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Colombia Birdwatching Tour |
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Colombia Birdwatching Tour
When: Tue 9 Oct - Tue 30 Oct 2012
Leaders: Chris Doughty and Pablo Valencia |
Colombia Birdwatching Tour
Sydney/Sydney (22days) $9,720
Single Supplement $560
Ground Content (ex Bogota) $6,900 |
| O nce typecast as the bad boy of South America, Colombia is one of the continent's most remarkable success stories. A decades-long civil war has been largely relegated to the past and Colombians and foreign travellers alike are rediscovering this captivating country. Colombia's trump card is its diverse geography, which includes Andean peaks, lush tropical rainforests and sprawling savannahs. Colombia has the enviable distinction of being home to more than 1,870 species of birds, more than in any other country on the entire planet. It is not only the sheer number of birds that is impressive; Colombia is also home to a staggering 73 endemic species of birds and almost twice that many near-endemics, many of which have distributions that barely extend beyond the Colombian border into Panama, Ecuador and Venezuela. On this unique and very exciting tour, not only will we see scores of common birds, we will concentrate on visiting reserves that protect the last remaining habitats of some of the most range-restricted, and in some cases, the most endangered birds in the world. The tour begins in Santa Marta, where we travel high into the breathtaking Sierra Nevada Mountains, as we search for over a dozen endemics such as White-tailed Starfrontlet, Santa Marta Antpitta, Santa Marta Bush-Tyrant and Santa Marta Warbler. In the foothills we will search for Blossomcrown, Rusty-breasted Antpitta, Grey-throated Leaftosser and Bicolored Wren. We then fly high into the Andes Mountains of central Colombia, where we will search for three recently discovered species of birds, Parker's Antbird, Chestnut-capped Piha and Stiles's Tapaculo. Next we visit the wide Magdalena Valley where the humid forests are home to specialities such as White-mantled Barbet, Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant and Sooty Ant-Tanager. We then travel to Jardin and drive up into the mountains in search of the endangered Yellow-eared Parrot and the highly localised Tanager Finch. Continuing southwards we travel to Manizales, where we will enjoy an extended stay allowing us to make an in-depth exploration of the Nevado del Ruiz National Park and the excellent Rio Blanco Reserve. We will search for localised specialities such as Rufous-fronted Parakeet, Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, Bearded Helmetcrest and Brown-banded and Bicolored Antpittas. Our next port of call will be the very wet Pacific slope of the Western Andes, known as the Choco. Here we will search for the stunning Gold-ringed Tanager alongside other colourful Chocho endemics, such as Velvet-purple Coronet, Violet-tailed Sylph, Orange-breasted Fruiteater and Munchique Wood-Wren. Our final destination will be the very productive Otun-Quimbaya Road, where we will search for local specialities such as Cauca Guan, the elusive Chestnut Wood-Quail and the superb Chestnut-breasted Wren. |
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