Birding Around Bogotá

We had two days of birding scheduled with Bogotá Birding and Colombia Wildlife Tours. At 5:30 in the morning we were picked up by our guide Juliana and our very capable driver.

DAY ONE – October 3

Our day began at a local cafe in the town of La Calera. We had a local pastry called arepa. It is a made with cornmeal filled with a local soft cheese. It was fun to watch the cook make them.

Chingaza National Park is our destination this morning. It is located to the east of Bogotá.

It was difficult to photograph the amazing birds that we saw. So I am posting photos from the Merlin App.

We walked through an area of the mountains called the Paramour. It is similar to the tundra. It contains low growing plants that are able to collect the water and keep the soil moist. Juliana has an interest in flora and ecology and we enjoyed all the information she shared with us.

After lunch we went to the Conservatorio de Colibries. It is a private nature sight with hummingbird feeders and plants to attract the birds. We loved the hummingbirds!

DAY TWO – October 4

We are picked up at 5:00 am. Our destination today is Chicaque Nature Reserve. This is a very large private reserve south of Bogotá. This is in the Andes Mountains at a lower elevation than the day before. We walk about 3 kilometers downhill into the valley.

We saw or heard an amazing amount of birds. They were at time difficult to see. The walk was an adventure in itself. we were amidst the clouds most of the way. Here a couple of our favorite birds.

At the bottom of the valley is a restaurant where we ate lunch. We ate outside and were able to see many birds as we ate. An entire flock of mixed species flew in and we saw many tanagers, warblers and even a pair of toucans.

We did not climb back out of the valley. We took a classic Land Rover ride up the mountain on the steep path up. It was an experience!