9 Mar 18 - Colombia: Hummers At Minca

Back at the hotel in Minca, we had the chance for some cool drinks & to enjoy the Hummingbird feeders while we waited for lunch. The Hummingbird feeders produced a few new species for our trip list.

White-necked Jacobin: Most seemed to be immature individuals

White-necked Jacobin

Long-billed Starthroat: Showing off its long bill

White-vented Plumeleteer: Living up to its name

White-vented Plumeleteer

Steely-vented Hummingbird: Note, the dark vent

Steely-vented Hummingbird: This is a Central American species which extends to Colombia & Venezuela

There were also a few other species coming in to the fruit feeders.

White-tipped Dove: This is a widespread Dove that occurs throughout the Neotropical lowlands

Bicoloured Wren: Good to get the opportunity to get a better photo than the record shot from earlier in the morning

As we were packing up, we were surprised to see there was a Blue-and-yellow Macaw in the trees at the front of the hotel. We couldn't figure out if it was a tame or a wild individual that had appeared due to a food source in one of the trees.

Blue-and-yellow Macaw: Stretching its left wing

It was time to head for the coastal Tayrona National Park for our final treats of the day. The highlight of the journey were some wildlife road signs.

Monkey road sign

Lizard road sign: We failed to see any Monkeys or Lizards

26 Feb 18 - Colombia: Another Set Of Hummers To Learn

We arrived at the welcoming Montezuma Rainforest Ecolodge with about an hour & a half of light left and quickly put the bags in the rooms. There were a number of feeders next to the open-sided restaurant. The feeders were very busy, with a good selection of fourteen species of Hummingbirds.

White-necked Jacobin: This is a widespread species which occurs from Mexico to Bolivia and Amazonian Brazil

White-necked Jacobin: The white neck is visible on this individual

Tawny-bellied Hermit: I'm not used to seeing Hermits coming to feeders, so this individual was a pleasant treat

Tawny-bellied Hermit: This species occurs from Colombia to Ecuador and Peru

Violet-tailed Sylph: This species occurs in Colombia & Ecuador

Velvet-purple Coronet: A species that is restricted to the Western Andes of Southern Colombia & NW Ecuador

Booted Racket-tail: A widespread species that occurs from Colombia & Venezuela to Ecuador, Peru & Bolivia. The males appear larger due to their long tail streamers, but the females are only the size of a Woodstar

Rufous-gaped Hillstar: This species has recently been split from White-tailed Hillstar. Rufous-gaped Hillstar occurs in the Western Andes of Southern Colombia & NW Ecuador

Rufous-gaped Hillstar: Note, the distinctive rufous moustachial and the extensive purple throat & breast as it turns its head

Green-crowned Brilliant: The majority of resident species we saw do not occur in Central America, but this species occurs from Costa Rica & Panama to Colombia& Western Ecuador

Green-crowned Brilliant: As it turned, its purple throat was obvious

Empress Brilliant: This is another Pacific slope species occurring in Southern Colombia & NW Ecuador

I will cover the remaining Hummingbirds & other species at the feeders in the next Post.