A Visit to Colombia - Part 1

01 December, 2025

Waterloo- Mississauga - Bogotá - Pereira 

     Having planned this trip for almost a year, we were very happy when the moment of our departure arrived. Along with stalwart friends, Lisa, Victoria, Selwyn, Jim, Trevor, Judy and Pam, we set off for Pearson International Airport in the quiet darkness of early morning, buoyed with the expectation of exciting birds, both familiar and new. The avifauna of the Colombian Andes awaited us, in all its exciting diversity.

     As you may see, our departure was scheduled for 07h:55, but we were delayed until 09h:05, which would factor significantly into our connection in Bogotá later in the day.

     When we checked in several passengers were required to place their carry-on baggage into a slot to ensure that it did not exceed the size restriction. This turned out to be farcical when we boarded, as people arrived with guitars and suitcases that clearly exceeded carry-on baggage dimensions. There seemed to be neither rhyme nor reason to size requirements, nor any enforcement of the standards imposed.

     In the early days of this journey I had trouble with my camera, and the pictures are quite awful. Jim finally advised that I should set it to automatic (which I did) and the quality improved measurably, and while still not National Geographic quality, they are much better than the pictures you will have to put up with in the meantime. Thank goodness others with better equipment than mine, and greater skill than I, are willing to permit their photographs to appear on my blog.

Lisa

Trevor

Judy

     The flight attendants were smartly dressed young women for the most part, doubling as stevedores as they wrangled oversized luggage into overhead bins, stuffing in soft bags and rearranging others. 

     I am used to paying for meals on the plane in this modern era of flight for the masses, but for the first time I encountered a circumstance where not a single item was complimentary, not even a coffee. 

      Fortunately, I had brought food from home and eaten in the boarding lounge before embarkation.

Victoria

Jim catching a quick nap

     

     We landed on the tarmac in Bogotá at 14h:35 but it was 15h:00 before we docked at the terminal. There seemed to be total chaos at the airport from the moment we set foot on solid ground; we had to go through security twice, and we missed our connecting flight to Pereira.

     We visited the Avianca desk and were rebooked on a flight departing at 22h:00, so we had a long wait ahead of us. Despite having given us food vouchers, it appeared that the restaurants covered by them were outside the terminal, or about to close, so we ended up buying our own food.

     Finally we boarded our flight and were pleasantly surprised to learn that we had been upgraded to business class. We had the benefit of large comfortable seats, but since the flight was only an hour, there was no other opportunity to enjoy our exalted status. It mattered little; Trevor and I, seated side by side, slept away the flight anyway, having been on the go for about twenty hours by then.

     We were met at the terminal in Pereira by our old friend and guide, Ernesto, and our new friend and guide, Liliana. Not to be overlooked was Dario, our skilled and careful driver, a young man we would come to appreciate every day.

     It was after midnight when we checked into our hotel in Manizales, tired, and looking forward to a quick shower and a soft bed. 

     After all there are birds to be seen, and daylight comes early.

     Let the adventures begin!

02 December, 2025

Manizales - Tinamu Birding Reserve

     The buffet breakfast was terrific, the coffee plentiful and good, and we headed off for a full day of birding at Tinamu Birding Reserve, filled with high expectations for an impressive introduction to the birds of this part of Colombia. We were not disappointed!

     As might be expected hummingbirds aplenty were attracted by an abundance of sugar water feeders.

     It was fun to attempt identification of the various species, especially the look-alike green females.

     Pam captured this wonderful image of a couple of male White-necked Jacobins (Florisuga mellivora) hovering, with a Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacati) already at the feeder.

     Here is a female White-necked Jacobin, distinctly different as you will see.

Photo: Victoria Ho

     Bananas seemed to be the most popular food of all, for humans and birds alike, and this male Thick-billed Euphonia (Euphonia laniirostris) enjoyed his share.

     A Black-billed Thrush (Turdus ignobilis) patiently waited its turn.

     Tanagers as a whole are spectacular birds and a Bay-headed Tanager (Tangara gyrola) is apt to take your breath away.

Photo: Victoria Ho

     Here a White-vented Plumeleteer (Chalybura buffonii) approaches a feeder.

Photo: Pam Sadler

     A Black-throated Mango (Anthracothorax nigricollis) was frequently seen - always delightful.

     A Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana) is an exciting bird and both Pam and Lisa managed some great shots.

Photo: Lisa Den Besten

     Their name is derived from their resemblance to squirrels as they scurry along the branches in pursuit of insects. In the forest interior they follow army ant swarms, feasting on insects stirred up by the marauders.

Photo: Pam Sadler

Photo: Pam Sadler

     Beehive Ginger (Zingiber spectabile) is native to Southeast Asia and has been widely used as an ornamental plant, and has, I assume, become established in the wild, for we saw it frequently.

Photo: Pam Sadler

     

      Steely-vented Hummingbird (Saucerottia saucerottei) was frequently seen and always greatly appreciated.

Photo: Pam Sadler

     This bird feeds at all levels on the nectar of a variety of herbs, shrubs and trees, not being shy about taking advantage of sugar water feeders either. Its stronghold is in northwestern, northcentral and western Colombia.

     The complete distribution of Apricot Sulphur (Phoebis argante) seems incompletely known, but we saw it quite frequently and were delighted to make its acquaintance.

Photo: Victoria Ho

     A Western Emerald (Chlorostilbon melanorynchus) is endemic to Colombia and Ecuador.

      Puffbirds (Bucconidae) are a source of intrigue and wonder to every visitor to the tropics. Their phylogenetic position has often been debated, although they now are generally conceded to be in the order Piciformes, along with woodpeckers and other allies.

     The prospect of seeing Moustached Puffbird (Malacoptila mystacalis) set us all atwitter; for some it was even their first puffbird ever. 

Photo: Victoria Ho

      You will readily see how it comes by its common name.

Photo: Victoria Ho

     Very graciously it gave us several minutes of its time, enabling everyone to really see it well.

     One of the local trail guides had devised or learned the technique of impaling worms on thorny branches to attract the bird to the wiggling prey.

Photo: Victoria Ho

     The puffbird preferred its food rare and we all were treated a phenomenal display!

     Another source of considerable excitement was to get a clear view of a Golden-collared Manakin (Manacus vitellinus) lek, with a frenzy of males competing for the attention of a female.

     Manakins are tiny birds with incredible mating displays across species. Golden-collared Manakin is found from northwest Panama to northern and western Colombia.

     The high speed, acrobatic display of rival males is incredible to see. Wings snap together with a loud crack and throat feathers are splayed forward, reaching the tip of the bill.

     I am indebted to Victoria for these amazing pictures, captured while the birds were performing at a speed that prevented the eye from following, let alone a camera. Thank goodness for rapid burst, I would say.

     A Blue-lored Antbird (Hafferia immaculata) is a common species, but pretty exotic for a visitor from Canada.

Photo: Pam Sadler

Photo: Victoria Ho

     Back at the feeders a Great Kiskadee (Piangus sulphuratus) entertained us for a while; a female Thick-billed Euphonia is off to the right.

     A Common Tody-Flycatcher (Todirostrum cinereum) always seems jaunty and feisty to my eye.

Photo: Victoria Ho

     A Bar-crested Antshrike (Thamnophilus multistriatus) was an exciting addition to our day's birding.

Photo: Victoria Ho

Photo: Victoria Ho

     I do not have any references on the butterflies of this part of the world, but I am pretty sure this is a Mexican Bluewing (Myscelia ethusa), found from Colombia through Central America to Mexico.

     A female Green Honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza) is a most pleasing shade of green, in contrast to the male which is more bluish.

     Red-crowned Woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus) relished bananas as much as other species, and it was rare that it vacated the feeders for long.

     Blue-grey Tanagers (Thraupis episcopus) was probably the most frequent feeder bird, sometimes four or five at a time.

     Pam manged a nice shot of a Broken Silverdrop (Epargyreus cruza).

     Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) was frequently seen, often at the feeders where sugar water was an irresistible lure.

Photo: Pam Sadler

     Victoria captured this shot of a lovely little Spectacled Parrot (Forpus conspicillatus).

     A Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) is always difficult to see, camouflaged so perfectly against or on a tree.

Photo: Victoria Ho

     We were fortunate that one of the local guides knew where this individual could be found and pointed it out to us.

     Scrub Tanager (Stilpnia vitriolina) was very common.

Photo: Victoria Ho

     A Plain-brown Woodcreeper (Dendrocincla fuliginosa) hitched up a trunk in search of insect prey.

Photo: Victoria Ho

     A female Thick-billed Euphonia was kept busy feeding a youngster whose appetite never seemed sated.

Photo: Pam Sadler

     Let me end this already lengthy post with a series of hummingbird pictures taken by Pam.

     As sure as the sun rises in the east, Colombia contains more species of birds than any other country on Earth, and I have many more to show you in the posts that lie ahead.

     I'll look forward to seeing you then!