ARIBBEAN AND PERIJA TOUR TRIP REPORT 2015 LEADER: TREVOR ELLERY

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1 ARIBBEAN AND PERIJA TOUR TRIP REPORT nd 11 th February LEADER: TREVOR ELLERY Perija Thistletail This tour recorded 442 species, including 29 endemics, 25 near-endemics and many interesting subspecies and specialities, in just 11 days. Highlights include Perija and White-chinned Thistletail, Brown-breasted and Santa Marta Parakeet, Perija, Santa Marta, Sierra-Nevada, Moustached and Phelps s Brush-finches, White-lored, Greythroated and Santa Marta Warblers, White-throated and Santa Marta Screech Owls, Northern Screamer, Andean Condor, Black-fronted Wood Quail, Blossomcrown, Tocuyo and Golden-winged Sparrows, Golden-bellied and White-tailed Starfrontlets, Bronze-tailed, Purple-backed and Black-backed Thornbills, Perija, Santa Marta, Brown-rumped and Pale-bellied Tapaculos, Scaled and Chestnut Piculets, Dwarf Cuckoo, Venezuelan Flycatcher and Venezuelan and Coopmann s Tyrannulets, Santa Marta and Rusty-breasted Antpittas and both the Santa Marta and Chingaza forms of Rufous Antpitta, Bogota Rail, Silvery-throated, White-whiskered, Rustyheaded and Streak-capped Spinetails, Golden-fronted and Yellow-crowned Whitestarts. Buffy and Sapphire-bellied Hummingbirds, Perija Metaltail, Rosy-thrush Tanager, Santa Marta Woodstar, Mountain Tanager, Foliage Gleaner, Antbird,, Parakeet and Bush Tyrant and Santa Marta, White-throated and Yellow-billed Toucanets, ECOTURS COLOMBIA S.A 1

2 Day 1. 2 nd February. Pre-tour extension day trip to Chingaza NP. Several of the guests for this new tour opted to maximise their birding time in Colombia and head out for a day trip to the high windswept Paramos of Chingaza NP just forty minutes from Bogota. The day was a great success with highlights including good looks at the endemic Brown-breasted Parakeet, plus specialities such as a couple of Bronze-tailed Thornbills, a Rufous Antpitta and after much trying a very obliging Pale-bellied Tapaculo. We also saw a pair of the near endemic Rufous-browed Conebills, plus another near-endemic the dazzling Golden-fronted Whitestart. Other species seen included multiple Andean Guans (a common species in the park where hunting is non existent), a group of eight Andean Teal (of the subspecies which is sometimes split as Merida Teal), a couple of soaring Black-chested Buzzard Eagles, great looks at a perched female Purple-backed Thornbill, a couple of Blackbilled Mountain Toucans a skulking White-chinned Thistletail, a more obliging Whitebrowed Spinetail, a Plain-capped Ground Tyrant that perched in the road in front of us and great looks at both Smoky and Streak-throated Bush Tyrants. We also found Rufous-breasted and Brown-backed Chat Tyrants, a single Red-crested Cotinga, a smart sedge Wren and a typically garrulous group of Rufous Wrens. A Black-headed Hemispingus, Hooded, Scarlet-bellied and Buff-breasted Mountain Tanagers and both Pale-naped and Slaty Brushfinches ensured it was a bird filled day. Day 2. 3rd February Bogota área - Valledaupar. The first day of the main tour was mainly spent around Bogota where after and early morning in the marshes we made a short visit to a nearby cloud forest reserve before catching an afternoon flight to Valledupar. Our first stop produced good looks at a couple of Bogota Rails and a single Sora. We followed this with great scope views of a skulking Noble Snipe. Our walk back to the van produced a pair of Silvery-throated Spinetails and a pair of Rufous-browed Conebills (for those who had been unable to join us on the previous day). We then moved on to another site where we watched a couple of Spot-flanked Gallinules There were also large nos of Andean Ruddy Duck and Blue-winged Teals, a couple of Pied-billed Grebes and a couple of distant White-tailed Kites. When then drove to the cloud forest reserve. The feeders where rather empty of hummingbirds although we did find Tourmaline Sunangel, Buff-tailed Coronet, Whitebellied Woodstar, Mountain Velvetbreast and Glowing Puffleg. Our main quarry the near-endemic Golden-bellied Starfrontlet was absent but some searching in the surrounding forest produced goods looks at a perched female for some of the group. We saw Moustached Brush Finch and a few commoner Andean species before ECOTURS COLOMBIA S.A 2

3 heading to the airport where we caught a flight to Valledupar and were sitting down to dinner in our hotel by 8pm. Day 3. Los Besotes Manaure. We started well with a couple of Barn Owls showing well outside the hotel as we left pre-dawn. We then started birding in some dry forest near Valledupar where the birds came thick and fast. Highlights included a groups of crested Bobwhites crossing the road, a showy female Ruby Topaz, a couple of Shining-green hummingbirds and White-whiskered Spinetail. We followed this with good looks at a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, a Russet-throated Puffbird, a Pearly-vented Tody Tyrant and both Slender-billed and Pale-tipped Inezia. We also added Yellow-breasted Flycatcher and Glaucos Tanager. We then climbed up to the foothill forest where we were quickly found both Blackbacked Antshrike and Venezuelan Flycatcher. We slowly hiked up through the forest but made frequent stops and enjoyed good looks at Rufous-breasted and Rufous and White Wrens, Lance-tailed Manakin, Black-chested Jay, Coppery Emerald and Pale-eyed Pygmy Tyrant. By mid-morning it had become very hot so we headed across the valley to the Perija foothills, stopping for lunch in Valledupar en route. After checking in to our small hotel we walked a nearby trail which was extremely productive. We quickly found a pair of Grey-throated Warblers and a showy Moustached Puffbird. We also enjoyed Golden-crowned Warblers, a couple of Crimson-rumped Toucanets, a Greenish Eleania and a couple of Black-headed Tanagers. We then capped it off with good views of a pair of Phelps s Brush Finches. Day 4. Perija Reserve White-throated Screech Owl ECOTURS COLOMBIA S.A 3

4 Perija Metaltail (Male), Perija Metaltail (Female) Loungameres Sunange ECOTURS COLOMBIA S.A 4

5 Lachrymose Mountain Tanager Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia ECOTURS COLOMBIA S.A 5

6 Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant Tyrian Metaltail Paramo Seedeater ECOTURS COLOMBIA S.A 6

7 Black-chested Buzzard Eagle We left at 3.00am so as to arrive at the Paramo for dawn we actually arrived a little before dawn and decided try and little owling which produced great looks at a Whitethroated Screech Owl. We also managed to spotlight a Band-winged Nightjar. We then continued on to the Paramo where shortly after dawn we secured goods looks at our first Perija endemic, a Perija Thistletail, which came in very close and showed well. We followed this with good looks at several Perija Metaltails and also found Streack-backed Canastero, Smoky-brown Woodpecker and Rufous Spinetail ( of the vocally distinct munoztebari subspecies). Other highlights included Rufous-breasted Chat Tyrant, a Mountain Wren, Lacrymose Mountain Tanager (of the very distinctive pallidostris subspecies) and a Paramo Seedeater. Finally we had great looks at a surprise pair of Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonias. As we birded back down the road an Andean Condor passed over and circled low overhead and lower down in some bamboo we found a White-browed Spinetail and a Black-throated Tody Tyrant. Below the lodge we located Bronzy Inca, Venezuelan Tyrannulet, Perija Brushfinch and Rufous-crowned Tody Flycatcher and as we dropped back down the mountain we added Green Jay and a single Golden-headed Quetzal. Day 5. Perija Rioacha. Perija Brush Finch ECOTURS COLOMBIA S.A 7

8 Rufous Spinetail Venezuelan Tyrannulet Rufous-crowned Tody Flycatcher ECOTURS COLOMBIA S.A 8

9 Slaty Brush Finch Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush We climbed back up into the mid-elevations of the Perija where we spent some time birding finding Band-tailed Guan, an obliging Perija Tapaculo, several Goldenheaded Quetzals and a Streaked Tuftedcheek. A short stop on the way down enabled us to add Golden-winged Sparrow and Whooping Motmot. We stopped near Valledupar and birded down a dirt track which was quite productive adding good looks at Stripe-backed Wren, Pale-legged (Carribean) Hornero and six double-striped Thick-knees. We then made the longish drive north to Rioacha picking up a few common roadside birds. ECOTURS COLOMBIA S.A 9

10 Day 6. Rioacha Minca We started off early and soon located one of our target birds Tocuyo Sparrow and we also found Black-crested Antshrike and Orinocan Saltataor. We then moved on to another site where we found several singing male Vermilion Cardinals, a singing Orinoco Saltator a nice Chestnut Piculet and a perched Buff Hummingbird. After this we visited a marsh and did some coastal birding which produced a whole plethora of water birds including Scarlet Ibis and Black-collared Hawk and some distant American Flamingos. En-route we stopped at some gallery forest which produced White-bellied Antbird, White-chinned Sapphire, Gartered Trogon, Black-headed Tody Flycatcher and both Panama and Great-crested Flycatchers. We also found a skulking Buff-breasted Wren and a couple of Grey-headed Tanagers, Grey Seedeater and Blue-ground Dove. We also made a brief stop for a Pearl Kite which was perched roadside. Day 7 Minca El Dorado Lodge. We spent the morning birding above Minca before making our way up to El Dorado Lodge. Highlights included a couple of Scaled Piculets, a single Cocoa Woodcreeper a Golden-fronted Greenlet and a Barred Antshrike. We also found a Coopman s Tyrannulet, a Long-billed Gnatwren (of a vocally distinct subspecies which could be split) both Golden-winged and Black-striped Sparrows and a showy Blue-black Grosbeak. Overhead a large group of Chestnut-collared Swiftsd held a single Lesser-swallow-tailed Swift and we also had great looks at a singing Rosythrush Tanager and an obliging Lesser Elaenia. We returned to the hotel at Minca for lunch where we enjoyed both Rufous-breasted and Pale-bellied Hermits amongst a host of commoner species at the lodge feeder A stop on the drive up produced reasonable views of a Santa Marta Tapaculo, Santa Marta Wood Wren and White-lored Warbler. After arrival at the Lodge we had good views of a couple of Black-fronted Wood Quail at the feeder and also enjoyed several Sierra Nevada Brush finches at the compost heapwe also had a lovely male Black-backed Thornbill visiting the feeder along with a dazzaling male White-tailed Starfrontletand then as dusk approached found both Band-tailed and Sickle-winged Guans in the surrounding trees.and Bluenaped Chlorophonias Day 8. San Lorenzo ridge and around El Dorado Lodge We made an early start to be at the ridge for dawn. We actually arrived just before dawn and trieunsuccessful we did find a nice Santa Marta Screech owl and then followed this with good looks at the vocally distinct Santa Marta form of Rufous Antpitta. After this the endemics came thick and fast and included Santa Marta ECOTURS COLOMBIA S.A 10

11 Antpitta (two sightings on the road) Santa Marta Parakeet, Yellow-crowned Whitestart, Santa Marta Mountain Tanager a surprise perched female Santa Marta Woodstar both Rusty-headed and Streak-capped Spinetail, ntsanta Marta Busy Tyr santa Marta Warblerand Bangs wood wren after much searching a Brown-rumped Tapaculo In the afternoon we birded below the lodge where we saw a Yellow-billed Toucanet and had good views of a pair of Grey-throated Leaftosser and a couple of Goldenbreasted Fruiteaterse Day 9 Birding above and below El Dorado Lodge. Whad excellent views of a male Blossomcrown visiting some flowers and also nice views of a Long-billed Hermit at some feeders. We also had a couple of Maked Trogons a typically skulking Santa Marta Foliage gleaner a nice Santa Marta Antbird and a couple of Rusty-breasted Antpittas and a skulking Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush. In the afternoon some birding above the lodge produced good views of a Whitetipped QuetzalA single Barred Forest Falcon was taped in at dusk and showed well Day 10. Birding down from El Dorado Lodge and out to Barraqnuilla. Bicolored Hawk, El Dorado Lodge We started the morning birding around the lodge where dull and misty conditions meant any chance of a hoped for Black-and-Chestnut Eagle were cut. We did however have great views of a very responsive Bicolored Hawk which spent some time perched right out in the on. We then walked down the road in the hope of seeing a Lined Quail Dove and this worked as we had good looks at a single bird. ECOTURS COLOMBIA S.A 11

12 We spent t afternoon driving twards Barranquilla with some roadside stops which produced Yellow-crowned Night Heron, a selection of waders including Wison s Plover. A late afternoon stop at some mangroves produced good looks as Sapphirebellied Hummingbird and a couple of Bicolored Conebills We finished the day watching a group of the endemic Chestnut-winged Chachalaca on the outskirts of Barranquilla. Day 11. Baranquilla Marshes We had time for a final mornings birding in the Barraqnuilla marshes before taking an internal flight abck to Bogota highlights included great scope views of a Horned screamer and good views of a Dwarf Cuckoo after much searching. We also enjoyed plentiful Stripe-backed Wren s, Fulvous and White-faced Whistling Ducks, several Green Heron s, plentiful Snail Kites and Large-billed Terns, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Spot-breasted Woodpecker and both Pied Water Tyrant and White-headed Marsh Tyrant A second visit to the mangroves added Golden-green and Red-rumped Woodpeckers, Pied Puffbird, Slate-headed Tody Flycatcher and a brief stop gave brief views of Bronze-brown Cowbird before we had to head for our flights and back to Bogota. ECOTURS COLOMBIA S.A 12