Colombia - Mitu Thursday 21 st March Saturday 30 th March 2019

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1 Steve Bird s Wildlife BIRDING & WILDLIFE TOURS 5 Quarry Cottages Plymouth Devon UK info@stevebirdswildlife.com Colombia - Mitu Thursday 21 st March Saturday 30 th March 2019 Specialities of Mitu with Diego Calderon Over the last few years Colombia has hit the birding headlines as being a fantastic, new, safe destination, with more species (over 1900) than any other country in the world. Our guide Diego Calderon has been at the forefront of birding in this his home country and with new hotspots and new species being found all the time we are delighted to now offer a tour to one of the very best Mitu. Here the diverse biodiversity holds a great variety of species amongst habitats such as Terra Firme, White Sand s, Varzea and Riparian Forests. Many Amazon/Guianan Shield specialities can be found here and sheer variety and quality of the species on offer is astounding. For those that have been to Colombia before or for those wanting to experience somewhere new then our Mitu itinerary is a must. Add to this a few days before and afterwards looking for some very special birds this is a trip not to miss. Some of the target species possible on this tour: Cundimarca Antpitta Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock Orinoco Piculet Tawny-tufted Toucanet Bar-bellied Woodcreeper Cherrie s Antwren Chestnut-crested Antbird Yellow-crowned Manakin Gray-bellied Antbird Yellow-throated Antwren Azure-naped Jay Blackish-gray Antshrike Brown-headed Greenlet Plumbeous Euphonia Whitenaped Seedeater Cinnamon Neopipo Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlet Dot-backed Antbird White-bellied Dacnis Saffron-crested Tyrant- Manakin Imeri Warbling-Antbird Purple-breasted Cotinga Black Manakin Black Bushbird Brown-banded Puffbird Pompadour Cotinga Bronzy Jacamar Pavonine Quetzal Rufous-crested Elaenia Golden-bellied Starfrontlet Green-bearded Helmetcrest Yellowbilled Nunbird Sword-billed Hummingbird Blue-throated Starfrontlet Red-crested Cotinga Chestnut-winged Hookbill plus many more!

2 ITINERARY: Start of Tour: If travelling from the US or UK you need to plan for an overnight flight that arrives in the morning of March 21 st at El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá, Colombia. Note Avianca have an early morning arrival. If you cannot arrive by early morning then consider arriving the day before on 20 th. We can help you book an extra nights accommodation in Bogota but note this will be an additional cost. If you are flying from the UK then please contact my flight agent for quotes and routes available Chris or Neil at FBCT Day 1: Thur 21st Arrival Day Arrive Bogota, Colombia early morning. We will then travel towards Sumapaz National Park where we will look for the recently split Greenbearded Helmetcrest. Other interesting species here include Bogota Rail, Apolinar s Wren and Bronze-tailed Thornbill. In the afternoon we will drive to Guayabetal with some birding en-route looking for Greenbellied Hummingbird and Cliff Flycatcher night at basic hotel near Guayabetal. (B,L,D) Day 2: Fri 22nd Monterredondo Villavicencio This morning we wil be birding the cloud forest of Monterredondo, home to the Cundimarca Antpitta first discribed in Other birds in our sights include Brown-breasted Parakeet, Rufous Antpitta, Green-bellied Hummingbird and Ochre-breasted Brushfinch. After a late lunch on the road we will drive to Villavicencio night at Villas de San Sebastian in a nice hotel near Villavicencio. (B,L,D) Day 3: Sat 23rd Bavaria Reserve Mitu This morning we will be birding Bavaria Reserve hoping to see Yellowbilled Nunbird, Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher, Spot-winged Antbird, Blue-fronted Lancebill, White-chested Puffbird, Green Manakin, Paradise Tanager and Golden-bellied Euphonia. Later we will take a noon flight from Villavicencio to Mitú. Later in the afternoon we go birding near town night at Hotel Los Paisas, Mitu. (B,L,D) Days 4-8: Sun 24th Thur 28th Mitu We have 5 full birding days among the local indigenous communities of (Mitu Cachivera, Santa Cruz, Tayasu, Pueblo Nuevo, Urania, Ceima Cachivera) and roads and trails near Mitú for a superb mix of white-sand, igapó, várzea, terra firme, and semi-open areas full of endemics restricted to the Orinoco and Negro rivers. The list of birds here is exyensive with Gray-legged Tinamou, Red-fan Parrot, Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlet, Blackish Nightjar, Straight-billed Hermit, Fiery Topaz, Black-bellied Thorntail, Gould's Jewelfront, Bronzy Jacamar, Brownbanded Puffbird, Rusty-breasted Nunlet, Tawny-tufted

3 Toucanet, Orinoco Piculet, Rufous-tailed Xenops, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Chestnut-winged Hookbill, Barbellied Woodcreeper, Black Bushbird, Yellow-throated, Cherrie's & Spot-backed Antwrens, Imeri Warbling- Antbird, White-plumed, Grey-bellied & Chestnut-crested Antbirds, Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock, Pompadour Cotinga, Saffron-crested Tyrant-Manakin, Yellow-crowned & Black Manakins, Azure-naped Jay and Whitenaped Seedeater. Other good birds here include Black Caracara, Red-bellied Macaw, Maroon-tailed Parakeet, Dusky-billed Parrotlet, Long-tailed Potoo, Paradise Jacamar, Chestnut-capped & Spotted Puffbirds, Lemonthroated Barbet, Lettered Aracari, Olive-backed Foliage-gleaner, Fasciated, Blackish-gray & Amazonian Antshrikes, Rufous-tailed, Pygmy, White-flanked & Long-winged Antwrens, Gray, Dusky & Blackish Antbirds, plus White-browed, Black-faced, Black-chinned, Silvered, Black-throated, Bicolored & Scale-backed Antbirds, Thrush-like Antpitta, Rusty-fronted & Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatchers, Musician Wren, Paradise, Opal-rumped & Opal-crowned Tanagers, Yellow-bellied Dacnis, Moriche Oriole and Plumbeous Euphonia amongst manu others. As you can see this is truly a wonderful birding destination. Nights at Hotel Los Paisas, Mitu. (B,L,D) Day 9: Fri 29th Bocatoma trail Mitu Bogota This morning we continue birding the Bocatoma trail for missing white-sand specialties and then after lunch we will head for the airport and take the Mitu-Bogota flight ariving early evening. We then drive 2 hours to Observatorio de Colibries. Night at Observatorio de Colibries above Bogota. (B,L,D) Day 10: Sat 30th Morning birding Bogota Departure Birding at Observatorio de Colibries we hope to find Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Coppery-bellied Puffleg, Silvery-throated Spinetail, Sword-billed Hummingbird and Red-crested Cotinga. We will then drive 45 minutes crossing the city for lunch at Chicaque Park where we hope to see Golden-bellied Starfrontlet, Glowing Puffleg and Moustached Brush Finch. Mid afternoon we drive back a couple of hours to hit Bogota airport late afternoon in time for any international departures which should be no earlier than 8:00/9:00pm. Alternativly we can arrange an additional night near the airport. Note this extra night would be on your own expense. (B,L) Leader: Diego Calderon March 21 st 30 th 2018 Main Tour Ground Price: Bogota / Bogota Single supplement: please enquire as singles may not be available at Mitu Deposit: per person All Photos by Diego Calderon, except Steve Bird (Guianan Cock-of-the Rock), Andres M Cuervo (Cuninamarca Antpitta), Fabio Arias (Blue-throated & Golden-bellied Starfrontlets)

4 Included in cost: all accommodation based on twin rooms, all meals from breakfast on 21 st March to lunch on 30 th March, all community fees, transportation throughout, domestic flights, drinking water and services of leaders. Not included: International airfare, insurance, drinks, tips, and items of a personal nature. Once the tour is confirmed to go ahead, we will send you information about booking your flights. Please do not book flights until you receive this information from us and are notified that the trip has sufficient numbers to run. Final payment is due Nov 21st, This tour is being run through - Steve s Birds Wildlife Birding & Wildlife tours, 5 Quarry Cottages, Plymouth, Devon, UK Contact Steve Bird info@stevebirdswildlife.com for more information. RESERVATIONS: Contact info@stevebirdswildlife.com to reserve your space! We will then send you a Registration Form which you can fill in and mail it with your deposit of per person to Steve Bird, to secure your place. Instructions are on the form. Reservations are held with a deposit on a first-come, first-served basis. Check / Cheque or bank transfer are preferred and should be made payable to Steve Bird and mailed to 5 Quarry Cottages, Plymouth, Devon, UK Please note: Tour prices are based on quoted costs from ground operators (in their local currency), estimated fuel costs, and the rate of exchange at the time of itinerary publication. The erratic nature to global financial markets makes it difficult to predict changes in costs and foreign currency exchange rates over the long term. Since tours are priced well in advance of the actual operation of the tour, tour costs, fuel costs and exchange rates can change, sometimes drastically. Depending on the extent of such changes, it may be necessary to implement a surcharge on this tour. If a surcharge is necessary, every effort will be made to minimize the amount. Cancellations and Refunds: All cancellations must be made in writing. In the event that you must cancel your booking at any stage, all payments you have made to Steve Bird will be retained by us, except at our discretion. Please ensure that you take out adequate insurance to cover this and any other eventuality as early as possible. You may have the opportunity to transfer your booking to another tour or another person, provided you are unavoidably prevented from coming on the tour. In this case, you will bear any extra costs that such changes may incur. There are no refunds once the trip is confirmed to go ahead and no refunds will be made for unused meals, accommodations, or other trip features. Insurance: The purchase of trip cancellation insurance to cover any eventuality is strongly recommended. Steve Bird s Wildlife cannot accept liability for airline cancellations or delays or penalties incurred by the purchase of non- refundable airline tickets or other expenses incurred by tour participants in preparing for this tour. Due to the vast choice and flexibility of flight deals and because we do not have an Air Travel Organizer s License we are unable to book flights for our customers. Please note that you may purchase flights from any reputable agent, but to help with this we have supplied here the contact details of one particular agent that we frequently deal with in the UK. Please contact Chris or Neil at FBCT ATOL Protected In order to comply with the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 and more importantly, to ensure your money remains protected all payments received by us are held in a separate client account where your money remains until the completion of the tour. Steve Bird s Wildlife Birding & Wildlife Tours, 5 Quarry Cottages, Plymouth, Devon, UK

5 Steve Bird s Wildlife Birdwatching & Nature Tours BOOKING FORM Tour Name.. Dates... Surname Initials Mr/Mrs/Miss First Name (That by which you wish to be known on trip) Date of Birth Address for Correspondence: Telephone: (Home) (Work) E- mail Address: Contact Number: (in case of accident or emergency) Doctors Number: Postcode: Passport Details: (Please fill in forenames as they appear on your passport) Surname Forename(s) Passport No. Place of Issue Date of issue Expiry date Please make the above reservations I/We enclose.. Deposit (Please see tour description for amount) SIGNATURE DATE... Please make your cheque payable to Steve Bird and return, together with completed booking form to the address overleaf.

6 Accommodation Preferences: Accommodation required (please tick) single twin double If you are a single traveller would you be willing to share in twin- bedded accommodation with a fellow tour participant? Yes No For single travellers, if you are willing to share but no acceptable roommate can be found will you cancel your booking? Yes No If you answered no to the previous question, you will be charged the single room supplement as stated on our website. If you have already arranged to share a room with someone, please give their name in the space provided:.. OTHER INFORMATION: What type of passport do you hold? This must have at least six months to run after the return date of your holiday. British Citizen Other (please state).. Do you have any special dietary requirements (vegetarian, diabetic, other?) Yes No If yes give details:.. Do you have any medical conditions we should know about? Or is there anything else that may prohibit full participation of the tour? Yes No If yes give details: Other countries you would like to visit: Other interests: Butterflies, Dragonflies, Mammals, Flowers, Cetaceans, Photography etc.. Please return this form with enclosed cheque to Registered Address: Steve Bird s Wildlife, 5 Quarry Cottages, Plymouth, Devon. PL5 3PF Tel: or E- mail: info@stevebirdswildlife.com If you would like to pay by Bank transfer then please contact Steve for details. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.