Bulletin 414 - Colombia 2022 #11 - Parrots, Owls, Doves, Porcupine

 I was planning to go to Peru in 2022 but there were riots and road closures in the areas we were planning to go. So at the last minute I went back to Colombia and saw some other places. 

Unfortunately, there was a lot of overlap, so I did not get a lot of new birds on the trip. However, many areas now have set up feeding stations and several were built for photography. I used the same guide Pablo Florez and I had my daughter with me on the trip this year.

However on the bright side, the setups for photography and the number of places that had feeders allowed me to get many improved photos of birds I had mediocre photos previously.

We had 3 parrots on the trip and 2 were lifers for me.

 The cute 5" Spectacled Parrotlet (Forpus conspicillatus) is green with blue around the eyes. I had seen this bird on a previous trip, but still a cute bird to see.

Spectacled Parrotlet

The 9" Saffron-headed Parrot (Pyrilia pyrilia) is an easy ID as the whole yellow head in unique.

Saffron-headed Parrot

The last one was another 'amazing luck' bird for me. It is the 8" Rufous-fronted Parakeet (Bolborhynchus ferrugineifrons). It is listed as endemic and vulnerable. The only place to have a chance to see it is at the tree-line in one of the National Parks. Pablo said that he had not seen the bird in 5 years and not been able to photo it in 7 years. As we were walking along a road - a pair of them flew past in front of us and disappeared behind a hill. We could not see if they had landed or continued flying away. I asked the guide to play the tape just in case. Sure enough, the pair flew back and landed right beside us 20' away. WOW 

Rufous-fronted Parakeet

I photographed 2 owls for the trip. The 6" Andean Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium jardinii) is diurnal so much easier to find then most owls. I has seen this bird before, but this was my first photo.

Andean Pygmy Owl

The 8" Choco Screech Owl (Megascops centralis) is part of a 5 way split of Middle American Screech Owl. Although there is still some discussion among ornithologists about all these being separate species. Its range is the western slope of the Andes in Colombia and northern Ecuador.

Choco Screech Owl

There were 2 interesting doves on the trip. Quail-doves are forest doves that usually are secretive. The 12" White-throated Quail-Dove (Geotrygon frenata) is a brown dove with a gray crown and the characteristic white cheek seen in most quail-doves.

White-throated Quail-Dove

The endemic and endangered 10" Tolima Dove (Leptotila conoveri) occurs in the Andes in southern Colombia. The only sure place to see it was at the lodge we stayed where they feed them.

Tolima Dove

The most unusual sighting on the trip was the Bicolor-spined Porcupine (Coendou bicolor).

This smallish porcupine weighs up to 20 pounds and has a prehensile tail. Pablo, the guide, said this was only the second time he has ever seen it. He was the only new mammal for the trip but what a rare prize!

Bicolor-spined Porcupine

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

I have photos of 46 of the 177 species of New World parrots.

I have photos of 38 of the 226 species of typical owls

I have photos of 43 of the 332 species of pigeons and doves.

I have photos of 2 of the 16 species of New World porcupines.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2023 David McDonald

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Bulletin 283 - Colombia #6 - Hawks, Parrots, Toucan

Pablo Florez, the main guide, has co-written a book where to bird in Colombia. In it, he has a list of the Top 30 Most Sought-after Birds by a group of 40 birders visiting Colombia. I saw 12 of them on the trip and got photos of 10. When I show one of these birds,  I will mention its placement on the list.

One of the stranger things I have noticed in the tropics is the scarcity of raptors (except vultures). In Texas we have hawks everywhere and in winter, it is not uncommon to see a dozen or more in a mornings outing. I did get 3 hawk photos on this trip, but no falcons.

The first is the 15" adult Double-toothed Kite (Harpagus bidentatus). I had previously photographed an immature of this species. The black vertical stripe in center of throat is diagnostic for this species.

Double-toothed Kite - adult

The 24" Savanna Hawk (Buteogallus meridionalis) is beige overall.

Savanna Hawk

And the last was a treat. I have looked for this bird for years and finally found it. It is the 19" Crane Hawk (Geranospiza caerulescens). It is named for the very long legs. It is gray with a red eye and red legs. It was a lifer for me.

Crane Hawk

I also saw several new parrots on this trip and the highlight was the 18" Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhyncus icterotis). This bird was thought to be extinct, but a small population of 81 birds was discovered in April 1999. The area was set aside as a reserve. The problem with this bird is that it only nests in wax palm trees. These palms themselves are endangered due to logging and use of the fronds in Palm Sunday celebrations. But a national education program was developed and land owners encouraged to preserve the trees. Also, nest boxes were provided to supplement nest cavities. The population has since climbed to over 1,000 birds and it has been downgraded from critically endangered to endangered. It is bright green with a long tail and yellow cheek patch and yellow underparts.

This bird is number 3 on the top 30 list mentioned above. The guide said that most visiting birders normally only see these birds flying high on the way to or from their night roost. In the morning it was foggy and I could just see that they were parrots. However we went back in the late afternoon and it was clear and several pairs were seen a long way off on the palms. A pair did fly closer and I got this photo.

Yellow-eared Parrot

And then they landed in a bare tree not too far away.

Yellow-eared Parrot

Yellow-eared Parrot

The 16" Scarlet-fronted Parakeet (Psittacara wagleri) is a resident of Venezuela to Peru. I had seen and photographed this species in Miami where many parrots have been released or escaped. But this was my first occasion to see the bird in the wild. It is green with a scarlet forehead.

Scarlet-fronted Parakeet

The 7" Orange-chinned Parakeet (Brotogeris jugularis) is a small green parakeet with a white eye ring and hard to see orange chin patch.

Orange-chinned Parakeet

The 11" Bronze-winged Parrot (Pionus chalcopterus) is blue with bronzy wings.

Bronze-winged Parrot

Lastly is the 5" Spectacled Parrotlet (Forpus conspicillatus). It is green with blue around the eye.

Spectacled Parrotlet

The only new toucan was a far off 18" Black-billed Mountain Toucan (Andigena nigrirostris). It is blue and white underneath with a solid black bill/

Black-billed Mountain Toucan

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2017 David McDonald

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