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Trip report: Amazonian lowlands of Mitu, Colombia (1 Viewer)

M

madpitta

Well-known member
United States
Hello all,

Just wanted to post a trip report from my recent trip to the amazonian lowlands of Mitu, Colombia. We recorded 303 species of birds (272 seen and 31 heard only) including many specialities of the area in effectively 7 days of birding (Grey-bellied & Chestnut-crested Antbird, Orinoco Piculet, Pompadour Cotinga, Azure-naped Jay, Guianan Cock-Of-The-Rock etc).

This was the last week of my month long trip to Colombia. I am writing one for the entire trip as well (31 days) but that is in a different style altogether (brief & no diary).

This is a seldom visited area but it is expected to become popular over the next few years. I highly recommend it and yes it is safe :).

Detailed trip report with maps & pictures: http://www.travellingbirder.com/tripreports/reports/120413215200_birding_trip_report.pdf

Enjoy,
Pritam.
 
madpitta said:
Hello all,

Just wanted to post a trip report from my recent trip to the amazonian lowlands of Mitu, Colombia. We recorded 303 species of birds (272 seen and 31 heard only) including many specialities of the area in effectively 7 days of birding (Grey-bellied & Chestnut-crested Antbird, Orinoco Piculet, Pompadour Cotinga, Azure-naped Jay, Guianan Cock-Of-The-Rock etc).

This was the last week of my month long trip to Colombia. I am writing one for the entire trip as well (31 days) but that is in a different style altogether (brief & no diary).

This is a seldom visited area but it is expected to become popular over the next few years. I highly recommend it and yes it is safe :).

Detailed trip report with maps & pictures: http://www.travellingbirder.com/tripreports/reports/120413215200_birding_trip_report.pdf

Enjoy,
Pritam.
Click to expand...

Pritam, thanks for sharing a so nice trip report of this amazing area!! ... enjoyed your details and comments on birds, sites, etc.
Congratulations on the Point-tailed Palmcreeper that indeed is a novel bird for this area; anyways, it had been already recorded by us in one of the training field-trips with the SENA local indigenous guides back in December. We got photographic (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55556336@N05/6905100353) and voice evidence and a short note on this important range extension is already on it's way to be published.
Saludos!
Diego.
 
Hi Diego,

Thanks for informing about the Dec 2011 discovery of PTPC from Mitu. Coming to think of it, considering the relative ease with which we found the PTPC, its surprising that it wasnt recorded until as late as Dec 2011 :)

Yes Mitu has lot of very nice specialities and a decent chance of seeing all of them. There is even a recent record of Harpy Eagle from Cerro Urania which we didnt know about at that time. Its biggest advantage is the price point though and I hope it remains that way. Similar places in Brazil & southern Venezuela will cost an arm & a leg.

Colombia was an amazing country to bird in. It requires lot of travel just like north-east Brazil but the rewards are worth it. I hope to come again sometime to bird in the Choco lowlands, the ProAves reserves in the Mid-Magdalena Valley and also catch up on Turquoise Dacnis & Tanager Finch in the Andes. Both were very high on my priority list but dipped! :).

Thanks,
Pritam.
 
madpitta said:
Hi Diego,

Thanks for informing about the Dec 2011 discovery of PTPC from Mitu. Coming to think of it, considering the relative ease with which we found the PTPC, its surprising that it wasnt recorded until as late as Dec 2011 :)

Yes Mitu has lot of very nice specialities and a decent chance of seeing all of them. There is even a recent record of Harpy Eagle from Cerro Urania which we didnt know about at that time. Its biggest advantage is the price point though and I hope it remains that way. Similar places in Brazil & southern Venezuela will cost an arm & a leg.

Colombia was an amazing country to bird in. It requires lot of travel just like north-east Brazil but the rewards are worth it. I hope to come again sometime to bird in the Choco lowlands, the ProAves reserves in the Mid-Magdalena Valley and also catch up on Turquoise Dacnis & Tanager Finch in the Andes. Both were very high on my priority list but dipped! :).

Thanks,
Pritam.
Click to expand...


Pritam, yes, indeed.. the Harpy Eagle was at Urania (https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.ne...589877942_720932941_12486123_1659070776_n.jpg) by Lieven De Temmerman group..amazing!
Mitu has to be birded more and more, loads of surprises to come for sure!
saludos, Diego.

ps. if you are in Facebook you can get to see Lieven photo album here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150750587602942.504370.720932941&type=3
enjoy! ;-)
 
I am not on facebook but I cant access it from my wife's account either. Maybe the album is not public.

I would suggest trying for Yapacana Antbird and Guianan Streaked Antwren in Mitu. We were not able to get to extensive areas of igapo/varzea but maybe Yapacana Antbird is possible in such areas. Afaik there are unconfirmed reports of the antwren already and even we came across one suspicious pair which we couldnt confirm (so not listed). Zimmer's Tody-Tyrant is also a possibility as already suspected by others.
 
Diego,

Thanks a bunch for asking him to make it public and thanks to Lieven of course for these brilliant photos. This is probably the definitive photo gallery for Mitu.

For unknown reasons, vocal activity was quite low when we visited. We also saw many birds with nesting material which means they might have claimed territories already. We did rake up a good trip list because of hard work but missing the fairly common White-naped Seedeater was unexpected. Avery was birding there at the same time as us and his opinion about the activity level was the same. Maybe Mitu is best in January or early Feb. But then again maybe it had something to do with the weather that the birds were silent. Oddly enough, in our first three weeks we found the Eastern Andes to be very wet and the rest of Colombia to be very dry (which I understand is opposite to expectations).

~Pritam.
 
madpitta said:
This is probably the definitive photo gallery for Mitu.
Click to expand...

Lieven managed to get amazing shots and great birds.. you have also to check Ian Davis' (AMAZING) photographs here:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=vaupes&w=54107105@N00&ss=2&s=int

!!!!

madpitta said:
For unknown reasons, vocal activity was quite low when we visited. We also saw many birds with nesting material which means they might have claimed territories already. We did rake up a good trip list because of hard work but missing the fairly common White-naped Seedeater was unexpected. Avery was birding there at the same time as us and his opinion about the activity level was the same. Maybe Mitu is best in January or early Feb. But then again maybe it had something to do with the weather that the birds were silent. Oddly enough, in our first three weeks we found the Eastern Andes to be very wet and the rest of Colombia to be very dry (which I understand is opposite to expectations).
Click to expand...


It was also a bit quite when we hit there last time in December... judging by species recorded, A.Spencer/N.Athanas/I.Davis trip in June was VERY VERY good time! even there is flooded unreachable areas.
http://antpitta.com/tripreports/Mitu_Colombia_June2011_Athanas.pdf

weather is been a bit crazy and 'patterns' been broken a bit in the couple recent years.. August that is normally dry and windy in the Andes, and not best for birding, is been really good recently ;-)

saludos,
Diego.
 
Yeah I have seen Nick's trip report & Ian's gallery. The report was quite helpful leading up to my trip.

Regardless of bad weather, I loved the Colombia trip - it was a success ~930 species and lots of specialities. But my one regret is leaving my camera in the lodges or not attempting to take photos even when opportunities presented themselves. Next time I will take photos thats for sure.

~Pritam.
 
madpitta said:
Diego,


For unknown reasons, vocal activity was quite low when we visited. We also saw many birds with nesting material which means they might have claimed territories already.
Click to expand...

Here in the Ecuadorian Amazon, birds have also been relatively quiet since about mid-March, and this is typical. Many (although not all) seem to begin breeding in January and February, and afterward become much less vocal. Some, like the Lawrence's Thrush and Piratic Flycatcher, have stopped singing altogether, while many others are still singing but much less frequently.

I'd love to read your report, the station where I'm working doesn't have enough bandwidth to open a pdf- but I'll read it when I get home in a week:t:
 
ovenbird43 said:
Here in the Ecuadorian Amazon, birds have also been relatively quiet since about mid-March, and this is typical. Many (although not all) seem to begin breeding in January and February, and afterward become much less vocal. Some, like the Lawrence's Thrush and Piratic Flycatcher, have stopped singing altogether, while many others are still singing but much less frequently.

I'd love to read your report, the station where I'm working doesn't have enough bandwidth to open a pdf- but I'll read it when I get home in a week:t:
Click to expand...

Thanks. This probably explains the low levels of vocal activity and confirms my own suspicions about the cause. Also implies that although we did pretty good in early March, we might have seen more with the same amount of effort, if we went a month earlier ;).

I have noted the location of the Pompadour Cotinga sighting in my report (a brilliant male, which is uncommon given that mostly females or drab males are sighted). An interesting observation was of a female PC attending a mid-canopy feeding flock with tanagers and flycatchers in open stunted white-sand forest.

Good luck on your research in Ecuador - sounds very exciting to be in the field due to work rather than scrounging for time off from regular work :)
 
Since the Travellingbirder website is down, I've been getting private requests for the Mitu birding trip report. For convinience, I am attaching it here. Enjoy!

~Pritam.
 

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