| Venezuela NE and NW,
25 Dec. 1997 - 13 Jan. 1998 Birding trip report, part 2 (Northwest) |
| John van der Woude - www.jvanderw.nl See sketchy map with places mentioned. |
 The next day (4 Jan.) we changed
from NE to NW Venezuela. First we had an easily obtained
shared taxi back to Maturin, the nearest big city for
Caripe, for 5 dollar each (1.5 hours ride). At noon we
flew to Caracas/Maiquetia, where we changed money for the
second and last time (we often could pay hotels by credit
card this year). In the late afternoon we had a further
flight to Merida, which is situated in a rather narrow
Andes valley (photo right), so the landing is not
something to forget, especially as the plane first has to
turn in that valley! Just before sunset we arrived by
taxi (8 dollar) at La Casona de Tabay, a nice and very
old farm-like hotel (17 dollar), some 8 km from Merida
and close to the village of Tabay from where you can get
to the Pico Humboldt trail, famous among birders as well
as mountaineers. In the last daylight we ticked the Rusty
Flowerpiercer in the outer hotel court, and later heard
the Rufous Nightjar. |
| At dawn the next morning we easily had a minibus to the plaza of Tabay, bought some food there and had a por puesto 4WD jeep (half a dollar per person) to the start of the famous Pico Humboldt trail, at the so-called Area recreativa La Mucuy, at about 2000 m above sea level. These jeeps line up from about 7 a.m., behind an official sign there at the plaza, for the many mountaineers that use this forest trail to get into the alpine world of the lakes and the glaciers. We intended to bird the entrance area of the trail as well as the lower part of the trail this first day, and the upper (still mainly wooded) part of the trail the second day. Near the start of the trail, around the guard station of this Sierra Nevada National Park (sign in and pay a few cents), we first noted a.o. Long-tailed Sylph, Merida Sunangel, Orange-backed Nightingale-thrush, Booted Racket-tail, Great Thrush, Moustached Brush-Finch, Russet-crowned Warbler, Grey Hawk. The hummers, notably the endemic Merida Sunangel, were active in the upper part of some huge eucalyptus trees, which we normally don't like so much, but this is different, with the blue splashes of the sylph and an occasional flag of the racket-tail. |
| Just before entering the trail proper at a wooden gate, we met the only other birder of this whole trip in Venezuela, Jurgen Beckers, a Belgian who divided his time here between birding and paragliding. He sometimes combines both hobbies, like in Spain once, soaring up in a group of vultures there! I think he secretly hoped to do so with Condors as well, later on his trip in South America. He was interrupting his engineering career for a year or so (with guaranteed return on his job), and would stay several months in Northern South America, living as cheap as possible and reasonable. Meanwhile, Jurgen is active as bird guide in Venezuela and Colombia for several years now, see http://home.scarlet.be/~tse98017/guide.htm. |
| We slowly walked the trail up some 3 km, and first observed Andean Solitaire, Common Bush-Tanager, Montane (Spot-crowned) Woodcreeper, Blackburnian Warbler. The forest is a splendid sort of cloud forest. The birds seem not to be frightened by people here, as mountaineers pass by every 15 minutes or so, silently working their way up with their heavy backpacks. So in the undergrowth we saw very nearby Chestnut-crowned Antpitta, Slaty-backed Nightingale-thrush, Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch. Further species here were Olive-backed Woodcreeper, White-throated Tyrannulet, Beryl-spangled Tanager, White-fronted Whitestart (endemic), Black-crowned Warbler, Rufous Spinetail, Andean Guan (in a tree at 10 m), Bluish Flowerpiercer, Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant, Golden-headed Quetzal (heard only). We still hoped for other flowerpiercers, but even after returning to the entrance area (famous for them) we did not see them, there are not enough flowers now. Back in Tabay in the late afternoon we decided to have a pizza (good one, at Rinaldi) in stead of having another meal at the small restaurant of our hotel, as we were not impressed by the latter's cooking. |
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| Then, the next morning some bad luck occurred. First I missed a shoe of the pair of trekking shoes that I had left outside the (rather small) room. It was found back only later that day by the servants at a spot where one of the dogs often hide things. My gym shoes would do on the Humboldt trail too I thought, but I barely needed them because Nollie sprained her ankle when we left the hotel this morning, on the nice but uneven cobblestone road going down to the main road. Still, she thought it was a minor sprain only, and we would be able to do some birding at the entrance area of the Humboldt trail again. So we did, and this time we left the jeep at the bridge across a mountain stream (photo above) where the recreation area begins. |
| This was a good decision as we finally ticked our first (lifer) Torrent Duck there (photo above), a female, which in this species is as remarkable as the male. At the same time, on the other side of the bridge there was a White-capped Dipper. Other species in this recreation area, an open area with some shrubs and low trees, were White-banded Tyrannulet, Grey-breasted Wood-wren, Black-and-white Warbler, Smoky-brown Woodpecker, Collared Inca, Masked Trogon. The hummers were active again in the eucalyptus trees, and now we took ample time to discover even the splendid but very tiny Rufous-shafted Woodstar, going around the tree like a bumble bee rather than like a bird. |
 In this whole area up to the start
of the Humboldt trail proper, there are many
opportunities for birding at an easy pace. In this way we
managed to tick some more species, like Black-throated
Green Warbler, Rusty-faced Parrot, Hook-billed Kite,
before it became clear that the sprain was not so small
as thought. So by noon we were back in the hotel, and
decided to give the ankle a true rest, while watching the
glaciers and the Chestnut-collared Swifts from the outer
hotel court (photo). Later in the afternoon I went
birding in the secondary forests above the hotel. Just to
the right of the hotel there is a trail that first goes
down a bit and then up again. Following this I first
passed some houses and then came into more and more of
this dense secondary forest. On the highest parts the
forest seemed even rather natural. The trail goes
straight uphill. Here I saw White-tipped Swift, Olive-backed
Woodcreeper, Swainson's Thrush, and my first ant swarm
with fleeing beetles etcetera (but no antbirds around).
This area is not very good for birding, but on the way
back I had a close (3 m) encounter with a frantically
feeding male Booted Racket-tail. Moreover, I had an
incredible encounter, far too brief to be really sure,
with a large black bird with a white abdomen. At least
that is what I remember having seen in a flash. After
that I heard the bird walking away over the dead leaves
but I lost him. In fact this can possibly only have been
the endangered Helmeted Curassow. If you go to La Casona,
have a try (and let me know if you found it please)! |
| The next morning I went again uphill, in a bit different direction, via a clear trail that forks off from the main trail to the left, and then I followed the newly constructed pipeline for water supply. Along this pipe line you stay just above canopy level of the trees in the small valley here, and I noted species like Black-headed Tanager, White-lined Tanager, Rusty Flowerpiercer, Moustached Brush-Finch, Green Jay, Grey Hawk, Yellow-legged Thrush. N.'s ankle was still swollen too much for walking so at the end of the morning I went into Merida in order to try to hire a car at the airport, which is right in the city. No car was available now at noon, but maybe later on the day cars would return. I went into town and came back by 2 p.m., and waited there till at about 3.30 p.m. a Budget car came available indeed. In the meantime five other parties had to be disappointed when they asked for a car at the three companies. Luckily not one of those five parties had the patience I had, so out I went with a rather new Ford Festiva with airco, for 80 dollars a day, big business! The insurance conditions however had not gone that terribly bad as Budget had said in Holland, which had been one of the reasons for trying more public transport this time. Now we had new chances too, especially for more roadside birding. In the late afternoon, also to check the quality of the car, we drove some 15 km up into the main valley from Tabay to the NE. There, at a bridge we saw White-capped Dipper and Torrent Tyrannulet. We had a delicious trout the specialty of the region at the restaurant called Juan Chocolate, just outside Tabay in the direction of Merida. The owner is a Portuguese and we had a nice chat with him. |
 At dawn the next morning (8 Jan.)
we set off to the NW for the famous Azulita road. It was
hard to refrain from stopping along the (rather bad) road
across the broad pass, but picked up a Yellow-backed
Oriole and a Least Grebe nonetheless. But then, steeply
descending into the Maracaibo basin, we were rewarded
with a still early visit to one of the most scenic
birding roads we have ever been. The road is all hairpin
bends between tall cloud forest, hence the nickname Green
Chapel for this 5 km stretch. Because of the steep
general slope of the area there are many chances to have
the canopy at eye level. The rather level first 300 m of
this road were a good start: Blue-and-black Tanager,
Olive-striped Flycatcher, Azara's Spinetail, Greater
Pewee, Glossy-black Thrush, Rose-headed Parakeet (a
specialty here), Emerald Toucanet. Further species in
this Green Chapel were Hook-billed Kite, Chestnut-crowned
Antpitta, Collared Inca, Montane Foliage-gleaner,
Speckled Humminigbird, Chestnut-bellied Thrush, Orange-bellied
Euphonia. |
| There was a rather hidden trail into the forest, from about the 3rd hairpin. A while further down is a clear path going to the right. After the Green Chapel we visited the forest remains known as the University forest, in the pass area above, but saw practically no birds there, so we ended with a hot chocolate at the café on top of the pass. Below the village of La Azulita we drove on to the Panamerican highway bordering the Andes to the NW, and turned right in order to go to the valley of the Rio Frio, indicated by MLG as a possible new birding destination. Right where the paved road into this lower Andes valley starts is a hotel/restaurant, called Rasomar. We stayed here one night in order to be able to bird the valley (see photo) from dawn the next day, despite the low standard of the hotel (the food was better than the 12 dollar room, but the car was parked safely). After arrival at about 4 p.m. we went out to explore the valley shortly, and at the end of the 6 km road we saw within a few minutes some of the most important birds of this region: Crimson-backed Tanager, Yellow-tailed Oriole, Black-mandibled Toucan, Black-chested Jay. |
 The next morning we parked the car
at the last house along the road and went up the mule
trail that is a continuation of the road. This is full
tropics: heavily shaded plantations between nicely wooded
hillsides very nearby. We think that this valley (see
photo) may become a birding destination, as may be the
case with other, parallel valleys here as well. We just
went a few km along the trail and saw a.o. Saffron-headed
Parrot, Masked Tityra, Cinnamon Becard, Bronze-winged
Parrot (range extension!), Orange-chinned Parakeet,
Citron-throated Toucan, Short-tailed Swift, Red-billed
Scytebill, Green Honeycreeper, Golden-crowned Warbler,
Southern Nightingale Wren, Green Hermit, Rose-breasted
Grosbeak (male), White-necked Jacobin, Green-rumped
Parrotlet, Blue-necked Tanager, Black-throated Mango. We
also saw and heard flying high overhead a group of
sixteen large macaws, in which we could not detect any
red, and Military Macaw is possible here according to the
above-mentioned Belgian site about Merida. |
| After a late but huge tipico breakfast at 11 a.m. at Rasomar (the lady understands birders quite well I think) we went on towards the NE, and took a side road to Palmarito, a small resort village at the border of the Maracaibo lake (sea!). In baking midday temperatures we saw along this side road a.o. Grey Kingbird, Hooded Tanager, Savanna Hawk, Fork-tailed Flycatcher. At the shore we only saw Neotropic Cormorant and Great Egret. |
 The next destination was Bocono, a
small city high in the Andes state of Trujillo. This was
a 4 hours afternoon drive, the longest of this round trip
with rental car from Merida. Bocono is the entrance to
the Guaramacal National Park, which according to Hilty (see
MLG) has been underestimated by birders. After checking
in at the hotel El Jardin (17 dollar) we went into the
city to sort out where the road to the park should be
found, and had a good meal at the restaurant La Casa
Vieja, with its large and nice museum-like collection of
things from the past. At dawn the next morning we drove
through the city again, and followed MLG's directions
painfully in order to find the entrance road for the
national park. I think that asking people for the Laguna
de los Cedros would also lead you easily there. But then,
once on that road, we were disappointed by the horribly
bad state of it. We could proceed only at scarcely more
than walking speed, especially after the Laguna
recreation area near the park guard station. Worse still,
it was raining too much to leave the car. However, during
short spells of less intensive rain we sneaked out of the
car and immediately saw Green-and-Black Fruiteater,
Glossy Flowerpiercer, Long-tailed Sylph, Collared Inca,
Masked Trogon, Black-capped Tanager, and others. Also,
after going back down to the Laguna again (photo of
forest behind laguna), where it was it bit drier (higher
up we had apparently been inside the clouds), we easily
saw species like Summer Tanager, Saffron-crowned Tanager,
Black-headed Tanager, Crested Spinetail, Blue-naped
Chlorophonia, and a group of 40 Band-tailed Pigeon. |
| We talked to the park guard and said we would try again the next day. With his help we made an appointment with the owner of the small shop (cafetin) that he would bring us up to the paramo in his 4WD jeep the next morning at 7 a.m., if and only if it would not rain, for 12 dollars. We would slowly walk back then the 10 km road, birding the forest from the tree line down. However, the next morning it was raining again, and we decided to leave the area, which we regretted a lot. This Guaramacal park is really something to come back for. The birding along the road was also good because the cloud forest is not that tall, so you have easy views into the canopy. |
 So on Sunday 11 Jan. we drove down
towards the plains of the Llanos of Barinas, in order to
do some birding along the road from Barinas to San
Silvestre. This 60 km road has been described here and
there as a birding road, and indeed even during the
midday hours from 10.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. we saw some 70
species. Bird activity may also have been high because it
had been raining here too, and the temperatures were not
that high (maybe 27 degrees C; the Llanos can be much
hotter). Along the whole road in this flat, half open
landscape there were semi-natural ponds, with several
herons, Southern Lapwing, Scaled Dove, Brown-throated
Parakeet, White-faced Whistling-Duck, Snail Kite, Bare-faced
Ibis, Amazon Kingfisher, Ringed Kingfisher, Anhinga,
Aplomado Falcon, Troupial. For the rest, this part of the
the Llanos is probably too high to contain the real
wetland species like they have at the famous lodges more
to the East. Photo right is of Yellow-headed Caracara on
back of cow. |
 The whole San Silvestre road was
good birding, and certainly also the side road to the
North about halfway to San Silvestre. This is a newly
asphalted road with few traffic, and it is indicated as
leading to three hato's (farms). It replaces an old bad
road that begins some 200 m further on towards San S. but
this one is good for birding too, as it crosses a stream
with some gallery forest, with species like Green
Kingfisher, Lineated Woodpecker, Streak-headed
Woodcreeper, Squirrel Cuckoo. Along the new side road we
saw Horned Screamer (at photo, foreground), Dwarf Cuckoo,
King vulture (a pair at 20 m only!). Along the main road,
some 300 m before the bridge at San Silvestre, we saw a
juvenal Bicolored Hawk in a huge tree with a nest. |
 From the bridge at San Sylvestre (photo)
we observed a.o. Yellow-billed Tern, Red-capped Cardinal,
White-winged Swallow, Saffron Finch. Just after the
bridge is a small roadside restaurant to the left, we ate
the local fish there. |
| Back in Barinas, we checked in at the hotel Internacional, a clean and spacious hotel with a friendly and professional staff, and a closed parking place. The restaurant was empty, but the food was not as bad as predicted in MLG. The next morning we headed for the Santo Domingo valley back into the Andes again. We had been there before, in 1994, and we only wanted to visit a few places left out then. Moreover it was raining heavily again, and we saw some glimpses of fine weather higher up in the mountains. So we drove straight up to the recent (MLG) Lyre-tailed Nightjar stake-out opposite the start of the so-called La Soledad road. We parked the car in front of the house opposite this steep and narrow road to the left, a few km after the elongated village of La Soledad. The owner of the house came out, and kindly pointed out the nightjar for us, a real treat (although female only), and we gave him a small present from home. |
 In the mountain village of Sto.
Domingo we had delicious pastries and drinks in a bakery
at the left, and went on to do the newly described (MLG)
so-called Gustavo's trail. We parked our car at the
restaurant Las Tapias (some 8 km after Sto. D.) and had
to walk back 150 m along the road and then pass a gate to
the left. This trail, or rather 4WD track, goes through
some nice low elfin forest towards a farm some 1.5 km
further on (photo). Here we noted a.o. Lacrimose Mountain-Tanager,
Orange-throated Sunangel, Slaty Brush-Finch, Tyrian
Metaltail, Collared Jay, Masked Flowerpiercer, Merida
Flowerpiercer, Streak-headed Bush-Tyrant, Brown-bellied
Swallow. Going back towards Sto. Domingo we had a true
andean soup (pizca andina) at the restaurant Maraisa, and
climbed the trail opposite the entrance for some 150 m
distance, along a stream. Here we had our first
Hemispingus ever (Grey-capped), some 7 of them in a mixed
flock with Azara Spinetail, Blue-and-black Tanager, Black-capped
Tyrannulet, Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant, White-fronted
Whitestart. Thus, with these two sites above Sto. Domingo
we covered a bit of the upper subtropical forest that we
had missed so far. We would have liked to go into the
taller elfin forest across the river at Sto. Domingo
itself too, but the river is an effective barrier, being
also the border of the Sierra Nevada National Park. |
 We checked in at the famous hotel
Los Frailes, a former monastery at a private side road
some 15 km above Sto. Domingo. It sits at a small stream
and has some pine stands around. A stroll at dusk
produced Band-winged Nightjar, as promised by MLG. Los
Frailes' restaurant was quite good again (as in 1994),
and this time we drank no alcohol, in order to diminish
the chance of altitude sickness the next morning. This
helped, at 7.30 a.m. we walked on the frozen ground at
4000 m a.s.l., just below the Paso de Aguila (Eagle Pass;
photo right with frailejones is from just above the pass).
Here is a sort of wide track serving as a 4WD cut off in
the winding and rather busy road through this desolate
paramo world (but minibuses even here!). |
 We crisscrossed the low vegetation
around the upper part of the track (photo left), and saw
Plumbeous Sierra-Finch, Bar-winged Cinclodes, Andean Tit-Spinetail,
Paramo Wren, Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant, in one slowly
moving flock, searching for food in the first sunrays.
Other species here were Merida Sunangel, Paramo Pipit,
and a bit lower even Eared Dove, probably the bird with
the greatest altitudinal range in Venezuela, or maybe
sharing this position with the ubiquitous Rufous-collared
Sparrow. |
| In the later morning hours we visited the Laguna Mucubaji, with their always present Speckled Teals, but a walk along the trail from here to halfway the other lake (Negro) produced nearly no birds. This was to be the slow end of the birding trip. At noon we drove down towards Merida and returned the car at the airport that sits right in the city. After checking in for the flight of 5 p.m. to Caracas, we paid a last visit to this cozy town, for the Mercado principal (market hall) and the famous Coromoto ice saloon. Back in time for the flight, we had to wait till dusk, and then happened what happens two or three times every month: the plane is too late to make a landing here between the mountains, so the departure was displaced to El Vigia, one hour by taxi into the Maracaibo basin! Avensa/Servivensa aranged all things in a professional way, there was a line up of some twenty taxi's to bring us to El Vigia, and on Maiquetia (Caracas airport) they arranged transport and a hotel for us (all free of course), as we now had missed our late connection to Curacao (Netherlands Antilles). The hotel was an expensive sea resort with palms waving in the full moon. At dawn the next morning we were said goodbye by a whole chorus of Great Kiskadee from this palm garden. |
| Epilogue on public
transport versus rental car (remark June 2001: Sorry, don't take this too literally. On later trips we mostly tried to have a rental car. Public transport IS well possible indeed. but to maximize your costly birding time, a rental car is better of course. But also very costly as well!) |
| Looking back on the way we traveled this time, I think that public transport is a realistic option for a birding trip in Venezuela. Venezuelans travel a lot, but many of them don't have a car. Hence the richness of means of public transport as stated in the beginning of this report. Of course, a rental car has the advantage of flexibility. This applies mainly to roadside birding, and only so on a road of reasonable quality. When you leave the car somewhere in the wilderness in order to make a walk in the forest or the fields, you may be bothered about the car all the time. And if a road to a birding destination becomes too bad to drive on with your rental car (non-4WD of course), you would be better off with public transport of the 4WD kind. |
| In general, minibuses etcetera start early enough in the morning for the birding. Where this is not the case a private taxi was our alternative, like in Caripe. In several cases you would not need to order the taxi for the way back too, as there will often be por puesto minibuses or trucks. BTW, a taxi ride in Venezuela is not always fun, as the driver's driving style may differ markedly from your own. |
| Even when using taxi's where needed, public transport will always be cheaper than a rental car, which costs about 80 dollars a day. Well, if you are not bothered about these prices, nor bothered about the safety of the car when parked somewhere, then a rental car will be a better option than public transport. But even then, for a superb birding road like in Guaramacal N.P. you will probably need local 4WD public transport anyway. On the other hand, when birding a long and hot road in the Llanos, a car, with airco, is a valuable thing. |
| When traveling by public transport in all these different ways you need a basic knowledge of Spanish. However, this needs be very basic only. And for more complicated things like making an appointment with a taxi driver for the next morning, your Spanish vocabulary should be only a bit larger, just draw a clock! |
| Species list (for both NE and NW) |
CC = Caño Colorado: the area seaward of La Pica near Maturin, Monagas
CH = Cerro Humo: Paria National Park at Las Melenas, Sucre
IR = Irapa: coastal area (mainly old plantation) W of Irapa, Sucre
RA = Rio de Agua: the buffalo farm + hills, near Bohordal, Sucre
CA = Caripe and surroundings, Monagas
TB = Tabay: near hotel La Casona and lower Pico Humboldt trail, Merida state
AZ = Azulita road, Merida state
RF = Rio Frio valley, 56 km NE of El Vigía, Zulia/Merida states
PA = Palmarito, at Lago Maracaibo, Zulia
BO = Bocono: lower part of road through Guaramacal N.P., Trujillo state
LL = Llanos: San Sylvestre road + side road, near Barinas
SD = Santo Domingo: valley up to the paramo of Eagle Pass, mostly Merida state
Little Tinamou CC RA CA RF
Least Grebe AZ
Neotropic (Olivaceous) Cormorant IR PA BO LL
Anhinga RA LL
Brown Pelican IR
Magnificent Frigatebird IR
Little Blue Heron LL
Snowy Egret IR LL
Capped Heron CC
Great Blue Heron IR
Cocoi (White-necked) Heron RA
Great White Egret CC RA PA LL SD
Cattle Egret CC PA LL
Striated (Green) Heron RA
Black-crowned Night-heron RA
White Ibis LL
Scarlet Ibis IR
Whispering (Bare-faced) Ibis LL
Roseate Spoonbill LL
Horned Screamer RA LL
White-faced Whistling-duck LL
Black-bellied Whistling-duck RA
Torrent Duck TB
Speckled (Yellow-billed) Teal SD
Blue-winged Teal RA LL
American Black Vulture CC CH RA TB PA
Turkey Vulture IR TB PA
Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture RA
King Vulture LL
Hook-billed Kite TB AZ
White-tailed (Bl.Sh.) Kite CC LL
Snail Kite LL
Double-toothed Kite CA
Long-winged Harrier RA LL
Sharp-shinned Hawk RA
Bicoloured Hawk LL
White Hawk CA
Common Black-hawk IR CA
Great Black-hawk RA
Savannah Hawk PA LL
Grey Hawk TB AZ BO
Roadside Hawk CC IR CA
Osprey IR RA TB
Crested Caracara IR RA PA LL
Yellow-headed Caracara CC TB LL
American Kestrel TB PA
Aplomado Falcon CC LL
Peregrine Falcon RA
Rufous-vented Chachalaca CC RA
Andean Guan TB
Helmeted Curassow? TB?
Crested Bobwhite CC
Marbled Wood-quail CC heard only
American Purple Gallinule CC
Limpkin CC RA
Wattled Jacana RA PA
Black-necked Stilt LL
Southern Lapwing PA LL
Hudsonian Curlew (Whimbrel) IR
Solitary Sandpiper IR RA
Spotted Sandpiper RA
Laughing Gull IR
Yellow-billed Tern LL
Band-tailed Pigeon CH TB BO
Pale-vented Pigeon LL
Ruddy Pigeon CC AZ
Eared Dove SD
Scaled Dove LL
Ruddy Ground-dove LL
White-tipped Dove CC CA TB LL
Grey-fronted Dove CC
Blue-and-yellow Macaw CC
Red-and-green Macaw CC
Red-shouldered Macaw CC
Military Macaw RF?
Scarlet-fronted Parakeet RA CA
White-eared (Maroon-faced) Parakeet CA
Rose-headed Parakeet AZ
Green-rumped Parrotlet CC RF
Golden-winged Parakeet CH id.mainly sound
Saffron-headed Parrot RF
Rusty-faced Parrot TB
Bronze-winged Parrot RF range extension
Yellow-crowned Parrot CC
Orange-winged Parrot CC RA CA
Dwarf Cuckoo LL
Squirrel Cuckoo CA LL
Smooth-billed Ani CC AZ
Groove-billed Ani CC
Striped Cuckoo CC TB
Tropical Screech-owl TB
Mottled Owl CH
Oilbird CA
Pauraque CC
Rufous Nightjar TB heard only
Band-winged Nightjar SD heard only
Lyre-tailed Nightjar SD
Chestnut-collared Swift TB
White-chinned Swift? PA?
Vaux's Swift CA
Short-tailed Swift CC RF
White-tipped Swift TB
Fork-tailed Palm-swift CC
Rufous-breasted Hermit CC IR
Green Hermit CA RF
Reddish Hermit CC
Little Hermit CC
White-tailed Sabrewing CH
White-necked Jacobin RF
Black-throated Mango RF
Blue-tailed (Common) Emerald TB
Fork-tailed Woodnymph CA
Glittering-throated Emerald CC
Copper-rumped Hummingbird IR CA
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird AZ
Speckled Hummingbird AZ BO
Violet-fronted Brilliant AZ
Scissor-tailed Hummingbird CH
Collared Inca TB AZ
Orange-throated Sunangel SD
Merida Sunangel TB SD
Booted Racket-tail TB
Tyrian Metaltail SD
Long-tailed Sylph TB AZ BO
Black-eared Fairy RA
Long-billed Starthroat IR CA
Rufous-shafted Woodstar TB
Golden-headed Quetzal TB heard only
White-tailed Trogon CC
Collared Trogon CA RF
Masked Trogon TB BO
Ringed Kingfisher CC LL
Amazon Kingfisher LL
Green Kingfisher LL
Rufous-tailed Jacamar CC IR
Swallow-wing CC
Emerald Toucanet AZ BO
Groove-billed Toucanet CH CA
Citron-throated Toucan RF
Channel-billed Toucan CC
Black-mandibled Toucan RF
Red-billed (White-throated) TouCC RA
Scaled Piculet RA
Red-crowned Woodpecker CC IR CA RF
Smoky-brown Woodpecker TB BO
Golden-olive Woodpecker CH
Spot-breasted Woodpecker CC
Lineated Woodpecker CC CA LL
Crimson-crested Woodpecker CC heard only
Olivaceous Woodcreeper CC CA
Black-banded Woodcreeper CA
Buff-throated Woodcreeper CH
Olive-backed Woodcreeper TB
Streak-headed Woodcreeper CC CA LL
Spot-crowned (Montane) Woodcreeper TB BO
Red-billed Scythebill RF
Bar-winged Cinclodes SD
Andean Tit-spinetail SD
Azara's Spinetail TB AZ SD
Pale-breasted Spinetail CA
Rufous Spinetail TB
Stripe-breasted Spinetail CH heard only
Crested Spinetail BO
Yellow-chinned Spinetail IR RA
Plain Thornbird CC LL
White-throated Barbtail CH
Montane Foliage-gleaner AZ
Plain Xenops CC
Great Antshrike CC
Black-crested Antshrike IR RA
Barred Antshrike CC IR RA
Eastern Slaty Antshrike CC
White-flanked Antwren CC
Slaty Antwren CH
White-fringed Antwren IR
Jet Antbird CC
Black-chinned Antbird CC
Silvered Antbird CC
White-bellied Antbird RA CA heard only
Black-faced Antthrush CH
Plain-backed Antpitta CH heard only
Chestnut-crowned Antpitta TB AZ BO
Slate-crowned Antpitta CH
Green-and-black Fruiteater BO
Handsome Fruiteater CH heard only
Crimson-hooded Manakin CC
Golden-headed Manakin CH
Lance-tailed Manakin CH
Olive-striped Flycatcher AZ
Common Tody-flycatcher CC RA RF
Black-capped Tyrannulet SD
Paltry Tyrannulet BO
Yellow Tyrannulet CC
Yellow-bellied Elaenia IR
Plain-crested Elaenia CA
Mountain Elaenia BO
White-throated Tyrannulet TB BO SD
White-banded Tyrannulet TB
Torrent Tyrannulet TB
Pale-eyed Pygmy-tyrant CC
Yellow-olive Flycatcher CA
Yellow-breasted Flycatcher IR
Cinnamon Flycatcher CH CA
Euler's Flycatcher CC
Smoke-coloured (Greater) Pewee TB AZ SD
Black Phoebe CA TB BO SD
Vermillion Flycatcher RA
Yellow-bellied Chat-tyrant TB AZ
Brown-backed Chat-tyrant SD
Streak-throated Bush-tyrant TB SD
Pied Water-tyrant RA LL
White-headed Marsh-tyrant CC RA
Cattle Tyrant RA TB
Cinnamon Attila CC
Bright-rumped Attila CH RF heard only
Cinereous Mourner CC
Short-crested Flycatcher CC
Tropical Kingbird CC TB BO LL
Fork-tailed Flycatcher PA
Grey Kingbird PA LL
Variegated Flycatcher CC CA
Boat-billed Flycatcher CA TB
Golden-crowned Flycatcher CA
Rusty-margined Flycatcher CC RF
Social Flycatcher RF
Lesser Kiskadee CC
Great Kiskadee CC CA LL on more sites ...
Cinnamon Becard RF? or One-coloroured
Black-tailed Tityra CC
Masked Tityra RF
White-winged Swallow IR RA LL
Grey-breasted Martin RA LL
Brown-bellied Swallow SD
Blue-and-white Swallow TB AZ BO
Tawny-headed Swallow CA
Southern Rough-winged Swallow CC RA
Barn Swallow RA LL
Paramo Pipit SD
White-capped Dipper TB SD
Black-capped Donacobius CC
Bicoloured Wren CA LL
Stripe-backed Wren CC
Merida (Paramo) Wren SD
Moustached Wren TB AZ
Rufous-breasted Wren CH IR
Rufous-and-white Wren RA heard only
Buff-breasted Wren CC LL
Southern House Wren RA TB RF BO
Grey-breasted Wood-wren TB AZ
Southern Nightingale-wren RF heard only
Tropical Mockingbird RA CA TB LL
Andean Solitaire TB heard only
Orange-billed Nightingale-thrush TB
Slaty-backed Nightingale-thrush TB
Swainson's Thrush TB
Yellow-legged Thrush CA TB
Great Thrush TB
Glossy-black Thrush AZ BO
Chestnut-bellied Thrush AZ
Pale-breasted Thrush IR CA
White-necked Thrush CH
Black-collared Jay SD
Black-chested Jay AZ RF
Green Jay CA TB
Rufous-browed Peppershrike IR CA
Brown-capped Vireo AZ
Yellow-bellied Siskin RA TB
Lesser Goldfinch TB
Tennessee Warbler TB
Tropical Parula CH IR CA
Black-throated Green Warbler TB
Blackburnian Warbler TB AZ
Black-and-white Warbler CH TB BO
American Redstart CH CA RF
Northern Waterthrush CH IR CA
Slate-throated Redstart CA TB AZ
Paria (Yellow-faced) Redstart CH
White-fronted Redstart TB SD
Black-crested Warbler TB SD
Russet-crowned Warbler TB
Golden-crowned Warbler CA RF
Three-striped Warbler CH TB
Bananaquit CC CH CA TB
Magpie Tanager RF
Common Bush-tanager TB AZ
Grey-capped Hemispingus SD
Fulvous-headed Tanager CA
Hooded Tanager PA
White-shouldered Tanager CC
White-lined Tanager CA TB
Summer Tanager BO
White-winged Tanager CA
Crimson-backed Tanager RF
Silver-beaked Tanager CC
Blue-grey Tanager CC CH CA TB
Palm Tanager CC CA
Blue-capped Tanager CH CA AZ BO
Lacrimose Mountain-tanager SD
Fawn-breasted Tanager AZ
Trinidad Euphonia CC CH
Violaceous Euphonia CC
Orange-bellied Euphonia AZ
Blue-naped Chlorophonia CA BO
Saffron-crowned Tanager BO
Speckled Tanager CH CA
Bay-headed Tanager CA RF
Burnished-buff Tanager CA
Blue-necked Tanager RF BO
Beryl-spangled Tanager TB AZ BO
Blue-and-black Tanager AZ SD
Black-capped Tanager BO
Black-headed Tanager TB BO
Green Honeycreeper CA RF
Rufous-collared Sparrow TB SD
Moustached Brush-finch TB
Slaty Brush-finch SD
Chestnut-capped Brush-finch TB
Red-capped Cardinal LL
Plumbeous Sierra-finch SD
Saffron Finch LL
Blue-black Grassquit CC LL
Grey Seedeater CC
Ruddy-breasted Seedeater RA LL
Lesser (Thick-billed) Seed-fincCC CA RF
Yellow-browed Sparrow LL
Rusty Flower-piercer TB
White-sided Flower-piercer TB
Glossy Flower-piercer BO
Merida (Coal-bl) Flower-piercer SD
Bluish Flower-piercer TB
Masked Flower-piercer SD
Dickcissel LL
Rose-breasted Grosbeak RF
Greyish Saltator CC RF LL
Ultramarine Grosbeak CC CA
Crested Oropendola CC IR CA LL!
Yellow-rumped Cacique CC CA LL
Yellow-backed Oriole AZ
Yellow Oriole CC LL
Yellow-tailed Oriole RF
Orange-crowned Oriole CA RF
Troupial LL
Oriole Blackbird CA LL
Red-breasted Blackbird RA LL
Velvet-fronted Grackle CC
Carib Grackle CC LL
Shiny Cowbird AZ LL
Giant Cowbird RA TB?AZ
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