Birding the Central Andes Part 1

Posted byMichael CookPosted in2. International, Colombia, South AmericaTags:, , , , , , , , ,
Andean Antpitta bird perched on a mossy branch, birding in the Central Andes.

Is Colombia the best country for birding in the world? I just think it might be!

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1 Day 1 – El Cedral and Otun Quimbaya (Cloud Forest)
2 Day 2 – Rio Blanco (Cloud Forest)
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5 Discover more from WildScot Photography

Certainly, it has been the best country of this trip so far and any country I have ever birded in for that matter.

It has more species than any other country in the world (over 1,900). It has some incredible lodges and feeder setups where you can see loads of quality birds from the comfort of an armchair (seriously!). It has super skilled and hardworking guides (see below for a recommendation). The climate in this area along with the presence of feeders means that you can literally bird productively from dawn to dusk if you want to and have the energy to do so.

My wife and I have just finished five incredible days of birding with Luz and Pablo of Adventures Colombia and they have been fantastic so super happy to recommend them to anyone coming here to bird this wonderful country. Super bird guides, great logistics and planning, lovely people to spend time with, professional up and coming company here in Colombia.

Day 1 – El Cedral and Otun Quimbaya (Cloud Forest)

Since we are on a long trip we do not get to choose the best time of year to visit a country and we came to Colombia in the rainy season. And today it rained all day but fortunately this was the only day this was the case. For this reason I have less photos for day 1.

On the drive into the reserve we saw a movement on the road which turned out to be a Moustached Ant-pitta – not bad start to the day! Despite the rain birding at first light in the cloud forest El Cedral was productive seeing several new birds such as Sickle Wing Guan, Red-Ruffed Fruit Crow, Andean Motmot, Southern Emerald Toucanet, Montane Woodcreeper and Montane Foliage Gleaner, Andean Solitaire, and many more.

Moving to the river I had a moment reminiscent of Scotland. Swap Black Phoebe for Grey Wagtail and White-Capped Dipper for our Dipper and I could have been stood by a river at home. The Torrent Duck was a lovely new bird too living up to its name.

  • Andean guan perched on a mossy branch in a lush, green forest setting.
    Sickle Winged Guan
  • Black-collared Thrush bird perched on a branch with orange and black plumage.
    Red-Ruffed Fruit Crow
  • Black phoebe bird perched in green grass. Dark bird with white markings, foraging in nature.
    Black Phoebe
  • American dipper bird perched on a mossy rock near a stream
    White-Capped Dipper
  • Red-breasted merganser duck swimming in a fast-flowing river with white water rapids.
    Torrent Duck
  • Torrent Duck on a mossy rock near water. Orange and black plumage, red beak and feet.
    Torrent Duck

Moving on to Otun Quimbaya which offered some shelter from the rain the new birds kept coming – Cauca Guan, Bare-Faced Ibis, Marble-Faced Bristle Tyrant. The tanagers offered a welcome boost of colour amid the grey skies with Blue-Necked, Flame-Rumped and Fawn-Breasted all being new for me.

  • Grey-headed chachalaca bird perched in a tree eating berries, surrounded by lush green foliage.
    Cauca Guan
  • Glossy ibis wading in green grass during a rain shower.
    Bare-Faced Ibis
  • Mockingbird perched on a mossy branch surrounded by green leaves.
    Tropical Mockingbird
  • Northern mockingbird perched on a mossy branch, looking down. Birdwatching image.
  • Turquoise Dacnis bird perched on a branch
    Blue-Necked Tanager
  • Orange-breasted Fruiteater bird perched on a branch with lush green leaves in a rainforest setting.
    Flame-Rumped Tanager
  • Rufous-collared sparrow perched on a mossy branch, its feathers fluffed against the cold.
    Rufous Collared Sparrow
  • Hummingbird perched on a branch near a red flower.
    Bronzy Inca
  • Small yellow bird perched on a mossy branch, blending with the green foliage
    Orange-Bellied Euphonia
  • Yellow weaver bird feeding chicks in nest.
    Saffron Finch feeding young
Day 2 – Rio Blanco (Cloud Forest)

We actually arrived at Rio Blanco late on day 1 (we slept here) but in time to see the incredible feeder set ups and get the camera out! The hummingbirds took centre stage but hoping for better light I held back shooting these with the needed fast shutter speed. But lifers in Tourmaline Sunangel, the spectacular Long-Tailed Sylph, Bronzy and Collared Incas and Buff-Tailed Coronet were all added in first few minutes. Also offering fine views were White-Sided and Masked Flowerpiercers, Chestnut-Bellied Chat-Tyrant and Andean Guan. All of this from an undercover lodge viewing platforms to keep the rain out and I was in birding heaven.

  • Chestnut-breasted antwren perched on a branch in lush, green foliage.
    Chestnut-Bellied Chat-Tyrant
  • Grey-headed Chachalaca bird perched among lush green foliage in a natural habitat.
    Andean Guan
  • Green hummingbird perched on a branch, showcasing its vibrant plumage.
    Buff-Tailed Coronet
  • Green-crowned brilliant hummingbird perched on a mossy branch.
    Long-Tailed Sylph
  • Green-crowned brilliant hummingbird perched on a lush green leaf, showcasing vibrant colors.
  • Hummingbird perched on branch next to large leaf in lush, green rainforest environment.

Certain bird families deserve special mention here – first up Antpittas. Rio Blanco has some of the best Antpitta hides in Colombia (and therefore the world). The dedication needed to develop this setup – feeding the birds every day at the same time with the same routine – was significant. But for us it meant close views, amazing encounters and some pretty fine photos. The Antpittas were supported by other birds too including Fruiteaters and some outrageously named Hemisphingus’s which challenges my spelling skills to the limit. Checkout slide show below – I am even in one of the photos!

  • Rufous antpitta bird perched on moss. Detailed view of the colorful plumage and natural habitat.
    Bicoloured Antpitta
  • Rufous Antpitta bird perched on moss. Brown and gray plumage, forest background.
  • Chestnut antpitta bird perched on a mossy branch in lush green forest.
    Chestnut-Crowned Antpitta
  • Andean Antpitta bird perched on a mossy branch, birding in the Central Andes.
  • Rufous-breasted robin perched on moss. A beautiful bird with orange breast and dark head.
    Slate-Crowned Antpitta
  • Vivid green and black bird with red feet perched on a mossy branch in a lush, green forest setting.
    Green and Black Fruiteater
  • Green and black bird with red beak perched on a mossy branch.
  • Bird on photographer's lens in the Central Andes. "Adventures Colombia" hat visible.
    This Fruiteater really was quite tame – see my Camera!
  • Olive Finch perched on a mossy branch, looking up. Birdwatching in nature.
    Oleaginous Hemisphingus
  • Chestnut-bellied flowerpiercer bird perched among green leaves and branches.
    Black-Eared Hemisphingus

Another family that deserves special mention are the Toucans – only two species Southern Emerald Toucanet and Black-Billed Mountain Toucan but they offered some wonderful photo opportunities along with other colourful Trogans and Motmots. Just wonderful birds.

  • Green aracari toucan perched on a branch, catching a red berry mid-air with its yellow beak.
    Southern Emerald-Toucanet
  • Green aracari perched on a mossy branch, its colorful beak and vibrant plumage stand out.
  • Green aracari perched on a mossy branch. The small toucan has a yellow beak and vibrant green plumage.
  • Emerald Toucanet perched on a mossy branch, vibrant green plumage and colorful beak detail.
  • Emerald toucanet close-up: A vibrant green bird with a striking yellow and black beak.
  • Gray-breasted mountain toucan perched among green leaves and moss-covered branches in a lush forest.
    Black-Billed Mountain Toucan
  • Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan perched in a lush, green tree.
  • Brown-backed trogon bird perched on a mossy branch in a lush green forest setting.
    Masked Trogan (female)
  • Turquoise-browed motmot bird perched on a mossy branch
    Andean Motmot

Of course the Hummingbirds deserve a special mention too not least because they provided me with an astonishing 12 lifters in this one location along with some beautiful photos. Photographing Hummingbirds in flight is about as hard as underwater photography as the most challenging photography I attempt – but the rewards are delightful, I hope you agree.

  • Black Jacobin hummingbird perched on a branch, showcasing its distinctive long beak and white chest.
    Collared Inca
  • Black Jacobin hummingbird in flight, showing its dark plumage and white markings against a green background.
  • Green hummingbird perched on a twig, looking left against a blurred background.
    Buff-Tailed Coronet
  • Green hummingbird perched on a mossy branch, looking left in a lush, green environment.
  • Two green-crowned brilliant hummingbirds perched on a mossy branch, one in focus.
  • Hummingbird perched on a branch, displaying its long beak and iridescent plumage.
    Fawn-Breasted Brilliant
  • Hummingbird in flight with green and brown feathers amid lush foliage.
    Speckled Hummingbird
  • Long-tailed Sylph hummingbird in flight, feeding near flower buds on a branch.
    Long-Tailed Sylph
  • Green-and-blue hummingbird perched on a yellow flower, wings spread.
  • Velvet Purple Coronet hummingbird perched on a mossy branch, displaying vibrant iridescent feathers.
    Tourmaline Sunangel
  • Colorful hummingbird perched on a mossy branch, displaying vibrant purple and green plumage.
  • Rufous hummingbird in flight, displaying its brown plumage against a blurred green and red background.
    Bronzy Inca
  • Green hummingbird in flight with wings spread, blurred green background
    Black-Thighed Puffleg
  • Green and yellow hummingbirds in mid-flight against a blurred green and red background.

Finally many other birds and other creatures that do not fit into any of these natural groupings were also seen. Altogether loved Rio Blanco as a wonderful mix of traditional birding with fantastic feeder setups.

  • Golden-collared honeycreeper bird with vibrant yellow and blue plumage perched on green moss.
    Blue-Winged Mountain Tanager
  • Golden-crowned Tanager perched on a mossy branch, showing its vibrant yellow plumage and black head.
  • Rufous-collared Sparrow perched on a mossy stump, detailed bird photography.
    Rufous-Collared Sparow
  • Two mating fig eater beetles clinging to a plant stem.
    Huge Beetles mating
  • Colorful Red-headed Barbet bird perched on a mossy branch in a lush, green forest.
    Crimson Mantled Woodpecker
  • Rhinoceros beetle with prominent horn on mossy forest floor.
    Another huge Beetle
  • Grey hawk soars against a white sky, wings spread showing feather details
    Hook-Billed Kite
  • Orange Gulf Fritillary butterfly on a yellow flower with green grass background.
  • Green Dusky-headed Parakeet perched in a tree, showing its yellow head patch.
    Golden-Plumed Parakeet
  • Andean Guan perched on a mossy branch in a lush, green environment.
    Sickle-Winged Guan
  • Brown owl perched on a mossy branch, partially obscured by green leaves.
    Stygian Owl
  • Bird perched on branch, brown feathers with speckled pattern.
    Streaked Xenops
  • Brown bird perched on a speckled tree branch, surrounded by lush green foliage.
    Strong-Billed Woodcreeper
  • Camouflaged nightjar bird perched on a mossy branch, blending with its natural habitat.
    Lyre-Tailed Nightjar (female)

Part 2 of this series follows here.

Black bird in flight, "Wild Scot" text. Scottish Wildlife Photos.

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Published by Michael Cook

Wildlife Photographer based in Scotland

3 thoughts on “Birding the Central Andes Part 1”

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