COLOMBIA Pacific Choco Lowlands
On the west coast of Colombia, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Western Andes to the east is a renowned biodiversity hotspot, the Pacific Chocó lowlands. This amazing lowland jungle region is one of the rainiest places in the world and provides an excellent lowland birding area! Access is by air to Bahía Solano airport from any Colombian city and then a one-hour journey via 4WD to the small town of El Valle. It is well worth the bumpy ride to get here as nearly 650 bird species inhabit the Colombian pacific. Endemics including Baudo Oropendola and Baudo Guan are among the many jewels of these jungles.
Area Description Map: Major Birding Regions of Colombia
Habitat here is very humid tropical forest as this region gets upwards of 6.5 meters of rainfall per year. The forests are lush and include the Baudó and Darién mountain ranges which hold an amazing number of specialty birds. Utría National Park is here and access is easy from the town of El Valle. There is a wonderful ecolodge right on the beach which has a number of species in its own forest as well as opportunities for whale and dolphin watching from boats or right from the beach.
Birding Opportunities Specialty birds of the Pacific (pdf)
The road from Bahía Solano to El Valle offers the opportunity to see Gray-chested Dove, White-necked Puffbird, White-fronted Nunbird, Crimson-bellied Woodpecker, Black-tipped and Blue Cotingas, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Scarlet-thighed and Blue Dacnis, and Fulvous-vented Euphonia. It is one of the best birding roads in Colombia and can yield more than 120 species in a single day! Mammals are also possible while birding along the road including Neotropical Otter, Taira, and Geoffroy’s Tamarin.
Access to Utría National Park is possible via a walking trail from El Valle which contains a wealth of distinctive species including Great Curassow, Plumbeous Hawk, Dusky Pigeon, groups of Great Green Macaws, Choco Toucan, Northern Barred Woodcreeper, Black-headed Antthrush, and Streak-chested Antpitta, as well as Brownish Flycatcher, Sirystes and at least five species of dancing manakins. Ant swarms are followed by crowds of antbirds and a variety of woodcreepers along the trail from El Valle. Best of all, there is a nesting colony of endemic, long-lost Baudo Oropendolas not far from the main path. These enigmatic birds love to feed acrobatically right near the trail!
The seaside ecolodge itself offers great birding and is built on a hillside complete with trails that lead up to platforms providing dazzling views of the canopy and the near shore. Rose-faced and Saffron-headed Parrots, Purple-crowned Fairy, Black-breasted and Pied Puffbirds, and many canopy tanagers (Blue-whiskered, Golden-hooded, Plain-colored, Rufous-winged, Summer, Lemon-browed, Tawny-crested, Scarlet-browed and Scarlet-and-white to name a few!) can be easily spotted right from the platform. Other trails provide opportunties to see the dance of Red-capped and Blue-crowned Manakins at their leks and a chance to see such Chocó restricted specialties as Berlepsch's Tinamou and Slate-throated Gnatcatcher.
Other towns along the coast can be accessed by boat to access areas with such rarities as the Colombian Crake, Sooty-capped Puffbird, and Blue Cotinga.
Photos by Steve Bird:
Above: Baudo Oropendola. Utria National Park 2009
Right: Gray-capped Cuckoo. El Valle 2009.
PLANNING YOUR TOUR The links below provide information and descriptions of the birding areas and some of the species that can be expected in each area. Tours can be arranged to include any or all areas, just let us know your preferences. |
Tours are arranged 6 - 12+ months |
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21 February:
Once our arrival was processed, we boarded our transport, a typical Colombian open-air brightly colored truck called a Chiva which took us over a very rough road to our lodge on the coast. No sooner did we get going than the road was blocked by a truck that was stuck in the mud. Not to worry, while the truck was being tended to, we birded along the road and found King Vulture, Blue Ground-Dove, Bay-headed Tanager, Stripe-billed (Collared Aracari), Red-lored and Blue-headed Parrots flying over, Black-crowned Tityra, Rose-faced Parrot, and Blue-chested Hummingbird. After 8 kilometers, the road became a nice paved road and after we reached town we drove out onto a sandy beach to get to our lodge. The setting was wonderful--a beach side eco lodge with the sound of crashing waves in the background. The lodge was rustic but comfortable and its location provided access to the humid tropical forest. Our first Red-legged Honeycreeper, the species used in the lodge logo, appeared at some fruit feeders and we enjoyed many views of this little beauty during our stay.
We settled into our rooms and were quickly out exploring the grounds around the lodge. A trail up the hill behind the lodge led to a platform overlooking the sea and we scanned the trees for birds. There were many Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans over the sea and closer to us on the tree tops below were several birds including Cinnamon Becard, Crimson-backed Tanager, Spot-headed Barbet, and Purple-crowned Fairy to name a few. We walked further up stopping on an open deck in front of a cabin. A flock was moving through the trees above and confusion ensued as we tried to identify the birds in the flock including Scarlet-browed Tanager, Rufous-winged Tanager, White-shouldered Tanager, Fulvous-vented Euphonia, Blue-whiskered Tanager, Purple Honeycreeper, Green Manakin, Scarlet-and-White Tanager, Tawny-crested Tanager, and Scarlet-thighed Dacnis. Up at the next overlook, we had a very confiding Pied Puffbird and some Masked Tityras. The sun was setting over the sea as we made our way back down toward the lodge. A Purple-chested Hummingbird was calling from a perch and we scoped it from the veranda. Back at the lodge we enjoyed a delicious home-cooked meal before retiring for the evening.
22 February :
This morning we walked a trail in Utria National Park in the hopes of finding the rare and endemic Baudo Oropendola. The flat, straight trail led through a gorgeous rainforest and overnight rains had created wet, muddy conditions underfoot. As we walked, the rain got heavier requiring us to forge through six inch deep standing water in some areas. We reached a bridge and took a small, side trail into the forest where our guide pointed out a large palm tree with several large sock-like nests hanging from the palm fronds. We repositioned ourselves to see the nests (still raining) and soon we got our first glimpses of Baudo Oropendolas coming in to tend the nests. One bird sat on a frond next to the nests and displayed for several minutes giving a fabulous show. We spent a good amount of time watching the birds, most of us soaked to the bone but enjoying this very rare opportunity. On our way back out the trail we found a few other birds including Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Pacific Antwren, Dusky-faced Tanager, Pied Puffbird, and Black-chested Jay. A wet, bedraggled Gray-capped Cuckoo was spotted perched on a wire and we were thrilled to get such a good view of this rare bird.
We went back to the lodge, dried out, and watched the Crimson-backed Tanagers and Red-legged Honeycreepers at the banana feeders. After lunch, we birded along the paved road that we had driven yesterday. It had finally stopped raining and we enjoyed good views of many species along the road including Spot-flanked Gallinule, White-necked Jacobin, Blue-chested Hummingbird, White-tailed Trogon, Scarlet-and-White Tanager, Scarlet-browed Tanager, Cinnamon Woodpecker, the closest views ever of a perched King Vulture, no less than eight Black-tipped Cotingas, Golden-collared Manakin, and two White-thighed Swallows perched on a wire with thighs visible. By the end of the afternoon, the sun was out and we finally felt dry and very pleased with the birds seen throughout the day.
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