Colombia: Santa Marta
From: $500 CAD
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is an isolated mountain range with snow-capped peaks within sight of the sea, and is among the most endemic-rich areas in the world. Our comfortable lodge at ProAves’ Reserva Natural de las Aves (“RNA”) El Dorado is situated on a private reserve at 1950 m on an outlying ridge of the San Lorenzo Ridge with marvelous views of the valleys and the Caribbean beyond. The area supports a range of habitats from 900m to 2600m, including evergreen forests, bamboo thickets and upper-level stunted forests, with scattered clearings and disturbed areas, and many endemic birds (about 15) and specialties occur here including Santa Marta Antpitta, White-tipped Quetzal, Santa Marta Sabrewing (very rare), White-tailed Starfrontlet, Santa Marta Warbler, Santa Marta Parakeet, Santa Marta Mountain-Tanager, Yellow-crowned Redstart, Santa Marta Bush-Tyrant, Santa Marta Brush-Finch, Santa Marta Blossomcrown, Santa Marta Foliage-gleaner, and Santa Marta Antpitta. Other goodies include Brown-rumped Tapaculo, Rusty-headed Spinetail, Band-tailed Guan, Golden-breasted Fruiteater, Yellow-legged and Black-hooded Thrushes, Black-headed Tanager – the list seems endless!! Furthermore the recently-described (2018) Santa Marta Screech-Owl has been found near the lodge.
The more mesic areas near Barranquilla and Minca have a different avifauna, including Chestnut-winged Chachalaca, Zone-tailed Hawk, Red-billed and Coppery Emeralds, Black-backed Antshrike, Rusty-breasted Antpitta, Santa Marta Tapaculo, Venezuelan and Brown-capped Tyrannulets, Golden-fronted Greenlet, Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Swallow Tanager, and Golden-winged Sparrow. We will find another different avifauna at Los Flamencos, where the xerophytic (dry) scrub supports Green-rumped Parrotlet, Buffy Hummingbird, Black-crested Antshrike, White-whiskered Spinetail, Slender-billed Inezia, Vermilion Cardinal, Orinocan Saltator, Pileated Finch, and Tocuyo Sparrow, as well as several lagoons used seasonally by large concentrations of Greater Flamingos.
