Tag Archives: ProAves

Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis)

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The Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis), is an endangered parrot of tropical America. It is found in the western Andes in Colombia and (perhaps only formerly) Ecuador and is closely associated to the wax palm Ceroxylon sp. which is itself endangered.

The foggy weather messed up my photos so I have added the Wikipedia shot so you can see the gorgeous colours of this beauty.

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They are the symbol of conservation in Colombia and there is a reserve to protect them near Jardin, Antioquia.dscn2900 img_5813

Although they once had a larger range according to Birdlife’s map, nowadays they have a very limited area at Ventanas near Jardin, Colombia.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT YELLOW-EARED PARROTS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

American Bird Conservancy

ProAves

Our Endangered World

VIDEOS

Peter Odekerken, a top Australian photographer was more fortunate (sunny weather + superb photography skills) than I was in getting very detailed footage of these amazing birds.  He made a really interesting mini-doco.

Hungry much?

And another mini-doco!

 

Morning Birding Trip – El Dorado Reserve Mountain Top

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The highlight of a visit to the El Dorado Reserve is an early morning birding trip with the local guide to the top of the mountain where many endemic birds can be seen.  With luck, this would include the Santa Marta Parakeet.

It’s an early start from the lodge, about 5am-ish as it takes about a hour to reach the top due to a very bad road.  Here’s what that part of the trip looks like.

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This is the most common place where people see Santa Marta Parakeets because they have nesting boxes there but they can be seen anywhere in the reserve and occasionally even are seen near the lodge.  Unfortunately they didn’t show up this morning.dscn2767 dscn2770 dscn2769

Some Scarlet-fronted Parrots were hanging around the area.  Notice how misty it was-very frustrating for photography.dscn2773 dscn2776

We walked around the trails for a while while the guide pointed out birds, many of which were endemics.  I have a full bird list here.dscn2785

Band-tailed Pigeon

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Mountain Elaenia

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Santa Marta Warbler

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Black-capped Tyrannulet

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Cinnamon Flycatcher

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Scarlet-fronted Parakeet

These guys always stayed together and I was calling them “the 3 amigos”.

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Scaly-naped Parrot

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Golden-olive Woodpecker

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This is what the walking trails were like.dscn2822

Black-cheeked Mountain-Tanager

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We headed back down the mountain very slowly, still watching for Santa Marta Parakeets.  The guide would listen, hop out and scan the trees with his binoculars.dscn2824

Just when we were about to give up, he spotted 2 flying to a tree and told us to come quickly.  I barely had time to try a couple of Hail Mary shots (which failed) before the birds flew off.img_5275 img_5274

The mist closed in and it started to rain so I knew we weren’t going to get another chance.  At least we caught a glimpse which is better than nothing.  We went back to the lodge for lunch.dscn2825

Lodge Review: El Dorado Reserve, Colombia

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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 localsdscn2685 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 Reservedscn2741Dinner was quite tasty with local home-made food and delicious juice. dscn2839 dscn2840 img_4839

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!