Birding in Colombia: Doña Dora, Cali
Toucan Barbet
If you’re looking for an excellent birding spot in southern Colombia, then look no further than ‘Avistamiento de Aves Doña Dora,’ a wonderful observatory just 90 minutes from downtown Cali. Toucan Barbet, more than 20 hummingbird species, a friendly host, and the best cheese empanadas in Colombia. What more could you ask for in a birding destination?!
When Dora Londoño moved to a roadside house near El Queremal, Valle del Cauca, she set up a little cafe and restaurant for passing truck drivers on their way down to the Pacific port city of Buenaventura. A large ficus tree in her garden attracted large numbers of birds when it was fruiting, and little by little, her place became a must-visit spot for local birders. So she started to put up hummingbird feeders and leave bananas and papayas out for tanagers and toucanets. Pretty soon, Doña Dora’s place was a birding hotspot for visitors from Colombia and beyond.
Over the years, she’s been able to use the income from birding tourism to add comfortable lodging and construct a third floor to the house, which serves as an open birding terrace with incredible eye-level views of the upper branches of the famous ficus tree. Tour agencies and birders have sponsored stunning bird murals all over the house, and now, on any given day, you can visit and find an international mixture of birders and nature-lovers enjoying the fruits of Dora and her family’s hard work. Not only is Doña Dora an excellent place for birding, but it’s also a beautiful story of perseverance and dedication.
One of the colorful bird murals adorning the walls of Doña Dora Bird Observatory
But what about the birding? Well, simply put, it’s top-class. The eBird hotspot for the area (check it out here) lists 478 species reported. This total includes sections of the road above and below the actual observatory, but even if you bird the house itself, you can easily spot up to 50+ species in one day. I’ve visited several times and have recorded around 75 different species from the house alone.
And what a list of species it is: Crimson-rumped Toucanet, Black-chinned Mountain Tanager, Rufous-throated Tanager, Silver-throated Tanager, Tricolored Brushfinch, Black-headed Brushfinch, Chestnut-headed Oropendola, and Sickle-winged Guan are regular visitors to the banana feeders and can be seen most days. Keep an eye out for Bay Wren and Sooty-headed Wren in the bushes behind the feeders as well. On my last visit, a Tayra was patrolling the trail just below the house.
A Slate-colored Grosbeak foraging in the jungle near Doña Dora
The star bird at Doña Dora is almost certainly the Toucan Barbet. This Chocó endemic species is only found in western Ecuador and Colombia and is typically a canopy species that can be hard to see well. Not so at Dora’s place, where a large family of Toucan Barbets nest in a hollow tree trunk and are almost permanently present in the ficus tree and visiting the banana feeders. They can be observed practically at arm’s length throughout the day, making for spectacular photo opportunities. There probably isn’t a better place in the world to observe this iconic species.
A Toucan Barbet poses obligingly for the camera at Doña Dora Observatory near Cali
The famous ficus tree is also a magnet for rarer species when it’s fruiting (it’s worth following Doña Dora on Instagram for updates on the tree). Although they’re unpredictable visitors, the ficus draws in species like Black Solitaire, Golden-collared Honeycreeper, and Yellow-collared Chlorophonia. A juvenile Moss-backed Tanager once took up residence at the feeders as well. The observatory’s location on a forest corridor down to the lower Anchicayá Valley and the lowland Pacific jungles means that there’s ample potential for surprise observations. For example, I once had a Lita Woodpecker not far down the road, a reasonably high-elevation record for the species.
Hummingbirds are another big draw here, and species that regularly visit the feeders include Green Thorntail, Empress Brilliant, Rufous-gaped Hillstar, Crowned Woodnymph, Brown Violetear, and Andean Emerald. Scarcer hummers like Velvet-purple Coronet, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Brown Inca, and Tawny-bellied Hermit can also be seen with some patience. I’ve seen 17 different hummingbird species around the house alone. Small, handheld hummingbird feeders at the lunch tables also allow for extraordinary close encounters with these magical little birds.
A Crowned Woodnymph bathes in the rain at Doña Dora
Beyond the house itself, there is excellent birding along the road. Between El Queremal and Doña Dora, you can enjoy nice mixed flocks, scan the river for Torrent Ducks, and search out a roosting Lyre-tailed Nightjar on the rocky cliffs by the roadside. Further west along the road, mixed flocks can contain Pacific species like Gray-and-gold Tanager, Glistening-green Tanager, and Purplish-mantled Tanager. Slate-colored Grosbeaks are often seen near the waterfall, as are roving bands of the endemic Crested Ant-Tanager. Scan the edges of the waterfall pool for Buff-rumped Warbler as well. On sunny days keep an eye on the sky all along the road and from the observatory: Barred Hawk is regular and Ornate Hawk-Eagle is often seen soaring overhead.
A Lyre-tailed Nightjar sitting on its nest near Doña Dora’s place
A recent discovery has added another reason to visit their house: a nearby lek of Andean Cock-of-the-rock. A fairly steep and muddy 30-minute trail below the house leads to a well-constructed blind where visitors can watch these surreal birds lekking at just a few meters. It’s an excellent spot for photographers and well-worth a visit if you have a full day at the observatory.
Doña Dora can easily be visited on a day trip from Cali, or there are simple but comfy overnight options for couples and solo travelers. I’ve stayed there a few times and highly recommend it if you have time: the family is so friendly and welcoming, the food is delicious, and waking up in the house at dawn with barbets feeding just outside your window is a pretty incomparable experience. Plus, a Kinkajou comes to feed on bananas at night, and you can see it close up from the terrace.
Cali is a genuinely fantastic city for birding in southern Colombia, with a host of diverse destinations just a stone’s throw from the urban area. Doña Dora’s place is easily one of the best of them; don’t miss birding here if you’re planning a trip to Colombia.
You can see all the latest prices for visiting Doña Dora for 2022 on this link.
