July 8, 2019, 7:17 pm
Ranging from arid, windswept desert to thick lowland jungle; from tangled mangrove swamps to the flanks of the highest coastal mountains on earth: birding in this region offers remarkable diversity and the chance to observe hundreds of species, including almost half of Colombia’s endemic species.
El Dorado Reserve
The jewel in the crown of Caribbean birding in the legendary El Dorado Reserve: for hundreds of years people ventured from the heights of the Andes to the depths of the Amazon in their quest to discover the fabled lost city of gold, when it turns out that what they really needed all along was a pair of binoculars. El Dorado is a bird reserve in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta which is probably the best place in the world to observe endemic species: with over 20 species possible, including the rare and threatened Santa Marta Parakeet, Santa Marta Bush-tyrant and Santa Marta Sabrewing, it’s a dream for bird listers. The lodge is beautiful, the views are some of the best in Colombia, and the birding is some of the best in the world: El Dorado might just be the #1 spot in Colombia for birders.
Isla Salamanca and Los Flamencos
If El Dorado is a bit too much effort, there are two excellent birding areas just off the main coastal highway: Isla Salamanca near Barranquilla and Los Flamencos in La Guajira. Both offer fantastic birding in dry-scrub forest, saltwater lagoons and mangroves and are easily accessible on day-trips. The key birds at Isla Salamanca are the Sapphire-bellied and Sapphire-throated Hummingbirds, Bronzed Cowbird, Nothern-scrub Flycatcher and Chestnut Piculet. Los Flamencos is naturally famous for its huge concentration of American Flamingos, as well as a wealth of other aquatic species, but it’s a great place for Guajira endemics too: a good morning can produce Tocuyo Sparrow, Vermillion Cardinal, Buffy Hummingbird, Pale-legged Hornero, Orinocan Saltator, and many more.
More Options
And the birding in the Caribbean isn’t just for the super-dedicated either: less hardcore birders can venture up to Minca, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada – the birding here is still excellent, and offers the chance to observe iconic species such as hummingbirds, the Keel-billed Toucan, and Military Macaw. Tayrona National Park is another spot popular with tourists that also offers top-quality birding – walking the trails at dawn or dusk can bring sightings of Lance-tailed Manakin, Buff-breasted Wren, and, if you’re really lucky, one of Colombia’s rarest endemics, the Blue-knobbed Curassow.
Colombia’s Caribbean is one of its most visited regions, and rightly so, but it has so much more to offer beyond the beaches and parties – birding this region is a truly unique experience, one which any lover of birds and nature will never forget. So pack your swim-shorts and sunscreen, but make sure there’s room for the bins and the field guide too...you won’t regret it.
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