WESTERN AND CENTRAL ANDES COLOMBIAN ENDEMICS BIRDING 

TOUR 2020   

 Buffy Heltmetcrest. Photo: Pablo Florez 

 

    

   

Introduction  This tour focuses on Colombian endemics and other specialities,                 visiting some of the hottest birding destinations. Enjoy 10 days in                     central Colombia with us. 450-500 species are possible to see on this                       tour, including around 35 endemics, 62 specialities and 12 Antpitta               species!!! This is a special tour made for birders who want to see the                         highest number of quality species possible in Colombia. Our efficient                   itinerary involves safe and easy access areas and easy to moderate birding.                       The tour necessarily operates on a tight schedule and includes some fairly                       long drives between different IBAs in order to find as many specialties as                         possible.  ITINERARY  Day 1. Medellin to Jardin After pick you up at the Medellin hotel we will drive to the nice coffee                             culture town. Jardin. It takes 3 h drive, but it will be some good birding                             stops on the way to look for birds like Antioquia Wren, Grayish Piculet,                         Apical Flycatcher, Colombian Chachalaca, Spectacled Parrotlet,           Yellow-back Oriole, Scrub Tanager, Crimsom-backed Tanager and lots               more. Once close to Jardin town we will visit feeders in a coffee farm.                           Lunch –check at hotel and we’ll finish the day at a nice Cock of the                             Rock Lek (maybe the best one of the world as you can see easily more                             than 10 males display at just 2-3 m from you). At this place there is a                               good chance to see the endemics Red-bellied Grackle, Crested Ant                   Tanager. Night in picturesque Jardin town. Balandu lodge. 

 Andean Cock of the rock. Photo Pablo Florez 

   Day 2. Jardin. Yellow-Eared Parrot Reserve Jardín is one of the one of most beautiful towns of Colombia. We’ll                         enjoy superb birding between 1900-3000 m asl, where we have a good                       chance to find one of the area’s most special birds, the critically                       endangered Yellow-eared Parrot (E). Other prized species here include                 Chestnut-crested Cotinga, Red-bellied Grackle, Tanager Finch,           White-capped, Red-hooded, Golden-crown, and Saffron-crowned         Tanagers, Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Golden-fronted Whitestart,         Barred Fruiteater, Citrine Warbler, Crimson-mantled Woodpecker,           Black and Chestnut Eagle, White-capped Tanager, Golden-headed             Quetzal, White-capped Dipper, Grey-hooded Bush Tanager, Mountain             Cacique and Golden-rumped Euphonia; Red-crested Cotinga,           Lacrimose-mountain Tanager, Slaty Brush Finch and more. Night in               Jardin. Today we will today a nice feeders and hire set by local farmer                           where we will look for Chestnut-naped Antpitta, Rufus Antpitta, Green                   and black Fruiteater, Grey-browed Brush Finch and sometimes               Ocellated Tapaculo, Tawny Breasted Tapaculo, and Chestnut-Wood             Quail plus some nice hummer like Sword-billed Hummingbird,               Mountain Velvetbreast. Night at Balandu lodge. 

 Yellow-eared Parrot. Photo: Pablo Florez 

 Chestnut-crested Cotinga. Photo: Pablo Florez 

Day 3. Jardin to Manizales with Birding stops Birding again on the road Jardin to Río Sucio to try missing birds and                           try the endemic Yellow-headed Brush Finch, we expect to see today                     birds like Tanager Finch, Black-capped Hemispingus, Ocellated             Tapaculo, White-capped Tanager, Chestnut-wood Quail, Red-hooded           Tanager, Grass-green Tanager, Hooded Mountain Tanager,           Black-collared Jay, Andean Pygmy Owl, Barred Fruiteater, Plushcap,               Golden-crowned Tanager,Tawny-breasted Tinamou, Powerful       Woodpecker and more. Night at Manizales or at Río Blanco reserve                     lodge (30 min drive from Manizales).  Day 4. Río Blanco This reserve, located on the western slope of the Central Andes,                     includes good cloud forest between 2100-2700 m. There are a number                     of great birds in Rio Blanco, including Masked Saltator, Rusty-faced                   Parrot, Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Dusky Piha, Ash-colored and             Ocellated Tapaculos, Tyrannine Woodcreeper, Sharpe’s Wren, Smoky             Bush-Tyrant, and Scaly-naped Parrots. The reserve also features the                 most amazing antpitta feeders anywhere, which attract 6 antpitta                 species: Brown-banded (E), Bicoloured, Chestnut-crowned,         Chestnut-naped, Undulated and Slate-crowned Antpittas, as well as               other shy birds like Grey-browed Brush-Finch (split from               Stripe-headed) and Slaty-backed Nightingale-Thrush. We just spend the day working different trails and feeders. Night at                       Río Blanco reserve lodge.  

 Brown-banded Antpitta. Photo: Pablo Florez 

 

Day 5. Páramo NP Los Nevados (3200-4000 asl) We will need to start driving in order to travel 1 hour to Los Nevados                             National Park. The views of snow-covered volcanic peaks are some of                     the most stunning stretches of the Colombian Andes in this region.   

 Crescent-faced Antpitta. Photo: Pablo Florez 

  

We’ll make stops along the road. This area of paramo is a special site                           for a number of scarcer hummers, including the famous Bearded                   (Now Buffy) Helmetcrest (E), Black-thighed and Golden-breasted           Pufflegs, Mountain Avocetbill, Rainbow-bearded Thornbill,         Purple-back Thornbill, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Shining Sunbeam,           and Buff-winged Starfrontlet. Other birds of note to be found here                     include: Rufous-fronted Parakeet (E), Scaly-naped parrot, Paramo             Tapaculo, White-browed Spinetail, Black-backed Bush Tanager,           Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, Andean Condor, Grey-breasted         Mountain-Toucan, Stout-billed Cinclodes, Tawny Antpitta, Crowned           Chat-tyrant, Black-collared Jay, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager,       Paramo Seedeater, Andean Tit-Spinetail, White-chinned Thistletail,           Plumbeous Sierra-Finch, Black-eared Hemispingus, and Plushcap           Finch. The feeders at this lodge are just amazing!! Quality                   hummingbird species!!! 

We also, open the time to visit a new spot to see a Crescent-faced                           Antpitta feeding station!!! Night Otun Quimbaya lodge.  

Rainbow-bearded Thornbill. Photo: Pablo Florez   Day 6. Otun-Quimbaya (1800-2200 m)  Otun features a charming lodge, surrounded by subtropical forest, and                 many of its special birds can be found just a short walk from our                           rooms. We’ll search here for Hooded Antpitta, Cauca Guan (E),                 Chestnut Wood-Quail (E), Grayish Piculet (E), Red-ruffed Fruitcrow,               Golden-plumed Parakeet, Moustached Antpitta, Chestnut-breasted       Wren, Wattled Guan, Black-winged Saltator, Torrent Duck,             Metallic-green Tanager, Variegated Bristle-Tyrant,       Plumbeous-crowned Tyrannulet, Green-fronted Lancebill,       Rusty-winged Barbtail, Streak-capped Treehunter, and others. Night             at Otun lodge.  

 Red-ruffed Fruitcrown. Photo: Pablo Florez 

 Torrent Duck. Photo Pablo Florez 

  Days 7 and 8. Montezuma.  NP Tatama (1300-2000 asl) This site can produce some really impressive birding, and in our                     opinion is one of the very best sites in the whole of Colombia. It’s a                           paradise for tanagers!!  Possibilities include two difficult Bangsia               species, Gold-ringed  (E) and Black-&-gold Tanagers (E), plus Crested                 Ant-Tanager (E), Purplish-mantled, Glistening-green, Multicoloured (E),           

Lemon-spectacled, Bush Tanager, Rufous-throated, Metallic-green,         Silver-throated and Flame-faced Tanagers plus Yellow-green (NE -               rare) and Yellow-throated Bush-Tanagers.   

 Hooded Antpitta. Pablo Florez 

 

 Purplish-mantled Tanager. Photo: Pablo Florez 

Other superb birds seen at the site include Munchique Wood-Wren                 (E), Dusky Starfontlet (E), Black Solitaire (NE), Chestnut-bellied               Flowerpiercer (E), Buffy Tuftedcheek, Fulvous-dotted Treerunner (NE),             Choco Vireo (NE), Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl (NE), Tanager Finch, Scarlet                 and White Tanager, Toucan Barbet (NE), Bicoloured Antvireo,               White-fronted Nunbird, Yellow-breasted Antpitta, Solitary Eagle,           Ornate and Black Hawk-Eagles, Rufous-breasted Antthrush,           Bronze-olive Pygmy-Tyrant, Yellow-breasted Antwren, White-headed         Wren (NE), Yellow-vented Woodpecker, Rufous-browed Tyrannulet,           Barred, Scaled, Orange-breasted Fruieaters, Olivaceous Piha, Olive             Finch, Uniform Treehunter (NE), Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner,           Yellow-collared (NE) and Chestnut-breasted and Yellow-collared           Chlorophonias. Also, there are fresh records of Greater Scythebill.   

 Gold-ringed Tanager. Photo: Pablo Florez 

  

And yes, there are hummingbird feeders! We’ll look for Empress                   Brilliant (NE), White-tailed Hillstar, Brown Inca (NE), Velvet-purple               Coronet (NE), Violet-tailed Sylph (NE), Purple-bibbed Whitetip and               Purple-throated Woodstar. The Montezuma Road is also home to                 Ocellated, Nariño (NE), Choco (NE) and the newly discovered Alto                   Pisones (E) Tapaculos!! 

 

Velvet-purple Coronet. Photo: Pablo Florez   

We’ll spend the two nights at the Montezuma Farmhouse (a simple                     but clean homestead located very close to some of the best birding                       spots.) The owners here are directly involved in the                 birding-conservation business, and the friendly welcome from our               hosts is matched only by the tastiness of the food!  Day 9. Montezuma and drive to Pereira –Cali. We’ll have birding till 10 or 11 am in Montezuma, looking for missing species. Then take a 5 h drive to la Huerta lodge plus stops at Sonso wetland to look for Jet Antbird, Dwarf Cuckoo, Ruby Topa, Apical Flycatcher, Buff-necked Ibis, Bronzy Ibis, Greyish Piculet, Grey Seedeater and more.Night at the very nice La Huerta Lodge (near Buga). 

Day 10. Upper Anchicaya ValleyA full day to focus on Km 18 and upper Anchicaya valley and the famous Doña Dora Feeders to with great stuff like Toucan Barbet, Moss-backed Tanager, Choco Brushfinch, -Scalet-rumped Toucanet, Chesnut-fronted Oropendula, 

Rufus-throated Tanager, Green Thorntail, Tooth-billed Hummingbird, Black-head Brush Finch, Red-headed Barbet, Black-chinned and Blue-winged Mountain Tanagers, White-lined Tanager. Plus all this, we will look on the surrounded forest for birds like Glistering-green Tanager, Purplish-mantled Tanager, Black Solitaire, Orange-throated Fruiteater, Yellow-collared Chloronia, Scaled Fruiteater, Choco Tapaculo, Crested Ant Tanager, Yellow-green Bush Tanager, Rufus-throated, Metallic-green, Silver-throated, Flame-faced Tanagers and Barred Hawk. On the afternoon we will take a 1.5 h drive to the low Anchicaya valley with some stops on the way. Night at Hotel El Danubio low Anchicaya. 

 

TocToucan Barbet. Photo: Pablo Florez 

  

Multicoloured Tanager. Photo Pablo Florez. Finca Alejandri feeders (1 km walk from faro 18 lodge) 

 Days 11. Anchicaya Valley low (200-1500 m.asl) 

Birding the lowlands to start with many choco specialties who habits                     this area. Some the our targets will be Sapayoa, Solitaire Eagle, Lita                       Woodpecker, Golden-chested Tanager and Moss Back Tanager,             Tooth-billed Hummingbird, Green Manakin, Blue-whiskered, Red           -winged, Emerald, Grey and Gold, Rufous-naped Tanagers, Stub-tailed,               Esmeraldas, Dull Mantled Antbirds, Spot-crowned and Five-coloured             Barbets, Pacific Flatbill, Slaty-capped Shrike Vireo, Lanceolated             Monklet, Black-breasted Puffbird, Lemon-Spectacled Tanager,         Spot-crowned Antvireo, Scarlet and White Tanager, Yellow-green             Bush Tanager, Choco Trogon, Baudo Guan, Semiplumbeous Hawk,               Dusky Pigeon, Indigo-crowned Quail-Dove, Lanceolated Monklet,           Plumbeous Forest Falcon, Orange-crested Flycatcher, Long-wattled           Umbrellabird, Slate-coloured Seedeater, Crested-Ant tanager, Choco           and Pisones Tapaculos. Night at the new hotel El Danubio (simple but                       new, comfortable, AC and wifi, very close to superb birding) 

 

Scarlet and White Tanager. Photo: from my friend Gleen Bartley (with his permission) 

 

Golden-chested Tanager. Photo: Pablo Florez 

Day 12. Anchicaya valley to Cali 

A day to dedicate to missing birds from the lowland to middle and high habitats and then get Cali by 5 or 6 pm. Dinner at Cali. End of the tour. 

 

Toot-billed Hummingbird. Photo: Pablo Florez 

Guides: Juan Lopez, Ivan Lau, Hernan Arias, Pablo Florez  Price   Western and Central Andes 12 days /11 nights trip.  Price $ 2850 USD /person Prices includes: All logistics, Birding guide full time , and local guide                       (Rio Blanco + Montezuma), good hotels- lodges and food (3 meals -3                       drinks/ day + basic snacks + water), ground transportation                 airport-airport, entry fees.  Not includes: local flights, Extra Drinks, Laundry, Medical care and                   other personal items, Single room: 320 US /person.     

Hints, Tips, Suggestions and Need to Know Information               For Your Birding Trip  General Location Information 

● Birding will primarily be on forested roads and some trails – difficulty is generally easy;  

● We will be birding elevations between 400 – 4,000 meters, asl (13,000 feet), mostly between 1300 and 2700 meters (4,265 feet and 8,858 feet). 

● We will experience all kinds of weather, but no special clothing is necessary 

● We will have electric power at all our destinations. There are sockets inside all rooms with 110 volt electricity.  

● We will have rooms with twin beds and private bathrooms.  ● There is hot water  ● Internet: this service is available inside most of the lodges and 

hotels. What to bring and general information 

● Please do not bring too much luggage. For domestic flights you can have 20 kg. ( 44 lbs.) and 5 kg. (11 lbs.) in hand luggage. Extra costs will be paid by you. 

● Lightweight comfortable clothing is recommended, i.e. standard field pants and shirts, for the entire trip.  

● At Piha Reserve, and Montezuma laundry can be done ● Sunblock and hat or cap, umbrella, and rain poncho are 

recommended ● Small flashlight for owling – we will have a strong owling light  ● Rubber boots are not really necessary. But, bring extra shoes or 

trekking/water shoes. The point is: you will probably get muddy one day! 

● You will need a fleece or other light jacket – NOT a heavy winter type coat/jacket. This is noted for the paramo. If you are a person that gets cold easily – perhaps a little more clothing, like a warm hat or light-weight gloves would be in order. 

● Please avoid using camouflaged or military clothing at most of the sites. 

● Shower thongs / rubber flip flops will be useful  

What I (guide) will have with me ● Recording gear, iPod, and speaker ● A telescope, laser pointer, owling light. I will be carrying Restall’s 

book (Birds of the North of South America) and the new field 

guide Birds of Colombia (from Proaves) Both can be found on www.amazon.com 

  Medical and Health Information  

● High altitude information you may find useful. Adjusting to higher altitude is a very individual thing. Some may feel no effects at all, some may have minor effects, and others may experience great difficulty.  

 You may feel the lack of oxygen, and will easily get "out of breath" for the first two or three days, so take it easy. You may feel a little nauseous, have a headache, or tire easily.. You will acclimatize to it by producing more red blood cells, so you should make sure you stay well hydrated, as the extra cells thicken your blood.  Drink lots of water, while avoiding alcohol or caffeine. Dehydration can make any effects of altitude worse. Try to avoid over-eating the first day.  Please keep in mind our birding tour will be over a wide range of altitudes – and we will be acclimatizing as we move through the different habitats.   By the time we reach the very high altitude of the Paramo we should be adjusted to the altitude. We will be taking our time, birding slowly, and enjoying ourselves. That being said, your safety and well-being is of first importance above all else. Therefore, I will be making frequent checks to make sure everyone is feeling well. If someone in the group isn’t feeling well our driver will be ready to take the person or the group to lower altitude very quickly.    There are medications available for altitude sickness. Please check with your doctor. For the headache, you can take an over-the-counter medicine, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve).  

● *Yellow Fever vaccination is required for travel to Colombia and other tropical countries.   

● Malaria and other tropical diseases are not present in our destinations.  We will be in areas with a few mosquitoes and other biting bugs. But, Insect repellent will be useful in the lowland areas. 

  Travel insurance  Our suggestion is that you use travel insurance service. The normal price of this tour cover travel insurance only inside the Proaves reserves Chesnut Capped Piha reserves. 

   Books:   The new pocket “Field guide to the birds of Colombia” (0,4 kg), by McMullan, Donegan & Quevedo (ProAves) recently came on the market the third edition. This guide is quite good and useful in the field. All birds are printed but some illustrations are small, and not the greatest.  The “Guide to Birds of Colombia” (1,3 kg) by Hilty & Brown is rather old (1986) but it is - apart from the changed taxonomy and new species – rather good. The plates are excellent. Unfortunately, only 75% of the species have illustrations.    Published in 2006 the “Guide to the Birds of Northern South-America” by Restall. It consists of 2 volumes. The first volume (Plates and Maps) (1,4 kg) is usually sufficient. Although it depicts all birds of Colombia and even subspecies, be aware that there are still a considerable numbers of errors in the book. Recommended for those who are already familiar with Colombian birds.    *CANCELLATION POLICY  WHEN A PERSON CANCELS HIS/HER PARTICIPANTION  Cancellation penalties and refunds are based on the following schedule:  

● Cancellations 100 days before the departure will result in a “cancellation fee” of $ 200/ person. 

 ● Cancellations 70 days before the departure will result in loss of 

deposit. But if you want to join to another Multicolor Birding Tour in the next 12 months, the cancellation fee will be $250 per person. 

 ● Cancellation 30 days before of the departure of the trip will result in 

the loss of 50 % of all monies paid by the participant. But if you want to join to another Multicolor Birding Tour in the next 12 months, the cancellation fee will be 20% of all monies paid per person. 

 TOUR CANCELLATIONS  We will always take all the possible measures to avoid cancelling or changing schedules for out tours. Please note – there are occasions when emergencies arrive, or situations are out of our control. Therefore, we reserve the right to cancel or change the itinerary of the tour. If it is necessary to cancel the tour we will make a full refund of all money paid by you to Multicolor Birding.  In the case that some clients cancel their participation. Alternatively the tour may be offered to run as planned, but with a surcharge subject to written agreement by the clients.  DELAYS AND CHANGES IN ITINERARY AND ACCOMMODATION Multicolor Birding does everything possible to operate the tour as                   advertised, There are conditions such as weather or road conditions                   that necessitate changing itineraries. Weather, flights and other               situations can be quite changeable and/or volatile and outside our                   control. If these conditions arise we may be required to make changes                       to the itinerary. In such circumstances, we reserve the right to alter the                         itinerary as necessary Multicolor Birding will always strive to offer an                     equivalent itinerary. We cannot be held responsible for any delay to                     your international flights or the consequences of airline cancellations                 or delays.    RESPONSIBILITY & LIABILITY  We have taken all possible care to ensure that the tours run as have been set properly arranged. However, Multicolor Birding Colombia 

and/or its Agents act only as agents for the passenger in regard with respect to all transportation and hotels. Therefore we accept no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity in connection with services of hotels, ground agents or any means of transport used in carrying out the tours, carrying the passengers, or in carrying out tour arrangements.  Multicolor Birding Colombia and its agents can accept no                 responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes                     in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, acts of terrorism,                       quarantine, closure of airports or other causes beyond our control. All                     such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the passenger, as tour                           rates provide for arrangements only for the time stated.  We reserve the right to send home, at their own expense, any person                         not conducting himself or herself in a manner compatible with the                     normal satisfactory operation of the tour. Multicolor Birding Colombia                 will not be liable for any refund or compensation should this situation                       arise. Baggage is at owner’s risk entirely.  FLIGHTS We do not include the cost of international airfare in our prices and deposits do not cover the cost of any flight tickets. Participants should only purchase tickets once they have received confirmation of the departure from Multicolor Birding Colombia.   Best Wishes and Good Birding Multicolor Birding