Day 7 - Cerulean Warbler Reserve - THE WALK FROM HELL - Colombia

Today we did the walk from hell!

pastureland near the lodge

Leaving at 5.30 am, we took a trail from the lodge up through pastures and into a small wooded area where hummingbird feeders had been placed.   Here we saw  gorgeted wood-quail coming into a feeding station, along with lined quail-dove.   We also manged to see speckled humming bird, black inca, buff-tailed coronet, booted racket-tail, green-crowned brilliant, andean emerald and indigo-capped hummingbird.  
As the weather had been wet the ground was wet and sloppy, and we were walking in wellingtons.   At one stage we passed a bank where there were holes used by puffbirds for nesting - Colin was in puffbird heaven.  We continued to climb, birding as we went, until at around 12.30, we stopped on a top ridge for lunch.   We were tired, aching but hungry, and as one of the members of staff had walked up especially to deliver our lunch, it was the least we could do to enjoy it.   Warm rice, lentils and
shredded chicken. 

Puffbird nesting area

At the higher levels on the way down we saw golden headed quetzal, moustached puffbird, ash-browed spinetial, montane foliage-gleaner, olive-backed woodpecker, parker's antbird, long-tailed tapaculo, upper magdalen tapaculo, yellow-bellied elaenia, ornate flycatcher, scale-crested pygmy-tyrant, white-throated spadebill, cinnamon flycatcher, golden-crowned flycatcher, golden-winged manakin, green jay, blue-winged mountain-tanager, beryl-spangled tanager, bluish flowerpiercer, chestnut-capped brush finch, common bush-tanager, golden-winged warbler, canada warbler, slate-throated whitestart, three-striped warbler, russte-backed oropendola and orange-bellied euphonia to name but a few.

Our journey down was no less exacting with legs aching with every step and our knees screaming with the exertion of tufting not to slip or fall.   At the end of the main hill walk I took the opportunity to go back to look at the hummingbird feeders again, and by now (around 4.30 pm) things were a lot
busier with the birds desperate to feed up before bed.

Finally got back to the lodge for 5.30 pm, had a quick coffee, watched the feeders outside my room where ruddy ground-doves enjoyed the bananas, then I showered before dinner and checklist.