Project: Colombian Birds

Pitter

Pitter

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I must apologize for only just now reading the post "A Note to All The Bird Photographers Posting on TP". Respecting this I will post my bird photos in a single periodically updated thread´. Here's a start and I will add a bit of background. I live on a finca (country property) at 2100m at the edge of cloud forest on the eastern slope of the western cordillera of the Andes. Most of the photos I post were taken right on the finca. Also I have had twenty five species of hummingbirds visit. I believe this is the all out altitudinal hotspot for them as I haven't run across any one else in the area (all somewhat lower down) who has had as many species.

First up some favorite "wow" birds for travelers to South America, male and female Red-headed Barbet.

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good idea Pitter - keep all your beautiful birds in one thread - easy for us all to find and it is ongoing

a little info on each bird would also be very good
 
Excellent. I love looking at exotic species. (apart from spiders!)

What a fantastic place you must live. :cool:
 
Hi Pitter
A really nice set out of interest what camera equipment were you using.
Regards
Richard
 
Hi Richard for birds I have a Canon 7Dll that I use with a Canon 400 5.6, a Canon 600ex rt flash and a Better Beamer.
 
Masked Flowerpiercer. These birds have a specialized beak for piercing flowers at the base and withdrawing the nectar. There are a number of hummingbirds that do the same thing. Of course they are considered thieves because they don't contribute to pollination.

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A Common Potoo. Nocturnal birds they sit motionless all on a branch they're camouflaged against. I was luck ywith this one because they usually have their eyes closed.

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Some cracking shots there, Pitter.

A bit of a change from my back garden birds :)
 
The star attraction: Cock of the Rock (male). This is not on my property but isn't far away. The time to see them is in the afternoon which is just as well since their lek is a three hour hike uphill from where you park your car.

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It's nice to see some un-usual and colourful birds from other parts of the world.
 
Pitter said:
Ha ha when would you like?
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when's the best time - weather and birds - are birds the same all the year around - is there much difference in the seasons ....... presumably you have a "wet" season
 
I seem to have the most birds at my feeder mid November through December but there are so many different habitats any time of year will do. It isn't always true but May -June and October-November are usually the rainiest periods.
 
Pitter said:
I seem to have the most birds at my feeder mid November through December but there are so many different habitats any time of year will do. It isn't always true but May -June and October-November are usually the rainiest periods.
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I have looked at tours to Ecuador .....which has an amazing number of species ........ but the best times seem to be Oct thru to March which have always clashed with other things that I have planned.

Tours there seem to be well organised and the prices aren't too bad!!!

and, I do not know how accurate these internet quotes are, but

"Ecuador has about 3 times more bird species per surface area than either Colombia or Peru"

"For the sake of similarity we will compare Ecuador with Colombia and Peru. All three countries are part of the Tropical Andes Hotspot, all are also part of the Chocó-Tumbes-Magdalena Hotspot, all have access to some Amazonian jungle. Peru has more species than Ecuador with a whopping 1800 and Colombia has even more with an impressive 1871 which is the largest birdlist in the world! "
 
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Not sure what the current count is for Colombia but in 2013 it exceeded 1900 species and they seem to document one or more new ones every year.

"Ecuador has about 3 times more bird species per surface area than either Colombia or Peru" Not sure about this but it's probably safe to say it has it has three times more bird watchers per surface area. Anyway here's an Antpitta you won't find there because it's endemic to Colombia. Brown-banded Antpitta.

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Mustached Puffbird. A friend has a finca (small farm) where he raises Cornish Game Hens to sell their eggs. Among other things he feeds them Soldier Fly larva. Some escape the coup and crawl down into the woods which caught the attention of a pair of these Puffbirds.

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It's fascinating to see birds from a part of the world that some of us will never see, and so vastly different to the birds we get here. Why are so many of them so brightly coloured? To stand out in the forest, or is the light there so harsh they actually blend in? Or do they not have the predators we have here to worry about?
I'm really enjoying seeing these images.
 
I'm loving this thread and like Bill, I'd love to visit some time! Cock of the Rock has been my favourite so far, but they're all brilliant!
 
Good question jennyfox. Don't know, but now that I think about it most of the brightly colored birds are forest dwellers so maybe the males need the bright colors to stand out against the foliage. Surprisingly though in cloud forest with the heavy mist brightly colored birds can just look dark, to us anyway. Some of course can see in the ultraviolet spectrum so may be visible to each other but not to us.
 
Pitter said:
Not sure what the current count is for Colombia but in 2013 it exceeded 1900 species and they seem to document one or more new ones every year.
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Brilliant images Pitter - I expect to see at least 1500 images of the 1900 in your thread before the end of 2016
 
There are three violetears in my neck of the woods. They have a parch of blue/violet feathers behind their eyes that they flair out to intimidate mostly each other but sometimes other hummingbirds as well.

Sparkling Violetear

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Brown Violetear with "ears" flaired

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Green Violetear. Not a good photo but shows "ears" at full flair.

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Excellent (y) some beautifully coloured birds in here, great thread :)
 
I'm still very jealous of your captures Pitter what a place for photographic opportunities
 
@wezza13 yes all photos I've taken with flash have been with the Better Beamer. My Canon 600 EX just doesn't cut the mustard for distance. It's a bit of an awkward contraption but I can't get the reach with out it.
 
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