Bulletin 409 - Colombia 2022 #6 - Warblers, Cardinals, Thrushes, Wren

 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 not so good photos before.

I only saw 3 warblers on the trip and none were new to me. The 5.3" Black-crested Warbler (Myiothlypis nigrocristatus) is an all yellow-olive warbler with a black cap.

Black-crested Warbler

His cousin is the 5.5" Russet-crowned Warbler (Myiothlypis coronatus). He is yellow with a gray head and orange central stripe.

Russet-crowned Warbler

The last one is the beautiful 5" Golden-fronted Whitestart (Myioborus ornatus). He is gray backed and a bright yellow face and underparts. And as he is a whitestart, he has white edges on his tail.

Golden-fronted Whitestart

There were 2 cardinal species for the trip. Both of these were formerly in the tanager  family. The 7" male Crested Ant Tanager (Habia cristata) sure looks like our Northern Cardinal.

Crested Ant Tanager - male

The other is the 7" Tooth-billed Tanager (Piranga lutea). It it looks familiar to you, it is not surprising as the Hepatic Tanager complex was split into 3 species - this is one of them and I did not know the name when the guide told me this bird. There is still some controversy about this 3 way split, but IOC has done it. So if the split is upheld - it is a lifer for me.

Tooth-billed Tanager - male

There were also 2 thrushes for the trip. Both I had seen previously. The 9" Pale-breasted Thrush (Turdus leucomelas) is a brown backed thrush with gray underparts.

Pale-breasted Thrush

His cousin the 8.5" Black-billed Thrush (Turdus ignobilis) is similar but white below and a black bill.

Black-billed Thrush

Lastly is the cute 4" Grass Wren (Cistothorus platensis). Again, this is a split from the Sedge Wren complex and many more splits are proposed as the 'Sedge Wren' had many subspecies from Canada to Argentina and the Falkland Islands.

Grass Wren

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

I have photos of 77 of the 120 species of Warblers

I have photos of 31 of the 53 species of Cardinals

I have photos of 53 of the 170 species of Thrushes

I have photos of 38 of the 86 species of Wrens

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2023 David McDonald

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

Bulletin 408 - Colombia 2022 #5 - Hummingbirds Part 3

 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 not so good photos before.

The 4.3" female Golden-bellied Starfrontlet (Coeligena bonapartei) is a stuuning bird. The male has a solid green throat. This is an endemic bird with the January 2023 split of the Venezuela subspecies into a full species.

Golden-bellied Starfrontlet - female

The 3" male Purple-backed Thornbill (Ramphomocron microrhynchum) has a prurple back and head with green underparts.

Purple-backed Thornbill

The 3.5" Indigo-capped Hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanifrons) is another endemic to Colombia. The male here is bright green with a blue crown.

Indigo-capped Hummingbird - male

The 4.3" male Black-throated Mango (Anthracothorax nigricollis) has a black throat and chest outlined in blue. The rest of the bird is green but the tail is purple.

Black-throated Mango - male

The 3.5" male Crowned Woodnymph (Thalurania colombica) had a bright purple belly and a green throat. Unlike the Golden-bellied Starfrontlet above that was recently split into 2 species, this bird had 2 species - Green-crowned and Violet-crowned Woodnymphs - but they were lumped into just Crowned Woodnymph. 

Crowned Woodnymph - male

The 3.5" male Tourmaline Sunangel (Heliangelus exortis) is a green hummer with a pink throat.

Tourmaline Sunangel - male

The 3" female Tyrian Metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina) is a green hummer with a rusty orange throat. This subspecies have purple tails. The subspecies in the Santa Marta mountains which I photographed last year have blue tails. This is a possible future split.

Tyrian Metaltail - female

Lastly is everyone's favorite, the Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera). The ID is easy.

Sword-billed Hummingbird

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

I have photos of 147 of the 365 species of hummingbirds.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2023 David McDonald

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

Bulletin 407 - Colombia 2022 #4 - Antbirds, Antpittas and other songbirds

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 not so good photos before.

Antpittas are terrestrial songbirds that are very shy and retiring and hard to see. They have very long legs, and tails so short that they look tailless. But people discovered that they could be fed worms and attracted that way. So now it is possible to see and photo several species on a trip. They are so cute!

The 6.5" Bicolored Antpitta (Grallaria rufocinerea) is reddish-brown above and charcoal gray below. The meal worms can be seen on the branch. This was a lifer for me.

Bicolored Antpitta

The 6.75" Scaled Antpitta (Grallaria guatimalensis) is brown overall with white stripe on chin and white spots on the throat. This was also a lifer for me.

Scaled Antpitta

The 6.5" White-bellied Antpitta (Grallaria hypoleuca) is rusty brown above and white below. I had seen and photographed this in in Ecuador previously.

White-bellied Antpitta

The 3.75" male Pacific Antwren (Myrmotherula pacifica) is streaked black and white.

Pacific Antwren - male

The 5" female Dot-winged Antwren (Microrhopias quixensis)is black above and rusty brown below with extensive white in the wings and tail.

Dot-winged Antwren - female

Lastly is the 7" Western Fire-eye (Pyriglena maura). The male is all black with a bright red eye.

Western Fire-eye - male

The female is similar except she has a brown back and wings.

Western Fire-eye - female

The only vireo on the trip was the 5" Rufous-naped Greenlet (Hylophilus semibrunneus). It is olive above and grayish below with an obvious rusty crown and nape.

Rufous-naped Greenlet

Tapaculos are small mouse-like birds that are difficult to see well, as they stay close to the ground in thick brush. The 4.5" Paramao Tapaculo (Scytalopus opacus) is only the 3rd one I have managed to photograph, although I have seen s a few other species. Like most tapaculos, he is charcoal gray with a brown undertail.

Paramao Tapaculo

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

I have photos of 12 of the 69 species of Antpittas

I have photos of 31 of the 238 species of Antbirds

I have photos of 25 of the 64 species of Vireos

I have photos of 3 of the 65 species of Tapaculos

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 406 - Colombia 2022 #3 - Hummingbirds Part 2

 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 not so good photos before.

The 3.25" male Tolima Blossomcrown (Anthrocephala berlepschi) is a green hummer with a white and red cap. This was a split from the Santa Marta Blossomcrown. Both are endemic to Columbia.

Tolima Blossomcrown

The 4.75" Buff-winged Starfrontlet (Coeligena lutetei) is a large dark green hummer with a beige wing patch - an easy ID.

Buff-winged Starfrontlet

Hermits are a group of hummers that are almost all brown bodied with a curved bill and white facial stripes and long white central tail feathers. The 5" Pale-bellied Hermit (Phaethornis anthophilus) is a typical hermit. Only with a guide would the ID be known.

Pale-bellied Hermit

The 4.25" Green Hermit (Phaethornis guy), of course, is an exception. This hermit I can ID myself, as I have seen it many times now.

Green Hermit

Woodstars are among the smallest hummers. The 2.25" male Gorgeted Woodstar (Chaetocercus heliodor) is a tiny green hummer with red gorget and white breast. It is one of the smallest birds in the world.

Gorgeted Woodstar - male

The female has a buffy breast like most woodstars.

Gorgeted Woodstar - female

The second woodstar of the trip was the 2.75" Purple-throated Woodstar (Calliphlox mitchellii). This is, of course, a female as no purple throat.

Purple-throated Woodstar - female

The 4.5" Shining Sunbeam (Aglaeactis cupripennis)is a uniformly coppery-colored hummingbird. 

Shining Sunbeam

The last hummer was a definitely a top 5 highlight of the trip. This was my 3rd time to see this bird. I photographed on on the trip to Colombia last year but it was in a distant tree. This time the bird was coming to flowers in the garden of the lodge. The 3" male Ruby-topaz Hummingbird (Chrysolampis mosquitus) is just beautiful. I could sit and watch him for hours.

Ruby-topaz Hummingbird -male

Here is another photo.

Ruby-topaz Hummingbird - male

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

I have photos of 147 of the 360 species of hummingbirds.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2023 David McDonald

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

Bulletin 405 - Colombia 2022 #2 - Sparrows and Manakins

 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 not so good photos before.

Most of the sparrows in Latin America are the brightly colored birds called brushfinches. The 7" Moustached Brushfinch (Altapetes albofrenatus) is a yellowish bird with a black face and white cheek stripe.

Moustached Brushfinch

The 7" Dusky-headed Brushfinch (Altapetes fuscoolivaceus) is olive above, yellow below and a charcoal hood. He is a Colombia endemic.

Dusky-headed Brushfinch

The 7" Choco Brushfinch (Altapetes crassus) is gray above with a yellow breast and orange and white crown stripe. This is a split from the Tricolored Brushfinch that occurs in Peru.

Choco Brushfinch

The 7" Black-headed Brushfinch (Arremon atricapillus)is olive above and white below with a black head and nape.

 Black-headed Brushfinch

The 7" Grey-browed Brushfinch (Arremon assimilis) is similar but he has a grey stripe over the eye and grey flanks.

Grey-browed Brushfinch

The 7" Chestnut-capped Brushfinch (Arremon brunneinucha) is a distinctive olive bird with a white throat, black face and orange crown. 

Chestnut-capped Brushfinch

Manakins are a small family of tiny neotropical songbirds. The males perform elaborate dances to attract the females. Males are often black and the females are nondescript olive.

The 3.5" male Velvety Manakin (Lepidithrix coronata) is all black with a blue crown. It is a split from Blue-crowned Manakin.

Velvety Manakin - male

The next was a lifer for me. The 4.5" male Golden-winged Manakin (Masius chrysopterus) is a black bird, with yellow wing patch and a peculiar yellow forward crest over his bill.

Golden-winged Manakin

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

I have photos of 74 of the 137 species of New World Sparrows

I have photos of 13 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 404 - Colombia 2022 #1 - Hummingbirds Part 1

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 not so good photos before.

There are several genera of hummingbirds that are called emeralds. The 3.5" Andean Emerald (Uranomitra franciae) was formerly in the genus Amazilia. It is a green backed hummingbird with a snow white breast and a blue cap.

Andean Emerald

The 3" Red-billed Emerald (Chlorostilbon gibsoni) is another bird named for a seldom seen field mark. Only the lower mandible is red. However in the photo it can be seen. I certainly did not see it in the binoculars.

Red-billed Emerald

His cousin, the 2.75" female Short-tailed Emerald (Chlorostilbon poortmani) is green with whitish underparts. The tail is tipped with white and does not extend beyond the wing tips.

Short-tailed Emerald

The 3.5" male Blue-headed Sapphire (Chrysuronia grayi) is all green with a blue head and red bill.

Blue-headed Sapphire - male

His cousin the 3.5" male Shining-green Hummingbird (Chrysuronia goudoti) is all green with a bluish throat. The bill is slightly curved.

Shining-green Hummingbird - male

The 4" male Mountain Velvetbreast (Lafresnaya lafresnayi) is green with black belly and curved bill. I had seen this bird before, but this time I was so close that I got a photo clear enough to see that it really does look like black velvet.

Mountain Velvetbreast - male

The 4" male Fawn-breasted Brilliant (Heliodoxa rubinoides) is green backed, buffy below and he has a pink throat spot but here just looks dark.

Fawn-breasted Brilliant - male

Hummers with long bills or tails are always a delight to see. The 7" male Long-tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus kingii) is all green with a long green tail.

Long-tailed Sylph - male

The female lacks the long tail and is buffy on the belly with a green streaked throat.

Long-tailed Sylph - female

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

I have photos of 147 of the 360 species of hummingbirds.

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.