Carrying on our travel in Colombia we moved to Minca as the gateway to the legendary Santa Marta Mountains. Here we had booked three days with Cristian Manrique (Instagram Manrique Birding and WhatsApp +57 310 7364337). Cristian was recommended by Joel one of our best guides in Mexico and he was absolutely fantastic – great at bird ID (in flight, by sound) and picking out a sulky bird deep in the vegetation. We had a wonderful three days with him and you should definitely book him for birding in Colombia.
Day 1 – Around Minca
On our first day we focused on birding around Minca so from about 600-900m. We started with a lovely interaction with a Collared Aracari hunting along a branch and eating a couple of huge millipedes. This is a beautiful bird with its piecing eye, jagged bill and fiery colours.
Other highlights from our first morning included Blue Ground Dove, Chivi Vireo, the hard to see Rosy Thrush Tanager and photographed below Swallow Tanager, Crimson Backed Tanager, Chestnut Capped Warbler, Crested Oropendola and Streaked Flycatcher.
In the afternoon we invited a couple of backpackers we met over lunch to join us on a walk around the outskirts of the town. Pleased to add Shiny Cowbird and Yellow-Oriole to my life list. However seeing a King Vulture quite close and a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl being mobbed by a mixed flock were probably the highlights of the walk.
Day 2 – Drive to Mountain House
On our second day we drove to Mountain House at 1700m where we spent the night. This day was wonderful birding adding most of the lower level endemics such as Sierra Nevada Bushfinch and Santa Marta Antbird.
It wasn’t just birds that caught our eye either but opportunities to view local insects and fungi too.
Before arriving at the lodge for lunch we were enjoying a troop of Red Howler Monkeys when a Becard caught Cristian’s excellent eye. This turned out to be a super rare for this area Black and White Becard and we worked hard to get a photo showing its tail from underneath to support the record. We also heard the very hard to see Scaled Antpitta close but did not see it before lunch called us to the lodge.
Once at the Mountain House lodge we enjoyed lunch whilst seeing 28 species visit the wonderful feeder setup. It was a great opportunity to focus on the photography over the birding and get some great shots of hummingbirds and tanagers. We did also add another lifer when a Groove-Billed Toucanet arrived for some fruit.
After a rest in the afternoon we went out again and walked above the lodge hoping to see the Scaled Antpitta we had heard before lunch. Cristian our awesome guide had only ever heard this bird so it would be special for him too. After about 40 minutes our patience was rewarded! Soon after we also saw the Grey-Throated Leaftosser also difficult to see. After dusk we were delighted to first hear and then see the recently named Santa Marta Screech Owl another wonderful endemic.
Day 3 – San Lorenzo Ridge
We were up at 3.30am to take the slow 4×4 drive to 2,600m and the legendary San Lorenzo Ridge. On the way we saw a Mottled Owl. Once on the ridge we took a few minutes to watch the sunrise with a blanket of cloud far below us.
But before long it was back to birding and the endemics and lifers came quick and fast – Band-Tailed Guan, Sierra Nevada Antpitta, Brown-Rumped Tapaculo, Montane Woodcreeper, Streak-Capped Spinetail, Rusty-Headed Spinetail, Black-throated Tody-Tyrant, Hermit Woodwren, Santa Marta Warbler, Yellow-Crowned Redstart, Black-Cheeked Mountain Tanager – it really was wonderful birding in a beautiful location. We did dip on the Santa Marta Parakeet (it is nesting now so not a great time to see it) but I don’t mind having a reason to come back to this wonderful place.
A short break for breakfast and coffee before heading to a lower elevation for some more birding including a visit to a few hummingbird feeders.
Heading further down the mountain the forest returned and Cristian had saved a couple of special nest sites for us. First the White-Tipped Quetzal. Then we waited for a Southern Emerald Toucanet which didn’t show but often with nature just standing still reveals something special, in this case a busy pair of Olive-Stripped Flycatchers building their nest. Lastly a pair of Scarlet-Fronted Parakeets.
Absolutely wonderful birding here and a truly top birding destination. So far in Colombia I have seen 144 bird species of which an incredible 70 have been lifers. It is a sign of the quality of the location and our great guide Cristian that I have seen more lifers here than any other location since the very start of our trip – Mexico – where even a Great Tailed Grackle was a lifer! We leave Minca with a trip total of 727 species. That said we don’t expect this total to stand still as we are heading to the Andes and more birding!
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Incredible diversity! So glad you are having such great luck. Thanks for sharing.