We birded in the forested hills above Soata where our main target was the critically endangered Mountain Grackle, after seven hours of searching we found a pair.
In the afternoon we birded some scrubby areas below the town of Soata where we heard and had brief views of Nicefero’s Wren.
On the 7th we left Soata pre-dawn and arrived on the paramo just as the sun was rising. It was below freezing and there were dramatic views as the sun drove the frost off the espeletas.
The nearby hills provided a dark background to highlight the back-lit espeletas.
Although conditions were idea, with many of the espeletas in flower, we still failed to find the beautiful Bearded Helmetcrest. This is my fourth unsuccessful search for this enigmatic hummingbird.
Espeletas are well adapted to the cold overnight conditions with furry leaves and flowers to prevent ice crystals damaging the plant.
Furry leaved espeletas characterise the high altitude paramo, a habitat that extends at altitudes of over 3000m from Venezuela to northern Peru. Further south paramo is replaced by high altitude grasslands called the puna.
As we descended from the paramo we saw this beautiful cloud filled valley ahead.
Colombia is undergoing a major road building program. This along with lorries on narrow roads, accidents and congested towns greatly delayed the journey.
The driver of this pratmobile thought we were photographing his car because it looked so good! You can’t see the four giant speakers on the parcel shelf from this angle.
When there is an obstruction in the road, why do South American drivers push pass on the hard shoulder and on the wrong side of the road? As they are also doing this on the far side of the obstruction as well, it means that six lanes of traffic are trying to squeeze into one!
The last three hours of the journey was along rough tracks, we arrived at the Cerulea reserve at 0020 after 19.5 hours on the road!
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