In addition to the very close places noted
on the website, here are a few other hints
from some of my source materials in case
you have a few days. Head up
toward the Santa Marta area (about 230
km from Cartegena). The 95 km
stretch of road from Barranquilla to Santa
Marta is considered very
good for birding, and passes through marshes
and woodland where the rare Northern
Screamer and the localized endemic Sapphire-bellied
Hummingbird occur.
There is a small national park (Tayrona
NP) 35 km east of Santa Marta,
which supports remnant dry, semi-deciduous
woodland and wet tropical
forest where the goodies include Shining-green
Hummingbird and Black
Antshrike. But beware... Paul Salaman
(of the Colombian
Birding and
Ornithological
Hub) tells me that this is one of the worst areas in
Colombia for bandits - and birders have
had problems here. The visitors
centre is okay-ish with a large group.
Closer to Cartagena, between Barranquilla
and Santa Marta is Salamanca
National Park, which supports mangroves,
tidal pools and desert scrub on
a sand spit seperating the Caribbean from
Cienaga Grande. The park
entrance is on the north side of the road
10 km east of Barranquilla.
Bird the pools at the west end of the
park by the Los Cocos
headquarters, the desert scrub at the
east end of the park, and most
importantly, the 1-km boardwalk through
the mangroves, also at the east
end of the park, the best spot for Sapphire-bellied
Hummingbird. Check
also the huge Cienaga Grande (lake)
and the marshes south of the road,
esopecially opposite the Los Cocos entrance
to Salamanca National Park.
More productive marshes where Northern
Screamer occurs may be found
south from Cienaga on a rough road, especially
between Fundacion and
Pivijay.
You will also find some new lists of endemic
and speciality birds on the
Colombia page of the web-site. There are
at least 16 of these endemics
that are located very close to where you
are going - all the ones
starting with Santa Marta occur on the
San Lorenzo Ridge of the Santa
Marta mountains. The road leading into
this area heads south from the
Riohacha road a few km. north of Santa
Marta, toward Minco, and can be
impassable in the wet season and is sometimes
closed at other times of
the year. But if you're feeling really
brave and adventurous, you could
at least start out in that direction.
Birding is good all the way from
the turnoff to Minca, and then on another
50 km to the Inderena
experimental station.
Hope this helps... I am green with envy! Good birding...
Tina MacDonald
Edmonton, Alberta
http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/birding.htm