If I Were Going...: Birding in Columbia #2: Marshes and Magic Gardens

Black-throated Mango, La Jardin Encantado

Our first birding adventures started very early – sort of. Our gathering in the hotel lobby was the first time that Heather and I met Alejandro, Enid and Bob. I thought the purpose of a 4:45 a.m. rendezvous was to get out quickly to avoid what PIB termed Bogotá’s “horrendous" traffic. But, we had to wait around for the restaurant to open, then we had breakfast, so I am not quite sure what the point was.

It didn’t really matter because the morning was gloomy and dark, so it didn’t look like it would be a great photography day. That turned out to be true for a couple of reasons.

Our destination was La Florida Marshes in Bogotá, which was in an urban area less than 10 miles from our hotel. Still, it seemed to take forever to get there.

Right by Bogota's El Dorado Airport

It underscored how some birds manage to survive despite noise pollution. A number of planes flew over while we were there.

The morning was frustrating and it was my own damn fault! A couple of months before this trip, I bought new mirrorless Canon cameras – an R6 full-frame and an R7 half-frame. I bought a wide-to-medium angle lens, but also purchased adaptors so that I could continue to shoot distant things (you know, like birds) with my Tamron 150-600mm lens.

Me with my gear, which also included new binoculars

I used the camera/lens combo on my Greenland and Blues Cruise trips, but still felt that I hadn’t mastered them, especially because, even though relatively contemporary with each other, the controls differ. So, I struggled with doing simple things. Plus, when in Florida, I had had a few communication glitches where the lens wouldn’t focus unless I disconnected it and reconnected it. On this trip, I took that gear (with trepidation) but also took my older 90D camera, just in case I had more issues.

This morning, I was struggling with the camera. The first problem ended up being the stupidest of stupid ones.

All my pictures were coming out so, so dark, like this one of an Andean Duck

Yes, it was foggy and dark, but this seemed more extreme than it should be. Maybe this new camera doesn’t do well in low light?

That seemed odd. I keep lowering the shutter speed to the point where photos were blurry and still dark. Finally, I realized that, instead of being on auto, my ISO was set on something ridiculous, like 200. It was an overcast morning, so that was a big issue. Of course, investigation and discovery was happening while I was trying to see and photograph new birds, including some endemics that I would probably never see again. I need to remember to calmly check all settings BEFORE I leave my hotel room. You’d think I’d learn!

Important for birds that hide in dense foliage like this Smoky Brown Woodpecker

While futzing around, I also discovered that the new cameras are much more susceptible to being accidentally re-set. I guess the dials move more easily. I am not sure why, but I kept finding settings that were not what I had done originally (like putting ISO off auto). I think this is a learning curve, but it’s wildly frustrating when in the middle of an activity that doesn’t allow time to think, explore and re-set. I have confidence things will get better, but that morning, I was starting to think maybe I had spent a lot of money on a trip where I would not get any decent photos.

A lot of the birds were distant, like these Cattle Egrets

Plus – and I knew this would be an issue – I had cataracts which had been getting progressively worse. I had pre-surgery to get ready for the cataract surgery before this trip and my surgery was scheduled for after the trip. So, my eyesight, which has never been good, was dim. Seeing birds in the fog and deep foliage was difficult. I hadn’t realized how bad it was until I watched all my birding companions seeing things I could not. That happened throughout the trip. But, you deal with it because what else can you do?

This all sounds bleak, but, I have since had the surgery and my eyes are vastly improved. And, my photos came out better than I thought.

I love this Pied-billed Grebe

Plus, PhotoShop and Topaz AI do wonders for underexposed shots.

Pulling this Eared Dove out of the darkness

I am pretty happy with what I got, even though many of the birds we saw and habitats they were in made photography a challenge.

Tough day (this is a Bare-faced Ibis)

La Florida Marshes, Bogotá

With all that whiny talk out of the way, let’s talk about La Florida, a 660-acre wetland and park west of Bogotá in Funza-Cundinamarca. It is home to a great variety of flora and fauna species.

La Florida Marshes; Photo: eBird

We went there in search of two endemics: the Bogota Rail and the Silvery-throated Spinetail.

We heard the Rail and after our calling and watching and listening and calling and watching and listening and watching some more, it made one quick dash through an open area between two stands of reeds. Did our group see it? Yes! Did I see it? No. I had looked down to grab my binoculars at the exact moment it darted.

I had slightly better luck with the Silvery-throated Spinetail. I did see it and thought I had captured some photos of it as it zipped by. But, when I dropped the photo into our birding list after I got home (weeks after the sighting), eBird said, “no, no, no – that’s a juvenile Yellow-hooded Blackbird.”

I thought the one of the right was the target until I really looked at it

And, darn eBird was right. Cool picture wrong bird! Great start, huh?

Mine on the left; a real one on the right; Right Photo: eBird

But, let’s back that up a little, because I did see a lot of new birds for me. In fact, most of what I saw were lifers. The two new species that we saw in the largest numbers were the Bare-faced Ibis …

The Ibises were plentiful and out in the open

… and the Yellow-hooded Blackbird ...

A striking bird

The Ibises were quite entertaining ...

Natural comedians

The Yellow-hooded Blackbirds looked very similar to our Yellow-headed Blackbirds and, I realized over the course of our trip, occupy a similar ecological slot as Red-winged Blackbirds in the U.S.

If there was water or reeds, there were Yellow-hooded Blackbirds

Another cool lifer was the Spot-flanked Gallinule ...

Its name comes from the spots along its sides

What I liked best was its green bill

What I originally thought was a Ruddy Duck, turned out to be an Andean Duck (AKA Andina). Actually, there were two morphs on the lake at La Florida ...

This one with its solid-colored head ...

... and this one with uncharacteristic white cheeks

I also photographed (rather poorly) a female Smoky-brown Woodpecker in the dark woods. Although I saw another one later in the trip, this was the only one I photographed.

She is, indeed, Smoky Brown

As I said, this was a tough photography morning, both in terms of the light and my skills. In addition to missing a photo of the Silvery-throated Spinetail, I also saw, but missed, a Yellow-backed Oriole, Sparkling Violetear and Glossy Flowerpiercer.

Of course, while I try a bit harder to get photos of lifers, I never pass up a good shot of any critter. Like these two that we also see in the U.S. ...

This American Coot mom feeding her chick was pretty darn cute

As was this Pied-billed Grebe

I grabbed a couple of distant shots of Striated Herons, thinking that it was a new bird. Then, I looked at my life list and thought it wasn't.

On-again and off-again Striated Heron

Turns out I photographed a bird in Ecuador that my guide said was a Striated Heron and I put it on my list. When I looked at that Ecuador shot next to this bird, I realized the guide was wrong. It was Yellow-crowned Night Heron. So, this was a lifer.

Eared Dove skulking in the dark understory (a repeat bird for me)

Even though I don’t pass up birds to photograph, I didn’t take photos (or keep photos I took) of a couple of birds seen at great distance through fog because I knew I already had nice shots of Common Gallinules, Southern Lapwings, Neotropic Cormorants, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, Black-crowned Night Herons, Great Thrushes and Rufous-collared Sparrows. Seems like a lot, but I was really concentrating on the new ones. Plus, it was our first day out; maybe I’d get another chance at the birds I didn’t shoot (spoiler alert: I did for most).

In addition to birds, we saw wild Guinea Pigs! I mean, that’s pretty cool, huh? These were much larger than the pet shop Guinea Pigs we have in the U.S.

Cute little guy

When photographing the Guinea Pigs munching by the lake, I didn’t realize that these would be among just a handful of mammals we would see over the next three weeks.

We saw several

Colombia sure has the birds, but mammals? Not so much, which I found surprising for such a deeply forested place. I guess more are in the Amazon???

After a short time at La Florida, we moved on. Alejandro and Hernan were anxious to escape the traffic and noise. So, we headed to somewhere completely different from the wetlands.

La Jardin Encantado

Our next stop was what, from the outside, looked like an unlikely birding stop. We drove north from La Florida to the town of San Francisco to visit La Jardin Encantado, the "Enchanted Garden.”

Basically backyard Hummingbird feeders that got out of hand; Photo: TripAdvisor

A homeowner has put up a couple dozen feeders plus a couple of seed and fruit feeders that attract ...

... an estimated 25 species of Hummingbirds ...

... as well as a variety of other feeder-friendly birds

We watched from a deck that also looked down on another garden filled with other birds ...

Ruddy Ground Doves preening in the garden

By now it was sunny and hopping with birds when we arrived. Taking pictures of all the pretty birds provided some photo redemption as well as a slew of lifers.

Lots of birds at the feeders

During our 60-90 minutes there, we saw many birds, but nowhere near the advertised number of possible species. We saw seven species of Hummingbirds, including three new ones for me …

White-vented Plumeleteer

White-bellied Woodstar

Indigo-capped Hummingbird

After missing a shot of earlier in the day of a Sparkling Violetear, I saw plenty here …

Sparkling Violetear (not sparkling much here)

I was able get good photographs two species I had seen before on previous trips to Central and South America ...

Black-throated Mangos (male)

Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds

There were also White-necked Jacobins, but, somehow, I missed them here. But, do not fear, I got lots of photos of them later.

It was easy to see that they were rapidly draining the feeders, which we saw being refilled while there. Some looked rundown and, potentially, dirty, which alarmed me, especially since several of the Hummers on the feeders had obvious bill abnormalities.

The White-vented Plumeteers seemed to have the worst afflictions

We know that dirty feeders can spread disease and harmful mold, so I would hope that the proprietors would take all the steps necessary to keep the feeders clean.

About Hummingbirds

Let me take a moment here to talk about Hummingbirds in general, because these seven species were just the beginning of what we would eventually see during our three weeks in Colombia. Spoiler alert: I am going to use photos of birds I saw later.

Shining Sunbeam, Termales del Ruiz; White-necked Jacobin, El Bosque de Las Aves

Hummingbirds can be found from the tip of South America to Alaska, but only in the Americas. Of the approximately 375 species, most are found in Central and South America. While fewer than 25 species have been recorded in the United States, Colombia has more than 160.

The Indigo-capped Hummingbird is endemic to Colombia

Hummingbirds have been traditionally divided into nine major groups: Topaz, Jacobin, Hermit, Mango, Coquette, Brilliant, Giant Hummingbird, Mountaingem, Bee and Emerald. The Hummingbird family has the third-greatest number of species of any bird family (after Tyrant Flycatchers and Tanagers).

Among all birds, Hummingbirds have the widest diversity of plumage color, particularly in blues, greens and purples. In many species, males are more brightly colored and ornamented than females.

The Velvet-purple Coronet is one of the brightest, Montezuma cloud forest

Males use the gorget – a bib-like iridescent neck-feather patch that changes brilliance with the viewing angle – to attract females and warn male competitors away from territory.

Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Observatorio de Aves Los Andes

Much of the bright colors result from prismal cells within the top layers of feathers of the head, gorget, breast, back and wings. When sunlight hits them, the cells split into wavelengths that reflect in varying intensity. By shifting position, feather regions of a muted-looking bird can instantly become fiery red or vivid green.

Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird, Soatá

Males are smaller than females in small-bodied species and larger than females in large-bodied species. For males and females of the same size, females tend to have larger bills.

Female Black-throated Mangos

Hummingbirds are, in general, the smallest mature birds. Cuba’s Bee Hummingbird is only two inches long (beak to tail). The largest is the nine-inch-long accurately named Giant Hummingbird.

The Great Saphirewing is a large Hummingbird, Hotel Termales del Ruiz

Noted for long narrow beaks, Hummingbirds are specialized for feeding on flower nectar, but all species also consume small insects. Bill shape varies widely as an adaptation for specialized feeding, with some 7,000 flowering plants pollinated by hummingbirds. Bill length ranges from a quarter inch to 4.3 inches.

The Swordbill has the longest bill, Observatorio de Aves Los Andes

When catching insects in flight, a Hummingbird's jaw flexes downward to widen the beak for successful capture.

Some species have long beaks for feeding from long tubular flower; some have short, sharp beaks adapted for feeding from shallow flowers and piercing the bases of longer ones; some have an upturned bill tip adapted for feeding from tubular flowers while hovering. Hummingbirds use their tongues to rapidly lap nectar, trap it in semicircular tubes along the sides of the tongue and then release it into the throat.

Speckled Hummingbird, Río Blanco

The Hummingbird’s name comes from the humming sound created by rapid wing flapping, which vary from around 12 beats per second in the largest species to 99 per second in small Hummingbirds. In some species, the tail feathers produce sounds used by males during courtship flying.

White-bellied Hummingbird, Observatorio de Aves Los Andes

Of species that have been studied, top flight speeds exceed 34 mph. During courtship, some male species dive from 100 feet above a female at speeds reaching 51 mph.

Hummingbirds are rare among vertebrates in their ability to rapidly make use of ingested sugars, powering up to 100 percent of their metabolic needs with the sugars they drink and consuming the equivalent of 150,000 calories per day.

This makes feeders attractive; Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, White-vented Plumeteer

During flight and hovering, oxygen and calorie consumption are both about 10 times higher than that of elite human athletes. Oxygen capacity is achieved by exceptional density and proximity of capillaries and mitochondria in flight muscles.

Because flying and hovering require a great deal of fuel, Hummingbirds spend 80 percent of their time sitting or perching.

They rest to preserve energy for feeding and fighting; Male Black-throated Mangos

Through multiple small meals, they consume around twice their weight in nectar each day, digesting most of it within an hour. Because their high metabolism makes them vulnerable to starvation, Hummingbirds are highly attuned to food sources. Many species are territorial, guarding food sources (such as a feeder) against other Hummingbirds, attempting to ensure a future food supply. They have an enlarged hippocampus, a brain region facilitating spatial memory, that maps and recalls flowers previously visited during foraging.

Buff-tailed Coronet, Rogitama Biodiversidad

The heart rate of Hummingbirds can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute, with a breathing rate of 250 breaths per minute at rest.

To conserve energy when food is scarce and at night when not foraging, Hummingbirds can enter torpor, a state similar to hibernation, and slow their metabolic rate to 1⁄15 of its normal rate. While most subspecies do not migrate, the Rufous Hummingbird has one of the longest migrations among all birds, traveling twice per year between Alaska and Mexico, a distance of about 3,900 miles. Maybe that’s why they are so mean.

Rufous Hummingbird, Colorado Springs (I did NOT see this one in Colombia)

Hummingbirds do not walk or hop like most birds, instead shuffling laterally. They use their feet, which have three toes pointing forward and one backward, to grip while perching, preening, nest-building or feeding and during fights to grab opponents’ feathers.

Look at the puffy feathers on the Indigo-capped Hummingbirds' legs

Hummingbird females build a nest resembling a small cup about 1.5 inches in diameter, commonly attached to a tree branch using spider webs, lichens, moss and loose plant fibers. Typically, two pea-sized white eggs – the smallest of any bird – are incubated over two to three weeks before hatching. Mothers feed chicks by regurgitation. Chicks fledge about three weeks after hatching.

Brown Inca in a nest, Montezuma cloud forest

Hummingbirds have visual properties typical of both predator and prey, enabling them to capture insects and to hover for feeding, while simultaneously avoiding potential predators. They have an upper and lower eyelid and a nictitating membrane as a translucent "third" eyelid.

Buff-tailed Coronet with a "third eye"

Although their eyes are only 5-6 mm in diameter, they occupy a larger proportion of the skull than other birds and animals. An enlarged cornea relative to eye diameter increases light perception, enabling nocturnal flight. They have a fourth color-sensitive visual cone (humans have three) that detects ultraviolet light and enables discrimination of non-spectral colors, possibly having a role in flower identity, courtship displays, territorial defense and predator evasion.

Lesser Violetear, Rogitama Biodiversidad

Many Hummingbird species exhibit a diverse vocal repertoire of chirps, squeaks, whistles and buzzes, varying in complexity and content during social interactions, foraging, territorial defense, courtship and mother-nestling communication. During the breeding season, males and females vocalize as part of courtship.

Dozens of Hummingbird species live year-round in tropical mountain habitats at high altitudes, sometimes as high as 17,000 feet in the Andes, where there is less oxygen. They deal with it because their hemoglobin has increased oxygen-binding affinity.

The Rainbow Thorntail lives at 8,900-13,500 feet above sea level, Termales del Ruiz

Hummingbirds have unusually long lifespans for organisms with rapid metabolisms. Although many die during their first year of life, especially in the vulnerable period between hatching and fledging, those that survive may occasionally live a decade or more.

Where present, domestic cats are probably the most common predators of non-nested Hummingbirds. Other predators include Dragonflies, Frogs, Orb-weaver Spiders, Praying Mantises, small predatory birds such as Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels, Snakes and other birds such as the Roadrunner.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species in 2026, eight species are critically endangered, 13 are endangered, 13 are vulnerable and 22 species are near-threatened.

The Black Inca is endangered, Rogitama Biodiversidad

Two – the Brace's Emerald and the Caribbean Emerald – have been declared extinct. 255 species are declining in population numbers, with only 87 rated as stable and eight increasing.

Back to the Feeders

The birds we saw at Jardin Encantado were not limited to the headliners. The feeders were attracting a variety of birds, including four additional lifers for me …