05 - 05 - 2014
From April 26 to May 4 (2014), we photographed birds of the Central and Western Andes of Colombia for 9 full days with Hisao Komori & Yasunobu Shiga from Japan. Komori & Shiga arrived in Bogotá on April 25th, taking a domestic flight to Cali the morning of the following day. Taking advantage of their landing in Cali, we visited Juan José Arango´s hummingbird feeders in the city and birded the famous Kilómetro 18 & San Antonio road above Cali, lodging at Finca Alejandría. We then moved into the tropical dry forest of El Vínculo reserve and visited the Sonso marshes near Buga, Otún-Quimbaya Wildlife Sanctuary above the city of Pereira, Cameguadua marsh in Chinchiná, Los Nevados National Park and Río Blanco nature reserve near Manizales, finishing at Recinto del Pensamiento.
We photographed 175 species of birds, including 25 species of hummingbirds, 23 species of tanagers, 21 species of flycatchers, 8 species of woodpeckers, 5 species of woodcreepers, 5 species of Brush-Finches, 4 species of antpittas and 3 species of ibises, among other birds.
Some of the highlights included photographing male & female Torrent Duck, White-capped Dipper, Sickle-winged Guan, Cauca Guan (endemic), Colombian Chachalaca (endemic), Buff-necked & Glossy Ibis, Blackish Rail, Purple Gallinule, Golden-plumed Parakeet (endangered), Spectacled Parrotlet, Masked Trogon, Highland Motmot, Red-headed Barbet, Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Grayish Piculet (endemic), Andean Tit-Spinetail, Pearled Treerunner, Bar-crested Antshrike (near-endemic), Paramo Tapaculo, Black-throated Pygmy-Tyrant, Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher, Pied Water-Tyrant, Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant, Apical Flycatcher (endemic), Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, Green Jay, Chestnut-breasted Wren, Plushcap, Slaty Finch and Golden-fronted Whitestart (near-endemic).
Among the tanagers, we photographed the Scarlet-bellied, Buff-breasted & Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager, Flame-rumped, Blue-capped, Fawn-breasted, Golden-naped, Blue-necked, Scrub, Blue-and-black, Beryl-spangled, Saffron-crowned, Golden and Guira Tanager.
Among the very nice hummingbirds, we photographed well the White-necked Jacobin, three species of Violetears (Sparkling, Brown & Green), Black-throated Mango, Tourmaline Sunangel, Wedge-billed & Speckled Hummingbird, Long-tailed Sylph, Greenish Puffleg, Bronzy & Collared Inca, Booted Rackettail, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, White-bellied & Purple-throated Woodstar (near-endemic), Green-crowned Woodnymph, Andean & Western Emerald, and the amazingly beautiful Bearded Helmetcrest (near-endemic) in the high mountains of the Central Andes.
At Río Blanco it was a joy to photograph up close the Brown-banded, Chestnut-crowned and Slate-crowned Antpittas, and the Tawny Antpitta at Los Nevados National Park.
Komori, Daniel & Shiga visiting the hummingbird feedes at Recinto del Pensamiento in Manizales.
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