If you decide to look it up in an attempt to find more information than I am providing here, be aware: Ecuador is home to a birding area called the Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve and it gets a heck of a lot more press than Reserva Natural Bellavista in Colombia.
Bellavista means “beautiful view” and both Colombia and Ecuador have plenty of those. So, just know that this Colombian area is less known, but birdy as well.
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| Lots of bugs would be the draw; Grass Bugs |
We started our quest at the base of a gravel road protected by a dense canopy of trees. We had some very light intermittent rain showers that pumped up the humidity, but never turned into real rain.
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The humidity brings moss, lichens and mushrooms |
Once again, it was a great environment for birds and a tricky one for birders and photographers. The plants were dense; the understory dark; and the birds skulky. As remote as it seemed, the road was actually rather busy because it led to the local school. So, we watched moms and dads shuttling their children to school, often on the back of a motorbike, Colombia’s primary mode of transportation.
We saw a variety of birds and I picked up some more lifers, including more endemics. The photos of my lifers in the wooded area were absolutely awful, but I got ‘em ...
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Purple Honeycreeper and Striolated Manakin |
I also captured (in the dark) …
I did manage a couple of photos of a White-bearded Manakin, another lifer.
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| I had missed one at Laguna el Tabacal the day before |
Once we had exhausted the dense green forest, we followed the Manakin from the heavier foliage to where the road passed the school.
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| Coming into the sun |
Then, we continued into farmland that occupied either side of the road.
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| A gentle slope |
The weather flip-flopped between threatening rain and humid sunniness.
We were able to see one of the birds that Alejandro had targeted for this area, the endemic Beautiful Woodpecker, which was, obviously, a lifer for me.
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| It was, indeed, beautiful |
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| I just wish it had been a bit closer |
We also saw ...
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| Blue-headed Parrots |
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| A Great Kiskadee |
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| A Red-crowned Woodpecker |
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A Roadside Hawk
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| A Long-tailed Tyrant with its indeed very long tail |
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| Saffron Finches |
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| Tropical Kingbirds and a Buff-throated Saltator |
And, we had a real treat above us, a kettle of migrating Swainson's Hawks.
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| We estimated that the total exceeded 300; Cool! |
ChocolateAs we walked along the road, we encountered a small grove of cacao trees.
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| Cacao is the source of chocolate |
Alejandro, who grows native sustainable chocolate on his farm in Ecuador, explained that there are a number of different types of cacao that grow in Colombia, but the big producers tend to narrow crops down to one variety. He said some of the commercial varieties tend to push out the less developed local ones and that it is difficult to keep artisanal cacao pure.
The main cacao varieties in Colombia are …
Criollo, a "fine flavor" variety that makes up only about 5-10 percent of global cacao production. Criollo cacao has a delicate, aromatic flavor with notes of vanilla and fruit. The beans are naturally low in bitterness.
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| Criollo cacao plantation; Photo: Hacienda Betulia |
Forastero cacao, known for its hardiness and productivity, is the most widely grown cacao variety worldwide. While often associated with basic flavor profiles, Colombian Forastero beans have complex flavors, including fruity, wood and subtle floral undertones.
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| Forastero cacao; Photo: Etsy |
Trinitario cacao is a hybrid of criollo and forastero that was developed on the island of Trinidad, but is now grown throughout the tropics. Colombian trinitario cacao combines the criollo's fruity notes with the hardy productivity of forastero types.
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| Trinitario chocolates; Photo: Trinitario |
Nacional cacao originated in Ecuador but was introduced to Colombia in the late 18th century and is now considered Colombia's "native" cacao type. Nacional trees produce large pear-shaped pods with a nutty, earthy profile with hints of tobacco.
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| Nacional cacao; Photo: The Floral Atelier |
As the day got warmer, we returned to La Victoria, which I outlined in my previous post.
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| It was a good birding morning |
Back to Bellavista
Then, the next morning, we returned, birding primarily toward the end of where we had been the previous day.
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| Back to the jungle |
We were looking for birds we had missed. And, we saw more, many repeats from the previous day.
I was happy to see more Channel-billed Toucans (Citron-throated) this morning because I didn’t get a photo the day before.
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| Another chance to see a Toucan |
This bird is interesting because the Citron-throated that lives in this part of Colombia is classified as a Channel-billed Toucan, but looks completely different than the ones found further east and south.
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These two DO NOT look alike; Left photo: eBird
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We also saw (and I got a photo of), an endemic Sooty Ant-Tanager …
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| Too bad he turned his back on me |
Look at this photo of a female Green Honeycreeper feeding in a tree with oval green seed pods.
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| It point outs how effective camouflage can be |
It took me forever to even see the bird.
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| There she is! |
I also grabbed photos of a Bay-breasted Warbler looking a bit ragged.
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| I am not sure if it was molting or just wet |
Over the two mornings, I saw more birds than I photographed, either because the woods were too dense or the birds were too far away in the open skies.
I won’t list them all, but will mourn a couple of lifers:
The endemic Colombian Chachalaca and White-mantled Barbet plus the Black-crowned Antshrike, White-bibbed Manakin,
Golden-headed Manakin, Carunculated Caracara, Chestnut-collared Swift, Blue-fronted Parrotlet, Blue-chested Hummingbird and Northern Mouse-colored Tyrannulet.
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| Bob's photo of the Northern Mouse-colored Tyrannulet |
And, I didn’t even see four more that would have been lifers:
Spectacled Parrotlet, Acadian Flycatcher, Slaty-capped Flycatcher and White-breasted Wood-Wren.
If birding were easy, everyone would do it!
Both days, we saw (and had to carefully step over) lots of Leaf-cutter Ants.
See here ...
These ants don't eat the leaves; they use them to cultivate underground fungus gardens, which serve as their primary food source. A single complex colony can house up to 8 million highly specialized ants. Worker ants cut and carry pieces of leaves (sometimes 50 times their own weight) along choreographed, cleared foraging trails. Back in the nest, the ants chew the vegetation to create a nutrient-rich pulp where the fungus grows.
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| Leaf-cutter Ant nest by the trail (probably six feet long and three feet high) |
After we finished a Bellavista, we started a trek toward much higher elevations on the Central Cordillera. But, that’s next time.
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| The Andes, Villamaría |
Tour dates: March 7-28, 2026
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