Colombia: Bogota, the Magdalena Valley and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mar 21—Apr 05, 2009
Posted by Steve Hilty
Steve Hilty
Steve Hilty is the senior author of A Guide to the Birds of Colombia, and the recently published Birds of Venezuela, both by Princeton University Press. Other credits inclu...Related Trips
This trip provided a spectacular introduction to Colombia and some of its endemic birds. We were particularly fortunate on several occasions. On our third day, we witnessed an enormous mass migration of Swainson's Hawks. Noted shortly after we arrived at a site late in the afternoon (ca. 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.), we watched as up to 10,000 individuals passed overhead. We have no idea how many more hawks may have preceded the huge kettles and groups that we observed streaming overhead.
A few days later we had an opportunity to watch a large army ant swarm with Bicolored Antbirds and Gray-headed Tanagers work its way down a vegetated roadbank and onto a dirt road with no traffic. We watched insects, spiders, and skinks flee the swarm; and observed numerous prey captures, parasitic flies chasing fleeing beetles and roaches, and birds snapping hapless prey from above—the swarm and its attendants providing a textbook example of life and death drama in the New World rainforest. Other highlights included a lengthy study of a foraging Striped Cuckoo on the ground in an open pasture, a pair of Crested Bobwhites carefully picking their way through the same pasture, fine views of a still undescribed species of foliage-gleaner ("Santa Marta Ruddy Foliage-gleaner"), a "Santa Marta" Rufous Antpitta posing in the middle of a road, and a pair of Santa Marta Antpittas foraging just a few meters away at dusk. Oh, and there were some bumpy roads; plenty of big trucks; trucks towing trucks; numerous transfers to 4-wheel-drive vehicles when roads disintegrated; and we even used sturdy little horses to reach one destination. No shortage of adventures.
Our return to Colombia after a 23-year absence represents an almost complete reversal of fortunes for a country once mired in drug and political violence and written off as a lost cause by pundits and scholars alike. Colombia is now a country largely at peace with itself and yearning for normalcy. Did I see changes in our more than two-decade absence? Of course. Many are for the better, otherwise we would not have been able to travel safely. There are more people now, as well as more traffic, more trucks, and perhaps more environmental pressures, but I did not see major changes in deforestation. This is not to say that Colombia's environment is doing well. Much of Colombia's Andes were formerly covered in a rich tapestry of forests, and today little of it remains. What remains is usually regrowth. Untouched areas are confined to small, remote pockets, e.g. steep stream valleys or steep hillsides and ravines. Excellent habitat remains in several national parks, but these are often poorly protected. Some private help has been forthcoming, especially through ProAves, a Colombian conservation organization that has begun purchasing tiny parcels of forest that harbor remnant populations of endemics or rare species. We visited three such sites—all with overnight lodging, and all difficult to access, requiring combinations of buses, 4-wheel-drive Toyotas, and boats to reach.
Trails were generally steep, sometimes slippery, often muddy, and more difficult than those to which most naturalists and birders are accustomed. But we had some great birding days. Finding the much-vaunted endemics often took much effort, patience, and some luck (i.e. the Blue-billed Curassow which we did not see). The Sooty Ant-Tanager and White-mantled Barbet both required effort to locate and see successfully, but were beautiful, exquisitely so in the case of the tanager, and well worth the effort. By all accounts the greatest treasure trove of endemics occurs in the Santa Marta Mountains and here, unlike in the Andes, many are relatively easy to see.
Colombia is, at present, a trip for adventurous birders and naturalists willing to accept some rough spots along the route, and for those who realize they are buying more than just another birding trip. This is an experience. The countryside is beautiful, inspiring even, and lodge facilities are surprisingly good, but logistics are complex and the terrain can be daunting. Nevertheless, I think this is the time to visit Colombia. In a few years we may look back and say, "You should have seen it in the 'good old days'… of today." Next year we will offer a second, completely new route that will bring more adventures, endemics, and beautiful mountains and cloud-filled valleys. We hope you'll join us again, or tell your friends.