COLOMBIA 2026 part 1: Bogota, Eastern Andes and Magdalena Valley (19-23 February)

COLOMBIA 2026 part 1: Bogota, Eastern Andes and Magdalena Valley (19-23 February)

Introduction. I visited Colombia in 2014 (see here). It was a fantastic country with some superb birds but I left feeling somewhat disappointed and for several years have been considering a return. The Birdquest Classic Colombia visited to some areas I'd not been to and hopefully better success with some of the birds I'd not seen the first time. New birds appear in the blog in red.

The tour started in Bogota at 19:00 on 20 February. Overnight direct Avianca flights arrived in Bogota early morning and a better option seemed to be for fly British Airways to Madrid and Iberia from there. I was delighted to learn, at the Needle-tailed Swift the Paul Chapman and Paul Gregory were going on the trip and had come to the same decision on flights out.

Thursday/Friday 19/20 February 2026. I caught an evening bus from Shoreham-by-Sea to Heathrow and managed a few hours sleep in an uncomfortable seat before joining the two Pauls checking in for the 06:15 flight to Madrid where we changed planes. Several forgettable films later we arrived in Bogota, were met at the airport and arrived at the hotel around 19:00. We met leader Trevor Ellery and the other participants including John Regan who I was sharing with and had arrived in Bogota that morning.

Saturday 21 February 2026. We left Bogota at 04:00 in a minibus and drove for two hours up to a high pasture with isolated woodland in Chingaza National Park inthe Eastern Andes. Flame-winged Parakeets gave reasonable views while a pair of Black-billed Mountain Toucans were all too brief. We continued on to Muisca Birding Lodge where we spent the rest of the morning. Highlights were a Muisca Antpitta coming into worms (it had been a race of Rufous Antpitta when seen on my previous trip), various hummingbirds at feeders, a Pale-bellied Tapaculo and a roosting Andean Potoo which came as a bit of a surprise (the only known site in Colombia, apparently). We had lunch at El Zoque where there were more feeders then visited a lagoon at Guasca and the Hummingbird Observatory before returning to battle Bogota traffic.

high elevation pastures

Whistling Heron at Bio Andino - surprisingly high elevation

Glowing Puffleg at Bio Andino - a hummingbird photo not taken at a feeder

Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager

Pale-naped Brushfinch

Muisca Birding Lodge

female White-bellied Woodstar at Muisca feeders

male White-bellied Woodstar at Muisca feeders

Blue-throated Starfrontlet at Muisca

showing its blue throat

and blue rump

Tyrian Metaltail at Muisca

Longuemare's Sunangel at Muisca

Mountain Velvetbreast at Muisca

Lesser Violetear at Muisca

Muisca Antpitta at Muisca Birding Lodge

Andean Potoo at Muisca

Great Sapphirewing at El Zoque

Bogota Rail near Guasca

Sunday 22 February 2026. An early start driving up onto the paramo at Sumapaz and arriving before dawn. Boyaca Antpittas (formerly a race of Tawny) were hopping about in the gloom and Noble Snipe were seen at wet areas as the sun came up. A walk along the road caused some friction with National Park staff as stopping is apparently not allowed. Soldiers at a nearby army camp were more welcoming. Roadside stops in bushy habitat on the paramo produced Apolinar's Wren, Green-bearded Helmetcrest and Bronze-tailed Thornbill. Red-rumped Ground-Tyrant, Buff-banded Mountain Tanager and Rufous-browed Conebill. We had an early lunch at Reserva Chiguaza where Black-backed Grosbeak was a highlight before driving to Campo Tanagra for the afternoon. The hummingbird feeders there hosted a superb Golden-bellied Starfrontlet, Longuemare's Sunangel, Collared Inca, White-bellied Woodstar and Buff-tailed Coronet. An accident on the road delayed our return to the hotel until 19:00.

Boyaca Antpitta and shadow at Sumapaz

Boyaca Antpitta on the paramo

Apolinar's Wren at Sumapaz

Green-bearded Helmetcrest at Sumapaz

Buff-banded Mountain Tanager at Sumapaz

Chestnut-winged Cinclodes at Sumapaz

Red-rumped Ground Tyrant as Sumapaz

Rufous-browed Conebill at Sumapaz

 

Black-backed Grosbeak at Reserva Chiguaza Mutar

Golden-bellied Starfrontlet at Campo Tangara - well named when it catches the light

Collared Inca at Campo Tangara

Longuemare's Sunangel at Campo Tangara

female White-bellied Woodstar at Campo Tangara

Buff-tailed Coronet at Campo Tangara

Golden-fronted Whitestart at Campo Tangara

Monday 23 February 2026. We left Bogota at 04:00 and headed west and dropped down to Pedro Palo on the western slope of the Eastern Andes arriving at 05:15. We walked  mid-elevation forest patches for several hours before dropping further into the Magdalena Valley to roadside shade coffee and then hot dry woodland at Coerino. Later we crossed the Magdalena River and ascended into the central Andes to Cajamarca where we transferred from our minibus into jeeps to climbed high into the mountains to the Loro Fuertesi Reserve. Highlights were Indigo-capped Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker, Sooty-headed Tyrannulet, Apical Flycatcher, White-bellied Antbird, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Velvet-fronted Euphonia, Cerulean and Blackburnian Warblers and Turquoise Dacnis.

Sooty-headed Tyrannulet at Perdo Palo

Cerulean Warbler in roadside coffee

Apical Flycatcher at Coerino

White-bellied Antbird at Coerino

Velvet-fronted Euphonia at Coerino

Turquoise Cracker butterfly Coerino