Colombia - August 2023 - Day 1 - Cundinamarca

Normally I begin every trip report with a "Logistics and Itinerary" style post, detailing how I got there, where I went, my preparation and things people may find useful. This trip was a little different though as it was not strictly a birding trip at all. Birds did of course feature but this was primarily a people trip. For many many years I have had a Colombian colleague called Albert. I've known him from the day he arrived in this country, and watched in admiration as he has made his way. Whilst I have a professional relationship with him, over time a family friendship has developed as well. I've got to know various members of his family, and he and his mine. Last year he invited me to meet even more of them in Colombia. He was spending some time there on a break from work, introducing his newborn son to his relatives and frankly relaxing after a long stint working for me! A plan was hatched whereby I would squeeze in a few days in Colombia at his Mum's finca in Casanare, to the east of the Andean chain, enjoying a Colombian family get-together and seeing a side of the country that as a birding tourist in 2022 I hadn't. As such there are not really any logistics to talk about. I booked a cheap flight via Madrid like last time and that was about it.

As in 2022 when, concerned for my safety in big bad South America, Albert's dad had met me at El Dorado to hand me over to Alejandro the Mannakin Nature Tours guide, this time Albert and his cousin were at Bogota to meet me off the plane at an ungodly 4am. Along with Alejandro again, now of Tanager Photo Tours! Yes readers, you know me, I had organised a day of birding before the family festivities kicked off. This was the principal reason it was so critical I made my flight, I had really not wanted to miss this one-off day. I gave Albert my suitcase, organised a time to meet him later on, and departed east with Alejandro and his companion. Destination: the western slope of the Cordillera Oriental. The trip the previous year had taken in some of the Central and Western Cordilleras, each with their own birds, and so the thinking was that even though this was pretty close (as the Cotinga flies) to where I'd been birding before it would result in a host of new species. And so it proved.

Our first stop was the Reserva Forestal Carpatos, about two hours drive from the airport towards Guasca. The first half hour or so is through Bogota, and when you reach the eastern suburbs you then begin to climb up and up. Apparently Alejandro cycles this route for fun... As is normal with tropical birding, once you find a good road it is then just a question of stopping the car at promising spots and having a listen. In this way we found Black-billed Mountain Toucan, Speckle-faced Parrot, and Chestnut-crowned Antpitta. There were also Scarlet-bellied and Buff-breasted Mountain Tanagers, a truly magnificent Beryl-spangled Tanager, and a couple of Longuemare's Sunangel, which as you may have guessed with a name like that is a Hummingbird. The full list is linked in the site name above.

The habitat around Carpatos

We carried on up the road known as the Reserva Bioandina entrance track. This was a rural area with fields on the lower slopes and forest on the higher steeper sections, and as we progressed the forested areas became thicker even though we continued birding from the road. One of our stops was at a smallholding that had been set up with feeders as is typical in Colombia, and here I laid to rest my 2022 poor views of Sword-billed Hummingbird, as well as getting great views of Lesser Violetear, Tyrian Metaltail, Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Mountain Velvetbreast and White-bellied Woodstar. Pale-naped Brushfinch were also visiting the feeders here. Would that I had had a proper camera but such is life. At least I was here though, what a disaster that would have been! A highlight along this section of the track was - remarkably I might add - another Antpitta for my collection, Muisca Antpitta. Alejandro heard this calling from deep within cover and managed to momentarily lure it close enough to the edge for me to be able to see it. This is basically another version (of many) of the Rufous Antpitta, which was split into a million different species in about 2020. Think a small orangey blob with almost no tail that likes hiding a lot. The full list of birds seen on this part of the trip is above.

Pale-naped Brushfinch

Lesser Violetear

This area was the furthest east we would go and took up the entire morning, so around lunchtime we were on our way back west to Bogota via some more sites and a picnic. The first of these was the Reserva Natural El Zoque, a montane/semi-paramo habitat which we had driven through earlier in the morning. I think I am right in saying that this is the highest section of the Bogota to Guasca road, and as such had the possibility of some different species. We were challenged by thick cloud (you are at 3,300m here) and sporadic driving rain, but nonetheless managed to see Andean Siskin, Glowing Puffleg, Great Sapphirewing, Bronze-tailed Thornbill, Black-chested Mountain Tanager and Mountain Elaenia. 

Our final stops were at a lower elevation specifically looking for Bogota Rail. The first of these was just to the west of Guasca, in some pools behind the Hotel Pedro Paramo. This stop added a number of wetland species to the day list, and another new Hummingbird with Green-tailed Trainbearer in the reeds. We were successful with the Rail, with two seen well on the edge. Sadly I deleted a crappy phone video I took as it was taking up too much space and to retain it would have meant yet another monthly subscription to Google for more space. However if you imagine a Water Rail you are basically there. As the name suggests it is endemic to this one tiny area of Colombia and there are not many of them - I was pleased to be able to squeeze it in. Another stop at the Gravilleras de Capilla de Siecha added another three Rails, as well as a Noble Snipe. 

Alejandro and I at the end of the day

Our final stop of the day was along a backroad from Capilla de Siecha to El Salitre. This added some Sparkling Violetear, Silvery-throated Spinetail, Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant, Brown-bellied Swallow and a few more Great Thrush. We had been going for about 12 hours and I was pretty exhausted having come off an overnight flight, but it had been a successful day and we had seen just under 100 species, not bad going at all. Alejandro dropped me at Albert's wife's parents' apartment in eastern Bogota where I enjoyed a deep and restful sleep whereupon I had a quick shower and we all went out for the evening to a rooftop restaurant in central Bogota to celebrate his birthday until the small hours.