Birding (and Mammaling) in the Llanos

Following our productive morning at Bosque Bavaria, Laura and I drove east through Villavicencio. We left the hustle and bustle of the big city behind as the landscape opened up and the vehicles and mototaxis dropped off one by one. We were surrounded by open grassy fields, the plains dotted with cattle. The llanos!

During the rainy season many of these fields are flooded but January is smack dab in the middle of the dry season. Waterbirds were generally scarce now, only being found in isolated ponds and other sources of water.

It was the heat of the day but we set off down some sideroads in search of birds. This hunt was largely fruitless as despite visiting supposedly productive areas it was difficult to find much. One sideroad (opposite the turnoff to the town of Santa Rosa) produced a Pearl Kite and this Roadside Hawk sitting on a nest, but waterbirds were nowhere to be found.

Roadside Hawk - Puerto Lopez area, Meta, Colombia

A little while later we turned down a gravel track, expecting a "short cut" back to the highway. Of course this was a mistake and we wasted an hour due to the deteriorating quality of the road. At least we were rewarded for our troubles in the form of a pair of Double-striped Thick-knees. This had been a nemesis bird of ours for a few years, having struck out with them during a few previous trips.

Double-striped Thick-Knee - east of Villavicencio, Meta, Colombia

The air temperature at this point was a sizzling 34 degrees Celcius. The heat haze really impacted the quality (or lack thereof) of the photos!

Double-striped Thick-Knee - east of Villavicencio, Meta, Colombia

Eventually we made it back to the highway and the rest of the way was smooth sailing, all the way to the town of Puerto Lopez. This would be our base for two nights.

When planning this part of the trip we were not sure where we would explore during our time in the llanos, other than just driving down roads looking for birds. I noticed an eBird hotspot called "Hotel Lagos de Menegua" with an impressive species list. This hotel is situated on a large property complete with trails and wetlands among the shrubby vegetation. Perfect! We were able to connect with the hotel via Whatsapp and arranged to visit for the day. The price was a bit steep - 50K pesos (~20 CAD) per person - but it included lunch and access to the property, as well as to the pool. The only problem was that the gates only opened at 8 AM. As anyone who has birded the tropical lowlands knows, the wildlife activity peaks at 5:30 or 6:00 AM and quickly winds down. We were able to persuade them to let us in at 7, fortunately - infinitely better than 8.

Oriole Blackbird - Puerto Lopez area, Meta, Colombia

We left our hotel in Puerto Lopez at sunrise and made a few stops along the way. Near the bridge for the Metica River we found a very tame Double-striped Thick-Knee, while we had some flyby Blue-crowned Parakeets, some Dickcissels and a Rufous-fronted Thornbird.

Double-striped Thick-knee - Puerto Lopez area, Meta, Colombia

Double-striped Thick-knee - Puerto Lopez area, Meta, Colombia

Double-striped Thick-knee - Puerto Lopez area, Meta, Colombia

White-throated Toucans - Puerto Lopez area, Meta, Colombia

We arrived at Hotel Lagos de Menegua just before seven in the morning. A scan of the field just across from the entrance produced several unique shapes. They were Giant Anteaters! Three individuals were loping across the fields, taking advantage of the relatively cool temperatures at this time of day (only 28 degrees Celsius).

Giant Anteater - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

We paid our entrance fees, collected the trail map, and hit the trails. Already the bird activity had significantly quieted and the sun beat down on us. We attempted to minimize our discomfort and perspiration rates by moving from shade patch to shade patch.

One of our first great birds was a Whistling Heron, a species I had only seen once and Laura had never observed. We would end up seeing a bunch of these throughout the day at several other locations.

Whistling Heron - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

The birding was exciting as we were in a new location. We heard two "lifer" species of antshrikes - Amazonian and Blackish-gray - and had a pair of Crestless Curassows flush from a stand of bushes. Several Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks passed by our location, as did a few different parrots.

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

Red-bellied Macaws - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

We rounded a bend and what we saw stopped us in our tracks. A Giant Anteater, complete with a baby along for the ride! The duo did not sense us at first and continued to amble on, while Laura and I watched, mouths agape.

Giant Anteaters - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

I can't get enough of this species. The sleek patterning, the long, thin face, the ridiculous fluffy tail, everything!

Giant Anteaters - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

Eventually we were noticed and they slunk off the trail. Previous to today, the only Giant Anteater we had seen was one at Karanambu Lodge in Guyana. Some of the guides from that lodge went out on motorbikes and corralled one for us, which was still awesome even if it felt a little like cheating. Finding one "in situ" like this was so much better.

Giant Anteaters - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

A series of fish ponds had been dug in one portion of the property. As expected a smorgasbord of wetland bird species were present, with some kingfishers even finding a way under the protective netting to access the fish. Hundreds of Black Vultures were loitering at the edges, presumably waiting for us to drop dead from the heat (it was a distinct possibility).

Black Vulture - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

Wattled Jacana - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

Black-collared Hawk - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

Pied Water-Tyrant - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

One large pond had been drawn down and it was packed with birds. Good numbers of Wood Storks, Scarlet Ibises, and Roseate Spoonbills were great to see.

Wood Stork - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

Scarlet Ibises - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

Roseate Spoonbill and White Ibis (and Lesser Yellowlegs) - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

Carib Grackle - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

I was happy to locate two additional lifers later that morning - a Stripe-necked Tody-Flycatcher and a small group of Black-faced Tanagers. The sixth and seventh new species for me already and it was barely 9 AM!

Black-faced Tanager - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

Stripe-necked Tody-Flycatcher - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

We walked all the way to a large lake further out and were about to turn around when we realized that a small pavilion containing half a dozen hammocks had been built along the far shoreline. We quickened our pace and enjoyed a siesta before braving the heat for the long walk back.

 Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

 Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

A strong wind had whipped up across the countryside. It helped with the hot temperatures but it also shut down bird activity for the day. We walked back to the hotel, thinking of nothing more than ice-cold drinks and a crystal-clear pool. And that is how we spent the next few hours!

Feeling refreshed and ready to head out, we hopped into the car to do some birding from the comfort of the air-conditioned interior.

A dead something in a field had attracted a hoard of vultures. One stood head and shoulders above them all - a King Vulture. We had never seen one on the ground before!

King and Black Vultures - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

We made our way north to a ferry crossing at the Metico River near Cabuyaro. A scan of the river was very productive - Collared Plover, Black Skimmer, Large-billed Tern, White-winged Swallow - but best of all, a few Yellow-billed Terns (another lifer!).

Río Metico, Meta, Colombia

Some friends of mine had visited this area back in 2015 and had explored a nearby lagoon. We pointed the rental car down a grassy track heading east, just south of the ferry docks. After 400 m or so we got out and walked down a different track, eventually reaching the lagoon. Along the way we found some Blackish-gray Antshrikes, which came right in with a snippet of playback. This species is limited to riparian corridors and river islands in the llanos and northern Amazonia.

Blackish-gray Antshrike - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

Blackish-gray Antshrike - Hotel Lagos de Menegua, Meta, Colombia

We reached the lagoon as mid-afternoon was transitioning to late-afternoon. Finally, the heat was (slightly) subsiding.

Lagoon near Cabuyaro, Meta, Colombia

At the far side of the lagoon sat a pair of Orinoco Geese - another lifer! Orinoco Geese are common in portions of the llanos, but absent or reduced in numbers across much of their range due to hunting pressure.

Orinoco Geese - lagoon near Cabuyaro, Meta, Colombia

A few Large-billed and Yellow-billed Terns were periodically flying to this wetland as well, allowing us to improve on the views from the ferry crossing.

Yellow-billed Tern - lagoon near Cabuyaro, Meta, Colombia

And finally, on our walk back to the car, we came across two species of antshrikes, a White-browed Antbird and a Buff-breasted Wren in a little flock. We easily cleared 120 bird species for the day, not necessarily a big accomplishment in this diverse area, but pretty good considering that we were not out at dawn and the heat was oppressive for much of the day.

Black-crested Antshrike - lagoon near Cabuyaro, Meta, Colombia

The following morning was a bit of a write-off bird-wise as we had a nearly seven hour drive to complete. We checked out a few areas (such as the road south of the highway to Santa Rosa, east of Villavicencio) but they were largely a bust. Even still, new birds jumped onto my year-list as we drove - Speckled Chachalaca, Scaled Dove, Snail Kite, White-tailed Hawk, Red-breasted Meadowlark and a few others. My year list was up to 332 bird species.

Brown-throated Parakeet - Puerto Lopez area, Meta, Colombia

By mid-afternoon we had pulled into the sleepy town of Santa Marta, located just under 1000 m elevation in the eastern Andes. We had enjoyed our time in the llanos but were excited for forest birding again, and cooler weather!