Venezuela, Summer 2008 Birding Trip Report - Part 6 of many - Colonia Tovar Home » Forums » Birding » Trip Reports

Note XZX is unfinshed.

The bus stop to Colonia Tovar is at one end of Caracas, and is quite a
chore to reach. Not only that, a bus change is required in the town
of XZX. Colonia Tovar, a German colony and tourist town at the base
of the Andres, is a great place to see birds. It is a very safe town,
and connected to a thick cloud forest, and near National Park XZX. As
in many third world countries, there are signs around the park
explaining how the park provides water (and in Panama I saw oxygen),
apparently explaining to the locals why this land must remain
untouched. Rufous-collared Sparrows and Grey-breasted Martins are
common here. I found one XZX tree with bright red flowers swarming
with hummingbirds, including the Green Violetear, Sparking Violetear
and Long-tailed Sylph. Walking uphill will eventually take you one or
more dirt roads that enter the cloud forest. The canopy is high, and
small birds are flitting in the tree tops. Other birds are lower, in
the brush. Some brown birds were often seen in the brush, and the one
clear picture I got was apparently Black-throated Spinetail, a bird
that was not supposed to be here. I managed to get in touch with
David Ascanio of Ascanio Birding Tours, and apparently the range map
in 'Birds of Venezuela' is just a little off, so not a new species. I
also found what appeared to be a White-browed Antbird, also apparently
slightly outside his range. Or maybe I don't know where Colonia Tovar
really is. Inside the city you might encounter Black Vultures,
Tropical Mockingbirds, Boat-billed Flycatchers, Hepatic Tanagers, and
any number of other common Venezuelan birds.