Colombia: Bogota, The Magdalena Valley and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Feb 10—25, 2010
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
Colombia is back after two decades, and "endemic fever" has struck many birders who have longed to see some of these fascinating birds long denied to them because of security risks. Now Colombia is rapidly becoming a "must see" destination, as many areas (but not all) are completely safe. Finding Colombia's many endemic and near-endemic species (those which occur primarily in Colombia but have been recorded just across the border in a neighboring country, i.e. Panama, Venezuela, and Ecuador) is, however, very much a game of averages—think a baseball batting average. Numerous factors can affect the number of endemics one finds during a two-week period, and it is only rarely that all factors align for a perfect score. We worked with a handicap this year, this being one of the driest years in decades such that Chingaza National Park was closed (due to fire risk) and all other areas were quite hot and dry. As a result, we journeyed from start to finish without encountering a single drop of rain, which was unusual even at this time of year.
Trips provide memories, and this trip was no exception. Surely at the top of most lists this year were the stunning views of Marbled Wood-Quail at El Paujíl and the Black-fronted Wood-Quail at Santa Marta. Others include the pair of Blue-and-yellow Macaws at their nest cavity; the beautiful and rare little Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird in the Inga tree near Reinita Cielo Azul; the gorgeous Black Inca glowing like a tiny beacon in dark forest understory; the large number of puffbirds we saw; the army ant swarm at El Paujíl with attendant birds; the remarkable roster of "black-and-white" antshrikes on this trip; six tapaculos (five seen, including some remarkably well); and the beautiful little male Gorgeted Woodstar at a feeder. For rarity I'd pick the Long-billed Curlew at Los Camarones; and for sheer perverseness (or bad luck), our inability to see, even reasonably well, the four different Santa Marta Screech-Owls we heard and managed to entice fairly close.
All in all it was a good trip with plenty of birds, no serious logistical problems, no security problems at all, and enough bumpy roads and trucks for even the hardiest travelers. I hope to see you again on another of the various routes we are planning for the future in Colombia.