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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Hato L'aurora - Casanare, Colombia (1 Viewer)

R

Robert_Scanlon

Well-known member
Hi,

I am off to Hato L'aurora next month for a week, and struggling to find much information about birding around there, other than what's in the new Colombian site guide. If anyone has any information about the place, or tips or links to trip reports that include that area then I would be very grateful.
 
Hi Robert,

Not sure if you looked at their website: http://www.juansolito.com/. I don't know of any trip reports either; Cloudbirders doesn't seem to have any. My wife and I are going to Colombia in 10 days for some cruising around the Bogota area, and are taking the new "Birdwatching in Colombia" guide with us, as well as downloading the Google Earth waypoints they provide to our laptop. I don't think we'll get as far as Hato la Aurora, but we'll probably try to get to a few of the places near Villavicencio for some lower elevation species ... OK, hummers.

Jim
 
Yes thanks Jim, I did see that one. Looks like Venezuela is still the go to place for Llanos birding, but I'm surprised at the shortage of info from Colombia.

Good luck on your trip.
 
Just a quick follow up to the question i posed above in case anyone is heading there independently.

I've never been to the Venezuelan llanos so I can't give any comparisons, but certainly Hato La Aurora is worth a visit for anyone interested in Colombian birding. The logistics are a little tricky if you are getting there by public transport, but a lot cheaper than getting the reserve to collect you from Yopal ($400k COP each way). Unless you have a bit of spanish, get the reserve jeep.

I had a night at Juan Solito Lodge, 2 nights at Cascabel Station, 2 nights at Aguaverde and a final night at Juan Solito. The middle 4 nights were at basic accommodation. Cascabel was worth it in terms of being within easy reach of the best forest, but because of the harsh drought, Aguaverde had very little water, so wasn't really worth staying at...in hindsight I would have stayed at Juan Solito those two nights instead.

The area around Juan Solito is very birdy...there is always something to look at, and the two llanos endemics Pale-headed Jacamar and White-bearded Flycatcher are easy there.

The guide we had knew the trails etc. but his bird knowledge was restricted to some of the bigger things like Sunbittern and Crestless Curassow etc.

Overall it was a good experience, although quite expensive by Colombian standards. I would definitely recommend a three or four day stay there.
 
Robert, thanks for the follow-up info... we have sent a couple of tours to Hato La Aurora in the past year, all guided by Diana Balcazar who actually has traveled there SEVERAL times with her own groups too (https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=37587801@N02&q=aurora); I also know that Luis from Manakin Tours have gotten there a couple of times with his clients.

Some of our local birders have visited there too: https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=37587801@N02&q=aurora

Surely, we need to promote more our birding in the llanos!....
 
Hi Diego, I bumped into Luis again whilst I was there. I enjoyed the place a lot, though I will avoid semana santa if I go again.

Alan...the curassow wasn't too difficult, I saw one reasonably well if briefly and glimpsed a couple of others. Jurgen Beckers mentions seeing 8 in one morning here in his and Pablo Florez' Birdwatching in Colombia book.
 
Apologies for opening an old thread but I am going there in August
Robert a few questions
A) What sort of mammals could you see?
B) How did you get the contact information for Cascabel station?
C) I am very interested in nocturnal insects can you walk around in undergrowth etc at night at any of these places
 
Hi Davholla,

I wasn't looking for mammals and didn't do a night safari, so I am not the best person to ask about this. From memory I did see a few deer (white-tailed?) and plenty of capybara. There are Jaguars around but sightings are very rare even for the staff.

Cascabel is part of the reserve / ranch, so a trip there can be arranged from the main lodge.

I'm sure you could arrange to be taken out at night.
 
Robert,

Thanks for that Capybara is one of the mammals I would love to see in Colombia.
When I contacted the lodge they didn't mention Cascabel station, I will ask them about it, was the name in Spanish Quebrada Cascabel o Estacion Cascabel.

I am not very happy that they use the name Cascabel my wife is Colombian and she will be worried by that name as it is Rattlesnake.
 
I don't think they get many requests to go there....to be honest it's not that comfortable, you are basically sleeping in a hammock on the porch. You could probably day-trip it from the more tourist-oriented main lodge without too much trouble, and I would definitely do that unless your wife is willing to put up with very basic facilities.

I didn't see or hear of any rattlesnakes :) As for nocturnal insects, eating dinner at night by candlelight brought them in in almost plague proportions !
 
Robert,

Thanks for that your photos are great. Weren't you worried about taking such expensive gear to Colombia?

BTW with many Colombians the absence of snakes doesn't make their fears less one little bit.
 
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