Showing posts with label Band-tailed Guan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Band-tailed Guan. Show all posts

6 Mar 2018

6 Mar 18 - Colombia: Below The El Dorado Lodge

After lunch & some Birding at the El Dorado Lodge in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains, the jeep drivers drove us down the main track from the lodge. We slowly walked back up the track to the lodge. It was slower compared to the morning, but that's not unusual in forest Birding, especially as the forest cooled down.
Black-hooded Thrush: A largely Colombian & Venezuelan species, that also occurs in Guyana & neighbouring Northern Brazil
The main highlight of the afternoon was my second Antpitta Tick for the day: Rusty-breasted Antpitta. I particularly like the smaller short-tailed Antpittas: this one is only two-thirds of the body size of a British Robin.
Rusty-breasted Antpitta: It was sitting low down, but fortunately, on the rising side of the hillside. Although it stayed still, it was difficult to get a clear photo
Rusty-breasted Antpitta: Finally, a better angle. This is the nominate ferrugineipectus subspecies which only occurs in the Santa Marta mountains & neighbouring North Venezuela mountains. The other subspecies occurs in the main Eastern Andes range of Colombia & Venezuela
It was close to dusk by the time we had finished walking back uphill to the El Dorado Lodge. There was just time for a final check on the feeders:
Slaty-backed Nightingale-thrush: Another species around the vegetable tip
Band-tailed Guan: Not a bad Bird table species. This is an uncropped photo
Central American Agouti
Central American Agouti
After dark we were called outside as a couple of Grey-handed Night Monkeys & a Kinkajou had appeared in the trees at their high feeder. Unfortunately, the light was too poor for photography: but it was good enough for the bins. It had been a long, but successful, day.

6 Mar 18 - Colombia: The El Dorado Lodge

After the first morning at the top of the ridge above the El Dorado Lodge in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Mara mountains, we headed back to the lodge for lunch. However, there was plenty to keep us distracted. There were a number of Hummingbird feeders & flowering plants to attract the Hummers in. But the initial was the vegetable rubbish tip. This particularly busy with two species of Guans, as well as, the main highlight: a party of Black-fronted Wood-quails.
Band-tailed Guan: Not surprisingly this was a Tick, as it is restricted to Northern Colombia & Venezuela
Sickle-winged Guan: This species has a wider range from Colombia & Venezuela to Ecuador, Peru & Bolivia
Black-fronted Wood-quail: The forest Wood-quails are usually difficult to see, so this party were very welcome
Some of the crowd enjoying the Guans and Wood-quails
Lined Quail-dove: Another normally shy forest Dove which is restricted to Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad & Tobago
We were keeping an eye on the Hummingbird feeders for the speciality Hummingbird, White-tailed Starfrontlet. It took a while before we were successful. The feeders were popular, but mainly with Violet-crowned Woodnymphs.
Violet-crowned Woodnymph: Males
Violet-crowned Woodnymph: A group of females
Finally somebody saw the much scarcer White-tailed Starfrontlet.
White-tailed Starfrontlet: The white in the tail is one of the key features
White-tailed Starfrontlet: From behind, they are very obvious to identify
White-sided Flower-piercer
Blue-naped Chlorophonia
There were also a few mammals around the lodge.
Red-tailed Squirrel
One of the bonuses of staying at a remote lodge close to decent forest, it the Moths that are attracted by the lodge's lights.
Colombian Hawk Moth sp.
Another Colombian Hawk Moth sp.
A third Colombian Hawk Moth sp.
Another Colombian Moth sp.
Finally, it was time for lunch.