The Birders Show in the Colombian Cloud Forest
For the latest episode of The Birders Show, our hosts traveled to Caldas department in the Colombian Central Andes. Episode 2 of our 3-part series in Caldas is set in the magical cloud forests at Hacienda El Bosque, Glamping El Color de Mis Reves, and Bosques CHEC Reserve. Check out our host Chris's new blog about the episode.
For Part 2 of our adventure in Caldas department, we headed up into the mountains from the coffee-growing area where we filmed Part 1. This journey took us up from 1,300 masl to 2,800 masl. Naturally, this change in altitude meant a massive difference in ecosystems and birdlife: we moved from dry forest interspersed with coffee plantations and bamboo to misty montane forest. Where before we were seeing largely common, open-country birds, in this episode, our targets were trickier families like antpittas and mountain-toucans.
Equatorial Antpitta at Hacienda El Bosque
We visited three different birding sites in this episode. We began at Hacienda El Bosque Reserve, visited Bosques CHEC Reserve, and then spent two nights at Glamping El Color de Mis Reves. Each site offered unique birding opportunities, but thanks to their excellent feeders, each one promised close encounters with some of the Colombian Central Andes' most magical and colorful species.
We started bright and early at Hacienda El Bosque, enjoying a cool, crisp Andean dawn and stunning views of nearby Manizales in the valley below. Here we met with Maikol, a young birder and first-year biology student at the University of Manizales. Before we filmed these episodes in Caldas, we contacted local birding clubs in search of suitable candidates to receive a brand-new pair of binoculars donated by our partners at Kowa Sporting Optics. Maikol was undoubtedly the outstanding candidate: deeply passionate about birds but without a pair of his own binoculars.
Chris, Maikol, and Diego awaiting the arrival of Equatorial Antpitta at Hacienda El Bosque
Maikol joined us as we visited a feeding station for Equatorial Antpitta. This "new" antpitta species arose because of a considerable splitting of the Rufous Antpitta complex a couple of years ago. As Diego explains in the episode, where there was once a single species of antpitta, now there are more than a dozen, five of which are found in Colombia.
As we waited for the antpittas to appear, we enjoyed close-up views of hummingbirds, including Tourmaline Sunangel, Sword-billed Hummingbird, and Buff-winged Starfrontlet. Eventually, preceded by a bold pair of Gray-browed Brushfinches, the Equatorial Antpittas showed up. These smart little rufous birds showed no fear, happily posing for the camera and enjoying a feast of worms at the feeder.
Once feeding time for the Equatorial Antpittas was over, we headed back up to a second feeding station, hoping to get a look at Crescent-faced Antpitta. Unfortunately, the star bird of Hacienda El Bosque didn't show up for us - that's birding, even at feeders, nothing is guaranteed - but great looks at Black-thighed Puffleg, Barred Fruiteater, and assorted hummers and mountain-tanagers certainly compensated for the no-show. We even added a new bird for the reserve: an unusually high-altitude Rose-breasted Grosbeak, causing consternation among the resident hummingbirds, who mobbed the outsider with gusto.
The stunning and surreal Sword-billed Hummingbird
We had one final stop at Hacienda El Bosque: the Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan feeder. While these shy, high-altitude toucans were once tricky to observe, now up to half a dozen visit a feeding station at the reserve, where they tuck into giant grapes. So it was here, enjoying remarkable views of one of Colombia's prettiest toucans, where we gifted Maikol his new pair of Kowa bins. To say he was delighted would be an understatement: check out the video below for his gobsmacked reaction.
After a hearty lunch at the reserve, we headed off to Bosques CHEC, where we spent a relaxed afternoon at the hummingbird feeders. We enjoyed close-up views of a dozen hummingbird species, including the diminutive White-bellied Woodstar and the spectacular Long-tailed Sylph. Our videographers got some incredible 4k videos of these charismatic and characterful birds, and Maikol enjoyed picking out their iridescent details with his new bins.
Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan at Hacienda El Bosque
After a laid-back few hours at CHEC, we dropped Maikol off in Manizales and set out on the second part of our journey, a bumpy 4x4 ride up into the mountains to El Color de Mis Reves, a beautiful clamping hotel and birding hotspot surrounded by pristine cloud forest. We arrived late in the evening, set up our mobile studio for the next night, and got some well-earned sleep in our luxurious tented rooms.
We woke at dawn and wandered down a small path to the first bird feeder of the day. As we waited for the star attraction to show up, we filmed excellent footage of Slaty Brushfinch, Lacrimose Mountain Tanager, Andean Guan, and Sickle-winged Guan. It didn't take long for the target bird to show up: a beautiful pair of Black-billed Mountain-Toucans. Like at Hacienda El Bosque, these birds have been tempted into feeders with juicy grapes, and this pair stuck around for ages, posing for the camera and my telescope. Not a bad species for your first time digiscoping!
Once we'd shot enough toucan footage, we walked into the forest to another antpitta feeder, where Bicolored Antpitta put on a show for the camera. An Ocellated Tapaculo called insistently nearby but sadly couldn't be tempted in to feed. Diego's ridiculously sharp ear paid off, though, as he heard a distant flock of White-capped Tanagers calling up on the ridgeline. Cue pandemonium as we grabbed the cameras and rushed up the hillside to try and get a glimpse of these elusive and gigantic tanagers of the Colombian cloud forest.
Thankfully, the tanagers soon descended the ridge and posed right in front of the camera. Four females and a male gave us breathtaking views, and we were undoubtedly the star bird of the trip and probably the entire episode.
White-capped Tanager: what an absolute cracker this elusive, high-altitude tanager is!
In the afternoon, we helped a couple of curious guests finally get a look at the mountain-toucans, before returning to the first feeding station for our final antpitta of the trip. A few worms and some whistling brought in an adorable Slaty-crowned Antpitta. This tiny ball of feathers even performed its signature rump-wiggling dance for the camera. It was quite a way to wrap up our cloud forest episode.
Well, I say "wrap up," but we still found time to relax and end the day with a soak in a natural jacuzzi overlooking the forest and mountains of the distant Western Andes. I even managed an after-dark lifer: a Band-winged Nightjar that called from the meadow below the hot tub and eventually flew right in front of my torch.
The Birders Show team enjoying a well-earned jacuzzi break in Glamping El Color de Mis Reves
There's no birding experience like exploring the Colombian Andes's cloud forests, one of the most bird-diverse areas on the planet. We certainly weren't disappointed, and the episode reflects the staggering biodiversity we encountered in just two days. Thanks to the hard work of the owners and guides at these reserves, guests can enjoy privileged close-up views of some of Colombia's most beautiful and rare species.
You can watch this episode from the Colombian cloud forest at the start of this blog, and keep an eye out on our YouTube channel for upcoming episodes filmed in Caldas.
