Bulletin 402 - Colombia 2021 #19 - Trogons and Jacamars

 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.

Jacamars are a small family of brightly colored birds with long pointed bills. They sort of resemble large hummingbirds. They are mostly found in the Amazon area. 

The 9" Rufous-tailed Jacamar (Galbula ruficauda) is the most commonly encountered, as its range is from southern Mexico to southern Brazil.

Rufous-tailed Jacamar

The 8" Green-tailed Jacamar (Galbula galbula) is very similar but with a solid green tail.

Green-tailed Jacamar

The 8" Bronzy Jacamar (Galbula leucogastra) is dark green with a bronzy chest and back.

Bronzy Jacamar

The 6.5" Brown Jacamar (Brachygalba lugubris) is all brown with a white belly.

Brown Jacamar

The 8" White-eared Jacamar (Galbalcyrhynchus leucotis) is mostly reddish brown with darker wings and tail and a prominent white ear patch. He has a bright red bill.

White-eared Jacamar

Last is the 11" Paradise Jacamar (Galbula dea). It is dark glossy green with a white throat and a very long tail.

Paradise Jacamar

We saw several trogons and a quetzal on the trip. The 11" male Green-backed Trogon (Trogon viridis) has a purple head and yellow belly.

Green-backed Trogon

The bird of the trip was the 13" White-tipped Quetzal (Pharomachrus fulgidus). It is endemic to the Santa Marta and adjacent Perija mountain ranges. It is the only quetzal in those areas. This was my 4th of the 6 species of quetzal to photograph.

White-tipped Quetzal

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

I have photos of 8 of the 18 species of jacamars

I have photos of 17 of the 43 species of trogons and quetzals

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2022 David McDonald

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

Bulletin 401 - Colombia 2021 #18 - Cotingas, monkeys

 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.

Cotingas are a New World family of diverse looking birds. They hardly seem like they are related.

The 7.5" male Pompadour Cotinga (Xipholena punicea) is an amazing reddish purple bird with w white wing stripe. This was only my second time to see it.

Pompadour Cotinga - male

The female is just non-descript brown as she takes care of all the nesting and raising the babies.

Pompadour Cotinga - female

There are a dozen greenish cotingas called fruiteaters - although all the cotingas eat fruit primarily. The one on this trip was in Santa Marta - the 7" Golden-breasted Fruiteater (Pipreola aureopectus). 

Golden-breasted Fruiteater - male

Another group of cotingas are all blue with the males have different colored throats. The 8" male Spangled Cotinga (Cotinga cayana) has a purple throat.

Spangled Cotinga - male

The next smaller cotinga is the 8" Red-crested Cotinga (Ampelion rubrocristatus). The male is gray with a thin red crest that can be seen along the edge of his head in the photo. He also has a prominent red. He is a resident in the paramo.

Red-crested Cotinga - male

The last 2 are some weird looking birds. The 14" male Bare-necked Fruitcrow (Gymnoderus foetidus) is black with a white neck and wings.

Bare-necked Fruitcrow - male

The female just is black with partial bare neck and the wings are black.

Bare-necked Fruitcrow - female

Lastly is the 18" Amazonian Umbrellabird (Cephalopterus ornatus). It is a black bird with a forward facing crest and a white eye,

Amazonian Umbrellabird

We had 3 species of monkeys for the trip. The largest monkeys in the New World are the howler monkeys. This is a family of Venezuelan Red Howlers (Alouatta seniculus). Males can weigh up to 20 pounds.

Venezuelan Red Howler - family

The Black Titi (Cheracebus lugens) is much smaller at 2 pounds.

Black Titi

The 1 pound Cotton-top Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) is the cutest of the bunch. It is black with a white bushy crest and white legs. It is listed as critically endangered with fewer than 6,000 estimated still in the wild and is one of the rarest primates in the world. Here is a mother carrying twins on her back.

Cotton-top Tamarin - mother with twins

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

I have photos of 19 of the 66 species of cotingas

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2022 David McDonald

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

Bulletin 400 - Colombia 2021 #17 - Night Birds and Toucans

 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.

Here is another milestone - my 400th bulletin since I started sending a few spring migration photos to a half dozen friends 14 years ago. So I have put a couple of my favorite families of birds in this issue.

Owls are one of my favorite subjects to photograph. We saw 3 owls on the trip and all were lifers. The 17" Stygian Owl (Asio stygius) I had missed on all my previous trips. So I was surprised to see this bird high in the Santa Marta mountains, in the pre-dawn fog, sitting right over the road in our headlights. In reading about this bird, his food is other sleeping birds.

Stygian Owl

Further up the mountain we stopped a couple of time to call in the 10" Santa Marta Screech Owl (Megascops gilesi). This is a newly described species in 2018. Our guide for this portion of the trip specializes in the Santa Marta region and he was the one who discovered a nest and described the species as separate from the Tropical Screech Owl. So it was a treat to see such a new species. This is the first time an owl did not turn to face the camera and the light for me.

Santa Marta Screech Owl

The next day as we left the Santa Marta range and stayed in a village at the bottom, the guide had a friend who took us outside of town after dark and we saw the 9" Tropical Screech Owl (Megascops choliba).

Tropical Screech Owl

Another night bird was the 16" Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus). They sleep during the day, often at the end of s broken branch so they become almost invisible. I had see this bird several times previously, but Martin was excited as it was a new family of birds for him and one he was hoping to see.

Common Potoo

We also saw hundreds of Sand-colored Nighthawks along the Orinco tributaries - all flying in the direction of Inirida - as the only lights in miles of jungle and the lights attracts the insects. We flushed a pair of Rufous Nightjars but I was not able to get a photo.

We also had the pleasure of seeing 5 species of Toucans. These colorful birds are a favorite of many people as kids grow up eating Fruit Loops with a toucan as the mascot for the brand.

The 19" Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) is the fruit loops bird on the cereal box. It is mostly in Central America but gets in Colombia along the northern coast.

Keel-billed Toucan

The 18" Channel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos vitellinus) has a black or dark brown bill with a yellow stripe on the upper mandible.

Channel-billed Toucan

The 18" Black-billed Mountain Toucan (Andigena nigrirostris) is brown above and gray below.

Black-billed Mountain Toucan

Aracaris are smaller toucans with narrower, more pointed bills. The 15" Ivory-billed Aracari (Pteroglossus azara) is black above and several stripes below, along with a pale bill color.

Ivory-billed Aracari

Toucanets are smaller still. The 14" Groove-billed Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus sulcatus) is green with a bicolored bill. It is only found in the Santa Marta and adjacent ranges in Colombia.

Groove-billed Toucanet

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

I have photos of 36 of the 226 species of owls

I have photos of 17 of the 43 species of toucans

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2022 David McDonald

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

Bulletin 399 - Colombia 2021 #16 - Wrens and Manakins

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.

Wrens are a modest sized family of 88 species - all but 1 are in the New World. Despite being mostly brown birds - they are very active and cute with their usually uplifted tails. Many of the species are a challenge to see, let alone photograph. That is another trait that makes them a favorite family of birds for me. Every time I photo a new species, I am very happy.

I photographed 4 new species and another one that is a likely split. All were lifers.

The easiest ID is the beautiful 7.5" Bicolored Wren (Campylorhynchus griseus).

Bicolored Wren

His cousin is the 7.5" Thrush-like Wren (Campylorhynchus turdinus). It is a brown-backed wren with a spotted breast.

Thrush-like Wren

The Grey-breasted Wood Wren complex contains many likely splits in various geographic areas. 2 of these are in Santa Marta and are endemic to Colombia.

The 4.25" Hermit Wood Wren (Henicorhina anachoreta) is found above 2000m elevation in Santa Marta mountains. When it was first split from the Grey-breasted Wood Wren complex, it was called Santa Marta Wood Wren.

Hermit Wood Wren

The 4.25" Bangs' Wood Wren (Henicorhina bangsi) has not been officially split yet, but does show as a split in the Birds of Columbia Field Guide, so I am sure it will be officially split soon. It is found between 1000 - 2000m elevation in the Santa Marta range. I was so happy to get both of these wrens on the one morning we had a chance to see them.

Bangs' Wood Wren

The 4" Apolinar's Wren (Cistothorus apolinari) is a resident around lakes in the paramo above Bogota. It took about 20 minutes of frustration as he moved around rapidly, before I got a photo. He is endemic to Colombia

Apolinar's Wren

In keeping with the small birds, manakins are another very small family of New World songbirds. I photographed 3 on the trip and all were life birds.

The female 4.75" Black Manakin (Xenopipo atronitens) is, like most female manakins, an olive color. The male is solid black.

Black Manakin - female

The 5" male Lance-tailed Manakin (Chiroxiphia lanceolata) is black , with a blue back, a red crown (here raised like a crest) and a few elongated tail feathers.

Lance-tailed Manakin - male

Lastly is the 4.5" male White-bearded Manakin (Manacus manacus). He has a black crown, back, wings and tail and the underparts are white. He has red legs.  This bird just sat for maybe 20 minutes and I got this one photo showing the beard extended. It was an exciting encounter, even though the guide book says it may be the most frequently seen manakin in Colombia due to its extensive range.

White-bearded Manakin - male

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

I have photos of 37 of the 86 species of wrens

I have photos of 10 of the 52 species of manakins

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2022 David McDonald

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

Bulletin 398 - Colombia 2021 #15 - Puffbirds , vulture, motmot and boto

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.

Puffbirds are a small family of large headed and heavy-billed birds - usually brown or black in color. There are 38 species and 24 of them are in Colombia.

The 7" Chestnut-capped Puffbird (Bucco macrodactylus) is a brown puffbird with a plain breast and bright rufous cap.

Chestnut-capped Puffbird

His cousin the 7.5" Spotted Puffbird (Bucco tamatia) is similar but he has a rufous breast and heavy black spotting on his belly. Both these birds are listed as uncommon to rare in Amazonian Colombia.

Spotted Puffbird

The 8" Russet-throated Puffbird (Hypnelus ruficollis) is similar to the above but a different genus. He has a rufous throat but and a black chest band.

Russet-throated Puffbird

The 7" Swallow-winged Puffbird (Chelidoptera tenebrosa) looks and behaves more like a flycatcher. He is dark gray in color with a reddish belly.

Swallow-winged Puffbird

Lastly a small group of puffbirds are call nunbirds. The 9.5" Black-fronted Nunbird (Monasa nigrifrons) is a dark gray bird with a black face and red bill. It is an easy ID.

Black-fronted Nunbird

Motmots are colorful birds with long racquet tails. The only one for the trip was the 15" Whooping Motmot (Momotus subrufescens). What is distinctive is they swing their tails side-to-side rather than up and down.

Whooping Motmot

I finally got a photo of a 26" Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes burrovianus). I had seen this bird at a great distance soaring a few times, but now had one along the Caribbean coast. The head is actually yellow with a red forehead and red nape.

Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

We also saw a juvenile King Vulture while we were having lunch one day. But I did not recognize what it was, so I missed the photo before the guide IDed it.

I love marine mammals, so I was excited that we might see a fresh water dolphin on the trip. The Amazon River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) is AKA Boto or Pink Dolphin. It is one of 2 species of fresh water dolphins in the Amazon basin. The first afternoon in Inirida we went to a small river that had a pod of maybe 20 dolphins and they were surfacing all around our boat.

Amazon River Dolphin

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

I have photos of 11 of the 38 species of puffbirds

I have photos of 10 of the 14 species of motmots

I have photos of 6 of the 7 species of New World vultures

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2022 David McDonald

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

Bulletin 397 - Colombia 2021 #14 - Tanagers Pt 3

 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.

Tanagers are a large New World family of mostly colorful birds. They include seedeaters, conebills, tanagers, flowerpiercers etc. Any birding trip to the tropics will find a large number of them.

The 5.25 " Blue-backed Conebill (Conirostrum sitticolor) is an easy ID with his black head, rusty underparts, and blue back.

Blue-backed Conebill

The 5" Hooded Tanager (Nemosia pileata) is a rather plain colored tanager. The male is white below, gray above and he has a black hood. He has a bright yellow eye.

Hooded Tanager

The 7"  Blue-capped Tanager (Sporothraupis cyanocephala) has a blue head, olive back, light blue breast and yellow under the tail.

Blue-capped Tanager

The male 6" Red-shouldered Tanager (Tachyphonus phoenicius) is an all black bird with a silver bill. The small red shoulder patch is usually hidden.

Red-shouldered Tanager - male

The female Red-shouldered Tanager is dull brown on her head and back and white below.

Red-shouldered Tanager - female

T

he 7" Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch (Emberizoides herbicola) looks more like a non-descript sparrow than a brightly colored tanager.

Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch

Flowerpiercers are tanagers with hooked upper mandibles,. They make a small hole in the base of the flower and draw the nectar from there.

The 6" Glossy Flowerpiercer (Diglossa lafresmayii) is black with a light shoulder patch.

Glossy Flowerpiercer

The 6" Masked Flowerpiercer (Diglossa cyanea) is dark blue with a black mask and red eye.

Masked Flowerpiercer

The 5" male White-naped Seedeater (Dolospingus fringilloides) is the typical black and white pattern seen in other seedeaters. Its habitat is the white sand forest along the Orinoco River. This was a target bird for the Inirida section of the trip and we finally saw it the last morning.

White-naped Seedeater

Lastly is the 4.5" male Purple Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes caeruleus). It is bright purplish blue, with black wings, throat and mask. The best feature to ID is the bright yellow legs. This was my best ever view of this bird.

Purple Honeycreeper

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

I have photos of 114 of the 385 species of tanagers

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2022 David McDonald

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