Tailormade Birding Adventure to Colombia!

On a recent trip to Colombia, our tailormade manager, Robin Smith, had the opportunity to enjoy several days’ birding with a local guide in the south of this fascinating country, focusing on the western Pacific slope. Here he reports on his journey.

My birding adventure began in the southern city of Cali, where I arrived as the sun was beginning to sink towards the horizon. I was met by my guide and, as we left the airport, colourful Saffron Finches were plentiful and Blue-headed Parrots whizzed noisily overhead. We headed first for the lush forests that lie a short drive to the west of the city and as we passed through the Cauca Valley we encountered common species such as Smooth-billed Ani, Tropical Kingbird and Bare-faced Ibis in the fading light. Our guesthouse was located at the famous KM18 site, and having settled in we did a little spotlighting in the grounds which produced a pair of Kinkajou.

The following morning the delicious aroma of Colombian coffee roused the senses and the warming sun heralded a rush of colourful birds to the lodge’s feeders. Hummingbirds were plentiful, and included Booted Racket-tails, Long-tailed Sylphs, Purple-throated Woodstars and Blue-headed Sapphires. Tanagers, too, were well represented by the likes of Golden, Golden-naped, Saffron-crowned and, the star of the show, the endemic Multicoloured Tanager. Other notable birds included Redheaded Barbet and both Emerald and Crimson-rumped Toucanets. Afternoon walks along the nearby trails rewarded us with Scaled Fruiteaters, Whiskered Wrens and Metallic-green Tanagers. Arriving back at the lodge at the end of the day, we were greeted by a beautiful Andean Motmot, ticking its long tail like a grandfather clock — a satisfying end to an excellent day.

Our next day’s birding started in the nearby cloudforests of the San Antonio Reserve. Heading slowly up the mountain track on foot we encountered such notable birds as Golden-headed Quetzal, Green-and-black Fruiteater and Ocellated Tapaculo. On our way down, the clouds parted and we were treated to scenic views over the cloudforest canopy, as well as a low-flying Ornate Hawk-eagle and the tantalising calls of a Cloudforest Pygmy Owl, which remained concealed. A hearty Colombian soup set us up for the afternoon which was spent watching several male Cockof- the-rocks displaying at their lekking site. From here we headed further west, stopping for the night in the town of El Queremal which would allow us access to the delights of the Pacific slope over the coming days.

An early start fuelled by more Colombian coffee saw us commence our birding descent of the western Pacific slope which encompasses threatened ‘Choco’ habitat. The birding was excellent and included star species such as Glistening-green Tanager, Toucan Barbet and the endemic Greyish Piculet. Breakfast was taken at a small local café which had some feeders, providing us with an excellent opportunity to photograph such species as Flame-rumped and Rufous-throated Tanagers and Black-chinned Mountain-tanager. After breakfast we spent the rest of the day fully occupied in further descent through the moss-clad forests, making various stops at productive sites and finding a variety of special birds such as Rose-faced Parrot, Lita Woodpecker and Choco Toucan. Another incredible day!

Over the next two days we had the pleasure of exploring the low-lying ‘Choco’ and were treated to more spectacular forest birding. A huge ant swarm was flanked by no less than Ocellated, Bicoloured, Zeledon’s and Esmeraldas Antbirds, whilst other special birds included Scarlet-and-white Tanager, Spotcrowned Barbet and White-headed Wren. Sadly, and all too quickly, it was time to drag ourselves away from this birding paradise and make our way back to Cali. It had been a magical few days of birding amongst some stunning locations packed full of dazzling birds.

The team at Naturetrek Tailormade is ready and waiting to design your bespoke Colombia birding holiday. We can include cultural locations as well, such as the beautiful colonial town of Cartagena. Below we include a sample of the kind of itinerary that’s possible but, as ever, we are truly flexible and should be delighted to design a holiday that’s perfect for you.

To book or enquire about a Tailormade tour, click here.