Colombia {The Birdiest Country on Earth}

Sometimes I do impulsive things, like that one time I decided to go to Colombia an hour before departure. Yah, that was in February. My friend Nicole Koeltzow, (yes, Nicole, who else would I do these insane things with?) was going to a birding festival in Colombia. She'd been talking about it for awhile and I was kind of jealous, especially because at the same time, four other friends were sending me beautiful photos of the birds they were seeing in Costa Rica. She spent a night with us on her way to Miami International Airport. After she left, I started looking up flights, curious how much a last minute ticket to Colombia might cost. Turns out, it's $500. Hmmm. Still in bed, I turned to my husband. "If I could go to Colombia for $500, is that something I could actually do?" He said yes. "I'd be gone for TWO WEEKS!?"  "If that's something that you really want to do, you should do it." He says. Yes, he is just that amazing of a husband and father! At this point Nicole had been driving for an hour. She was surprised to hear from me, but even more surprised when I asked, "Could I go to Colombia with you?" She said she would love that, but needed to check with her friend with whom she'd be staying. I began packing while waiting for her call. He said yes! I asked her to wait where she was and give me an hour to shower and pack and I'd meet her.

Soon we were together again on the verge of yet another grand adventure! We birded as we drove south, stopping at some of our favorite spots, including Wakodahatchee Wetlands and Green Cay where we met up with Nicole's friend Jeff. A vagrant (bird found far from it's normal range) was spotted in the Everglades, so we made a quick run down there. I warned her, after our last adventure thru the Everglades, I may just hide in the van to avoid the mosquitos. Fortunately the bugs were very light and though we didn't see our target bird, we did see some other good ones. We spent a night with Nicole's friends Pat and Nannette before they dropped us off at the airport. I'll spare you the drama-filled details of our attempt at getting last minute typhoid vaccinations, let's just say it was quite stressful. As we boarded our flight, my stomach was in knots. I knew nothing about Colombia. I  vaguely remember hearing something in the news years ago, something about, kidnapping, was it? Let's not think about that! Jeff had reassured me the turmoil was due to the rebels around 10 years ago. "It's different now." He reassured me, then reminded me he took his wife and baby there last year.

As soon as we landed and collected our bags, Nicole's friend, Luis, was there welcoming us at the exit. We loaded into his father's taxi and despite the darkness, did our best to take in our surroundings. We spotted our first Colombian bird, Lapwing, on the way to Luis' abuela's (grandma's) house. We settled in and fell asleep to the sounds of a potoo calling outside. We were almost too excited to sleep, almost.

Very early the next morning we passed thru the market as they were setting up for the day. I have never seen so much produce. Cars literally overflowing with fruit, bananas tied to the roof, would pass on the street. The three of us joined our guide, Felipe (owner/operator of El Valle de Colores tours), on our way to Pance and the West Andes mountains, but not before stopping for a bag of pandebonos, (small cheese bread bagels). This was Luis' daily routine, one that we were happy he shared. While it was still dark, we arrived and began hiking up the mountain, flushing nightjars as we went. We reached the saddle and watched the sun rise, revealing the beauty surrounding us! Just imagine my delight to be birding in these beautiful mountains!

We spotted a Grayish Picculet, (look at those cute dots on his head!), a Flame-Rumped Tanager and a Yellow-Headed Caracara.

I found it amusing that only a day earlier, I had been searching for a glimpse 

of a Smooth-Billed Ani in Florida, and now here I am looking at a tree full of them!

Motmots were at the top of my list of target birds, so I was very excited to see one on my very first day birding Colombia. The Andean Motmot lives high in the Andes mountains from Colombia to South Bolivia.

We were silently sitting on the ground staking out Striped and Golden-Collared Manakins when we heard a strange noise. We looked up to see two horses coming down the trail toward us. Quite an unexpected sight.

The manakins were in lek (courting) and part of attracting a mate is making a snapping noise with their wings. I can't fully explain it, but it's amazing. Manakins are fascinating birds. I suggest watching videos of them to see the wild dances and sounds they make. Here's a link to a video (not mine) of a Golden-Collared Manakin, the bird we were watching.

So our very first stop yielded 43 life birds (birds I've never seen before) including the very loud Colombian Chachalaca (below) and one of my new favorites, the Squirrel Cuckoo. This unique-looking bird  actually seems more like a four-legged creature than a bird when you see it jump from tree to tree.

 Next stop was Balcon de los Colibries where we ate breakfast while watching hummingbirds zoom right past us to the feeders just a few feet away! Just beyond that, plantains were laid out to draw tanagers as well.

Black-Throated Mango (above)  Andean Emerald (below)

White-Necked Jacobin (above)   Rufous-Tailed Hummingbird (below)

We could have spent all day here watching all the bird activity, but the guys had other plans. We happily headed further up the mountain, once they told us we'd be back here for lunch afterwards. We located a Green Hermit (hummingbird) in lek.

The next day we enjoyed birds with breakfast at La Minga before heading over to check the feeders at Finca Alejandria. When we first arrived at La Minga, Nicole and I were quite overwhelmed with the gorgeous birds. The guys told us to stay calm and enjoy the next few hours here. A few seconds later they erupted with joy over seeing one of their all-time favorites, the Multicolored Tanager! Can you blame them? Look at this beauty!

Blue-Winged Mountain Tanager

Golden Tanager

Red-Headed Barbet

Long-tailed Sylph (above)      Brown Violetear (below)

Saffron-Crowned Tanager (below)

It was here where I met my favorite hummingbird, the adorable Booted Raquet-tail.

Look at those adorable "boots"!

The mesmerizing Crowned Woodnymph. 

Even the bugs are gorgeous here! We saw a tiny frog with the same colors.

That night we enjoyed dinner in the Cloud Forest. This giant tostada was served with eight toppings- sauces, meats, and cheeses, just break off a piece and top it.

Everything comes with queso (cheese) even coffee and hot chocolate. This cheese is unlike any I've had before, it looks like a stick of butter, but softer like a tofu consistency and very mild tasting. It doesn't melt in the drinks, you kind of chop it up before drinking it.

When we arrived back at Luis' abuela's house, there was a party going on! It was his aunt's birthday and they were waiting for us to return before lighting the cake. They didn't use candles like we're used to, they lit a firecracker that shot off lightning from the cake for about 30 seconds straight! How exciting! Nicole and I sang "Happy Birthday" in English and then we all sang it together in Spanish.

The next day was the first day of the Colombia Bird Fair 2018 and 330AM was coming up fast!