Ukuku - Combeima Canyon - 5th March 2020
Another pre-dawn start, another drive in the dark along a rocky road and then a 2 km undulating walk along a narrow track with views of the snow-capped 5,215m high Nevado del Tolima took us to paradise.
Paradise was called Ukuku and was a small lodge on a low hill set in a garden of flowering shrubs, hummingbird and tanager feeders and surrounded by wooded mountains. We spent the day there.
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| The Nevado de Tolima Volcano. |
The target birds were Tolima Blossomcrown and Tolima Dove. Both proved extremely elusive. The garden appeared to be part of a large circuit used by the blossomcrown for it only appeared infrequently although always in the same difficult to see places. The dove, on the other hand, never showed to us at all. Luckily, there were plenty of other birds to keep us occupied. In the sky a Barred Hawk was briefly seen and in a group of White-collared & Gray-rumped Swifts were several White-tipped Swifts while the feeders and the flowering bushes attracted Green Hermit, Red-billed Emerald, Indigo-capped Hummingbird and a pair of Rusty Flowerpiercers along with other commoner hummingbirds. On the tanager feeders a male Hepatic Tanager and a group of Yellow-backed Orioles were noteworthy.
On the track on the way back Manuel tried once again for Tolima Dove. This remarkably shy and secretive dove was very difficult to see in the dark undergrowth but very brief views were obtained by some of us.
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| Breakfast at Ukuku Lodge |
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The garden at Ukuku Lodge. This part is where we waited (hours) for the elusive Tolima Blossomcrown.
 | Indigo-capped Hummingbird - An ENDEMIC species in Colombia.
Found in the middle to upper levels of forests, edges, and shrubby areas from around 1,000 to 2,000 metres. |
 | Red-billed Emerald - A NEAR ENDEMIC found only in Colombia and Venezuela.
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 | Crowned Woodnymph - Found south from Guatamala to Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.
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 | Fawn-breasted Brilliant - An Andean species found from Colombia through Ecuador to Peru.
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 | Sparkling Violetear - Common and widespread in the Andes from Venezuela to mid Argentina.
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 | Yellow-backed Oriole - This species has s distribution from Mexico through to Venezuela and Colombia.
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| Buff-throated Saltator - A very widespread species and one that is not confinded to the Andes. It is found from southern Mexico south to much of Brazil. |
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| Grey Seedeater - Found through much of Colombia and Venezuela into Guyana. |
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| Bare-faced Ibis - A species with a widespread distribution in South America but somewhat unusual in that is is found on either side of the Amazon basin. |
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| Thick-billed Euphonia - Found from Costa Rica south to Bolivia and in parts of lowland Brazil. |
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| Blue-grey Tanager - A very widespread found through much of Central America and the northern half of South America. |
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| Pale-edged Flycatcher - This species is found from around 1100-2400m in Andean cloud forest and edges from Venezuela to Bolivia. |
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| Rusty Flowerpiercer - This species has a long range throughout the Andes from Venezulea to northern Argentina. |
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| Montane Foliage-gleaner - An Andean species found from Venezuela to Bolivia. |
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Mexican Silverspot - Dione moneta
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Other birds seen during the day included:
Streaked Saltator, Chestnut-capped Brushfinch, and Yellow-headed Brushfinch..
It was dark when we arrived back at the vehicle for the drive back to the hotel. We were rather late getting back and we ate Pizza in our rooms which was washed down with some Colombian beer.
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