Reserva Ecologica Río Blanco

Reserva Ecologica Río Blanco, located just a few kilometers from the bustling city of Manizales, was originally created to protect the water supply of the city. This is a fantastic idea that is not only good for the citizens of Manizales but also for the environment. All told, just under 5,000 hectares are protected at Río Blanco within the central cordillera of the Andes. A large altitudinal gradient is covered by the reserve, protecting a variety of different ecosystems. Despite its close proximity to Manizales it sure felt like we were hundreds of kilometres from civilization, surrounded by rich tropical forests and an abundance of bird life.

Andean Squirrel - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

Río Blanco is perhaps most famous among birdwatchers due to the diversity of antpitta species that often come into feeding stations to take earthworms. Upon arrival we met our local guide for the day - Daniel - and right away walked only a few meters to the edge of the forest where the first antpitta of the day would be searched for.

It took around 15 minutes of waiting while we heard the Bicolored Antpitta vocalize, each time coming a little bit closer. While waiting, we enjoyed the sounds of the forest in the early morning - a Barred Becard, a pair of Rusty-faced Parrots flying over, several tapaculo species and a Streak-headed Antbird as well. But soon, the star of the show appeared at the edge of the small clearing and quickly scarfed down a few of the worms. A minute later and it was gone.

Bicolored Antpitta - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

We slowly ambled up the gravel track that runs through the reserve. A group of Sharpe's Wren paraded through the undergrowth, as did some Black-capped Hemispingus and Gray-hooded Bush-Tanagers.

Sharpe's Wren - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

It is not just the antpittas at Río Blanco that have been tamed. This male Green-and-black Fruiteater happily took some worms from Daniel's hand.

Green-and-black Fruiteater - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

Green-and-black Fruiteater - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

We visited two more antpitta feeding stations, hoping for Chestnut-crowned, the endemic Brown-breasted, and Slate-crowned Antpittas. Antpittas appeared at both locations but each time, they happened to be Brown-breasted. Meanwhile, we heard several Chestnut-crowned but neither they nor any Slate-crowned appeared. Speaking of "heard-only", a Tawny-breasted Tinamou sounded off down the ridge, a species I had never encountered before.

Brown-breasted Antpitta - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

For much of the morning we explored the lush forests, seeing many bird species along the way. Río Blanco is also well-known as a place where mixed flocks of birds are very frequent. We enjoyed these pulses of frenzied birding on a few occasions and attempted to get our binoculars on as many of the tanagers, furnariids, warblers and woodpeckers as possible while they quickly moved through. Photography was put to the side during these moments - if you pause to take a photo you will undoubtedly miss three or four other birds.

White-tailed Tyrannulet - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

The Andean Guans on the other hand could be enjoyed at a slower pace!

Andean Guan - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

At one point, a Purple-backed Thornbill appeared at the tip of a bare branch, allowing good looks (though it was too backlit for anything more than 'record' photos). This species exhibits the shortest beak relative to body size of any hummingbird!

Purple-backed Thornbill - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

During the slow moments between mixed flocks we could take a closer look at the flowers, beetles, and other interesting species found in the forest. Below is Kohleria affinis, followed by a type of flea beetle known as Aspicela unipunctata. 

Kohleria affinis - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

Aspicela unipunctata - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

One of the more highly sought after bird species found at Río Blanco is the Masked Saltator. This beautiful and boldly patterned species is very thinly distributed in the Andes and is classified as Near-Threatened. We lucked out with several sightings including this pair. I botched the photos since I was trying to point them out with my laser pointer in one hand, while taking the photos with the other!

Masked Saltators - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

Below are a few more things that I photographed during our morning walk. We had seen over 70 species of birds by the time that we turned around to walk back to the lodge for lunch.

Masked Trogon - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

Masked Trogon - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

Begonia sp. - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrant - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

Andean Motmot - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

Lunch was fantastic - one of the best ones of the trip - and dessert was the opportunity to enjoy the endless stream of hummingbirds attending the numerous feeders.

Collared Inca - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

Long-tailed Sylph - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

As is typical in the Andes, a few flowerpiercers were sneaking around the flowers, searching for nectar. White-sided Flowerpiercer was the common one here.

White-sided Flowerpiercer - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

We headed down the road in the afternoon for a few more hours to see what else we could turn up. The birding was a little slower due to the time of the day, but that just meant that the butterflies could be enjoyed instead.

Perisama oppelii - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

Perisama oppelii - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

Pedaliodes sp. - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

I spotted a group of Red-hooded Tanagers high up in some bare branches - just a stunning species. Fortunately they hung around long enough for us to get the scope on them for the group! This is another species that can be rather scarce throughout its range in the Andes.

Red-hooded Tanager - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

We finished off our day at a river near the entrance of the reserve where a pair of White-capped Dippers appeared. Awesome!

White-capped Dipper - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

We enjoyed numerous additions to our day list here, eventually reaching 100 species. Below is a Pale-edged Flycatcher.

Pale-edged Flycatcher - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia

One of my favourite birds of the day was this Chocó Daggerbill that appeared at some nearby flowers. This scarce species rarely comes in to feeders and can be tricky to view well. It was a great way to close out an excellent day!

Chocó Daggerbill - Reserva Natural Río Blanco, Caldas, Colombia