Colombian Lifer Quest to Honda and Victoria
A group shot from a successful day of birding in Honda and Victoria
Join Birders Show host Chris on a quest for some new Colombian species as he explores the small towns of Honda and Victoria in search of antbirds, bitterns, hummingbirds, and more.
Last weekend I found myself at a loose end, so I jumped on a bus from Bogota down to Honda, a Heritage Town on the banks of the Magdalena River. The plan was to take a bus down on Friday evening, go birding all morning Saturday, explore the little town in the afternoon, and then bus it back up to Bogota on Sunday morning to escape the traffic.
I had a shortlist of target species to chase and only one morning to do it! Leisurely birding is fun, but I enjoy a Big Day-style lifer quest as well, so as my bus ride from Bogota dragged on into its sixth hour, I comforted myself with thoughts of all the new species I would see the next day. I checked into my suspiciously vacant hotel and managed to grab a few hours' sleep before my alarm sounded bright and early the next day.
I was picked up by Jaime Bolaños of Honda Natural, a local birder passionate about putting Honda on the birding map and who would be joining me for the day. We drove for about 45 minutes to the pretty little town of Victoria, in Caldas department, where we met my friend and local bird guide, Arturo Parra.
I first met Arturo during my backpacker birding period in 2015, when I arrived in Victoria and called a phone number listed in the book Birdwatching in Colombia. The older guide who answered told me he'd stopped guiding visitors but sent down a novice local birder to take me out the following day. Arturo promptly arrived at my hotel, brimming with enthusiasm. We were both just starting out birding in Colombia, so we spent a couple of enjoyable days birding around the nearby Bellavista Reserve, figuring it out together!
Celebrating Magdalena Antbird and Barred Puffbird with Arturo Parra
Fast-forward seven years and Arturo has become one of the region's top guides, very much in demand for tour operators and working on various local investigation and conservation projects. I've been lucky to witness the inspiring personal and professional growth of many birders I first met during those early years exploring Colombia. Arturo's story is one of my favorites. Plus, he's just a great guy and fun to go birding with!
Arturo had the morning free to guide me and, armed with my short list of targets, had planned a breakneck route to search for them all. We started along the road above Victoria in search of Magdalena Antbird. As we arrived at Arturo's stakeout, we enjoyed remarkable views of a Green Hermit hummingbird constructing her nest alongside the road. She arrived with long strands of spider silk and spun frantically around the pendulous nest, weaving the web with scarcely believable dexterity and expertise. It was one of the most amazing things I've seen in nature.
While I digiscoped the hummingbird, Arturo looked for the antbird. Eventually, it sang, and he coaxed it into the open for good views. One lifer down, and it wasn't even 7:00 am. As we prepared to leave, another of my target - Barred Puffbird - gave its typical 'wolf whistle' call in the distance. Arturo whistled back to it for a while, and eventually, the call moved closer until it was seemingly right overhead. A bit of careful scanning revealed the bird perched right above the road. Other lifer ticked off, and my nemesis bird to boot! It was shaping up to be an excellent morning.
Some of the other interesting birds you can see in Victoria: White-mantled Barbet, Sooty Ant-Tanager, Beautiful Woodpecker and Rufous Motmot
We headed back to Victoria, stopping to grab coffee and empanadas, and continued back down the road towards the Magdalena River. About halfway along, we pulled in at a farm-hotel called Finca Balmoral, where I had another target (hopefully) waiting: Black Antshrike.
We walked along the dry forest trail about ten minutes from the house. Along the path, the insistent 'chipping' call of hermit hummingbirds was everywhere. They hadn't been on my radar, but Arturo mentioned it was a Long-billed Hermit lek, a nemesis bird for me in Colombia. These are relatively widespread hermits that I've seen in Central America but somehow never spotted in Colombia. Again, careful scanning revealed several individuals displaying on thin twigs: excellent views and a surprise Colombian lifer!
As we watched the hermits, a nearby Black Antshrike gave its clucking call. We managed to call it in reasonably quickly, and a female gave us fantastic views. Males of this species, as the name suggests, are entirely black. However, unlike most birds, the females are much more beautiful, with a rufous back and strained blackish head and breast. As we stopped to say hello to the house owners, we even got great looks at the endemic Velvet-fronted Euphonia. This day was going even better than I had anticipated: my three target lifers, plus the bonus lifer hermit, already.
The final bird on my target list was familiar to me, but it was a bird I had never had good looks at before: Least Bittern. I'd seen one distantly through a scope at Sonso Lagoon near Cali and enjoyed decent looks at one in Costa Rica. But I'd seen on social media that they were very confiding at a lake between Victoria and Honda called Guarinocito, so that was our final stop.
Some other species you can see at Guarinocito: Black-capped Donacobius, Northern Screamer, White-headed Marsh Tyrant, Anhinga, Boat-billed Heron, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Russet-throated Puffbird
We arrived, jumped on a small canoe, and paddled over to the far side of the lake. Arturo almost instantly called out, "Least Bittern!" There it was: skulking low in the reeds just a few meters away! We enjoyed a quick look before it stalked away into the thick reedbed. Back on dry land, we speculatively played a Least Bittern call near another patch of reeds and couldn't believe it when another bittern clambered out into the open. We watched this bird for at least half an hour, as it called from the tops of the reeds. This is one of the smallest herons on earth, and it was incredible to see how agile it was moving through the seedbed, squeezing between tiny gaps and gripping the thin reeds with its long toes.
Midday was approaching and Arturo had a bus to catch, so we said our goodbyes and I headed back to Honda with Jaime. I spent the rest of the day wandering the cobbled colonial streets of Honda's old town. I'd passed through Honda before on a birding trip. Still, I had never really explored the historical center before - it was an unexpected delight, and the Magdalena River Museum was one of the best museums I've visited in Colombia. Jaime and I ended the day at Waka Hotel on the edge of town for a delicious pizza and a G&T.
The Magdalena River with the old town of Honda in the background
Overall I couldn't have asked for a more successful trip: one morning of birding at breakneck speed produced four lifers and a bonus Least Bittern! Any morning when I can see four new Colombia birds is a great one considering my list sits at over 1,400 species. And I can't recommend Honda enough for anyone wanting top-class birding and a beautiful base.
If you want to go birding in Honda or Victoria, you can contact Jaime at Honda Natural here and Arturo Parra here.
