Robert_Scanlon
Well-known member
Cheers Jonathan and Diego. I have had a brief word with Robert Giles who has promised some more info when he comes back from there next month.
-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
A tale of ten tapaculos - Colombia 2010 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter antshrike69
- Start date
antshrike69
Well-known member
Attachments
COLOMBIA Birding
Well-known member
indeed sounds like a very good place, it is a fortune that in Colombia nowadays we have at least 4 great places for Choco endemics in the W Andes.. Anchicaya & the old Buenaventura Road near Cali, Galapagos Road (between El Cairo and San Jose del Palmar), Montezuma Road/Peak in Tatama National Park (best for me!!) and this new one near El Carmen de Atrato.. Choco endemics rule!... some shots from AMAZING Montezuma area below (where last visit got my lifer Choco Vireo).
1. Endemic Gold-ringed Tanager.
2. Choco-endemic Violet-tailed Sylph female.
3. Endemic Black-and-Gold Tanager.
4. Tatama Peak seen from the GREAT local farm where all tours stay (unimaginable perfect service there from a local family!!!).
5. Choco-endemic Black-chinned Mountain-tanager.
absolutely, it is a nice nice one... likely to surprise someone at a new locality soon ;-)
Attachments
COLOMBIA Birding
Well-known member
It looks a bit like this:t:
WOW!... best pictures, well done!...
mine are not as good, but anyways, let's show them here so people gets mouth-watered and visit Colombia soon!
ENJOY !
1 & 2. mine
3. from Juan David one of our guides
and some nice videos here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR77UeR942c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXyA6hTsQMw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyuTxGy3nXY
Hope to make some good shots next week when I will get there with a client!!
Attachments
antshrike69
Well-known member
14/10/10 - Colibri del Sol
The forest at Colibri is a steep climb from the lodge and takes an hour even on horses. Once you get to the forest, there is a further steep climb to the páramo, so horses are advisable despite (?because of) the thrills involved. An hour after leaving base, and several more heartstopping equine stumbles later, I dismounted at the base of the steps which led up through the elfin forest.
On the left hand side of the forest edge is a single large flowering tree covered in yellow and red tubular blooms. This tree is excellent for flowerpiercers, although the dense foliage makes them hard to pick up. A first scan produced a Black-throated Flowerpiercer - this species has a truly isolated population here, maybe 2000 km from the main range to the south? As a result, it may prove to be a separate species, so is worth seeing. A brief Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer, a very local Colombian endemic and one of the reserve's star birds, also flashed briefly through the bins although the views were not good.
While I was waiting for better views of the CBF, a tapaculo called from the forest edge a few feet away. I played the tape and a Paramillo Tapaculo - another newly-described species - hopped up onto the mossy boulder I was sat on! Tapaculo number 11 for the trip and one of the flirtiest of the bunch so far, it gave crippling views as it indignantly searched for the intruder. Another was seen later and several others heard, so it is obviously common here. The birds were both much darker than the illustrations in McMullen et al.
Leaving the tapaculo be, I climbed the steep steps to the páramo edge with a brief stop at the hummingbird feeders along the trailside. Several Dusky Starfrontlets (the 3rd speciaility of this reserve) fed here - what a plain name for a truly spectacular hummer. The males are black with irridescent flashes of colour and jostled at the feeders alongside Sword-billed Hummer, Tourmaline Sunangel, Sparkling and Green Violetears, Collared Incas, Mountain Velvetbreasts and Glowing Pufflegs. Nearby, White-browed Spinetails crept through the undergrowth and other birds included Pearled Treerunners (common but gorgeous), Black-crested Warbler and a smart Plushcap in the bamboo. Chestnut-naped Antpittas sang distantly across the valley though I was unable to rouse any potentially nearer birds into song and a solitary Undulated Antpitta burbled its resonant song.
I was hoping for better views of Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer and played a tape of Andean Pygmy-Owl in the páramo. Four Black-throated Flowerpiercers came in angrily looking for the owl, bustling around the closest bushes and after 10 minutes of so, a single CBF joined them, allowing close inspection. Result!
Back at the antpitta feeders, the Urrao Antpittas were showing even better than yesterday and in better light, one bird coming within a few feet of the bench. Luis Rubelio's young boy joined me, and we watched the birds together. As we left the shelter, a male Torrent Duck paddled furiously upstream from the bridge, vanishing amongst the huge boulders in the river.
The forest at Colibri is a steep climb from the lodge and takes an hour even on horses. Once you get to the forest, there is a further steep climb to the páramo, so horses are advisable despite (?because of) the thrills involved. An hour after leaving base, and several more heartstopping equine stumbles later, I dismounted at the base of the steps which led up through the elfin forest.
On the left hand side of the forest edge is a single large flowering tree covered in yellow and red tubular blooms. This tree is excellent for flowerpiercers, although the dense foliage makes them hard to pick up. A first scan produced a Black-throated Flowerpiercer - this species has a truly isolated population here, maybe 2000 km from the main range to the south? As a result, it may prove to be a separate species, so is worth seeing. A brief Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer, a very local Colombian endemic and one of the reserve's star birds, also flashed briefly through the bins although the views were not good.
While I was waiting for better views of the CBF, a tapaculo called from the forest edge a few feet away. I played the tape and a Paramillo Tapaculo - another newly-described species - hopped up onto the mossy boulder I was sat on! Tapaculo number 11 for the trip and one of the flirtiest of the bunch so far, it gave crippling views as it indignantly searched for the intruder. Another was seen later and several others heard, so it is obviously common here. The birds were both much darker than the illustrations in McMullen et al.
Leaving the tapaculo be, I climbed the steep steps to the páramo edge with a brief stop at the hummingbird feeders along the trailside. Several Dusky Starfrontlets (the 3rd speciaility of this reserve) fed here - what a plain name for a truly spectacular hummer. The males are black with irridescent flashes of colour and jostled at the feeders alongside Sword-billed Hummer, Tourmaline Sunangel, Sparkling and Green Violetears, Collared Incas, Mountain Velvetbreasts and Glowing Pufflegs. Nearby, White-browed Spinetails crept through the undergrowth and other birds included Pearled Treerunners (common but gorgeous), Black-crested Warbler and a smart Plushcap in the bamboo. Chestnut-naped Antpittas sang distantly across the valley though I was unable to rouse any potentially nearer birds into song and a solitary Undulated Antpitta burbled its resonant song.
I was hoping for better views of Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer and played a tape of Andean Pygmy-Owl in the páramo. Four Black-throated Flowerpiercers came in angrily looking for the owl, bustling around the closest bushes and after 10 minutes of so, a single CBF joined them, allowing close inspection. Result!
Back at the antpitta feeders, the Urrao Antpittas were showing even better than yesterday and in better light, one bird coming within a few feet of the bench. Luis Rubelio's young boy joined me, and we watched the birds together. As we left the shelter, a male Torrent Duck paddled furiously upstream from the bridge, vanishing amongst the huge boulders in the river.
Last edited:
antshrike69
Well-known member
15/10/10 - onwards to Medellín
I woke at 4 am, shivering with the cold despite multiple blankets and a fairly inbuilt resistance to chilling. My bottled water was so cold that it hurt my teeth when I drank it!
Outside was also cold but clear, and the scenery was beautiful as ever. I paid the Urrao Antpittas a visit for the daylist (!) and then walked below the casa trying unsuccessfully to trick a Chestnut-naped into song. Masked Trogon and Spillman's Tapaculo (seen spontaneously on the side of the path) were the best birds. On the way back, I nipped into the feeders again, fully aware this might be my last experience with these confiding birds but ducked out and raced back to the lodge just as the heavens opened.
We needed to leave fairly early for the long walk back to the road, but Luis Rubelio had one final treat in store. He led me up a near vertical trail behind the house into some beautiful stunted mossy forest which resembled something out of Tolkein. Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Slaty Brush-Finch and Mountain Cacique were all nice, but he had a specific bird in mind. Some searching later, I was admiring a pair of Rufous-banded Owls at their day-roost, completely unconcerned by my attentions. A selection of pellets below the roost showed their diet to be chiefly small rodents, with mandibles present in each cast.
It was time to move on, and I elected to forego the traumas of horse-bound travel, walking instead with a horse following with my bag. A storm broke part way down the mountain, which made things interesting, but we arrived safely to find a smiling Jovani at the car.
Medellín is about 4 hours drive from Urrao but Jovani had a surprise in store. During an earlier journey, he had promised a bonus site for Greyish Piculet but, thanks to landslides, we had passed the site after dark. To my delight, we were passing the same site today and after a few hours drive, I was standing in a parking lot outside an aggregate yard. Although clearly unpromising, I decided to humour Jovani and tried the tape. Nothing. A few birds were calling, including Bar-crested Antshrike and I wandered off to get views, making the most of any antbirds as we neared trip end. I got back to the car to find Jovani grinning and saying he had just seen the piculet. Unlikely I thought. Maybe unbridled optimism. He insisted I play the tape again and predictably enough, a high-pitched trill came straight back from the large trees along the road. Seconds later, I had a pair of these tiny endemic woodpeckers working their way along the outer branches. A total bonus and a bird I had missed on previous trips. Thanks mate!
We pulled into the Hotel San Joaquin at 7 pm and had a welcome hot shower and shave. I said goodbye to Jovani, who was heading straight off for another private tour, and repacked my bags to allow for the 10 kg luggage allowance on the flight to Bahía Solano.
I woke at 4 am, shivering with the cold despite multiple blankets and a fairly inbuilt resistance to chilling. My bottled water was so cold that it hurt my teeth when I drank it!
Outside was also cold but clear, and the scenery was beautiful as ever. I paid the Urrao Antpittas a visit for the daylist (!) and then walked below the casa trying unsuccessfully to trick a Chestnut-naped into song. Masked Trogon and Spillman's Tapaculo (seen spontaneously on the side of the path) were the best birds. On the way back, I nipped into the feeders again, fully aware this might be my last experience with these confiding birds but ducked out and raced back to the lodge just as the heavens opened.
We needed to leave fairly early for the long walk back to the road, but Luis Rubelio had one final treat in store. He led me up a near vertical trail behind the house into some beautiful stunted mossy forest which resembled something out of Tolkein. Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Slaty Brush-Finch and Mountain Cacique were all nice, but he had a specific bird in mind. Some searching later, I was admiring a pair of Rufous-banded Owls at their day-roost, completely unconcerned by my attentions. A selection of pellets below the roost showed their diet to be chiefly small rodents, with mandibles present in each cast.
It was time to move on, and I elected to forego the traumas of horse-bound travel, walking instead with a horse following with my bag. A storm broke part way down the mountain, which made things interesting, but we arrived safely to find a smiling Jovani at the car.
Medellín is about 4 hours drive from Urrao but Jovani had a surprise in store. During an earlier journey, he had promised a bonus site for Greyish Piculet but, thanks to landslides, we had passed the site after dark. To my delight, we were passing the same site today and after a few hours drive, I was standing in a parking lot outside an aggregate yard. Although clearly unpromising, I decided to humour Jovani and tried the tape. Nothing. A few birds were calling, including Bar-crested Antshrike and I wandered off to get views, making the most of any antbirds as we neared trip end. I got back to the car to find Jovani grinning and saying he had just seen the piculet. Unlikely I thought. Maybe unbridled optimism. He insisted I play the tape again and predictably enough, a high-pitched trill came straight back from the large trees along the road. Seconds later, I had a pair of these tiny endemic woodpeckers working their way along the outer branches. A total bonus and a bird I had missed on previous trips. Thanks mate!
We pulled into the Hotel San Joaquin at 7 pm and had a welcome hot shower and shave. I said goodbye to Jovani, who was heading straight off for another private tour, and repacked my bags to allow for the 10 kg luggage allowance on the flight to Bahía Solano.
Last edited:
antshrike69
Well-known member
antshrike69
Well-known member
antshrike69
Well-known member
COLOMBIA Birding
Well-known member
Great stuff man!... you got nice times up there in Urrao where I am heading in a couple of days (also Anori and Jardin).. hope to go and find the Rufous-banded Owls cooperative for some pictures.
Superb you got the Piculet... this place was told to me by Carl Downing, then I told Luis Eduardo Uruena, and Jovani got the info there.. amazing, I really want to start working with Jovani for sure, amazing guy!!... (he is providing service for the Nov/Dec tour we have, but not driving himself unfortunately)..
The ranger from Urrao is Luis Rubelio and not Luis Eduardo..
keep posting!...
I am leaving in a couple of days and for sure want to see all story full and finished with Choco Lowlands, etc..
Superb you got the Piculet... this place was told to me by Carl Downing, then I told Luis Eduardo Uruena, and Jovani got the info there.. amazing, I really want to start working with Jovani for sure, amazing guy!!... (he is providing service for the Nov/Dec tour we have, but not driving himself unfortunately)..
The ranger from Urrao is Luis Rubelio and not Luis Eduardo..
keep posting!...
I am leaving in a couple of days and for sure want to see all story full and finished with Choco Lowlands, etc..
COLOMBIA Birding
Well-known member
Attachments
COLOMBIA Birding
Well-known member
LOVELY birds!.. enjoy some pics and videos at:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q="dusky starfrontlet"&w=27992517@N08
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=colombiabirdingdiego+++"dusky+starfrontlet"&aq=f
First pic below by Juanda one of our guides.. second one by Gina Nichol (Sunrisebirding) when they got it at JARDIN where it is a mega-rare hummer - last November!! [http://www.sunrisebirding.com/09ColombiaIII_web/report.htm]
Attachments
Last edited:
antshrike69
Well-known member
I can't praise Jovani enough and can give his details to anyone interested. Ecoturs suggested I have him as a driver to maximise the ease of the trip given I was travelling alone for much of the time. He was superb and knew all the sites.
Cheers for that Diego - that's what happens when you multitask! Somehow during the report, Luis Rubelio morphed into Luis Eduardo. Corrected now.
Hopefully I'll get this written before I fly to Mauritius tomorrow. If not, the last section will have to wait a few days. :t:
antshrike69
Well-known member
I've just noticed the location of the pic - how many records are there from Jardin?:eek!:
COLOMBIA Birding
Well-known member
Just a few... this one, luckiest one ever!, was the first and only one up to now for a birding group; no more than 3-5 have been seen in the area by local researchers that spend A LOT of time hanging out around!
manakin nature tours
New member
I am so happy that you can see Todd´s Parakeet and other very interesting birds in Ocaña! Bushbird is very good specie, CONGRATULATIONS. Thanks for you trip report, were great.
You know, when you need so help or another birding tour in Colombia, MANAKIN NATURE TOURS is the answer.
Luis Eduardo Urueña
[email protected]
You know, when you need so help or another birding tour in Colombia, MANAKIN NATURE TOURS is the answer.
Luis Eduardo Urueña
[email protected]
Have just joined BirdForum to post a few comments on this thread.
Photos of many of the birds will gradually appear on Surfbirds world rarities. (taken on this or similar trips)
http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/display.cgi?gallery=gallery16&start=61
Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird is now visiting a feeder at Cerulea and Mountain Grackles seem to have returned to the forest with groups of up to 15 present in both September and October.
If visiting Cerulea please consider a day trip to the nearby Pauxi Pauxi reserve which has some interesting species including a stake-out for Saffron-headed Parrot, Lita, Beautiful and Crimson-bellied Woodpeckers, Double-banded Graytail and Black-headed Brush-finch.
Robert FYI Las Tangaras is one hour jeep drive from El Carmen although you may be able to organize a motorbike. I have just returned from co-leading a tour there with Robert Ridgley and as Jonathan says it rocks. We scored a pair of Choco Vireos, point blank views of Cloud-forest Pygmy Owl, Crested-Ant Tanager, great flocks etc etc.
The Curassows seem to be becoming easier to see at Paujil. I have posted some video of a skulking male on the ProAves YouTube page. This was taken shortly before Jonathans trip, while visiting with Simon Thompson and a Venture Birding Group.
The last stop on the recent tour was at El Dorado lodge in the Santa Marta Mountains where, as well as multiple Santa Marta Woodstars, White-tailed Starfrontlets and Lazuline Sabrewings, two male Santa Marta Sabrewings were visting the feeders!!!!!!
Latest trip report can be found here. (From April)
http://www.ecoturs.org/?lang=en&page=reportc
If anyone has any specific questions I can be contacted at [email protected]. If I am slow to reply it is because I am in the field.
Trevor
Photos of many of the birds will gradually appear on Surfbirds world rarities. (taken on this or similar trips)
http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/display.cgi?gallery=gallery16&start=61
Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird is now visiting a feeder at Cerulea and Mountain Grackles seem to have returned to the forest with groups of up to 15 present in both September and October.
If visiting Cerulea please consider a day trip to the nearby Pauxi Pauxi reserve which has some interesting species including a stake-out for Saffron-headed Parrot, Lita, Beautiful and Crimson-bellied Woodpeckers, Double-banded Graytail and Black-headed Brush-finch.
Robert FYI Las Tangaras is one hour jeep drive from El Carmen although you may be able to organize a motorbike. I have just returned from co-leading a tour there with Robert Ridgley and as Jonathan says it rocks. We scored a pair of Choco Vireos, point blank views of Cloud-forest Pygmy Owl, Crested-Ant Tanager, great flocks etc etc.
The Curassows seem to be becoming easier to see at Paujil. I have posted some video of a skulking male on the ProAves YouTube page. This was taken shortly before Jonathans trip, while visiting with Simon Thompson and a Venture Birding Group.
The last stop on the recent tour was at El Dorado lodge in the Santa Marta Mountains where, as well as multiple Santa Marta Woodstars, White-tailed Starfrontlets and Lazuline Sabrewings, two male Santa Marta Sabrewings were visting the feeders!!!!!!
Latest trip report can be found here. (From April)
http://www.ecoturs.org/?lang=en&page=reportc
If anyone has any specific questions I can be contacted at [email protected]. If I am slow to reply it is because I am in the field.
Trevor
A few further comments
Bronze-tailed Thornbill may be scarce at Monterredondo but can be found fairly often in the Paramo at Chingaza NP. This makes a great day trip from Bogota with the possibilty of the endemic Brown-breasted Parakeet, near endemic Mattoral Tapaculo and Rufous-browed Conebill, a vocally distinct race of Rufous Antpitta and a wealth of Andean birds.
Yellow-browed Shrike Vireo often occurs in the Coffee plantations below the lodge at the Cerulea Warbler reserve. The more open nature of the habitat makes it easier to see here than in the mature forest at Paujil and Pauxi Pauxi(although with luck you can find it at both these sites).
Logistics are not very difficult at Las Tangaras. You simply have to hire a jeep as you do at El Cairo.
If you follow this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y118OHDDVJg and look hard you may find a male Blue-billed Curassow.
A very short clip of the ridge at Tangaras with a Spanish commentary can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaAPUysMG8
Hope this is of interest.
Trevor
[email protected]
www.ecoturs.org
www.proaves.org
Bronze-tailed Thornbill may be scarce at Monterredondo but can be found fairly often in the Paramo at Chingaza NP. This makes a great day trip from Bogota with the possibilty of the endemic Brown-breasted Parakeet, near endemic Mattoral Tapaculo and Rufous-browed Conebill, a vocally distinct race of Rufous Antpitta and a wealth of Andean birds.
Yellow-browed Shrike Vireo often occurs in the Coffee plantations below the lodge at the Cerulea Warbler reserve. The more open nature of the habitat makes it easier to see here than in the mature forest at Paujil and Pauxi Pauxi(although with luck you can find it at both these sites).
Logistics are not very difficult at Las Tangaras. You simply have to hire a jeep as you do at El Cairo.
If you follow this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y118OHDDVJg and look hard you may find a male Blue-billed Curassow.
A very short clip of the ridge at Tangaras with a Spanish commentary can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaAPUysMG8
Hope this is of interest.
Trevor
[email protected]
www.ecoturs.org
www.proaves.org
Robert_Scanlon
Well-known member
Thanks Trevor, some excellent information there. The day trip to Pauxi Pauxi sounds well worth doing.
Pauxi Pauxi may be worth more than a day trip.
Other species seen here during a weeks visit around September 2009 included Northern Royal Flycatcher, Tawny-throated Leaftosser, White-bibbed Manakin, Chestnut-breasted Wren, Pale-vented Thrush, Dull-mantled Antbird and Slaty-winged Foliage Gleaner. Sooty Ant-Tanagers are quite common and Beautiful Woodpeckers nest behind the guards house.
Recurve-billed Bushbird may still occur (although I could not find it) and multiple Chestnut-bellied Hummingbirds and Rufous-crested Coquette were photographed at a flowering tree by Ben Freeman and Murray Cooper on a seperate visit.
The reserve does not have any specific visitor accomodation but a room with basic bunk beds and a shared bathroom is available and meals can be provided. This would need to be arranged in advance with ProAves.
Regards
Trevor
[email protected]
www.ecoturs.org
www.proaves.org
Other species seen here during a weeks visit around September 2009 included Northern Royal Flycatcher, Tawny-throated Leaftosser, White-bibbed Manakin, Chestnut-breasted Wren, Pale-vented Thrush, Dull-mantled Antbird and Slaty-winged Foliage Gleaner. Sooty Ant-Tanagers are quite common and Beautiful Woodpeckers nest behind the guards house.
Recurve-billed Bushbird may still occur (although I could not find it) and multiple Chestnut-bellied Hummingbirds and Rufous-crested Coquette were photographed at a flowering tree by Ben Freeman and Murray Cooper on a seperate visit.
The reserve does not have any specific visitor accomodation but a room with basic bunk beds and a shared bathroom is available and meals can be provided. This would need to be arranged in advance with ProAves.
Regards
Trevor
[email protected]
www.ecoturs.org
www.proaves.org
Similar threads
