Colombia 2023 - Day 6

8/27/2023 Sunday

We headed out at 6:00 to bird the dirt roads below Soatá.  It was nice to be birding only five minutes from the hotel for a change! This area was at a lower elevation than we'd been previously, and was warmer and drier. 

This area had a few endemic species that were our targets for the morning. We found the Apical Flycatcher, Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird and Niceforo’s Wren pretty easily, though all views of the Chestnut-Bellied Hummingbird were fleeting. 

Apical Flycatcher

Niceforo's Wren

Niceforo's Wren

As we stopped and birded on the rural roadways, it was interesting to see the locals going about their daily lives. I wonder what they thought of us, as tourism is quite rare in these areas.

We also enjoyed looks at larger and flashier wren, the Bicolored Wren as well as Black-faced Grassquit, the very long-tailed Squirrel Cuckoo, and a hovering White-tailed Kite. 

Bicolored Wren

Black-faced Grassquit

Squirrel Cuckoo

White-tailed Kite

It was quite sunny and warm so we returned to the hotel at 10:30 for a break, and headed off for lunch at 12:30.  Had an outstanding lunch at a local restaurant. Teri had a grilled chicken breast, while I had the same with mushrooms. But mine came in a delicious white cream sauce and was by far the best meal of the trip. 

At 2:00 we went to a private garden called Mango Matcho. The owner wasn't there, but Daniel knew the local lady who looked after the residence and arranged entry for us. The gardens were lovely, but the main draw was a line of 34 hummingbird feeders! 

And they were covered with Chestnut-bellied Hummingbirds and Indigo-capped Hummingbirds, both endemic to the area. The setup provided great opportunities for photos. 

Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird

Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird

Indigo-capped Hummingbird

Indigo-capped Hummingbird

Less common at the feeders were Sparkling Violetear, Black-breasted Mango, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and the tiny White-bellied Woodstar.  

Sparkling Violetear

Black-breasted Mango - female

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

White-bellied Woodstar - male

After an hour at the feeders we took a road toward the town of Boavita, but birding was slow. We made several stops looking for Striped Cuckoo and got some return calls and one brief look by Mark.  

We ended up in the small town of Boavita where Daniel wanted to have an ice cream in the town square. But the square was completely fenced off and looked torn up from what we could see. We bought a couple of ice cream bars and sat near an enormous church overlooking the square.  Saw a tame Cattle Tyrant picking up whatever food scraps it could, along with Carib Grackles which have only recently colonized some of these towns. Best birds of the afternoon!

Staying in and visiting these small Colombian towns was interesting, and a great way to get the true feel of the country and the culture. 

After returning to Soatá we had dinner at same place as the previous evening. With our late afternoon ice cream we weren't too hungry, so I had a ham and cheese sandwich and Teri snacked on some of my fries. 

Next: Up into the mountains and a new hotel.