birding never sleeps

Jardin and Rio Claro

Thursday 05 March 2026. We left Montezuma at 04:30 and drove down to the newly established Apia Birding Lodge. We arrived at the roadside rendezvous at 06:00 and after a short wait for the arrival of another group we were taken to feeding stations for Yellow-breasted Antpitta and then Chestnut Wood Quail and Chestnut-capped Brushfinch. Breakfast overlooked another feeder frequented by a Whiskered Wren with an Andean Solitaire singing nearby. There was time to visit a final feeding site with Tatama Tapaculo and Grey-breasted Wood Wren coming in to worms and nearby Metallic-green Tanagers, and all before 09:15 when we departed! A few roadside stops as we dropped down into the coffee zone at Emaguate seeing Turquoise Dacnis.and a few wintering warblers (Black & White, Tennessee, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Yellow and Canada). In very hot dry open woodland near Riosucio we saw a pair of very responsive Dwarf Cuckoos as well as Pale-vented Pigeon, Spectacled Parrotlet, Large-billed Seed-Finch and Ruddy-breasted and Grey Seedeaters. My back was playing up so I sat under a tree on a shady rock rather than trying photographing seedeaters. Getting up suddenly when it was time to leave was probably not a good idea as I became very unbalanced, fell over and started vomiting. Fortunately it was the day’s last birding stop and we drove to our hotel in Riosucio, me clutching a sick bag. I had experienced similar sudden undiagnosed balance issues several times recently but was feeling better and joined the others for a meal, not that I ate much.

Yellow-breasted Antpitta at Apia Birding Lodge

Yellow-breasted Antpitta at Apia Birding Lodge (photo: Paul Chapman)
Chestnut Wood-Quail at Apia Birding Lodge

Chestnut-crowned Brushfinch at Apia Birding Lodge

Whiskered Wren at Apia Birding Lodge

Scaled Fruiteater at Apia Birding Lodge
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird at Apia Birding Lodge
Fawn-breasted Brilliant at Apia Birding Lodge
Green Hermit and Andean Emerald at Apia Birding Lodge
Grey-breasted Wood Wren at Apia Birding Lodge

Tatama Tapaculo at Apia Birding Lodge

Saffron-crowned Tanager at Apia Birding Lodge
Bay-headed Tanager at Apia Birding Lodge
Slate-throated Whitestart at Emaguate

Summer Tanager at Emaguate
Slaty-capped Flycatcher at Emaguate

Dwarf Cuckoo near Riosucio

Spectacled Parrotlet near Riosucio

Large-billed Seedfinch near Riosucio

Friday 06 March 2026. I had a decent night and awoke feeling back to normal. We were transferring into 4WDs again to take a rough road through decent habitat to Jardin while our minibus took a better road. We had an early start, although not quite as early as planned, and drove up to Mirador del Roble for breakfast and feeders. While talking to one of the other visitors there I suddenly lost balance and collapsed onto a nearby stool. I didn’t feel too bad just sitting but when a semi-habituated Northern Oncilla came in for some offered meat I realised I wasn’t steady enough to get my camera in a bag 20m away and could only use my phone. A few birds were visiting feeders but I was happy just sitting, though did see 4 Chestnut Wood-Quail make a brief visit. After breakfast we drove a short distance to a trail leading 500m to another feeder. I was still quite unsteady but Paul lent me a walking pole, unthinking I’d left mine in the minibus. It was a lifesaver as I managed the walk rather erratically and enjoyed superb views of Chestnut-naped Antpitta. We continued on to Jardin seeing Flammulated Treehunter, Rufous-headed Pygmy Tyrant, Rufous-breasted Chat-Tyrant, Citrine Warbler and Grey-hooded Bush Tanager although I missed a Black-and-chestnut Eagle. I didn’t get out when we stopped at the head of a valley until someone shouted Chestnut-crested Cotinga and I was helped back 50m up the road to a scope set up on two of them in a fruiting tree. Much to my relief they were still in view, and even flew a bit closer. It was a species I had always wanted to see, quite emotional I was very grateful for the help from the group. We continued to Jardin where we walked down a steep road – me with Paul’s walking pole - to an Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek. We had superb views of several showy males doing their thing as well as Black-chested Jay and Red-bellied Grackles at fruit feeders. After dark a Tropical Screech-Owl was seen during a short wander around the hotel grounds and I went to bed feeling ok.

Northern Oncilla at Mirador del Roble

Chestnut-naped Antpitta at Mirador del Roble

Chestnut-crested Cotingas on the road to Jardin

Black-chested Jay at Jardin

Red-bellied Grackle at Jardin

Cock-of-the-Rock at Jardin

Saturday 07 March 2026. I felt a bit odd during breakfast and thought it best not to participate in an hour long trip to look for nearby Oilbirds that involved being harnessed to a narrow suspension bridge over a deep canyon. We left Jardin for Rio Claro with stops at Bolombolo in the Cauca Valley (09:30-10:30) then a long drive to Cocorla in the Magdalena Valley (15:50-17:20). Birds seen in dry roadside forest at the former included Forest and Greenish Elaenias, Black-crowned Antshrike and Antioquia Wren. It was then a long drive to Cocorla where we eventually found a White-mantled Barbet and, as we returned to the bus a spectacular migrating flock of at least 500 Swainson´s and 250 Broad-winged Hawks, although try as we did (and later checking images) we failed to pick out any Mississippi Kites. I’d felt pretty normal for most of the day and that evening at the Ecohotel Los Colores in Rio Claro came up with a fallback plan. We were due back in Bogota in 48 hours and if my balance issues persisted I would see if I could get a flight home then, rather than flying to Santa Marta with the group. I’d been to most of the sites there on my previous visit making skipping the last part of the trip less painful.

road to Rio Claro

White-mantled Barbet at Cocorla

mostly Swainson's and Broad-winged Hawks over Cocorla

Sunday 08 March 2026. We left the Ecohotel at 05:30 and drove along remote back roads where we birded from 06:15-10:30 eventually finding our main targets Beautiful Woodpecker and Sooty Ant-Tanager. Other species seen in the lowland forest patches included Purple-crowned Fairy, Olivaceous Piculet, Cocoa Woodcreeper, Northern Plain Xenops, Striolated Manakin, Long-tailed Tyrant, Band-backed Wren, White-vented Euphonia, Scarlet, Yellow-backed and White-shouldered Tanagers and Purple Honeycreeper. We continued to Rio Claro Canyon (10:45-13:00) where a reality TV show being filmed was causing a lot of disturbance and probably went a long way towards explaining the absence of Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant and Magdalena Antbird both of which Trevor was expecting to find here. Seeing three roosting Spectacled Owls, was some compensation along with Collared Aracari, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Western Olivaceous Flatbill, Lesser Greenlet and Buff-rumped Warbler. Lunch nearby produced Bicoloured Wren then at Grutas de Condor (14:45-16:15) we followed a stream down to another canyon and a dark cave where at least two Oilbirds were present. Here I felt my balance going again but Trevor helped me back up towards the vehicles and halfway there I was OK again. Also seen here were Greater Ani, Yellow-throated Toucan, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, White-winged and White-thighed Swallows and Yellow-rumped Caciques.

Striolated Manakin at Quintatana

Beautiful Woodpecker at Quintatana

Buff-rumped Warbler in Rio Claro Canyon

unidentified butterfly, most likely of genus Callithea

Western Olivaceous Flatbill in Rio Claro Canyon

Spectacled Owls in Rio Claro Canyon

Monday 09 March 2026. We had an early start to a still very disturbed Rio Claro Canyon, being there from 05:45-07:15. Spectacled Owls were still present and we saw Dot-winged Antwren, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper and Blue-black Grosbeak but as before had no success with Antioquia Bristle-Tyrant or Magdalena Antbird. We returned to the Ecohotel for a final look around (Wattled Jacana and Spectacled Parrotlet) then began the long drive up to Bogota. At a stop at Rio Triaifio we saw Pied and a distant Russet-throated Puffbird, Black-crowned Tityra, Pied Water Tyrant, Caribbean Hornero, Red-breasted Meadowlark and Yellow-hooded Blackbird. Back in Bogota, after a long drive in heavy rain and past a minor landslide, we had time for dinner before catching our mid evening flight to Santa Marta. Having had no further balance issues I had decided to continue on the tour, although the help I’d been given by the group was a deciding factor. We arrived at our hotel in Santa Marta quite late with the prospect of another early start.