned Thistletail Asthenes fuliginosa several ChingazaSilvery-throated Spinetail Synallaxis subpudica E 2 La FloridaAzara’s Spinetail S. azarae common highlandsPale-breasted Spinetail S. albescensRufous Spinetail S. unirufa 2 ChingazaRusty-headed Spinetail S. fuscorufa E common El DoradoSlaty Spinetail S. brachyura 1 Quibdo RoadWhite-whiskered Spinetail S. candei several La GuajiraRed-faced Spinetail Cranioleuca erythrops common Las TangarasStreak-capped Spinetail C. hellmayri E fairly common El DoradoYellow-chinned Spinetail Certhiaxis cinnamomeusSpotted Barbtail Premnoplex brunnescens several Las Tangaras, El DoradoFulvous-dotted Treerunner Margarornis stellatus several Las TangarasPearled Treerunner M. squamiger several Rio BlancoBuffy Tuftedcheek Pseudocolaptes lawrencii several Las TangarasStreaked Tuftedcheek P. boissonneauti 3 Rio BlancoMontane Foliage-gleaner Anabacerthia striaticollis - common highlandsScaly-throated Foliage-gleaner A. variegaticeps common Las TangarasLineated Foliage-gleaner Syndactyla subalaris 1 CeruleaSlaty-winged Foliage-gleaner Philydor fuscipenne 1 El PaujilBuff-fronted Foliage-gleaner P. rufum several CeruleaUniform Treehunter Thripadectes ignobilis fairly common Las Tangaras[Flammulated Treehunter T. flammulatus El Dorado]Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner Automolus ochrolaemus several El PaujilRuddy Foliage-gleaner A. rubiginosus 2 El PaujilSanta Marta Foliage-gleaner A. rufipectus E 1 MincaPlain Xenops Xenops minutus Streaked Xenops X. rutilansTyrannine Woodcreeper Dendrocincla tyrannina 1 Las TangarasPlain-brown Woodcreeper D. fuliginosa several El PaujilOlivaceous Woodcreeper Sittasomus griseicapillus 2 El PaujilWedge-billed Woodcreeper Glyphornchus spirurus 1 Quibdo RoadStrong-billed Woodcreepr Xiphocolaptes promeropirhynchus

singles Chingaza

Straight-billed Woodcreeper Dendroplex picus uncommon but widespreadCocoa Woodcreeper Xiphorhynchus susurrans 2 MincaSpotted Woodcreeper X. erythropygius 2 CeruleaOlive-backed Woodcreeper X. triangularis several CeruleaStreak-headed Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes souleyetii uncommon El PaujilMontane Woodcreeper L. lacrymiger several Rio BlancoBlack-crested Antshrike Sakesphorus canadensis several BarranquillaBarred Antshrike Thamnophilius doliatus heard El Paujil; 1 Laguna del HatoBar-crested Antshrike T. multistriatus common Magdalena & Cauca valleysWestern Slaty-Antshrike T. atrinucha common El Paujil[Black Antshrike T. nigriceps El Paujil]Uniform Antshrike T. unicolor several Cerulea


Black-backed Antshrike T. melanonotus 2 MincaRecurve-billed Bushbird Clytoctantes alixii a trip highlight was excellent views of a male

by some at CeruleaSpot-crowned Antvireo Dysithamnus puncticeps a pair Quibdo RoadBicoloured Antvireo D. occidentalis a pair Las TangarasWhite-flanked Antwren Myrmotherula axillaris several Quibdo RoadSlaty Antwren M. schisticolor 2 CeruleaYellow-breasted Antwren Herpsilochmus axillaris several Las TangarasWhite-fringed Antwren Formicivora grisea pairs Laguna del HatoRufous-rumped Antwren Terenura callinota 2 Las TangarasParker’s Antbird Cercomacra parkeri E 2 CeruleaJet Antbird C. nigricans 1 Laguna del HatoBare-crowned Antbird Gymnocichla nudiceps 2 seen others heard El PaujilWhite-bellied Antbird Myrmeciza longipes 2 seen others heard Laguna del HatoChesnut-backed Antbird M. exsul several El PaujilImmaculate Antbird M. immaculata several Quibdo Road antswarmBicoloured Antbird Gymnopithys leucaspis common Quibdo Road antswarmOcellated Antbird Phaenostictus mcleannani 3-4 Quibdo Road antswarmMoustached Antpitta Grallaria alleni 1 seen others heard Otun QuimbayaChesnut-crowned Antpitta G. ruficapilla 1 seen Alto Romero; heard ChingazaOtun Quimbaya Rio BlancoSanta Marta Antpitta G. bangsi E 1 came in for earthworms left for it at El

Dorado LodgeBicoloured Antpitta G. rufocinerea 2 below Giles-Fuertesi; heard Rio Blanco[Chesnut-naped Antpitta G. nuchalis Rio BlancoYellow-breasted Antpitta G. flavotincta 1 seen others heard Las TangarasWhite-bellied Antpitta G. hypoleuca 1 showed wellRufous Antpitta G. rufa 1 seen San Lorenzo Ridge; heard ChingazaTawny Antpitta G. quitensis 2 Los NevadosBrown-banded Antpitta G. milleri E 2-4 at worm feeders Rio BlancoOchre-breasted Antpitta Grallaricula flavirostris 1 Las TangarasRusty-breasted Antpitta G. ferrugineipectus 1 below El DoradoSlate-crowned Antpitta G. nana 1 showed well below Giles-Fuertesi; heard Rio

Blanco[Ash-coloured Tapaculo Myornis senilis Rio Blanco][Ocellated Tapaculo Acropternis orthonyx Rio Blanco][Blackish Tapaculo Scytalopus latrans Rio Blanco]Santa Marta Tapaculo S. sanctaemartae E 1 seen others heard below El Dorado[White-crowned Tapaculo S. atratus ] heard CeruleaChoco Tapaculo S. chocoensis 1 Quibdo RoadUpper Magdalena Tapacula S. rodriguezi E 2 seen others heard CeruleaStiles’s Tapaculo S. stilesi E 1 seen others heard Alto RomeroAlto de Pisones Tapaculo S. sp. nov. E 2 Las TangarasNarino Tapaculo S. vicinior several Las TangarasBrown-rumped Tapaculo S. latebricola E 1 seen others heard San Lorenzo Ridge

�0 Colombia Birdlist November 20�0

Spillman’s Tapaculo S. spillmanni 1 seen others heard Rio Blanco; heard Otun Quimbaya

Matorral Tapaculo S. griseicolis 2 seen others heard ChingazaParamo Tapaculo S. opacus 1 seen others heard Los NevadosSooty Tyrannulet Phyllomyias griseiceps several CeruleaBlack-capped Tyrannulet P. nigrocapillus singles Loro OrejiamrilloAshy-headed Tyrannulet P. cinereiceps singles ChingazaYellow-crowned Tyrannulet Tyrannulus elatus singles El PaujilSouthern Beardless-Tyrannulet Camptostoma obsoletum 3 MincaGreenish Elaenia Myiopagis viridicata singles LibanoYellow-bellied Elaenia Elaenia flavogaster Lesser Elaenia E. chirquensis singles CeruleaMountain Elaenia E. frantzii several Rio BlancoBrown-capped Tyrannulet Ornithion brunneicapillus 2 El PaujilWhite-tailed Tyrannulet Mecocerculus poeciloerus several ChingazaWhite-throated Tyrannulet M. leucophrys common highlandsTorrent Tyrannulet Serpophaga cinera 1 Otun QuimbayaMouse-coloured Tyrannulet Phaeomyias murina 1 MincaYellow Tyrannulet Capsiempis flaveola 1 MincaSubtropical Doradito Pseudocolopteryx acutipennis 1 La FloridaBronze-olive Pygmy-Tyrant Pseudotriccus peizeini 1 Otun Quimbaya; 2 Las TangarasGolden-faced Tyrannulet Zimmerius chrysops commonChoco Tyrannulet Z. albigularis 2 Quibdo Road; 2 Las TangarasVariegated Bristle-Tyrant Phylloscartes poecilotis 1 Otun Quimbaya; 1 Las TangarasAntioquia Bristle-Tyrant P. lanyoni E 2 El PaujilRufous-browed Tyrannulet P. superciliaris 2 Las Tangaras; 1 CeruleaRough-legged Tyrannulet Phyllomyias burmeisteri 2 MincaStreak-necked Flycatcher Mionectes striaticollis LibanoOlive-striped Flycatcher M. olivaceus fairly common CeruleaOchre-bellied Flycatcher M. oleagineus widespread lowlandsSlaty-capped Flycatcher Leptopogon amaurocephalus widespredSepia-capped Flycatcher L. superciliris several El PaujilRufous-breasted Flycatcher L. rufipectus 1 Otun QuimbayaNorthern Scrub-Flycatcher Sublegatus arenarum 2 La GuijaraSlender-billed Tyrannulet Inezia tenuirostsris several La GuijaraOrnate Flycatcher Myiotriccus ornatus widespread highlandsBlack-capped Pygmy-Tyrant Myiornis atricapillus 1 Quibdo RoadSouthern Bentbill Oncostoma olivaceum several El PaujilScale-crested Pygmy-Tyrant Lophotriocus pileatus several CeruleaPale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant Atalotriccus pilaris several MincaPearly-vented Tody-Tyrant Hemitriccus margaritaceiventer Santa Marta, La Guajira

Black-throated Tody-Tyrant H. granadensis common El DoradoRufous-crowned Tody-Tyrant Poecilotriccus ruficeps 2 Rio BlancoSlate-headed Tody-Flycatcher P. sylvia 1 Laguna del Hato; heard El PaujilCommon Tody-Flycatcher Todirostrum cinereumOlivaceous Flatbill Rhynchocyclus olivaceus 2 El Paujil

Colombia Birdlist November 20�0 ��

Pacific Flatbill R. pacificus 1 Quibdo RoadYellow-olive Flycatcher Tolmonyias sulphurescens several CeruleaYellow-margined Flycatcher T. assimilis singles El PaujilYellow-throated Spadebill Platyrinchus flavigularis 1 CeruleaFlavescent Flycatcher Myiophobus flavicans uncommon highlandsHandsome Flycatcher Nephelomyias pulcher several Rio BlancoBran-coloured Flycatcher N. fasciatus 2 CeruleaRuddy-tailed Flycatcher Terenotriccus erythrurus 1 MincaCinnamon Flycatcher Pyrrhomyias cinnamomeus common highlandsBlack-billed Flycatcher Aphanotriccus audax E 3 El PaujilAcadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens 1 La Victoria; 1 Alto RomeroEastern Wood-Pewee Cotopus virens Olive-sided Flycatcher C. cooperiTropical Pewee C. cinereus commonSmoke-coloured Pewee C. fumigatus several CeruleaBlack Phoebe Sayornis nigricans Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinusStreak-throated Bush-Tyrant Pyiotheretes striaticollis several ChingazaSanta Marta Bush-Tyrant M. pernis E 2 San Lorenzo RidgePied Water-Tyrant Fluvicola pica White-headed Marsh-Tyrant Arundinicola leucocephalaYellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant Octhoeca diadema 2 San Lorenzo RidgeSlaty-backed Chat-Tyrant O. cinnamomelventris 2 Rio BlancoRufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant O. rufipectoralis several Giles-Fuertesi, Loro OrejiamrilloBrown-backed Chat-Tyrant O. fumicolor common ChingazaLong-tailed Tyrant Colonia colonus several El PaujilCattle Tyrant Machetornis rixosa - widespreadPiratic Flycatcher Legatus leucophalus several El PaujilRusty-margined Flycatcher Myiozeletes cayanesis common El PaujilSocial Flycatcher M. similis Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus Lesser Kiskadee P. lictor several El PaujilGolden-crowned Flycatcher Myiodynastes chrysocephalus common highlandsStreaked Flycatcher M. maculatus Boat-billed Flycatcher Megarynchus pitanguaTropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus Fork-tailed Flycatcher T. savanaGrey Kingbird T. dominicensis several La GuajiraDusky-capped Flycatcher Myirchus tuberculifer Laguna del HatoVenezuelan Flycatcher M. venezuelensis singles La GuijaraPanama Flycatcher M. panamensis singles Laguna del HatoApical Flycatcher M. apicalis E 2 Bolonbo RoadPale-edged Flycatcher M. cephalotes several El PaujilGreat Crested Flycatcher M. crinitus 1 Laguna del HatoBrown-crested Flycatcher M. tyrannulus 2 Laguna del HatoBright-rumped Attila Attila spadiceus 1 Laguna del Hato; heard Cerulea[Barred Fruiteater Pipreola arcuata Loro Orejiamrillo]Green-and-black Fruiteater P. riefferii several Rio Blanco, Las Tangaras


Golden-breasted Fruiteater P. aureopectus fairly common El DoradoOrange-breasted Fruiteater P. jucunda several Las TangarasRed-crested Cotinga Ampelion rubrocristatus 2 Giles-FuertesiAndean Cock-of-the-Rock Rupicola peruvianus 1 male below El CarmenOlivaceous Piha Snowornis cryptolophus 2 Las TangarasPurple-throated Fruitcrow Querula purpurata several El PaujilRed-ruffed Fruitcrow Pyroderus scutatus common Otun QuimbayaDusky Piha Lipaugus fuscocinereus 1 Rio Blanco; 1 Las TangarasBlack-tipped Cotinga Carpodectes hopkei 2 Quibdo RoadGolden-winged Manakin Masius chrysopterus several CeruleaClub-winged Manakin Machaeropterus deliciosus 2 Las TangarasWhite-bearded Manakin Manacus manacus several El PaujilGreen Manakin Xenopipo holochlora 2 Quibdo RoadYellow-headed Manakin X. flavicapila a surprise was a pair showing well at LibanoGolden-headed Manakin Pipra erythrocephala 2 El PaujilBlack-crowned Tityra Tityra inquisitor 2 El PaujilMasked Tityra T. semifasciata several Cerulea[Thrush-like Schiffornis Schiffornis turdina Las Tangaras]Barred Becard Pachyramphus versicolor several Otun QuimbayaCinereus Becard P. rufus widespreadCinnamon Becard P. cinnamomeus several El PaujilWhite-winged Becard P. polychopterus several LibanoRufous-browed Peppershrike Cyclarhis gujanensisYellow-browed Peppershrike C. eximius 1 CeruleaBlack-billed Peppershrike C. nigrirostris several Otun Quimbaya, Las TangarasChoco Vireo Vireo masteri several Las TangarasBrown-capped Vireo V. leuophrys widespread highlandsYellow-green Vireo V. flavoridis 1 Laguna del HatoRufous-naped Greenlet Hylophilus semibrunneus several Cerulea, Alto RomeroGolden-fronted Greenlet H. aurantifrons 2 MincaScrub Greenlet H. flavipes several CeruleaLesser Greenlet H. decurtatus several El PaujilBlack-collared Jay Cyanolyca armilata 1 Los NevadosBeautiful Jay C. pulchra several Las TangarasBlack-chested Jay C. affinis common El Paujil, MincaGreen Jay C. yncas several Otun QuimbayaBlue-and-white Swallow Notiochelidon cyanoleuca Southern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx ruficollisBrown-chested Martin Progne tapera Grey-breasted Martin P. chalybeaWhite-winged Swallow Tachycineta albliventer Barn Swallow Hirundo rusticaSand Martin Riparia riparia Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonotaBrown-bellied Swallow Orochelidon murina several ChingazaGiles-Fuertesi Rio BlancoWhite-thighed Swallow Atticora tibialis several Libano


House Wren Troglodytes aedonMountain Wren T. solstitatus 1 Rio BlancoScaly-breasted Wren Microcerculus marginatus 1 El Paujil; heard Quibdo RdApolinar’s Wren Cistothorus apolinari E 2 La FloridaWhite-headed Wren Campylorhynchus albobrunneus several groups Las TangarasBand-backed Wren C. zonatus several CeruleaBicoloured Wren C. griseus - several Cerulea MincaBlack-bellied Wren Pheugopedius fasciatoventris uncommon El PaujilWhiskered Wren P. mystacalis several CeruleaRufous-breasted Wren P. rutilius 2 MincaBay Wren Cantorchilus nigricapillus several LibanoStripe-throated Wren C. leucopogon 1 Quibdo RoadRufous-and-white Wren Throphilus rufalbus several MincaNiceforo’s Wren T. nicefori E 2 Cerulea in coffeeBuff-breasted Wren Cantorchilus leucotus several La GuajiraRufous Wren C. unirufa several Las TangarasSharpe’s Wren C. olivascens fairly common Rio BlancoWhite-breasted Wood-Wren Henicorhina leucosticta widespread lowlandsGrey-breasted Wood-Wren H. leucophrys common highlandsMunchique Wood-Wren H. negreti E 2 Loro OrejiamrilloChesnut-breasted Wren Cyphorhinus thoracicus a trip highlight was a pair showing well as they

sang at Otun QuimbayaHalf-collared Gnatwren Microbates cinereiventris 2 Quibdo RoadTropical Gnatcatcher Polioptila plumbea Black-capped Donacobius Donacobius atricapilla 2 in transit El PaujilWhite-capped Dipper Cinclus leucocephalus ChingazaAndean Solitaire Myadestes ralloides common highlands[Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush Catharus aurantirostris heard El DoradoGrey-cheeked Thrush C. minimus Swainson’s Thrush C. ustulatusBlack Solitaire Entomodestes coracinus several showed well Las TangarasYellow-legged Thrush Turdus flavipes several MincaClay-coloured Thrush T. grayi several BarranquillaPale-breasted Thrush T. leucomelas common northern coastal areasPale-vented Thrush T. obsoletus 1 Santa Marta citySpectacled Thrush T. nudigenis several El DoradoBlack-billed Thrush T. ignobilis Black-hooded Thrush T. olivater common El DoradoGreat Thrush T. fuscater common highlandsRufous-crested Tanager Creurgops verticalis 2 Las TangarasBlack-capped Hemispingus Hemispingus atropileus several Rio BlancoSuperciliaried Hemispingus H. superciliaris uncommon Rio BlancoOleaginous Hemispingus H. frontalis several ChingazaBlack-eared Hemispingus H. melanotis 2 Rio BlancoBlack-headed Hemispingus H. verticalis 1 ChingazaGrey-hooded Bush-Tanager Cnemoscopus rubirostris several Otun Quimbaya, Rio BlancoGrey-headed Tanager Eucomelis penicillata 2 Laguna del Hato; 2 La Victoria

�� Colombia Birdlist November 20�0

White-shouldered Tanager Tachyphonus luctuosus El PaujilTawny-crested Tanager T. delatri common Quibdo RoadWhite-lined Tanager T. rufus 2 below El DoradoCrimson-backed Tanager Ramphocelus dimidiatus common lowlandsFlame-rumped Tanager R. flammigerus common CeruleaBlue-grey Tanager Thraupis episcopus Palm Tanager T. palmarumGlaucous Tanager T. glaucocolpa several La GuajiraBlue-capped Tanager Thraupis cyanocephala common highlandsBlack-and-gold Tanager Bangsia melanochlamys E fairly common Las TangarasGold-ringed Tanager B. aureocincla E several showed well at lookout Las TangarasHooded Mountain-Tanager Buthraupis montana flocks ChingazaBlack-chested Mountain-Tanager B. eximia several ChingazaSanta Marta Mt-Tanager Anisognathus melanogenys E common El DoradoLachrymose Moutain-Tanager A. lacrymosus several Giles-Fuertesi, Loro OrejiamrilloScarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager A. igniventris common ChingazaBlue-winged Mountain-Tanager A. somptuosus common highlandsBlack-chinned Mountain-Tanager A. notabilis common Las TangarasBuff-breasted Mountain-Tanager Dubusia laeniata uncommon Rio BlancoGrass-green Tanager Chloromis riefferii several Giles-FuertesiPurplish-mantled Tanager Iridosornis porphyrocephalus fairly common Las TangarasFawn-breasted Tanager Pipraeidea melanonota 1 Alto RomeroGlistening-green Tanager Chlorochrysa phoenicolis common Las TangarasMulticoloured Tanager C. nitidissima E 1 below Giles-Fuertesi; 2 Otun QuimbayaGrey-and-gold Tanager Tangara palmeri several Quibdo RoadBlack-headed Tanager T. cyanoptera 2 MincaBlack-capped Tanager T. heinei widespread highlandsScrub Tanager T. vitriolina commonGolden-hooded Tanager T. larvata several La VictoriaBay-headed Tanager T. gyrola widespreadBlue-necked Tanager T. cyanicollis fairly common CeruleaRufous-throated Tanager T. rufigula common Las TangarasBlue-and-black Tanager T. vassorii Giles-FuertesiBeryl-spangled Tanager T. nigrovirdis widespread highlandsMetallic-green Tanager T. labradorides uncommon CeruleaPlain-coloured Tanager T. inornata fairly common El PaujilRufous-winged Tanager T. lavinia 2 Quibdo RoadSaffron-crowned Tanager T. xanthocephala CeruleaFlame-faced Tanager T. parzudakii uncommon CeruleaBlue-whiskered Tanager T. johannae 2 Quibdo RoadGolden Tanager T. arthus common highlandsSilver-throated Tanager T. ictocephala fairly common Las TangarasSwallow Tanager Tarsina viridis common El PaujilBlack-faced Dacnis Dacnis lineata several El PaujilTurquoise Dacnis D. hartlaubi E several CeruleaScarlet-thighed Dacnis D. venusta 2 Quibdo RoadBlue Dacnis D. cayana several El Paujil


Red-legged Honeycreeper Cyanerpes cyaneus several Laguna del HatoGreen Honeycreeper Chlorophanes spiza singles Giles-FuertesiGolden-collared Honeycreeper Iridophanes pucherrimus 2 Las TangarasScarlet-browed Tanager Heterospingus xanthopygius 2 Quibdo RoadGuira Tanager Hemithraupis guira several El PaujilYellow-backed Tanager H. flavicollis uncommon El PaujilScarlet-and-white Tanager Chrysothlypis salmoni 1 Quibdo RoadWhite-eared Conebill Conirostrum leucogenys several El PaujilBlue-backed Conebill C. sitticolor 2 ChingazaBicoloured Conebill C. bicolor several Isla de SalamancaCapped Conebill C. albifrons 3 Rio BlancoRufous-browed Conebill C. rufum several ChingazaRusty Flowerpiercer Diglossa sittoides 2 below El DoradoGlossy Flowerpiercer D. lafresnayii several ChingazaBlack Flowerpiercer D. humeralis fairly common ChingazaIndigo Flowerpiercer D. indigotica several Las TangarasBluish Flowerpiercer D. caerulescens 2 CeruleaWhite-sided Flowerpiercer D. albilatera widespread highlandsMasked Flowerpiercer D. cyanea widespread highlandsRosy Thrush-Tanager Rhodinocichla rosea 1 below El DoradoBananaquit Coerelba flaveola Yellow-faced Grassquit Tiaris olivaceusDull-coloured Grassquit T. obscurus several Las TangarasBlack-faced Grassquit T. bicolor 1 below El DoradoDusky-faced Tanager Mitrospingus cassinii 3 Quibdo RoadSlate-coloured Grosbeak Saltator grossus 2 El PaujilBuff-throated Saltator S. maximus Streaked Saltator S. striaticpectusBlack-winged Saltator S. atripennis widespreadGreyish Saltator S. coerulescens sparse lowlandsOrinocan Saltator S. orenocensis several La GuajiraMasked Saltator S. cinctus a trip highlight was seeing this species twice in

mixed flocks at Rio BlancoVermilion Cardinal Cardinalis phoenicius several La GuijaraRufous-collared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis Saffron Finch Sicalis flaveolaPlumbeous Sierra-Finch Phyrgilus unicolor several ChingazaBlue-black Grassquit Volantinia jacarina Yellow-bellied Seedeater S. nigricollisSlate-coloured Seedeater S. schistacea 1 Laguna del Hato; 1 LibanoVariable Seedeater S. corvina several Quibdo RoadGrey Seedeater S. intermedia uncommon Laguna del HatoBlack-and-white Seedeater S. luctuosa several CeruleaRuddy-breasted Seedeater S. minuta several CeruleaLarge-billed Seed-Finch Oryzoborus crassirostris 2 Laguna del HatoBand-tailed Seedeater Catamenia analis 1 Giles-FuertesiParamo Seedeater C. homochroa 1 Chingaza


Black-striped Sparrow Arremonops conirostris 1 Bolonbo RoadOrange-billed Sparrow Arremon aurantilostris 2 La VictoriaGolden-winged Sparrow A. schlegeli fairly common MincaChesnut-capped Brush-Finch A. brunneinucha common CeruleaStripe-headed Brush-Finch A. torquatos 2 Otun QuimbayaOlive Finch A. castaneiceps several Las TangarasColombian Brush-Finch A. basilicus E several El DoradoBlack-headed Brush-Finch A. atricapilu 2 LibanoWhite-naped Brush-Finch A. albinuchla several Otun Quimbaya, Alto RomeroSanta Marta Brush-Finch A. melanocephalus E common El DoradoPale-naped Brush-Finch A. pallidinucha several ChingazaYellow-headed Brush-Finch A. flaviceps 2 LibanoTricoloured Brush-Finch A. tricolor fairly common Las TangarasSlaty Brush-Finch A. schistaceus several ChingazaTanager-Finch Oreothraupis arremonops 2 of this much-wanted species skulking in the

undergrowth at Loro OrejiamrilloPileated Finch Coryphospingus pileatus House SparrowYellow-green Bush-Tanager Chlorospingus flavovirens 2 below Las TangarasYellow-throated Bush-Tanager C. flavigularis 2 Otun QuimbayaAshy-throated Bush-Tanager C. canigularis Otun Quimbaya, several CeruleaCommon Bush-Tanager C. ophthalmicus - Cerulea Otun QuimbayaDusky Bush-Tanager C. semifuscus common Las TangarasHepatic Tanager Pranga flava Summer Tanager P. rubra Scarlet Tanager P. olivaceaRed-hooded Tanager P. rubriceps 3 Loro Orejiamrillo; heard Otun QuimbayaWhite-winged Tanager P. leucoptera widespread in small numbersSooty Ant-Tanager Habia gutturalis 3 La VictoriaCrested Ant-Tanager H. cristata several Otun Quimbaiya; 1 below El CarmenGolden-bellied Grosbeak Pheuciticus chrysogaster several El DoradoRose-breasted Grosbeak P. ludovianusBlue-black Grosbeak Cyanocompsa cyanoides 2 MincaGolden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera CeruleaTennessee Warbler Leiothlypis peregrina Tropical Parula Parula pitiayumiNorthern Parula P. americana 1 Loro OrejiamrilloYellow Warbler Dendroica petechia Blackpoll Warbler D. striataBay-breasted Warbler D. castanea Blackburnian Warbler D. fuscaCerulean Warbler D. cerulea 1 Cerulea; 1 Otun QuimbayaAmerican Redstart Sefophaga ruticilla Black-and-white Warbler Miniotilta variaProthonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea Quibdo RoadNorthern Waterthrush Parkesia noveboracensisKentucky Warbler Oporornis formosus 2 MincaMourning Warbler O. philadelphia Connecticut Warbler O. agilis 1 La Victoria


MacGillivray’s Warbler O. tolmiei 1 CeruleaCanada Warbler Wilsonia canadensisSlate-throated Whitestart Myioborus miniatus common highlandsGolden-fronted Whitestart M. ornatus common highlandsYellow-crowned Whitestart M. flavivertex E common El DoradoCitrine Warbler Basileuterus luteoviridis 2 Rio BlancoBlack-crested Warbler B. nigrocristatus ChingazaWhite-lored Warbler B. conspicillatus E common El DoradoRusset-crowned Warbler B. coronatus CeruleaGolden-crowned Warbler B. culcivorus common Las TangarasRufous-capped Warbler B. rufifrons common highlandsThree-striped Warbler B. tristriatus common highlandsSanta Marta Warbler B. basilicus E several San Lorenzo RidgeBuff-rumped Warbler Phaeothlypis fulvicauda widespread lowlandsRusset-backed Oropendola Psarocolius angustifrons CeruleaChesnut-headed Oropendola P. wagleri several Quibdo RoadCrested Oropendola P. decumanus widespread lowlandsMountain Cacique Cacicus chrysonotus ChingazaScarlet-rumped Cacique C. uropygialis several CeruleaYellw-billed Cacique Amblycercus holosericeus 2 Bolonbo RoadOrange-crowned Oriole Icterus auricapillus fairly common El PaujilYellow-backed Oriole I. chrysater Baltimore Oriole I. galbulaYellow Oriole I. nigrogularis several La GuajiraMountain Grackle Macrogelalaius subalaris E large flock showed well CeruleaRed-bellied Grackle Hypopyrrhus pyrohypogaster E several Las Tangaras, Alto RomeroCarib Crackle Quisculus lugubris several La GuajiraGreat-tailed Grackle Q. mexicanus common northern coastal areasYellow-hooded Blackbird Chrysomus icterocephalus common La FloridaShiny Cowbird Molothrus nogariensisRed-breasted Blackbird Sturnella militaris common in transit El PaujilEastern Meadowlark S. magna several ChingazaAndean Siskin Carduelis spinescens ChingazaHooded Siskin C. magellanica common La FloridaYellow-bellied Siskin C. xanthogastra 2 Alto RomeroLesser Goldfinch C. psaltria several CeruleaVelvet-fronted Euphonia Euphonia concinna 1 in transit La Victoria; heard Laguna del HatoTrinidad Euphonia E. trinitatis several MincaThick-billed Euphonia E. lanirostris widespread lowlandsOrange-bellied Euphonia E. xanthogaster widespread highlandsFulvous-vented Euphonia E. fulvicrissa several El PaujilBlue-naped Chlorophonia Chlorophonia cyanea common El DoradoChesnut-breasted Chlorophonia C. pyrrhophrys several Las TangarasYellow-collared Chlorophonia C. flavirostris 2 Las Tangaras with previous species.


Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus paasinus lautus), El Dorado

Olivaceous Piha (Snowornis cryptolophus), Las Tangaras


Tawny-bellied Hermit (Paeethornis syrmatophorus), Las Tangaras

Toucan Barbet ( Semnornis ramphastinus), Las Tangaras


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colombia endemics galore november 2010 · colombia diary november 20 0 itinerary october 30 –...

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