The Cundinamarca Antpitta At Sendero La Herreria

The Cundinamarca Antpitta is one of the newer addition's to Colombia's avifauna. On October 16, 1989 a birdwatcher named Peter Kaestner, who was working as a diplomat and stationed in Bogotá at the time, was exploring a new road that opened between the towns of Monterredondo and El Calvario (eBird users are likely familiar with Peter, as he is currently the top eBirder in the world, with over 9400 species on his life list). Peter heard an unfamiliar antpitta song during his explorations above Monterredondo. He lured the bird into view and was surprised to see that it was something which he has completely unfamiliar with. A subsequent trip by Peter and F. Gary Stiles produced the first specimen, and additional journeys to the area by them and others helped determine some aspects of the species' ecology, elevation range, and population densities and they managed to acquire a further two specimens. The rest, as they say, is history - the Cundinamarca Antpitta (Grallaria kaestneri) was formally described as a new species in January, 1992. 

Pedaliodes phaea - Sendero La Herreria, Refugio del Tororoy, Cundinamarca, Colombia

During our 2020 trip to Colombia, Laura and I heard the Cundinamarca Antpitta along the very road where it was first discovered, though we were unable to lay eyes on it. Now that we were back in Colombia we wanted another crack at this enigmatic bird. In recent months, a family living up in these mountains has established a feeding station for the Cundinamarca Antpitta, where up to three individuals will take worms. This finca is called Sendero La Herreria, and the local contact is Yersson Herrera who can be contacted via Facebook. 

Sendero La Herreria, Refugio del Tororoy, Cundinamarca, Colombia

I reached out to Yersson while Laura and I were staying in Villavicencio and we settled on a day. Reaching the finca is best done by 4x4, so Yersson also arranged a driver to meet us in the town square of Guayabetal that morning. The drive up in the Toyota Landcruiser took around 50 minutes. 

Our ride - Sendero La Herreria, Refugio del Tororoy, Cundinamarca, Colombia

We were welcomed in by Yersson and his family. Breakfast was served within minutes of our arrival, and we had a front row seat to watch the various hummingbirds visiting the flowers in the garden. We had a surprise amongst the various Long-tailed Sylphs, Speckled Hummingbirds, Buff-tailed Coronets and Collared Incas. A Bronze-green Euphonia flew in for a few minutes. This was a new species for the property, according to an excited Yersson, and a "lifer" for him. 

Bronze-green Euphonia - Sendero La Herreria, Refugio del Tororoy, Cundinamarca, Colombia

We finished breakfast while a Cundinamarca Antpitta called off in the distance. Soon, it was time for the main event. We followed Ariel down a narrow path to the forest edge, and sat in a hide overlooking the theatre. 

 Sendero La Herreria, Refugio del Tororoy, Cundinamarca, Colombia

Ariel called out for the antpitta - "hermosa bebe, donde estás?", "venga por la comida", "venga rapida, bebe", "niña, no te veo" - and we waited patiently in the hide. 

And then it happened. A plump, streaky bird with no tail and long legs appeared at the edge of the clearing, obscured by shadows. Luis placed some worms down in the cleared area and joined us in the hide. La hermosa bebe hopped into view and gobbled up a few of the tasty worms. I clicked away with my camera, steadying it against the hide in the low light conditions. 

Cundinamarca Antpitta - Sendero La Herreria, Refugio del Tororoy, Cundinamarca, Colombia

We watched the antpitta for around two minutes but it felt a lot longer. I could not believe it - here we were, several meters away from one of the rarest of Colombia's birds, a species which the ornithological community had no idea even existed a mere 35 years ago. 

Cundinamarca Antpitta - Sendero La Herreria, Refugio del Tororoy, Cundinamarca, Colombia

The Cundinamarca Antpitta has a small global range in the eastern Andes. There is little doubt that ongoing deforestation and forest degradation has significantly reduced the area in which it occupies during the last few decades. Based on density estimates of 2-3 individuals per square kilometre, the total population falls between 330 and 800 mature individuals according to the IUCN Red List, which has led to its status as Endangered. 

Cundinamarca Antpitta - Sendero La Herreria, Refugio del Tororoy, Cundinamarca, Colombia

We waited in the hide for another fifteen minutes. On occasion, other individuals are attracted to the worm buffet, but it was not to be this time. Satisfied with our amazing views of one Cundinamarca Antpitta, we headed back up to the house to show off our photos to a smiling Yersson. 

The day was still young and so the four of us walked up the hill from the finca to the forest edge, following a trail through the cloud forest for several hundred meters. The clouds had rolled in and reduced visibility and the birding slowed, though we still heard an Ochre-breasted Brushfinch, Rufous-headed Pygmy-Tyrant and both White-crowned and Black Tapaculos. 

 Sendero La Herreria, Refugio del Tororoy, Cundinamarca, Colombia

We slowly added more birds as we hiked. My personal highlight was watching an Emerald-bellied Puffleg feeding on some yellow flowers beside the trail but it did not stick around long enough for photos. We also picked through several mixed flocks, finding species such as Blueish Flowerpiercer, Streak-necked Flycatcher, Grass-green Tanager, Blue-and-black Tanager, Beryl-spangled Tanager and Black-capped Tyrannulet. 

Collared Inca - Sendero La Herreria, Refugio del Tororoy, Cundinamarca, Colombia

Near the end of the walk we heard a fairly close Golden-headed Quetzal. With a bit of effort, we were rewarded with some great looks of the handsome bird. 

Golden-headed Quetzal - Sendero La Herreria, Refugio del Tororoy, Cundinamarca, Colombia

We returned to the finca where a delicious lunch was prepared for us. Once again, we watched the flurry of hummingbird activity in the flowers in front of the porch. 

 Lunch at Sendero La Herreria, Refugio del Tororoy, Cundinamarca, Colombia

Lunch at Sendero La Herreria, Refugio del Tororoy, Cundinamarca, Colombia

We finished our meal and bade farewell to Yersson and his family, catching a ride with the Toyota Landcruiser back down the mountain to Guayabetal. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Sendero La Herreria, and I think you will too! This beautiful place is a must-visit stop on any birding itinerary. Obviously the Cundinamarca Antpitta is the big draw, but there is so much more to see here. Please reach out to Yersson via Facebook and he can help coordinate a visit.