birding never sleeps: COLOMBIA 2026 part 3: Central Andes and Montezuma (28 Feb-04 March 2026)

Central Andes and Montezuma

Saturday 28 February 2026. We left Manizales at 04:30 and drove up into Los Nevados National Park in the Central Andes to a cliff face at 4000m near Nevado Del Ruiz. We arrived before dawn to a biting wind, a Band-winged Nightjar coping better with the cold than we were. A Rufous-fronted Parakeet flypast failed to materialise and we soon moved on to another area where Trevor located a small flock around a rocky outcrop below us. Our first target seen we headed to more open paramo and a track up to some buildings. Initial fleeting views of Buffy Helmetcrests were something of a windup for me until I had prolonged views near the buildings. Other good birds in the paramo were Viridian Metaltail, Shining Sunbeam, Tawny Antpitta, White-chinned Thistletail and Stout-billed Cinclodes. We slowly descended towards Termals de Luiz, a lodge/restaurant for lunch, stopping several times on the way and seeing White-browed Spinetail and a superb Crowned Chat-Tyrant. Feeders at the Termales de Luiz hotel complex where we had lunch attracted several stunning Rainbow-bearded Thornbills, Empress Brilliant and Golden-breasted Puffleg. We were back in Manizales before dark and I had a wander around the hotel grounds and beyond for an hour seeing little but hearing Whiskered Wren.

Rufous-fronted Parakeets near Los Nevados National Park

Buffy Helmetcrest in Los Nevados National Park

looking down on a not particularly tawny Tawny Antpitta in Los Nevados National Park

Los Nevados National Park

still active Nevado del Luiz, it last erupted in 1985

Nevados del Luiz

Great Thrush in Los Nevados National Park
Manizales

Crowned Chat-Tyrant as we dropped down to Termales de Luiz

a bird I'd wanted to see for a long time, I was not disappointed

Lacrimose Mountain Tanager at Termales de Luiz
Shining Sunbeam at Termales de Luiz

Empress Brilliant at Termales de Luiz

Rainbow-bearded Thornbills at Termales de Luiz

Sunday 01 March 2026. We drove up to Hacienda del Bosque for our last morning in the Central Andes, arriving at 06:10 for breakfast and feeders. A mural on the side of the hacienda featuring Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan and Crescent-faced Antpitta added to the tension and the first feeder after breakfast, in forest edge below a meadow, produced superb views of Equatorial Antpitta, White-browed Spinetail and Grass Wren. Returning to the track we continued to another/the main feeding station. A male Barred Fruiteater remained in the background while Slaty and Grey-browed Brushfinches, Mountain Wren and Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant came in. After an anxious half an hour we were told that the Crescent-faced Antpitta hadn’t come in for a week and had been an irregular visitor since the start of the year. It would have been nice to know that in advance rather than having high expectations and a tense wait. Perhaps the hacienda was worried we’d not turn up if we’d known? Also rather annoying was being told well into our visit that the previous day a Chestnut-crested Cotinga had been seen along the entrance road, something we could have looked for in the half hour before breakfast when we first arrived. A final feeder hosted a superb Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan which put me in a much better mood, Hooded Mountain Tanager, Andean Guan and a Central American Agouti. We left at 11:20 for the drive across to the Western Andes. We stopped for lunch and at some coffee plantations on the way seeing Bar-crested Antshrike, Chivi Vireo, Black-chested Jay and Chestnut-headed Oropendola. We transferred from our bus into two 4WDs to take us up to Montezuma Lodge in Tatama National Park where we were staying for the next four nights. Our bus would meet us on the other side of the mountain in four days time.

Paramo Seedeater at Hacienda del Bosque

Hacienda del Bosque - in my view in need of some graffiti

Equatorial Antpitta at Hacienda del Bosque

White-browed Spinetail at Hacienda del Bosque

Grass Wren at Hacienda del Bosque

Shining Sunbeam at Hacienda del Bosque
Buff-winged Starfrontlet at Hacienda del Bosque
Sword-billed Hummingbird at Hacienda del Bosque

Slaty Brushfinch at Hacienda del Bosque

Mountain Wren at Hacienda del Bosque

Barred Fruiteater at Hacienda del Bosque

Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant at Hacienda del Bosque

Masked Flowerpiercer at Hacienda del Bosque

Hooded Mountain Tanager at Hacienda del Bosque

Eared Dove at Hacienda del Bosque

Grey-browed Brushfinch at Hacienda del Bosque

Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan at Hacienda del Bosque

Agouti at Hacienda del Bosque

Monday 02 March 2026. We left Montezuma lodge at 05:30 and drove on a rough dirt track through forest high up the mountain to just before the military base where we arrived at 07:00. Our local guide brough a couple of feeders with us and set them up so we could watch Velvet-purple Coronets and Dusky Chlorospingus while having breakfast. Walking back down the track a short way we soon found a pair of Munchique Wood Wrens, Rufous Spinetail and Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer. We spent much of the day alternating between walking sections and driving others as we descended to the lodge. We stopped at a shelter half way down where lunch was brought up to us before continuing down. On our descent we saw and other highlights included Greenish Puffleg, Empress Brilliant, Brown Inca, Rufous-gaped Hillstar, Violet-tailed Sylph, Swallow-tailed Kite, Black-throated Tody-Tyrant, Smoke-coloured Pewee, Bicoloured Antvireo, Uniform Antshrike, Yellow-breasted Antpitta with Chami heard distantly, Narino Tapaculo, Brown-billed Scythebill, Star-chested Treerunner, Choco Brushfinch, Black-billed Peppershrike, Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia and Black-chinned Mountain, Glistening-green, Gold-ringed, Flame-faced and Silver-throated Tanagers. We were back at the lodge at 18:00, seeing Blackish Rail and Greyish Piculet in the grounds and Purple-throated Woodstar, Green Thorntail, Green-crowned Brilliant and Western Emerald on the feeders. It had been a brilliant first day but I’d missed or only had poor views of a few birds including Black and Gold Tanager which I’d not seen before. We had two more full days at Montezuma but the following morning, subject to local information about safety, was earmarked for a trip into the Chaco to look for Baudo Oropendola which, having seen it on my previous trip, I was not too keen on doing.

Velvet-purple Coronets in Tatama National Park

Tatama National Park

Glowing Puffleg in Tatama National Park

Munchique Wood Wrens in Tatama National Park

Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercers in Tatama National Park

Black-billed Peppershrike in Tatama National Park

Buff-tailed Coronet in Tatama National Park

Dusky Chlorospingus in Tatama National Park

Ornate Flycatcher in Tatama National Park

Gold-ringed Tanager in Tatama National Park

Blackish Rails at Montezuma Lodge

White-necked Jacobin, Green Thorntail, Andean Emerald and Purple-throated Woodstar at Montezuma Lodge

White-necked Jacobins, Empress Brilliant and Andean Emerald at Montezuma Lodge

Purple-bibbed Whitetip at Montezuma Lodge

Green Thorntails, Andean Emerald and White-necked Jacobins at Montezuma Lodge

Tuesday 03 March 2026. Local information was that the Baudo Oropendola area was safe to visit but not all the group wanted to go there so a vehicle was free to take me and a recently appointed local guide back up the mountain for the morning. The plan being to meet the others at lunchtime at the shelter we’d used the previous day. We left at 05:20 and had an enjoyable but somewhat disappointing morning seeing Black and Gold Tanager well (but no photos) and only hearing Chestnut Wood-Quail, White-throated Quail-Dove and Toucan Barbet and Nariño and Tatama Tapaculos. Lunch was brought up for me by motobike and I had it at the shelter and caught up with the group soon after starting to walk down early afternoon. They’d seen Baudo Oropendola and a decent selection of more lowland species, nice but nothing too concerning for me. We then concentrated on the lower section of the mountain as we slowly returned to the lodge alternating between walking and driving. Birds seen included Choco Tapaculo, Crested Ant-Tanager, Ochre-breasted and Rufous-throated Tanagers.

Masked Trogon in Tatama National Park

higher elevations of Tatama National Park

Western Dwarf Squirrel in Tatama National Park

Golden-bellied Flycatcher in Tatama National Park

Crested Ant-Tanager in Tatama National Park

Wednesday 04 March 2026. Our final day at Montezuma we left at 05:30 and drove for about an hour to a gulley about ¾ of the way up to the army camp. We still had several important targets and spent most of the day working our way down the mountain, alternating between walking and driving mostly downhill sections. Highlights were White-faced Nunbird, a pair of Toucan Barbets, Scaled, Green and Black and Orange-breasted Fruiteaters, Yellow-breasted Antwren, a superb pair of Tanager Finches, Choco Vireo, disappointing views of Chami Antpitta, Dusky Leaftosser, Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner, Pacific Tuftedcheek, a pair of Beautiful Jays, bits of Northern Chestnut-breasted Wren, Slaty Finch, Indigo Flowerpiercer and Purplish-mantled Tanager. The day exceeded all expectations my only having poor flight views of a Black Solitaire, it was behind a branch for me when our local guide saw one briefly perched.