Minca – Santa Marta – Medellin – Jardin

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Tara

Although we had some birding time in Minca while having breakfast, we still had a big travel day ahead.

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We used a taxi from Minca to the airport at Santa Marta to save time and let us hang around a bit longer and watch birds.

Santa Marta Airport

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Pray for a safe flight dscn2959

Avianca domestic flights in Colombia are only 3000 Lifemiles, a real bargain! dscn2960

Goodbye Santa Marta! dscn2961

Approaching Medellin airport we can see the city has a very attractive location. dscn2963 dscn2964

I was amused to see a Spirit plane here. dscn2965

Taxis are pretty straight-forward, passengers just line up and take the next one in line and people supervise. There are set fares to the city, can’t remember what I paid to go to the bus station, it was around $35-ish in pesos. It’s quite a long ways though. dscn2966

If we had more time for this trip, I would have liked to spend a couple days in Medellin but we had no time to spare so had to be content with seeing the outskirts from the taxi. dscn2967 dscn2968 dscn2969 dscn2971 dscn2972 dscn2974 dscn2975 dscn2976 dscn2977

Terminal del Sur is the bus station you need to go to Jardin. We bought tickets on the next bus which was departing around 4-ish for 20,000 pesos each, about $7 USD. dscn2978 dscn2979 dscn2980 dscn2982 dscn2983 dscn2984 dscn2985

Nice scenery enroute! dscn2990 dscn2991

We arrived in Jardin around 8pm-ish and walked into the nearest hotel which happened to be the Valdivia and the rooms were cheap enough so we took one. dscn2995

Lodge Review: Hotel Minca – La Casona

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Tara

When I was researching accommodation in Minca, I noticed that people kept raving about the hummingbird feeders at Hotel Minca La Casona so it was an easy choice! Circumstances made us arrive after dark but we did get a good look around early the next morning.

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The one thing I would have liked is if the restaurant had been open for dinner or at least sandwiches. We were just too tired (having woken up at 4:30am for birding) to walk into town. dscn2897 dscn2898

Nice bird posters on the walls in the lobby/restaurant. dscn2899 dscn2900

Rooms along an attractive corridor that also had some nice artwork. dscn2901

Our room was fairly simple but functional. dscn2903 dscn2904 dscn2905 dscn2907

The corridors overlook some nice gardens and a swimming pool. We had a morning walk around looking for birds. dscn2908 dscn2911 dscn2912 dscn2910

Hummingbirds were already gathering near the feeders just outside the restaurant. The feeders were empty so I chased up one of the workers to come fill them up. dscn2913 dscn2914

The hummingbirds lost no time in getting their breakfast! dscn2915 dscn2917 dscn2918 dscn2924 dscn2928

We were also served breakfast (included in the rate). dscn2951 dscn2953

But it’s more fun to watch hummingbirds eating! dscn2932 dscn2940 dscn2946 dscn2949

The breakfast area overlooked a valley where we could see several parrot species flying through – Blue-headed Parrots & Orange-chinned Parakeets. No Military Macaws though.

We hung around most of the morning to enjoy the birds, then had the receptionist call a taxi to take us to the airport which cost around 50-60,000 COP. We could have saved a few pesos but taking a collectivo but that would have wasted time I would rather spend watching the birds!

You can book this pleasant little hotel directly on their website or via a few online hotel agencies like Booking.com.

Back To Minca For The Night

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Tara

After a rewarding birding trip to El Dorado Reserve, we headed back to Minca for the night hoping to see some Military Macaws the next morning. There were no others to share the jeep so we had to pay the $80 ourselves but there is no other way to get down the mountain unless you want to walk!

We only had one night before our flight to Medellin. We got a late start on the return trip as the jeep was still in use by other people who had been picked up at the airport and were checking in. I didn’t mind though as the late departure enabled us to see a beautiful female Masked Trogon fairly close up!

We finally hit the road with another driver and met up with the other car headed up the mountain and I came up with the idea of a car swap so each driver could end up back at his station. I was a bit envious of the young couple who had a great adventure in store but then again so did we elsewhere in Colombia!

Although we arrived at our lodge well after dark, I did get some pics of the small town of Minca the next day (and a few from passing through on the way up).

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Scarlet-fronted Parakeet (Psittacara wagleri)

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Tara

The Scarlet-fronted Parakeet (Psittacara wagleri), also known as the Scarlet-fronted Conure or Wagler’s Conure, is a long-tailed South American species of parrot.

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They are found in Colombia & Venezuela. I saw the “3 Amigos” pictured above at the El Dorado Reserve in Colombia.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT SCARLET-FRONTED PARAKEETS

VIDEOS

This little guy didn’t know he was being scoped as he groomed himself.

These youngsters are enjoying a meal.

Santa Marta Warbler (Myiothlypis basilica)

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Tara

The Santa Marta Warbler (Myiothlypis basilica) is a species of bird in the Parulidae family. They are extremely quick-moving, this was the only photo I got that was less blurry.

They are endemic to the Santa Marta mountains and your only chance to see them is on the excursion with the El Dorado Reserve Lodge.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT SANTA MARTA WARBLERS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

VIDEO

I could only find one and it was taken by a Colombian birding guide. Notice how quickly the bird keeps moving?

Santa Marta parakeet (Pyrrhura viridicata)

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Tara

The Santa Marta parakeet (Pyrrhura viridicata) is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is extremely rare and only seen by visitng the El Dorado Reserve. There aren’t many photos of this bird online, and my sighting was distant and in bad weather so I didn’t get a shot. I only saw a pair flying through the trees across the valley and this time “Hail Mary” didn’t work.

This is the photo from the ProAves website for El Dorado Reserve which is where you go to see these birds.

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This Colombian endemic has an extremely limited range in the Santa Marta mountains. The only realistic way to see them is through El Dorado Reserve.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT SANTA MARTA PARAKEETS

American Bird Conservancy

VIDEOS

Other people (Colombian birding guides) have been lucky enough to see this lovely bird at close range and get videos of them eating.

Birding The Grounds Of El Dorado Reserve

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Tara

After getting a look at the lodge in the El Dorado Reserve, we really need a closer look at some of the birds you can see just by sitting on your balcony, the main verandah or wandering the garden.

FULL LIST OF ALL BIRDS SEEN

eBird Checklist #1

HUMMINGBIRD FEEDERS

Look how they all are happy to share!

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This one had me worried with that crooked neck but when I went to find the guide to check him out, he had flown off so hopefully he was ok. dscn2852 dscn2868

Blue-naped Chlorophonia dscn2847 dscn2849 dscn2864

Band-tailed Guan just lept up onto the banana table.

BIRDS SEEN FROM BALCONY & VERANDAH

It was a bit misty but I did my best!

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This adorable little Blue-naped Chlorophonia was building a nest just outside our room! dscn2704 dscn2701 dscn2700

A very elegant Masked Trogon dscn2870 dscn2878 dscn2875

Lodge Review: El Dorado Reserve, Colombia

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Tara

The El Dorado Reserve is the flagship of the ProAves Conservation group and was founded over 10 years ago. Their location high atop the Cuchilla de San Lorenzo, in the western sector of the northern slope of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta provides access to many Colombian endemic birds such as the Santa Marta Parakeet. This place is a must for any birding trip to Colombia!

I’d like to say that getting there is half the fun but nothing compares to getting from the lodge to the birding location further up!

A welcome sight after the bumpy ride!

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A restaurant with a view! dscn2683 dscn2684

Some nice handicrafts made by locals dscn2685 dscn2686

The verandah looks out over the grounds and you can see some of the hummingbird feeders. I’ll have to so a separate post for the birds as there are so many. dscn2687 dscn2688 dscn2689

We had a jennian room with a private balcony. The room was beautifully furnished and the view was amazing! dscn2690 dscn2692 dscn2694 dscn2695 dscn2696 dscn2698 dscn2699

We went back to the restaurant for lunch and to look for birds. dscn2712 dscn2713

The second story of the main building has another viewing terrace and a cozy lounge to relax and talk to other birders. dscn2714 dscn2715 dscn2716 dscn2717 dscn2718

The lounge is decorated with conservation posters. dscn2719 dscn2720 dscn2721

Amazing sunset! dscn2736 dscn2739

Educational video about ProAves and the El Dorado Reserve dscn2741 Dinner was quite tasty with local home-made food and delicious juice. dscn2839 dscn2840

El Dorado Lodge is easy to book on their website. I recommend pre-paying the transfers and the morning birding excursion so you can use your credit card as much as possible. They can accept credit cards at the lodge but only if the signal is working. This lodge is an amazing experience and the staff clearly love what they do and their contribution to conservation. Highly recommended!

Getting From Santa Marta To El Dorado Reserve – Fasten Your Seat Belts!

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Tara

The El Dorado Reserve is one of Colombia’s top birding destinations and once you get there, you are sure to see some amazing birds! Getting there can be quite the challenge though, especially if you are on a budget. The easy way is to book a transfer on the El Dorado Reserve website when you book your accommodation. You can have them pick you up at your arrival airport – Baranquilla, Cartegena or Santa Marta but this won’t be cheap. Rates from Santa Marta start at $140 one way but that does include up to 5 people so may be cost effective if you are in a small group.

The rock-bottom cheapest way to get there is to take a collectivo (shared taxi) from Santa Marta to Minca for 7000 COP (Around $2.50 USD), then hire a motorcycle taxi to take you to the reserve. You don’t need to book these in advance, the round trip costs for 2 people are around 160,000 COP ($55 USD-ish). But the road is long and in very bad condition so your spine and posterior may be the worse for wear!

We went middle-of-the road. We got a taxi in Santa Marta for around 30,000 COP ($10.00 USD so only $5 more than the collectivo for a couple. This went very smoothly and the road is excellent up to Minca.

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Gotta love a supermarket with a parrot as a logo! DSCN2640 The only annoying thing was getting stuck behind trucks but the taxi passed them as quickly as he could do so safely. DSCN2641 DSCN2642 DSCN2643 DSCN2644 DSCN2645 DSCN2646 DSCN2647

Welcome to Minca! Here’s a few pics as we passed through. DSCN2648 DSCN2649 DSCN2651 DSCN2652 DSCN2650 DSCN2653

I decided that there was no way my dodgy back was going to withstand the road to El Dorado on a motorbike so I booked the one-way transfer from Minca to El Dorado to leave at 9am for $80 USD since I wanted to get there as early as possible to see more birds. I held off on the return transfer hoping to meet other people there to share the cost. (didn’t happen, we paid by ourselves)

The driver was ready and waiting as we arrived. We stopped at a small shop to get some snacks & drinks, use the conveniences and we were off and running! DSCN2654

The road started out not so bad……………………………. DSCN2655 DSCN2656 DSCN2888 DSCN2889 DSCN2890 DSCN2658

…………….but gradually got worse (albeit very scenic)………………………… DSCN2661 DSCN2662 DSCN2663 DSCN2664 DSCN2665

…………………….and worse (getting stuck behind trucks)………………………… DSCN2667 DSCN2668 DSCN2669 DSCN2670 DSCN2671 DSCN2672 DSCN2673 DSCN2674 DSCN2675 DSCN2677 DSCN2678