 |
| Longuemare's Sunangel |
Our last day of our trip to Colombia was the best day of the extension. It didn’t start out looking like the best because it was gray and rainy.
 |
| But, the birds we saw! |
We traveled toward Bogotá along a winding mountain road heading toward Guasca. We made a few stops to bird and it started to pour. Alejandro had told us repeatedly that rainy, foggy weather is great for birds. And, he was right. We encountered a frenetic mixed flock in some bushes right by the road.
 |
| There might be 100 birds in there! |
With the heaviest rain we had tried to bird in (all our other heavy rain had been while traveling), the speed at which the birds were moving and the dark skies, most of the birds were almost impossible to see and truly impossible to photograph.
I did get (some after the rain abated), including two lifers …
 |
| Blue-backed Conebill |
 |
| Rufous-browed Conebill |
… and some repeats …
 |
| Black Flowerpiercer |
 |
| Pearled Treerunner |
 |
| Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager |
I missed pix of a bunch I had already photographed elsewhere: Masked Flowerpiercer, Turkey Vulture, Cinnamon Flycatcher, Tropical Kingbird, Tropical Mockingbird, Great Thrush, Rufous-collared Sparrow and Golden-fronted Redstart; plus a Plushcap, which I had seen before but never got a photo of.
I also saw, but didn’t photograph a few fast-moving lifers: Agile Tit-Tyrant, Coppery-bellied Puffleg, Golden-crowned Tanager and three Hemispinguses: Black-capped, Superciliaried and Black-headed.
And, I totally missed another Pale-bellied Tapaculo (but, hey, I already had a good photo of one).
We pulled off the main road onto a lane that ran through a farm and had a real bonanza, including some lifers …
 |
| Black-billed Mountain Toucan |
 |
| Mountain Cacique (plus another Northern Slaty Brushfinch) |
 |
| Black-collared Jay ... |
 |
| ... a gorgeous cousin of the Green Jay |
 |
| Brown-breasted Parakeet ... |
 |
| ... lots of them! |
We also saw some old friends …
 |
| Crimson-mantled Woodpecker (so striking) |
 |
| A white-faced Golden-fronted Redstart |
 |
| Several Great Thrushes (this was the lightest one I saw) |
I also saw, but didn’t get a photo of a White-banded Tyrannulet, a lifer, a Longuemare's Sunangel and a Tyrian Metaltail.
But, there was still more great stuff to come.
We traveled down an even more narrow road through beautiful farmland.
 |
| Much of Colombia is rural and green |
We were going to Observatorio de Aves Los Andes (Observatory for Birds of the Andes), a private operation similar to the Hummingbird viewing area one we visited in Soatá, but far more remote.
 |
| Observatorio de Aves Los Andes |
This would be our last chance to see more of Colombia’s vast array of Hummingbirds as well as a few Antpittas the Observatorio is known for.
 |
| White-bellied Woodstar |
On the way, we had an unexpected treat: A beautiful multi-colored Whistling Heron, so called because, unlike other herons, it is vocal with a distinctive metallic whistle.
 |
| We caught him having lunch |
Whistling Herons are found in drier areas than other Herons, including natural grasslands and agriculture areas.This lifer was very far away.
 |
| I was surprised at how good my shots turned out |
It was still a bit rainy when the owner came out to greet us. He told us that he had been trying to attract the (formerly) reliable Antpittas for several days, but with no luck. He speculated that they could be nesting or spooked by some other birds or maybe even something worse, but that there would be no Antpittas.
 |
| So, no Muisca Antpitta for us! Photo: eBird |
Surprise!BUT, he said, he did have a surprise that would require a brief hike. We walked ....
 |
| ... across a damp field and ... |
 |
| ... down a narrow, steep and slippery trail with no clue where we were going or why |
Thank god I had my walking stick and Heather and Alejandro to give me an occasional hand (I really hate slippery rocks!). I made it to a broader open area where the owner and Alejandro gestured toward a tall dead tree.
 |
| Alejandro setting up his scope |
Perched at the top as an Andean Potoo.
 |
| Unexpected! |
This was a BIG DEAL. For many reasons. First, Potoos are among the coolest birds I have ever seen ...
 |
| Those included a Common Potoo (left and middle) and a Great Potoo (right) in Costa Rica ... |
 |
| … Northern Potoos in Roatán, Honduras, and Mexico … |
 |
| … and another Common Potoo just a week earlier at Sonso Lake |
I really love these weird creatures, which I wrote about in my Mexico blog.
But, according to Alejandro, an Andean Potoo was extra special. It is considered very rare and is infrequently observed by birders or scientists. While the IUCN Red List classifies the species as of Least Concern, its population size is unknown.
 |
| The population is believed to be decreasing |
Their extreme rarity is because Andean Potoos are highly nocturnal and masters of camouflage and because they reside exclusively in high-elevation Andean cloud forests, typically between 4,600 and 9,200 feet. This means that their range consists of an assortment of small, unconnected areas throughout the northern Andes.
 |
| Not an easy bird to find; Map: eBird |
Habitat loss due to deforestation remains the most significant threat to the species, even though they can occasionally tolerate selectively logged forests.
This one was a baby – only five weeks old. The Observatorio owner had been watching since its mother had laid her egg at the top of that snag. Now, the helpless baby just sits stock still all day while mom is off hunting and doing what Potoos do. She comes back in in the evening to feed her chick.
For now, it was just pretending to be a tree. That made it tricky to photograph.
 |
| Yeah, I got lots of photos, but they all looked pretty much alike |
The terrain and our desire to give the Potoo space made it difficult to change angle
But, we weren’t done with Observatorio de Aves Los Andes.
Hummingbirds Galore!
 |
| More feeders and more birds |
Alejandro lured us back up the hill with promises of new Hummingbirds.
The viewing area, which was exclusively ours for the time we were there, produced our last look at some favorites …
 |
| Tyrian Metaltail |
 |
| Lesser Violetear |
 |
| Longuemare's Sunangel |
 |
| White-bellied Woodstars |
Even more exciting were three lifers …
 |
| The stunningly beautiful Blue-throated Starfrontlet |
 |
| The elusive Mountain Velvetbreast |
 |
| One of my bucket-list birds, the Sword-billed Hummingbird |
Among the largest species of Hummingbird, the Sword-billed Hummingbird is the only bird to have a beak longer than the rest of its body, excluding the tail. Counting bill and body, it’s about 10 inches long. It uses its bill to drink nectar from flowers with long corollas and has coevolved with the species Passiflora mixta, a passionflower.
 |
| A symbiotic relationship; Left: Wikipedia; Right: Holmes Pantoja |
Most Hummingbirds preen using their bills, but the Sword-Billed Hummingbird can’t bend enough to make contact. Therefore, it uses its feet to scratch and preen.
Males have shorter bills but longer wings and tails than females.
 |
| This is a male; just imagine … |
The Sword-billed Hummingbird is found in the Andes from western Venezuela through Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to Bolivia in humid and wet montane forest, forest edges, shrubland, gardens and patches of páramo at elevations of 5,600 to 11,500 feet. It is most common at elevations of 7,900 to 10,200 feet.
 |
| An amazing (and cooperative) bird |
It is generally non-migratory, but shows localized movements in Colombia and northwestern Venezuela, where it moves to higher altitudes in the early wet season and returns to lower elevations in the dry season.
This was a fabulous way to end our three weeks in Colombia.
 |
| A Sword-billed Hummingbird and an Andean Potoo? Yes, please! |
Goodbye!
After that adventure, we drove back to traffic-clogged Bogotá, where we had time to shower and repack before heading to the airport for our overnight flight. It’s so nice that we got a room even though we weren’t staying the night.
Despite the airport having no lounge (interesting that American closed their Bogotá Admiral’s Club), the rest of our flights home were uneventful.
I loved Colombia and all the varieties of birds we saw. Our guide, Alejandro, was fabulous and my traveling companions were the best.
 |
| Cleaned up and ready to go home |
Another successful birding trip for the books.
Tour dates: March 7-28, 2026
