The Quest for Harpy Eagle

A day even more unforgettable than this iconic bird.

By Mollee Brown

My partner Jimmy and I joined our friend Giovani Ortiz to visit Bahia Solano on the Pacific coast of Colombia in February. Our target bird was a special one: the Chocó Tree-Antpitta.

Bahia Solano was established as an agricultural colony in 1935. As a result, families from all over Colombia were brought to the Chocó by the government to establish farms. Through the decades since, commercial trades have built in this rural area, bringing a mix of cultures, too. 

This part of the coast is only accessible by boat (coming north from Buenaventura, Colombia’s only Pacific port) or plane from Medellin. We contemplated the oceanic route, which had a relatively expensive 8-hour “speed boat” option or cheap overnights in a cargo ship’s dorm-style rooms, but ultimately chose to fly on a small domestic airline and take advantage of passing through Giovani’s hometown to do laundry and drop off some of our things. After packing for weather at 13,000 feet - where we find Buffy Helmetcrest and other specialties on our Hillstar High Times tour - my warmest clothes wouldn’t be needed in the hot, humid lowlands!

Bahia Solano through the plane window.

We had the fortune of running into friends in San Cipriano, our previous destination, but our time with them led us to a series of missed transportation connections and threatened our chances of making it onto our plane. There are only a few flights each week to Bahia Solano, so missing our flight would mean we’d miss our entire trip. When Jimmy and I emphasized that it would be okay if our plans didn’t work out, we saw just how badly Giovani wanted to make it out to the coast. He had been secretive about what he had planned for us, leaving all of the travel planning to him, and it was becoming more and more clear why. 

In my research before arriving in Colombia, I found that this special bird (the Chocó Tree-Antpitta, of course) had a known nest near Utría National Natural Park. I didn’t know the status of the nest or the access options, but knew that if it was possible to see this species, Giovani would make it happen. 

We made our flight and watched the city and then agricultural fields melt away into vast stretches of undisturbed forest. We arrived to meet Julian, a Bahia Solano native and fast friend, who took us in his tuk tuk to our small open-air hotel overlooking the bay. The town is quiet, close-knit - with Julian greeting by name nearly everyone we passed - and sleepier than the still-small-but-more-touristy beach town of El Valle, where most of the rest of the passengers on our plane were headed. We had a fantastic tuna dinner cooked by our host. His name was also Jimmy, and we learned about the Spanish word “tocayo,” meaning someone who has the same name as you and used warmly. There’s no English equivalent for it!

Jimmy’s place. Our room was only slightly more enclosed than this to take advantage of the breeze.

We were told for the next day to bring lots of water and necessities for a day-long hike that started with a boat ride to our access point. It would also require wearing rubber boots. That night, I told Jimmy about my suspicions about our hike’s goal. However, I had resisted temptations to check eBird maps (turns out there wasn’t much data to check, anyway), and left it as a surprise for both of us. 

Tractors and tuk tuks ruled the streets. Everyone thought this sunrise was worth the pause.

We took a short walk to our boat the next morning and tallied a handful of shorebirds in the first light of the day. A few miles away was Playa Mecana and the Jardín Botánico del Pacífico. “Botanic Garden” painted a picture of manicured lawns and ornate nonnative flowers in my mind, but this 170-hectare privately-owned reserve is instead a protected stretch of primary forest. 

We decided that if you want a Jurassic-park-like feel to your travels, this place is hard to beat. Especially because there were no other humans in sight for nearly our entire time in the parks.

Our day started with a little more coffee and a chorus of songs and bird activity. Many super-localized Humboldt’s Sapphires zipped around and we spent time looking for a calling Sooty-capped Puffbird. This is one of the only accessible areas to get Chocó-endemic species, and our excitement built with each new bird and increased our awareness that we were somewhere special. Even with experience birding throughout central Colombia, and dipping into the Chocó in San Cipriano and in Panama, there were still many new birds to be seen. 

One of just two videos of Humboldt’s Sapphire on eBird! There are also a few photos in my checklist linked at the bottom of this post.

Life birds aside, the birding was flat-out fun. We walked tall, narrow boardwalks high above mangrove marshes that wound parallel to the shore. We spent time watching a Whimbrel jolt back and forth in the mud below the canopy while Magnificent Frigatebirds drifted overhead. 

Eventually, we worked our way into the forest and proper trail. We passed a few houses along the way, and again, Julian chatted with every person we met. At the last house, Antonio stepped outside and joined us. He was the caretaker of the woods with a spiritual connection with what lies within that was both apparent and revealed throughout the day in his stories. More than once, he pointed out things from the back of the group that we missed, including a coral snake mimic all four of us stepped over. He discovered the special nest we were visiting. 

The crew, minus Antonio, and some parrot feathers along the trail.

We wound higher into the forest, climbing some short, steep hills, and activity slowed to spurts. Despite the lowland heat, the high, dense canopy helped us stay relatively cool. A Golden-crowned Spadebill right along the trail gave us a show. Shortly after, we stopped for a break at at a tree with the biggest buttresses I’ve ever seen. As we sat, a Yellow-eared Toucanet silently passed through overhead as we heard a distant wail of a large raptor. 

Could it get any cuter? Golden-crowned Spadebill.

Couldn’t ask for a better spot for a break. Toucanet way above. Julian, Giovani, and Antonio.

Continuing on, we passed a gorgeous tree with a nesting ornate hawk-eagle. We couldn’t see it on the nest, but Antonio pointed out a trail camera that was monitoring it from a nearby branch. Shortly after, we saw a troop of White-fronted Capuchins. On we went. 

Six hours into our slow, birdy hike, we crossed a rushing creek. I had a LifeStraw water bottle with me that did the trick to safely refill everyone’s supply. Our stomachs were grumbling by the time we reached a tiny clearing along the creek with a makeshift bench looking across at a massive, sprawling tree. We unpacked curry-like tuna salads with rice and potatoes folded neatly into thick banana leaves that doubled as plates while we waited for signs from the center of the tree.

The tree. Lunch. The wait!

“Now we wait for the Chocó Tree-Antpitta,” Giovani said with a wink. After such an incredible morning, our spirits were high, and we were all grins and adrenaline.

Suddenly, we heard a short, high-pitched series of six sharp cries from the nest that sent our hearts racing. The second round was joined with a weaker mimic. Our glee erupted as we finally spoke what we hadn’t dared to jinx until we saw a massive eye and face turn in the scope. Our tree-antpittas were a mother and three-week-old Harpy Eagle waiting impatiently for food from the male. 

Our happiness overflowed as we listened to the duo call over and over again. We could barely glimpse their faces for seconds at a time through the scope. While we first thought their calls meant the male would appear at any moment, that failed to be true. An hour ticked by, and then another. We chatted, watched, admired, gushed. Ultimately, we had to accept the reality that our looks might not be crushing, but the experience was unforgettable nonetheless thanks to the company, drama, and witnessing legendary Harpy Eagles in any way. 

We had to catch the boat, so we had a hard deadline to return to shore. We packed our bags. We stood up. We turned together as a group to walk away. And then a magnificent male Harpy Eagle burst into the scene. 

It’s hard to remember exactly who was crying what as we dropped everything and all focus fell solely on the spectacle in front of us. The male quickly gave a sloth to the female and chick and retreated to a branch that gave us open views of him in all his perfection. We watched in the scope, through binoculars, and through cameras in utter elation. After several minutes, he flew a short distance down the creek to another visible tree. There, he shuffled around until comfortable to preen and stayed for a long stretch of time before taking off again. We were graced with lifelong memories in those moments. 

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Our euphoria was over the top. We didn’t need to exchange words to share in our excitement, which was good, because it was hard to find them. By the time the male Harpy left and the female and chick had settled, we needed to rush to catch the boat, and we practically skipped through the difficult trail as we departed. 

I felt like I was in the happiest of dreams as we bounced along, chatty and energized. Our lack of stealth didn’t seem to stop great birds from intersecting us, including five manakin species and a pair of Sapayoa. We took a loop back to the Botanic Garden entrance which consisted of a series of planks and boards that wound creeks and quicksand-like mud, giving the feeling of a giant playground that made us giggle like kids. It seemed to be a fitting end to an unbelievable outing. 

Before we left, we learned that Antonio discovered the nest nine years ago. Shortly after, the female of the original pair was killed by poachers. Antonio said the male followed him around after her death, and the two shared their grief. Since then, he has been tightly bonded with this male as the Harpy Eagle found another mate and has now raised multiple chicks. Truly, Antonio is a special part of the forest, too. 

Harpy Eagle is a species I always dreamed of seeing, but this entire experience simply couldn’t be topped. Life birds aren’t always memorable, but something as special as a Harpy warrants a desire for a special life experience. We were lucky to have that, and I’ll never forget it. 

eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S162497364

Unpacking Colombia

How to choose your first/next trip to the world’s birdiest country

By George Armistead & Phil Chaon

You’ve probably heard a lot about Colombia. For birders, few nations are as intriguing, and for American birders, its proximity makes it especially appealing. A three and half hour flight from Atlanta, Dallas or Miami, and you can feel as though you’ve been transported to a whole other world. But if you’re looking to dip your toe into birding here, it can be a little daunting to figure out where to begin.

Overview

Most are aware, Colombia boasts the highest species list of birds of any country in the world. With nearly  2000 species, roughly 20% of the world’s bird species are found here, including no less than 80 endemics (species  found nowhere else). Colombia holds the largest number of hummingbirds of any country with over 165 species known from within its borders, and the highest number of cracids (guans, curassows, & chachalacas). It is an amazing place to see highly sought-after antpittas, in the genus Grallaria and Grallaricula. On top of that there are a number of newly discovered or rediscovered species, and a host of regional specialties that add a lot to the allure. And that’s just the birds…

Colombia is also an incredibly hospitable country with super-friendly folks, wonderful food suiting an array of diets, and spectacular scenery. The last decade or so we’ve seen the development of an increasingly vibrant birding community and eco-tourism industry, which have grown by leaps and bounds. On top of all that, it is also a relatively affordable place to travel. Considering all this, it is little wonder that this country has really grown in popularity. The trick is knowing where and how to begin.

Colombia is a large and mega-diverse country that can’t be easily tackled in a single trip. To begin to truly sample all the country has to offer takes several trips, all of which present a unique suite of habitats and endemics. Some visitors come once knowing they will come at least a few times more. Some come just for a taste of this incredibly bird-rich country. Either way it can be tough to know how to approach and so here we’ll try and lay out the options.

Biogeography

What really makes Colombia different compared to its similarly  diverse neighbors  is how the Andes trifurcate. As one follows the spine of the Andes north from its more southerly reaches the massive range enters Colombia and splits into three different ranges: the Cordillera Occidental (Western Andes), the Cordillera Central (Central Andes) and the Cordillera Oriental (Eastern Andes). Between the Western and Central Andes is the Cauca Valley, and then between the Central and Eastern Andes is the Magdalena Valley. Isolated from all these, wedged between the Western Andes and the Pacific is the Choco, one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet. In the south of the country is the Mecizo or Colombian Massif, which is also exceptionally diverse. And that only covers  the Andean parts of the country… 

The north features the Guajira Peninsula and the Santa Marta mountains, and the Perija highlands. Each of these regions harbors endemics, with the Santa Martas being perhaps the site with the highest rate of endemism in the country, and another one of the most biodiverse areas in the world.

The eastern half of the country can be divided roughly into halves, with the northeastern quadrant of Colombia being comprised by the Llanos. Pronounced “Ja-nos”, the Llanos are a massive seasonal floodplain that extends well into Venezuela. The larger watershed region as a whole is often referred to as Orinioquia, a reference to the Orinoco River that drains the vast area into the Amazon. The southeastern quadrant is part of Amazonia, a low-lying forested tropical woodlands that drains into the Amazon River basin.

(Google Bio-regions of Colombia and a number of maps will help illustrate the above. A basic summary can be seen here.)

Recommended Routes

Because of the diversity and how these areas really comprise a mosaic, there are almost innumerable ways in which to divide and explore this incredible country. Below are some recommended and popular routes. Note that we offer each of these as Hillstar Nature tours, either as scheduled departures, or as custom/private trips arranged upon request. We hope you’ll contact us. Again these are some segments we have put together as tours that we believe make sense and are enjoyable. But there are many ways in which one can explore Megadiverse Colombia.

The first three descriptions feature tours available now as scheduled departures. The trips below those are available as add-on or stand-alone custom tours. If you are looking for something easy and relaxed consider one of our Colombia: Chill Mode offerings, which feature a relaxed pace, extended stays at nice accommodations, and a mix of easy birding with some cultural elements. You’ll see some examples of these at the bottom.

The Santa Martas & the Caribbean Coast

• Birds: ~28 endemic species to the Santa Martas, plus regional specialties including Santa Marta Antpitta, Santa Marta Warbler (below), Santa Marta Parakeet, Black-cheeked Mountain-Tanager, Lazuline Sabrewing, Vermilion Cardinal & more.

• Food: Excellent seafood; also easy for vegetarians.

• Special aspects of the region: Vallenato folk music.

• Indigenous People: We learn about the Wayuu, Arhuaco, Kogi and other people.Hotel Nights: 3-star overall. Occasionally lack of hot water is an issue. Max. stretch is 2-night stay at 2 different hotels.

• Hotel Nights: 3-star overall. Occasionally lack of hot water is an issue. Max. stretch is 2-night stay at 2 different hotels.

• Roads & transport: Mostly good, but winding mountain roads can be challenging for those who experience motion sickness. One famously rough road traversed via 4x4 jeep.

• Rigor & pace: Moderate. Up before sunrise each day. One day at high elevation near 9000 feet. Good amount of time on foot, walking 2-track dirt roads. 1-2 nocturnal outings for ~ 1 hr each.

Central Andes: High Times in the Cordillera Central

• Birds: Nice set of endemics including chances for specialties such as Buffy Helmetcrest, Brown-banded Antpitta, Rufous-fronted Parakeet, Crescent-faced Antpitta, and lots of snazzy hummingbirds.

• Food: Good food, wonderful soups including Sancocho, and traditional dishes such as Bandeja Paisa; also easy for vegetarians.

• Special aspects of the region: Coffee Triangle (Eje Cafetero), Páramo habitat

• Hotel Nights: 3-4 star. Max. stretch is 3-night stay.

• Roads & transport: Mostly good, but winding mountain roads can be challenging for those who experience motion sickness. One or two rough road traversed via 4x4 jeep.

• Rigor & pace: Moderate with a nice mix of looking for birds along remote mountain roads and looking at birds attending feeding stations. Fantastic photo opps. Up before sunrise each day. Two or 3 nights staying at high elevation at ~11000 feet. One day we bird an area at 13,000 feet. Good amount of time on foot, walking 2-track dirt roads. Usually no nocturnal outings.

Western Andes & the Choco

• Birds: Many endemic and regional specials with chances at 2  big, bold, and endemic Bangsia tanager species, Black Solitaire, Toucan Barbet (above), Choco Brush-Finch.

• Food: Good to excellent quality. Doña Dora’s famous arepas at El Descanso are not to be missed.

• Special aspects of the region: Cali founded in 1536 is Colombia’s 3rd largest city, and the Salsa capital of the world. Tatama National Natural Park holds the nation’s top eBird hotspot (~500 species).

• Hotel Nights: Max. stretch is 3-night stay. One hotel is very comfortable 4-star while the other is more remote, charming family-run 2-star accommodations but with excellent food. Easy for vegetarians.

• Roads & transport: Winding mountain roads can be challenging for those who experience motion sickness. Some fairly rough roads traversed via 4x4 jeep.

• Rigor & pace: Moderate. Up before sunrise each day. One day at high elevation near 9000 feet. Good amount of time on foot, however, walking slowly but for several hours on 2-track dirt roads. 1-2 nocturnal outings for ~ 1 hr each.

Bogotá & the Eastern Andes 

2 to 4-nights before or after other tours

• Birds: Green-bearded Helmetcrest, Blue-throated Starfrontlet, Bogotá Rail (below), Coppery-bellied Puffleg, Apolinar’s Wren, among many others.

• Food: Good quality, with Ajiaco a characteristic soup of the region. Easy for vegetarians.

• Special aspects of the region: City tour can include visits to Gold Museum and La Candelaria. The largest expanse of páramo habitat in the world is at Sumapaz.

• Hotel Nights: 4-star hotels in Bogotá.

• Roads & transport: Winding mountain roads can be challenging for those who experience motion sickness.

• Rigor & pace: Moderate. Up before sunrise each day. Several locations are at high elevation 10,000 feet or above. Bogotá traffic can be challenging. Some time on foot, walking slowly but for a couple of hours. Also some time at feeding stations.

Perijá 

Offshoot of the Eastern Andes, this is a 5-7 night trip targeting endemics. Good to pair as an extension off of the Santa Martas tour. Arrival into Bogotá, followed by a short flight to Valledupar and then drive up a rough winding mountain road via 4x4 jeep into the mountains of Perijá.

• Birds: Perijá Starfrontlet , Perijá Thistletail, Perijá Brushfinch, Black-fronted Brushfinch, and Perijá Tapaculo, just described in 2015.

• Food: Good “costeña” food in Valledupar, and many good options in Bogotá. While stationed in the highlands food is fine, but not extravagant. Manageable for vegetarians and vegans.

• Special aspects of the region: Vallenato folk music

• Hotel Nights: 3-star in cities, but 1.5 to 2-star up in the Perijá highlands where accommodations are basic though still clean and reasonably comfortable considering the remoteness.

• Roads & transport: Rough switchback mountain road up into Perijá is challenging for those prone to motion sickness.

• Rigor & pace: Moderate. Up before sunrise each day. Several locations are at elevation of 8000 feet or so. Significant time on foot, walking slowly for a couple of hours.

The Llanos

A seasonal floodplain covering much of northeast Colombia and central Venezuela, the Llanos are a wonderful mix of wetlands, winding rivers, savannahs, and gallery forest. Best visited for about 4 nights between November & April, the front half of the field guide is very well represented, with lots of big and easy-to-see birds, such as ducks, storks, herons, ibis, waders and raptors. And there are also chances for some other great wildlife too with strong opportunities for photographers.

• Birds & Wildlife: Pale-headed Jacamar, White-bearded Flycatcher, Sharp-tailed Ibis + 6 other species of Ibis, and lots of colonial/social waterbirds such as whistling-ducks, Orinoco Goose (right), Jabiru, and much more. Fantastic for other wildlife as well with 100s of Capybara, and chances for Giant Anteater, Anaconda, and even occasional Jaguar sightings.

• Food: Good “Llanero” food. Manageable for vegetarians.

• Special aspects of the region: Llanero people and culture.

• Hotel Nights: 1.5 or 2-star in the Llanos, where accommodations are basic though still clean and reasonably comfortable considering the remoteness. In Bogotá before/after the hotel is 4-5 star.

• Roads & transport: Bumpy and sometimes muddy roads. Some transport is via a truck re-outfitted for wildlife viewing.

• Rigor & pace: Moderate. Up before sunrise each day. Low elevation. Mostly birding from or near the vehicle. Afternoons can be very hot, so days may break in early afternoon, and sometimes later afternoon outings extend a bit past sunset.

Amazonian Colombia: The Orinoco & the White Sand Forest

The town of Inírida is strategically located as a gateway to Amazonia, but is also tinged with elements of the Llanos & Orinoquia. Some of the best birding Colombia has to offer, in a region still relatively little visited. A 5-7 night visit here can yield a host of range-restricted white sand forest specialties, as well as many local or seldom-seen Varzea forest birds and a big swath of more widespread Amazonian species. Many areas are accessed only by boat. Highly recommended, but note this area is remote and some days are moderately rigorous. See an eBird trip report of a scouting trip here (includes visit to paramo outside Bogota).

• Birds & Wildlife: Many little-known or range-restricted species possible, such as Black Manakin, Yapacana Antbird, White-naped Seedeater and others, along with specialties like Orinoco Softtail, Pale-bellied Mourner, Black Bushbird, Orange-breasted Falcon, and many others. A handful of monkey species are also regular here.

• Food: Good food & manageable for vegetarians.

• Special aspects of the region: Cerros de Mavecure (above) are spectacular old small mountains (tepuis) that rise dramatically from the flatness of the Amazonian wilderness. Climbing them is only for the most able-bodied and fit, but a visit to see them is worthwhile and could yield Orange-breasted Falcon and other birds.

• Hotel Nights: 2.5-3 star hotel in Inírida, where accommodations are clean and comfortable. In Bogotá before/after the hotel is 4-5 star.

• Roads & transport: Mostly we travel by boat or short distances by vehicle to areas that we cover on foot.

• Rigor & pace: Somewhat rigorous. Most birding is on foot or by boat (motorized dugout canoes). Walking is not difficult, generally, but a good amount of time on foot, and getting in/out of boats requires some agility. Rain is regular and it can be hot too, testing one’s stamina at times. Low elevation, but up before sunrise each day, and usually out in the field until mid-afternoon or sundown. Single-site stay in Inírida provides the convenience of being based at the same hotel for the duration of the tour.

The South: The Colombian Massif

TBA soon. Week-long trip in search of 7 species of monkeys (including Pygmy Marmoset) and endemic birds and regional specials such as Hooded Antpitta, Black-chested Fruiteater, Indigo-capped Hummingbirds and more.

Colombia: Chill Mode

Here are some options for those wishing to combine some easy, relaxed birding with mostly mid-low elevation sites, without too much moving around, based at comfortable hotels, where you can mix in cultural and historical elements. Talk to us. We can mix and match segments to create the trip you want.

Cartagena Plus  (~7 nights)

Combine 3 nights in historic Cartagena with another 3-4 nights of relaxed but excellent birding in Cali or Manizales. Take a salsa class in Cali, or visit a coffee farm near Manizales, while also seeing a great bunch of antpittas, hummingbirds and endemic birds, found nowhere else in the world.

Medellín & Jardín (~7 nights)

Talk about a city with heartbeat! One of the most vibrant cities in the world, Medellin  can easily be combined with a 3-night visit to nearby Jardín. Certainly among the most charming towns in all of Colombia, Jardín offers beautiful, brightly painted houses, nestled snugly into the eastern slope of the Western Andes, with great birding nearby, including the chance of Yellow-eared Parrots, and a fabulous Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek.

Bogota Plus (~7 nights)

Take in Bogotá for 2-4 nights, see the Gold Museum and the Candalaria, while also experiencing ing the largest expanse of páramo in the world (high elevation). Follow that up with 3-4 nights of relaxed but excellent birding in Cali or Manizales, or…. for the slightly more adventurous, interested in some modest hiking, you could consider adding on (or instead) a visit to a comfortable little family-run lodge in Huila, for a few days of birding along the spine of the Andes. This site features wonderful home-cooked family style meals, with great feeders on the grounds, with some endemic birds and several species hard to encounter elsewhere. 

Cali & Manizales (~8 nights)

Focus more on birding than culture here, but with opportunities to visit a coffee farm, and to enjoy a salsa show. Two 4-night stays, one in the Central and the other in the Western Andes, allow you to unpack and unwind while experiencing fabulous birding at two well-known hubs, keeping to mid-elevation sites (below 10,000 feet). Lots of antpittas, hummingbirds, and showy endemics.

Your First Visit to Colombia?
Never been before? Wondering where to begin?

The truth is that if you do not face challenges with elevation, energy/stamina while traveling and are flexible about accommodations, then all the above are pretty great.

If elevation is a primary concern, consider the Chill Mode options. If comfort is a primary concern then consider the Chill Mode options, or one of our scheduled departures to the Santa Martas or the High Times in the Cordillera Central. These latter two routes are tried and true, and well enjoyed with lots of great birds, great photo opps, good accommodations, and good food.

If more adventurous, and interested in a little rigor, or at least amenable to some hiking and less polished accommodations, then consider the Western Andes & the Choco,
The Llanos, the South, or Amazonian Colombia.

And definitely, consider a call or email here, if you’d like to discuss more.

Recent Tour Imagery - 2023 June-Aug

Recent 2023 Tours:

The Prairies: North Dakota & Montana with Josh Covill & George Armistead 

Colorado: Best of Summer Birding with George Armistead & Carl Bendorf

Montana: Glacier to Grasslands with Josh Covill

Maine I & II: Acadia’s Iconic Birds, Whales & Scenic Views with Holly Merker & Seth Benz

Colombia: Western Andes & the Choco with George Armistead

Colombia: High Times in the Cordillera Central with George Armistead

Upcoming 2024 Tours to these areas:

Montana Backroads: The Prairies with Josh Covill, 29 May - 5 June Montana Backroads: The Rockies with Josh Covill, 5-12 June

Colorado: Best of Summer Birding with George Armistead & Carl Bendorf (Sold out; message to be added to the waitlist)

Maine: Acadia’s Iconic Birds, Whales & Scenic Views with Holly Merker & Seth Benz 13-17 July

Colombia: High Times in the Cordillera Central with Mollee Brown & Yesennia Tapasco Feb. 9-15

Colombia: Western Andes & the Choco with Mollee Brown & Yesennia Tapasco Feb. 18-24

We begin here with a group shot of one of our two Maine groups. Kneeling are guides, Seth Benz (left) and Holly Merker. We’ll be doing it again 13-17 July of 2024. Basing ourselves at the Schoodic Institute, we visited Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park, including summiting Mount Cadillac, while also exploring the nearshore waters for whales, Atlantic Puffins, Arctic Terns and more. 

In June we had tours covering North Dakota, Montana and Colorado. Here, Hillstar Nature guide Josh Covill (right) enjoys a laugh with a couple of our Hillstar friends at Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge in Montana. This is the number one eBird hotspot in the state. It’s a great spot for birds like nesting Wilson’s Phalaropes, Franklin’s Gulls, Eared Grebes, Chestnut-collared Longspurs, and also attracts unusual birds to the area. In 2021 while scouting, Josh and George found the state’s first-ever Cassin’s Sparrow.

A frequent roadside find in Montana is the unique Upland Sandpiper. At times known in the past as Upland Plover, Bartramian Sandpiper, or as the “Papabotte” in Louisiana, in fact this species is most closely related to the curlews. Unlike most other shorebirds/waders, this species is tied to grasslands and their presence is often a good indicator of a healthy grassland. This bird was photographed along the side of the road on The Prairies tour.

A major target of birders visiting the prairies of Montana and North Dakota is the Baird’s Sparrow. In dry years they can be hard to find. The spring of 2023 featured good rains, making for lush prairies and good numbers of this special bird. Preferring tallgrass or mixed prairie, Baird’s is best found on the breeding grounds by listening for its tinkling song, which carries surprisingly well across the grasslands. This species and the Henslow’s Sparrow (nesting in eastern/midwest US) comprise the genus Centronyx. Baird’s winters mostly in north-central Mexico in Chihuahua and Coahuila and in smaller numbers in the southwest US. 

(Photo by George Armistead)

While driving the back roads of eastern Montana, Josh Covill was surprised to spot this newborn Pronghorn nestled into the grass right beside the road. Fawns like this interact with their mother only a few minutes/day, often under a ½ hour all told. This species is the fastest land mammal in the Western Hemisphere, and while they cannot jump really (and climb under barbed wire fencing to get around it) they can reach speeds of 55pmh. They can cover a lot of ground fast, and females can visit the youngsters a couple times each day for nursing. They spend the rest of their time trying not to attract predators to their vulnerable young, or even leading them away from the fawn(s). Despite often being called an “antelope” the Pronghorn is actually the sole remaining member of a family of even-toed ungulates, called Antilocapridae, whose closest living relatives today are the Giraffids (giraffes & the Okapi).

We spent one night exploring the Little Rockies outside of Dodson, Montana, and were lucky to be joined by biologist Andrew Dreelin. Pictured here with his “badgernator”, Andrew and his team of graduate students are studying breeding birds of the prairies like Long-billed Curlew and Mountain Plover, and how they interact with Black-tailed Prairie Dogs. The unique “badgernator” is a remote-controlled mounted badger used to elicit alarm calls from prairie dogs and see how the birds respond to them. The research is fascinating. We hope to have Andrew on Life List: A Birding Podcast soon to discuss his team’s findings.

While the birds and mammals are great in Montana, the scenery often steals show. Here Hillstar friends Jeff & Angela work the road for Marbled Godwits and Brewer’s Sparrow. Behind them rise The Little Rockies.

One night in Minot, North Dakota we dined and sipped wine at a small private art gallery that also produces vintage wines.

We finished The Prairies trip just outside of Bozeman, birding the lower slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Our final outing we enjoyed views of this American Dipper. This is the continent’s only genuinely aquatic songbird, and it’s a member of a family of birds (Cinclidae) with just 5 species. American birders associate this bird strongly with the rushing creeks and rivers of the American West but the species actually ranges broadly, from Alaska all the way to western Panama.

Here in Colorado, looking towards Rocky Mountain National Park we watched a Coyote chase after a family of Canada Geese with nestlings. It was a near miss for the goslings. Hopefully the Coyote found another meal.

Also on the the Best of Summer Colorado tour, co-guide Carl Bendorf took this pic of George Armistead photographing a White-tailed Ptarmigan (just visible, lower right). Our group enjoyed several sightings of this special bird of the alpine tundra, up at about 12,000 feet above sea level.

White-tailed Ptarmigan (same as in above image) on our 2023 Colorado tour, by George Armistead.

These Pale Alpine Forget-me-nots were gorgeous. Also in this area we enjoyed several White-tailed Ptarmigan, as well as Horned Larks, American Pipits, Brown-capped Rosy-Finches, a Golden Eagle, and a few Yellow-bellied Marmots too.

Surely there can be nothing cuter in all the world than a Pika. American Pika is an absurdly charming resident of rocky and scree slopes of the Rocky Mountains. This species is in the family Ochotonidae, which contains over 30 species worldwide. Together with the rabbits they comprise the Lagomorph order. There is one other species in North America, the Collared Pika found in Alaska and northwestern Canada.

Clark’s Nutcracker was featured on both our Montana and Colorado tours this year. This one was up in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Shifting gears to Colombia, we ran two tours this summer and scouted another. Here part of our group from the Western Andes and the Choco work the cloud forest in search of Gold-ringed Tanagers, Empress Brilliants, and other special birds.

The cartoon character that is the Toucan Barbet is a member of a family with just two species. This one, and the Prong-billed Barbet of Costa Rica/Panama comprise Semnornithidae. Both species are highly social. Prong-billed roosts communally, with sometimes over a dozen birds in a cavity. Both are monogamous breeders, but the Toucan Barbet  has helpers that assist the nest pair in raising the young. It is found only in Colombia and Ecuador. The impressive dueting “french ambulance” song can be heard, where pairs are territorial, and the species nests regularly along the road through Farallones National Park at Dona Dora’s El Descanso. The birding is fabulous there, and the empanadas are even better.

A common and widespread bird, the Tropical Parula ranges from Texas all the way south to central Chile and Argentina. But it is always a pleasure to see and a crowd-pleaser when it poses like this, as this one did just outside our hotel in the Western Andes. At the northern end of their range, this species hybridizes fairly regularly with Northern Parula, confounding their identification at times.

El Niño and its associated weather this year made some birds a bit more challenging at times. We had to wait a while on these Black-billed Mountain-Toucans, but finally they showed and showed well. These were photographed by Casey Davidson, a Hillstar friend on the tour up to the High Andes of the Cordillera Central. 

Another big score on our Central Andes tour (High Times in the Cordillera Central) was this Ocellated Tapaculo, photographed by Casey Davidson. This is a bird heard often, but seeing it and seeing it well, much less photographing it, is a rare thing indeed.

One of the most handsome denizens of the Colombia cloud forest is the Black-collared Jay. This one from our High Times tour came into a feeding station along with another one and put on a heckuva show. One of the most stunning birds of the High Andes, found from 6000-10000 feet  in Colombia, Venezuela and just into Ecuador, this species remains still rather poorly known. Photo by George Armistead.

One of the trickiest, most interesting and taxonomically vexed species in the Americas (the world?), is the Sapayoa. A bird of the Chocó region, found just in Panama, Colombia and Ecuador, this species is currently placed within its own family, Sapayoidae. The scientific name is Sapayoa aenigma, and the species name ‘aenigma’ is indeed appropriate as ornithologists have long debated its placement among, and relationship with other birds. All agree, however, that it is an oddball, and this makes it a big target for birders who manage to access its range, which is itself a bit of a challenge. This individual was a member of a family of 4 we saw, and a very lucky (and hard-earned) find on our Western Andes & Chocó trip. Photo by George Armistead.

One of the most sought after endemics in Colombia is the Chestnut-bellied Flowerpiercer. This one photographed by Hillstar friend Rich Kuehn on the Western Andes/Chocó tour this year, was seen well after our 2nd attempt which involved a couple very early mornings. Known only from a few scattered sites along the Western Andes, this bird was thought extinct for a time, with no detections between 1965-2003. Today is found with some regularity but still requires some luck to see.

Forever a tricky bird, reported far more often than actually seen, and rarely photographed, this Pale-footed Swallow photographed by Martin Dellwo, was a great score on our High Times tour. We found a pair nesting by a bridge up in the high Andes, and also managed to see a flock of the critically endangered Indigo-winged (Fuertes’s) Parrots there too.

The Indigo-capped Hummingbird is endemic to Colombia. This one was seen and photographed on a recent scouting expedition by George Armistead to the Huila Department where we are planning a tour in 2024. 

Hooded Antpitta is a mythical bird, but recently a family that runs a small ecolodge in southern Colombia has protected some land and has begun feeding this species. Traditionally birders would search for this bird at Otun-Quimbaya, where it is often heard but seldom-seen. Now we have a great location to seek this bird and also other specials like the Dusky-headed Brush-Finch, Schwartz's Antthrush, and more. We hope to run this new tour in late 2024, and will seek these specials, and also 6-7 species of monkeys, including perhaps the smallest in the world, the Pygmy Marmoset. Photo by George Armistead.

Hillstar Pelagic leader Jonathan Irons captured this image on a recent Hillstar pelagic out of Lewes, DE into Maryland waters. This was one of three we had on the day. Also this day we had Bridled Tern, Long-tailed Jaeger, 20+ Black-capped Petrels, as well as Striped Dolphins, Sperm Whale and more.

THANKS TO ALL WHO JOINED US FOR THESE ADVENTURES! 

HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN SOON.

Ol’ Crooked Nose of Seronera

Join us for Tanzania: The Ultimate Safari in 2025!

A lioness at dawn in the Seronera area of Serengeti National Park

A gray mist hung over the Serengeti. This was not the fiery crimson dawn I envisioned sharing with my friends this morning, but that was just fine. We’d slept in a tented camp outside of Seronera in the central part of Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Now we were cruising in our safari jeep, moving past the iconic “megaherd” of thousands upon thousands of wildebeest and zebra. The monochromatic horizon this morning actually amplified the experience. Being surrounded by this immense number of large animals, was spine-tingling. The gray palette lent the scene a somewhat Ansel Adams-like feeling. The cold silver beards of the wildebeest swung to and fro as they effortlessly skipped and trotted, while the starkly patterned Plains Zebra snorted crankily, nipping at each other’s necks. All these ungulate animals sniffing for the next rain, restless as ever, aimless yet driven.

Erupting from the heart of these Endless Plains, in the south-central of Serengeti National Park are the famous kopjes (“kopeez”). Rocky outcroppings which rise dramatically from the otherwise flat landscape, they are recall The Lion King’s ‘Pride Rock’. The top layer of soil over most of the Serengeti is a softer volcanic ash, but the kopjes are a harder granite. Increasingly exposed with time, they offer a toehold for trees that couldn’t take hold otherwise. The kopjes not only disrupt the landscape in marvelous fashion, but also provide cover, caves, cracks and crevices where wildlife can escape the intensity of the sun, or even the occasional wildfire. Buried amid their nooks and crannies, lie many birds, reptiles and other animals. It was from their ranks we hoped to unearth fresh treasure.

Today was day four of our journey. We weren’t looking for anything in particular. We were here really to simply enjoy being in this remarkable place. Arguably the world’s top wildlife destination, its vastness and richness fill your soul. The park is a monumental gift. This was my second visit, but the first for my wife Kristin. And Kristin was amped up. Her antennae fully extended, alert and ready to soak it up, she leaned into the horizon from her seat in our jeep, like a cheetah atop a termite mound, expectant and intense.

The morning had only just begun to unfold, but the coffee we’d enjoyed at breakfast was making its presence felt. Our friend and driver, Humphrey, stopped and our group looked around, considering where we might safely make a field stop for a bush break. Over the last few days we’d seen lions suddenly materialize from the savanna. Spotted hyenas can shoot out of burrows in the ground where you’d never have guessed there was anything at all. We weighed our options, but were distracted by three hot air balloons appearing on the horizon. It felt less an intrusion on this serene scene, and more a celebration of it. The balloons fired and rose. Our view was spectacular, but for the people ascending in the balloons it must have been even more so.

My attention drifted... I was not here to watch humans. Instead I pointed my Leica binoculars towards the horizon. Here the full light-gathering clarity of my 10x42 Noctivids could be properly appreciated. Out in wide open wilderness, with gray skies and low light, the vivid acuity of my Noctivids accentuated the experience powerfully. I couldn’t imagine being without them. It was the low season for tourism, but none of the wildlife seemed to recognize this or care. We marveled at the numbers and diversity of breeding plumage birds, the active migration of the mega-herd, and the obvious activity of the many predators.  As I took in the scene with my Leicas, I considered how, of the relatively few people we’d seen, nearly half of them didn’t even carry a binocular at all. How and why was beyond me. With our Leicas, Kristin and I had the capacity to see so much more, and to see it well. And we were. Scanning the surroundings, seeking animals, and searching the horizon with our binoculars we’d observed all the big charismatic megafauna species, but we’d also found so many tiny treasures. We had spotted several Chameleons, precious Purple Grenadiers, odd and wondrous Usambiro Barbets, purple and magenta Flat-headed agamas, and so much more.The binocular-less folks we’d crossed paths with would never know a fraction of these amazing beasts. I felt sad for them, and a little disappointed in them too. Lions and elephants are incredible, sure… but they live among so many other amazing animals. You need only to be slightly curious and willing to look. 

Standing on my internal (perhaps judgmental) soapbox, pontificating only to myself, I began to feel a little hypocritical. Here we were staring at hot air balloons in the marvelous, legendary Serengeti. As the minutes drifted, so had we, becoming momentarily myopic. “Hey, can we go check that kopje over there?”, I asked. I knew our gang was of a similar mind, and thought surely, we can take a bathroom break over there. No one objected and I even detected some nods that I took as affirmations that this was an idea of some merit. Humphrey wheeled us across the plains, and finally we were at the foot of a marvelous kopje. It rose higher the closer we got.

We rounded the back of the kopje and immediately all simultaneously saw a large sleepy-looking lioness sprawled across the granite, wonderfully fat and happy. The sluggish but rising sun warmed her belly, and she rolled and stretched. Humphrey pulled up further to give us a different angle with warmer light on the lion. After a few minutes, I began to use my Noctivids to scan the creased and cracked faces of the kopje. Prominent as she was, I thought, we were probably not the only ones admiring this cat.

There’s an old saying: “Aim small, miss small.” Whether golf, riflery or wildlife spotting, it holds true. Look for little things and you’ll see big ones. One of the wonders of birding is that in your pursuit of searching for smaller animals, you end up seeing the big ones too. That’s part of the genius of birding, it’s the ultimate in treasure-hunting. So with this in mind, I put my 10x42s to work. I peered into the cracks and crevices of the rocky face. I toggled my focus from the grassy surrounds to the trees and rocks, searching and seeking, and suddenly I saw five little faces, all in a row, staring intensely right out towards us.

Rock Hyraxes, looking concerned

Rock Hyraxes look like plump, marmot sized rodents, but they actually are more closely related to elephants. They look nothing like the latter, but this demonstrates how distinct they are from anything any of us know from the North American continent. They are undeniably cute. Yet these individual animals were wide-eyed and concerned. Typically hyraxes appear super casual and relaxed, all stretched out, lying around, and often even piled up on top of each other, lumpy and lethargic. I quickly pointed these guys out to our group, as we’d hardly seen any so far this trip.

“Look at these hyraxes, all lined up over here.” It was hard to make anyone turn away from a lion, but Kristin heard that there was something different in my voice. My intonation raised a flag. I kept my eyes trained on them, and could hear her adjust her position in her seat, rotate, and raise her 7x42 ultravids. Though slightly less powerful, her Leicas had a wider angle and perhaps even greater light-gathering capacity. I expected to hear her delight in the cuteness of the hyraxes, but instead she deadpanned, “Well, there’s a leopard.”

Silence… With a collective nearly imperceptible gasp, we all looked at her. Was she serious? This was what we’d been hoping for, and for several days, but at this point we had refrained from even mentioning the animal by name for fear of offending the grace of the wildlife gods. Kristin was not joking. She was holding a fixed position with her Ultravids, unwaveringly. The rest of us began to look and after some searching, we saw what she saw. Below the mass of the kopje was a smaller outcropping of rocks, where the hyraxes were lined up. That outcropping was surrounded by straw-colored grass and peering out of that you could make out a head. It was a big cat head, and it was attached to a straw-yellow cat body, and dappled with lovely black rosettes. A leopard indeed, nicely nestled in, and a hell of a spot by Kristin.

Humphrey guided the jeep closer until we had a narrow window through the grasses and were facing the magnificent cat head-on, unobscured. If the hyrax seemed concerned, we now understood exactly why. The leopard, for his part, looked carefree and a little sleepy, as though it had had a full night on the prowl, but had been resting here for a while now. The detailed view now through our optics was stunning. Close views of the golden yellow eyes tore a hole in your soul. Using the binoculars we could tell this was an older male, perhaps 7-9 years old. We could see that folds of skin hung loosely around his neck, and his ears were tattered. He’d been through some scrapes and seen his share of rough business, probably given as good as he’d gotten, and had the scars to prove it. In particular he had a scratch across the top of his nose, perhaps from an encounter with another leopard or a lion. It looked like a wound mostly healed, though perhaps only a couple weeks old. It gave the whole nose a slightly crooked appearance. Despite some obvious wear-and-tear, “Ol’ Crooked Nose”, as I took to calling him in the weeks that came, seemed to have a moderately full belly, and seemed unstressed otherwise. He was a spectacularly beautiful animal. We could not believe our good fortune, and we’d forgotten all about the bush stop.

There was not another human in sight, but we frantically tried to hail the other jeep in our party that was transporting some other friends of ours. We wante them to enjoy this animal with us, but the radios were being temperamental. We settled into silence to watch and listen, and absorb and commune with this magnificent feline. After some time, he raised his head higher, then sat up on his haunches. We murmured to each other in awe. Ol’ Crooked Nose picked up and began to stride. He moved with a fluidity that only a cat can achieve. Shoulders, hips, and neck all commanding, striding with purpose and insurmountable confidence. He walked around behind the kopje, and we moved too, driving in the opposite direction, circling around the kopje, hoping to see him on the other side and also trying to reach our friends in the other jeep again. As we rounded the kopje we saw the other jeep, and then they saw us. We watched them as they realized what we were looking at, and their body language changed. Their eyes widened. We met their gaze with smiles that simply said, “can you believe this?” 

We stationed ourselves out in the grassy savanna to watch the leopard walk out from the kopje and now he was coming towards us. Soon he was just a car length away. I actually caught his eye and felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I am a lifelong birder, but there is nothing like a wild cat, especially a big one, and leopard is my favorite of all. We watched Ol’ Crooked Nose stroll out into the savanna, on the move on, heading god knows where.

Nature smiles on us always, but sometimes it washes over you like a tidal wave. Sometimes it strips you down to nothing and reminds you how small you are. Knowing that this cat lived here for years, and that he’d had a hard life, fighting and clawing and scratching his way to a life on these endless plains… it makes you grateful in more ways than one. Just knowing that he was here, living his life and that this kind of animal can still exist in this world, is humbling and hopeful. Kristin was beaming. We all celebrated.

I thought that would be it for me and Ol’ Crooked Nose. After we watched him disappear into the savanna, the tip of his tail waved good bye to us and I assumed that was that. But as luck would have it, I returned two weeks later with a Hillstar Nature tour group. I sincerely hoped our group would have a chance to see a Leopard, but you just never know. You must work hard and you need good luck. You need exceptional luck to see one well. Our luck was exceptional on the tour. Again we had two jeeps and I was in the rear jeep with Humphrey driving again, when we suddenly heard the crackle of the radio. The front jeep had something. We couldn’t understand what they had but we could hear that they were extremely excited. We sped up to catch up, and as we climbed over a small rise in the plains we found our colleagues trained in on a leopard. Another beautiful animal it was standing in the savanna grassland, pointing its nose into the wind, sniffing at something, interpreting signs we could only guess at. Gradually it turned towards us, revealing a scar across the bridge of its slightly crooked nose. Humphrey and I looked at each other, at once knowing what the other was seeing. We were more than a dozen miles and a dozen days from our last meeting, but here he was again.

We watched him sniff the air. Soon he grew tired in the heat and ascended a big shade tree. Tucked inside the canopy he dropped his two front paws and a back leg off a big branch. He rested his chin. Ol’ Crooked Nose was ready for a rest.