Bulletin 391 - Colombia 2021 #8 - Antbirds Part 2 and Antpittas

 I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

The 6" Santa Marta Antbird (Drymophilia hellmayri) is endemic to those mountains. It has brown wings and a black and white streaked throat. The sexes are very similar. It was formerly one of 4 species called Long-tailed Antbird.

Santa Marta Antbird

The 4.5" female Black-chinned Antbird (Hypocnemoides melanopogon) is a gray bird with a white throat and faint black streaks. The male has a black throat. Their habitat of flooded forest foraging just above the water line is diagnostic. We had a pair about 10 meters away in deep shadow just before dusk. It was too dark to get a photo, but just as we were about to leave in the boat, the female flew and landed in the open right beside the boat!

Black-chinned Antbird - female

The beautiful male 6" White-bellied Antbird (Myrmeciza longipes) is 'unlike any other' and an easy ID. This bird is the easiest antbird I have ever photographed. He came to within 2 meters, in the open, and sang continuously.

White-bellied Antbird

The 4.75" female Dot-backed Antbird (Hylophylax punctatus) has a black face, white chin, and white dot on lower back. The male is similar but with a black chin. Their habitat is like the Black-chinned Antbird - flooded forest - but they forage 1-4 meters above the water surface.

Dot-backed Antbird

The 5" male Southern White-fringed Antwren (Formicivora grisea) is an easy ID. he is brown above and black below with a white line between them. It was recently split into Northern and Southern species

Southern White-fringed Antwren - male

Antpittas are a closely related family to antbirds - and usually even more difficult to see and photograph. But in the past 20 years, it was discovered that they can be trained to come to a feeder enticed by worms. I photographed 3 species on the trip and saw a 4th one.

The 7" Santa Marta Antpitta (Grallaria bangsi) came to a feeding station at a research site in the Santa Marta range. It is endemic to those mountains.

Santa Marta Antpitta

The 6.5" Tawny Antpitta (Grallaria quitensis) is a resident high in the mountains and on the paramo. It often comes in the open as this one did - on the road.

Tawny Antpitta

The one that we saw but I wasn't able to photograph was the Rufous Antpitta in the Santa Marta range. This species of antpitta was split into 14 different species in July 2021! This one is now the Sierra Nevada Antpitta.

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 29 of the 238 species of antbirds

I have photos of 10 of the 69 species of antpittas

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 390 - Colombia 2021 #7 - Parrots

 I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

Parrots are favorites of birders and non-birders alike due to their bright colors, popularity as cage birds and they can be trained to talk. Colombia as you know has more species of birds than any other country. There are 56 species of parrots in Colombia. I photographed a dozen and we saw one or two more. The 5" Green-rumped Parrotlet (Forpus passerinus) is s sparrow-sized green parrot with a touch of blue in his wings.

Green-rumped Parrotlet

Parakeets are parrots with long pointed tails. The 15" Blue-crowned Parakeet (Thectocercus acuticaudatus) is a green parakeet with a large white eye ring and a blue forehead.

Blue-crowned Parakeet

The 9" Flame-winged Parakeet (Pyrrhura callipterra) is a Colombian endemic species. It is green with a brown ruffle around the neck and large yellow wing patches visible in flight. It is also known as the Brown-breasted Parakeet. This bird is listed as vulnerable and declining.

Flame-winged Parakeet

Here is another photo.

Flame-winged Parakeet

Unfortunately, we missed the rare endemic Santa Marta Parakeet.

Parrots usually have shorter square tails. The 9" Black-headed Parrot (Pionites melanocephalus) is a black and white and green and yellow parrot. It is an easy ID.

Black-headed Parrot

The 11" Blue-headed Parrot (Pionus menstruus) is also an easy ID. I have seen it multiple times.

Blue-headed Parrot

Amazons are the largest New World parrots except for the macaws. The 13" Orange-winged Amazon (Amazona amazonica) is all green with a few orange flight feathers.

Orange-winged Amazon

The 16" Southern Mealy Amazon (Amazona farinosa). It is green with some red flight feathers.

Southern Mealy Amazon

The largest are the macaws. The 18" Chestnut-fronted Macaw (Ara severus) is a colorful macaw with a brown forehead. This my best photo of this species.

Chestnut-fronted Macaw

Lastly, the 36" Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is a huge stunning bird.

Scarlet Macaw

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 44 of the 177 species of New World and African Parrots

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 389 - Colombia 2021 #6 - Antbirds - Part 1

I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

As my neotropical adventures continue, I appreciate the antbird more and more. Many of the species are secretive and difficult to see well, let alone photograph. But then when I do see a new one and get a photo, it is exciting.

The antshrikes are usually the easiest to see and photograph as they are usually 10' or more up in a tree. I photographed 6 species of antshrikes - so I can devote a bulletin to them. One was a species I had seen several times and never was able to photograph, but this trip I was successful. And one species is special as you will see.

The 6" male Amazonian Antshrike (Thamnophilus amazonicus) is gray with black wings and spots on the shoulders.

Amazonian Antshrike - male

The female has an orange head and breast - and the rest resembles the male.

Amazonian Antshrike - female

The 6" male Black-crowned Antshrike (Thamnophilus atrinucha) is a gray bird with a short black crest. This bird was previously named the Western Slaty Antshrike. You can see how similar these birds are and the only way to tell for sure is by the voice.

Black-crowned Antshrike - male

The 6" female Black-backed Antshrike (Thamnophilus melanonotus) is a nondescript pale brown bird.

Black-backed Antshrike - female

The 6.5" male Black-crested Antshrike (Sakephorus canadensis) in unmistakable with his tall bushy crest. Notice the scientific name - canadensis. I wondered how was this bird was associated with Canada?? The range is northern South America. Well it was first described in 1760 and the ornithologist mistakenly believed the specimen had been collected in Canada. Haha

Black-crested Antshrike - male

The female is brown with the same bushy crest.

Black-crested Antshrike - female

The one I had missed photos before was the 8" Great Antshrike (Taraba major). The male is a striking black and white bird with a bright red eye. It is unmistakable.

Great Antshrike - male

The last one was exciting to see and it is new to science and not named yet. It was discovered by our guide Pablo Florez several years ago and the scientific write-up has been done and it should be named next year. He called it the Mystery Antshrike but I prefer Inirida Antshrike as that is the locale where we saw it.

 Inirida Antshrike

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 29 of the 238 species of antbirds

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 388 - Colombia 2021 #5 - Shorebirds, Cuckoos

I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

I finally found my target plover in northern Latin America. I have had multiple trips and never even saw this common bird, let alone get a photo. The 6" Collared Plover (Charadius collaris) is similar to our small plovers, but ours all have a white nape. This one has a rufous nape of the neck to distinguish it, as many of ours are migrants to South America. I finally saw it on the coast where we saw the flamingos - just 1 bird but enough to check it off! I spent 20 minutes trying to make sure I got an identifiable photo of this bird.

Collared Plover

The other plover was the beautiful 14" Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis). I had photographed this bird previously, but lapwings are beautiful long legged plovers and I enjoy seeing them.

Southern Lapwing

Another small family of shorebirds is the thick-knees. This family of 10 species has 2 in the Americas. I had a distant photo of this bird before, but improved with several in a field along the road. The 18" Double-striped Thick-knee (Burhinus bistriatus) is the only thick-knee in this area. 

Double-striped Thick-knee

Jacanas are another small family of shorebirds with 2 in the New World. The 9" Wattled Jacana (Jacana jacana) is the southern one. We were able to get very close, in the boat, to a bird walking on the floating weeds. It is has rufous wings and back with a black head, neck and breast and red wattles. It is an easy ID.

Wattled Jacana

I photographed 3 cuckoos on the trip, 2 of which were lifers for me. The 18" Greater Ani (Crotophaga major) is an all black bird with a long tail and large bill.

Greater Ani

The 2 new ones were the 11" Dark-billed Cuckoo (Coccygus melacoryphus). It is similar to our Black-billed Cuckoo, but it has a tawny breast.

Dark-billed Cuckoo

The other lifer was the 11" Little Cuckoo (Coccycua minuta). This is a small rufous cuckoo with a yellow bill.

Little Cuckoo

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 30 of the 67 species of Plovers and Lapwings

I have photos of 3 of the 10 species of Thick-knees

I have photos of 5 of the 8 species of Jacanas

I have photos of 25 of the 148 species of Cuckoos

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 387 - Colombia 2021 #4 - Warblers, Donacobius, Cardinal

  I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range in northeast Colombia is the tallest coastal mountain range in the world and the tallest peak in Colombia. It is the most important area of endemism in the world with about 27 endemic species of birds. There are 3 warblers, 4 hummingbirds, and 2 sparrows among others. Naming them often leads to a Santa Marta species and another one Sierra Nevada same species. If a bird has either of these names, it is in the Santa Marta mountain range and endemic.

We saw all 3 endemic warblers, but I was unable to photo the Santa Marta Warbler as it is a skulker. The next 2 photos are Santa Marta endemics. The 5.5" White-lored Warbler (Myiothlypis conspicillatus) has an olive back, yellow breast and gray head with white eye-ring.

White-lored Warbler

The 5" Yellow-crowned Whitestart (Myioborus flavivertex) has a black face, all yellow below and yellow cap with white under the tail.

Yellow-crowned Whitestart

The 5" Slate-throated Whitestart (Myioborus miniatus) has a gray head, back and throat and a yellow belly. It is a potential split as the birds in northern Central America have a rusty belly.

Slate-throated Whitestart

Another potential split is the 5" Golden-fronted Whitestart (Myioborus ornatus). This bird is gray above, has a yellow cap and underparts and a white face. The birds in the western Andes, I photographed on my previous Colombia trip, have a yellow face.

Golden-fronted Whitestart

A new warbler name for many of you is the 5" Chestnut-capped Warbler (Basileuterus delattrii). This was split from the Rufous-capped Warbler in July 2021 - just before my trip.

Chestnut-capped Warbler

The 8" Black-capped Donacobius (Donacobius atricapilla) is a bird that resembles a large wren and used to be included in the wren family. But now it is the only member of its own family. It is described as a skulker - more often heard than seen, but this bird landed right beside our boat, to give me my best ever photo of the species. It is an easy ID with the bright yellow eye.

Black-capped Donacobius

The 7.5" male Vermilion Cardinal (Cardinalis phoenicius) looks like our Northern Cardinal but with a taller crest and a white bill.

Vermilion Cardinal - male

The female is also similar to our female Northern Cardinal - but paler and with a white bill.

Vermilion Cardinal - female

We also saw the Rose-breasted Chat, another member in the cardinal family, in the Amazon portion of the trip - but I was unable to gat a photo.

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 77 of the 120 species of New world warblers.

I have photos of 30 of the 53 species of cardinals.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 386 - Colombia 2021 #3 - Water Birds

 I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

Much of the trip was on or near the water - in the Orinoco basin, Caribbean coast and some mountain lakes and streams. We did see a lot of herons, egrets and ducks that we have in the USA, so I did not bother to photograph them. So here are the more interesting ones. The first 3 were in the Orinoco part of the trip.

The 17" Large-billed Tern (Phaetusa simplex) was the only gull or tern we saw in the Orinoco region which was very surprising to me.

 Large-billed Tern

The beautiful 21" Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus) with his long plumes and blue face, he is an easy ID.

Capped Heron

Lastly is the peculiar 24" Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin). This prehistoric looking bird is endemic to Amazonia. It is the only bird in its family.

Hoatzin

The 2 interesting ducks were in the Andes. The  18" Andean Teal (Anas andium) is a gray brown bird on paramo lakes

Andean Teal

The exciting duck was a close encounter with the 16" Torrent Duck (Merganetta armata). We stopped on a bridge across a 30' stream where the guide had seen the ducks before. Well as luck would have it, the pair was about 30 yards upstream from the bridge. As we watched, they swam and drifted down until they were right below us.

Torrent Duck

The last 3 birds were on the Caribbean coast in northeastern Colombia. There is a flamingo preserve, but at the time of year we were there, we were lucky to find a half dozen birds. Here is an adult 47 " American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber).

American Flamingo

and a juvenile.

American Flamingo - juvenile

The 24" Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is white as a juvenile and then gets his color as he matures. There is some question if the White Ibis and this species are a single species. Time will tell as details are worked out.

Scarlet Ibis

The last was the 39" Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens). This is an immature with all the white. It is always a treat to see these pelagic birds.

Magnificent Frigatebird - juvenile

We also saw a Parasitic Jaeger but I did not get a photo. It seems so far south for that species.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 385 - Colombia 2021 #2 - Icterids

 I finally made it back to Colombia for my second visit and again used the guide services of Pablo Florez. I went with my friend Martin Jackson. We visited Inirida on the Orinoco, Santa Marta of course, Guajira Peninsula on the Caribbean coast, and a couple of National Parks around Bogota.

First a correction on the ID of Scaled Piculet on the previous bulletin. It is actually the Golden-spangled Piculet. Thanks to Pablo Florez for the correct ID. 

Icterids are the New World blackbirds such as orioles, grackles and meadowlarks. Orioles are obviously the most colorful and we had 2 lifers for me - both on the Caribbean coast in extreme northeast Colombia.

The 8" Yellow Oriole (Icterus nigrogularis) was admiring his reflection in our vehicle window. He looks more orange than yellow to me but I am not the person who named the bird.

Yellow Oriole

The other was the shy 8" Orange-crowned Oriole (Icterus auricapillus). He has more black than the first one - but the orange/yellow looks the same??

Orange-crowned Oriole

I also had 2 lifer grackles. The first was the peculiarly named 7" Velvet-fronted Grackle (Lampropsar tanagrinus). Here is where the name comes from. The feathers at the front of the crown are very short and dense, giving a velvet-like appearance at close quarters.

Velvet-fronted Grackle

The other is the 10.5" Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris). It is similar to the Great-tailed Grackle but considerably smaller.

Carib Grackle

Caciques are larger then orioles. Both the species we saw were not new for me. The 11" Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela) is black with a yellow bill, rump and undertail.

Yellow-rumped Cacique

The Solitary Cacique (Cacicus solitarius) is all black with a yellow bill.

Solitary Cacique

Oropendolas are larger still. I photographed 2 species and 1 was a lifer. The 21" Olive Oropendola (Psarocolius bifasciatus) was the lifer. He has an olive green body, ruflos wings, yellow tail and red tip on the bill. But the easiest ID mark is the pink cheeks.

Olive Oropendola

The other was the 18" Crested Oropendola (Psarocolius decumanus). It is black with an ivory bill and yellow tail.

Crested Oropendola

The last was a surprise for me to find the 9.5" Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) as a resident bird in mountains around Bogota. I had no idea that they had such an extensive range.

Eastern Meadowlark

So you may be wondering why I photograph the birds that I already have seen and photographed before. Well there are several reasons.

First is I always want to upgrade the photos. The Solitary Cacique here was much better than the other photo I had.

Second, is the possibility of the bird being split by subspecies in 2 or more species. If I have several photos from different locations, if a split occurs, I may already have the photos of both. The Eastern Meadowlark has 16 subspecies from eastern Canada to Brazil and Cuba.

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 50 of the 109 species of icterids

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.