Colombia: Magdalena River Valley & Western Andes 7/19/2025-7/27/2025

ebird.org/tripreport/396756

The magic of Colombia’s birds made this special Relaxed and Easy tour one to remember. Our focus here in the Central and Western Andes was on seeing the greatest variety of birds while avoiding strenuous walks on steep trails. What a great list of birds we tallied!

We began our grand slam of a tour in Rionegro, the site of Medellin’s José María Cordová International Airport. Those of us who arrived early strolled around the gardens and parking areas to find such wonderful Andean birds as the Scrub Tanager, Golden-faced Tyrannulet, Steely-vented Hummingbird, and the endemic Colombian Chachalaca.

On the first morning of the tour, we followed a Colombian-style breakfast with the relaxed departure for Amalita, a wetland that provided superb views of Black-bellied and Fulvous whistling-ducks, Cocoi Heron, and a male Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch singing confidently from the top of a bush.

Once it started to warm up, we made the short drive to the reserve of Vivero Cantos de Agua. The owner of this family-run refuge, Mrs. Norita, had bought land that was dominated by African grasses. Determined to restore the habitat, she planted trees and allowed native vegetation to grow back, creating a veritable Shangri-La of Andean nature. The Andean Motmot and Red-bellied Grackle were seen well here, and White-sided Flowerpiercer and Steely-vented Hummingbird were found near the feeders. After some great birds, a delicious cup of coffee (locally called tinto), great apple bananas, and getting to know a beautiful family, it was time to head down toward the Magdalena River Valley, where a new array of birds awaited.

White-bellied Woodstar, Chaetocercus mulsant. Photo by D. Ascanio.

While we waited for a typical Colombian lunch at El Palacio de los Frijoles, we enjoyed the endemic White-mantled Barbet and the superb Crimson-backed Tanager. After our meal, we continued our drive into the lowlands, which was quickly interrupted by even more marvelous birds. Thick-billed Euphonias, more Crimson-backed Tanagers, Blue-gray and Palm tanagers, and Saffron Finch appeared. But the star of this show was a superb Beautiful Woodpecker, a sought-after species entirely restricted to Colombia. The site of all these wonders was undistinguished, a place for truck drivers to stop and have a drink. But the birds didn’t mind!

Sparkling Violetear, Colibri coruscans. Photo by D. Ascanio.

Once in the lowlands, we visited two hotspots, the Reserva Natural Cañon del Rio Claro and Puerto Nare Road. We visited Rio Claro twice. On our first visit, we hardly had to move at all, as right at the reserve entrance we found the Cinnamon Woodpecker, Cinnamon Becard, Band-backed and Bicolored wrens, White-shouldered Tanager, and Fulvous-vented Euphonia. Finally we drove towards the dining room, where we had another blast of birds, including the yellow-tufted subspecies of the Black-faced Dacnis and a long list of tanagers, including Dusky-faced, Crimson-backed, Blue-gray, Palm, Golden-hooded, and Plain-colored. On our second morning there, we drove to the other end of the preserve, where we started the day with views of the Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Ruddy Quail-Dove, Gartered and White-tailed trogons, Western Olivaceous Flatbill, and more Dusky-faced Tanagers. It was nonstop!

Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Tigrisoma fasciatum. Photo by D. Ascanio.

Puerto Nare offered a completely different but equally rich experience. The road leads to an old port, where cargo used to be shipped to points along the Magdalena River. We were searching for lowland birds and for riverine forest species, alongside a sampling of birds occurring on the plains of the Orinoco and some species of limited distribution, such as the Northern Screamer. Plains specialties here included Savanna Hawk, White-winged Swallow, White-headed Marsh-Tyrant, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, and Yellow-chinned Spinetail. We also tallied Pied and Russet-throated puffbirds, Gray-breasted Crake (heard), and White-eared Conebill. Blue-and-yellow and Chestnut-fronted macaws rounded off a day of multicolored birds.

After a couple of days in the lowlands, we were ready to head for cooler temperatures and higher ground. After driving to Rionegro, we spent a night in Medellin, then left the next day for the Western Andes.

Jardin, our next location, was a perfect match to what we had experienced in the Magdalena River Valley. Characterized by colonial houses with ample windows and tile roofs, Jardin takes you back to the time when coffee dominated trade here. The main square is packed with tables of locals playing chess and dominoes, while kids playing soccer dream of stardom in Colombia’s major league. Drinks and handicrafts are sold from booths—and just as in every corner of the country, there is more than one coffee shop.

We spent our full day here birding along the road to Ventanas, where a preserve dedicated to the the Yellow-eared Parrot is located. The hummingbird feeders welcomed us with a fine selection of these little gems: first the Buff-tailed Coronet and White-bellied Woodstar, followed by a Sword-billed Hummingbird and a Collared Inca. The greatest moment was when a Tourmaline Sunangel landed and turned its head toward us in a brilliant show of color. We also observed Long-tailed Sylphs and both Sparkling and Lesser violetears.

Tourmaline Sunangel, Heliangelus exortis. Photo by D. Ascanio.

Ventanas was also the place for several antpittas, tapaculos, and chat-tyrants. We saw Yellow-eared Parrots in flight, and had the opportunity to enjoy views of White-capped Tanager, Citrine Warbler, Mountain Cacique, Black-collared Jay, Lacrimose Mountain Tanager, Plushcap (amazing looks!), and Golden-fronted Redstart. We headed down to town for lunch, then had a short break followed by an afternoon outing to look for Andean Cocks-of-the-rock. When we arrived, a single male was perched nicely on a branch, but it flew away. Just as we were resigning ourselves to the idea that the rain had put a stop to the males’ display, a second male arrived and gave a superb show!

Buff-tailed Coronet, Boissonneaua flavescens. Photo by D. Ascanio.

There was one more place to go, Finca Bambusa. Over a nice coffee, we enjoyed more views of Colombian Chachalaca and Bronze-winged Parrot. Then we headed back to Medellin and Rionegro, where we spent a final night before heading home with wonderful memories of a week in beautiful Colombia.

We look forward to seeing you again!

A complete list of the birds recorded on our tour can be found at: https://ebird.org/tripreport/396756

Photo album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidascanio/albums/72177720329237309/

Description for the next departure of this tour.

David Ascanio's upcoming tour schedule.