Day 5 of my Colombia trip was probably one of the most enjoyable days of birding I have had in a long time. The combination of number of species, the fact that most of them cooperated for good photos, the amazing scenery, the delicious food and the gracious hosts all made it a wonderful place to spend a day or longer if you can spare it. Ukuku Rural Lodge is a wonderful small hotel set on a beautiful mountain perch surrounded by forest and adjacent to a river and farming valley. The only way to access it is by foot or on horseback. The trail leading up to it is only maybe a mile and is a really pleasant walk along the river and farm fields until the very last part which takes you up onto its mountainside perch in the trees. We got to the trailhead when it was still dark and listened for owls with no luck.
The view about half way into the hike up. This area is about an hour drive from the big city of Ibague where we stayed. I wish we had stayed at the Lodge but I think it only has 2 rooms so it would not have accommodated a group of our size. The name Ukuku comes from a Quechua name for Spectacled Bears, or at least is derived from that language.
Black-and-White Seedeaters greeted us in the reeds just outside the lodge.
These next two photos were screen grabbed from internet and I think were posted by the Ukuku Rural Lodge staff.
The lodge and front garden.
A side view with Nevado de Tolima in the background. This active volcano is 17,310 feet high!
Upon arrival at the lodge we were quickly ushered to a spot in the garden where it is best to sit quietly early for one of the endemic targets before we would be allowed to to explore the gardens on our own.
Tolima Dove is a Colombian endemic and it was a nice way to start the day.
The interesting thing about Ukuku is that much of the plant life reminded me of Wilmington. The trees had spanish moss, there were azaleas and hydrangeas and also magnolia trees. That is where the similarities ended. The biodiversity of this place was insane.
Much of our time was spent geri-birding around the many hummingbird feeders and the fruit and seed feeders. However, these hosts were smart and set up perfect perches for all the birds so the photography was ideal.
Fawn-breasted Brilliant
Tropical Mockingbird
Crimson-backed Tanager
Tourmaline Sunangel - this little bugger was guarding the flowers in front of the lodge much to our chagrin because one of the other hummers that was targeting the same flowers was the endemic Tolima Blossomcrown.
Thick-billed Euphonias were very common and coming to the feeders.
Black-billed Thrush in one of the Magnolias.
Buff-throated Saltator
Blue-necked Tanagers were seen a couple times nearby but I don't think they ever actually visited the feeders.
Buff-tailed Coronets were very common.
Saffron Finch up on the weather vane.
The Tolima Doves came back near the back feeders a couple of times but were very wary.
A female Flame-rumped Tanager.
Palm Tanagers abounded.
Scrub Tanagers were fewer but gave good looks.
The owner of the lodge heard the endemic near-threatened Yellow-headed Brushfinch and was able to locate it upslope for some long distance looks.
Yellow-headed Brushfinch
Saffron-crowned Tanagers are face-meltingly beautiful.
Andean Motmots always look pissed off but then they swing their tail like a metronome and quickly you realize they are sweethearts and just have RBF (resting bitch face). If you don't know what that is, look it up. It's a real thing.
Andean Emeralds were very common.
The red bill on a Red-billed Emerald is quite subtle in most light.
Tourmaline Sunangel - the purple throat patch was not visible most of the time.
Female Tolima Blossomcrown! This endemic was formally part of the Blossomcrown complex but they were split into the Santa Marta Blossomcrown and the Tolima Blossomcrown.
Andean Emerald showing off the purple crown.
Indigo-capped Hummingbird showing off its indigo crown.
Fawn-breasted Brilliant
Golden Tanager!
Southern Emerald-Toucanet
Buff-tailed Coronet
Thick-billed Euphonia
Tolima Blossomcrown male!
Long-tailed Sylph
Indigo-capped Hummingbird
Yellow-bellied Elaenia - the owner noticed me shooting this Elaenia which was high up in a tree and offered for me to come up into his second story bedroom to shoot it from there.
Yellow-bellied Elaenia showing its white crest patch.
Tolima Blossomcrown
Purple-throated Woodstar
You can see that it was raining a bit, but that didn't stop the birds too much.
White-booted Racket-tail - this species was surprisingly difficult to photograph.
Red-billed Emerald female
Crowned Woodnymph
Fawn-breasted Brilliant
Bronzy Inca
White-booted Racket-tail
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
A Barred Becard stayed high in the canopy but I caught this speed blur as it changed trees.
Bronzy Inca
Purple-throated Woodstar female - these little birds sound like bumblebees.
Bay-headed Tanager! What a looker.
All of this before 10am! I will post the second half of this visit a bit later.
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