The Best Backyard Birding on Earth | Valle del Cauca, Colombia | Field Guides

Get ready for an unforgettable birding adventure in the Western Andes of Colombia with Chris and Diego in the latest episode of our "Field Guides" series. Discover stunning toucans, tanagers, and hummingbirds in the world's best backyard birding destination and meet the friendly locals who welcome our hosts into their gardens. Plus, there's a special surprise for a passionate young birder.
This video is brought to you along with our partners at Kowa Sporting Optics, who are helping us to achieve our mission to make birding more accessible to people around the world.
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Produced by WhereNext
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[@camilopaz2000]

Next weekend, I'm taking my dad out to bird (for the first time in his life) in that area. I planned the trip before watching this episode, and now I couldn't be more excited to go! Great work Diego and Chris!

[@TheBirdersShow]

Hi Juan Camilo, thank you for commenting, so glad you enjoyed the episode. And that's so cool about your dad, say hi to him from all of us and enjoy birding together. As someone who birds with his father, I can say that's it's a great thing! I'm sure you'll have fun! Chris

[@diegoCOLbirding]

EXCELENTE Juan Camilo... que disfruten hermano!!!

[@diegoCOLbirding]

This is one of the coolest episodes we have done at The Birders Show as we filmed in my FAV habitat/ecoregion of Colombia: the montane Andean Chocó cloudforest! 🤩🤩🤩

[@romanspildooren4628]

Is there a place wherry i can buy the birdershow merch ? A t-shirt would be very cool!!!

[@TheBirdersShow]

Coming very soon Roman...we'll leave you a reply here when they're available :)

[@SandraSykes]

I saw some teasers for San Cipriano in the trailer and I'm hoping that you feature it in a future episode. My day spent there - organized by Chris Calonje - was probably one of my all-time top travel experiences.

[@diegoCOLbirding]

@@SandraSykes indeed, we have a FULL episode, the final one, on San Cipriano... and of course, we LOVED IT !

[@twoheadedpanthr]

I'm very new to birding and was exploring ebird and came across this region while looking for the best destinations for future visits, and then I find this video. This area has skyrocketed to the top of my list of places I want to visit. Absolutely incredible.

[@carmenderibbonsaenz94]

Soy Fan.... desde que vi el documental The birders ! saludos desde Paises Bajos

[@TheBirdersShow]

Muchas gracias, Carmen! Saludos desde todo el equipo de The Birders y The Birders Show 😁

[@LuisGomez-jq2xw]

Un saludo de la Asociación CASTANOTIS de Acacías Meta gracias.

[@diegoCOLbirding]

saludos

[@GlennBartley]

I love watching you guys give out the bins. Such a joy to see these young birders get excited. Keep up the great work amigos!

[@diegoCOLbirding]

and we are loving it mate!

[@SandraSykes]

I'm so happy to see Araucana Lodge and Chris Calonje featured in this episode. My visit to that amazing eco-lodge and the accessible birding available there has converted me. I highly recommend it!

[@TheBirdersShow]

Those are the things we love to hear Sandra! It's wonderful how so many of those places around Araucana are so accessible

[@carolinamunozbernal1121]

That was the perfect birding experience for a noob like me. Absolutely loved it.

[@diegoCOLbirding]

esoooo Caro!

[@ROLLRIGHTYT123]

Just great 🇬🇧Steve

[@TheBirdersShow]

Thanks for your support and comment, Steve. We appreciate it :)

[@diegoCOLbirding]

thanks mate, glad you liked it !

[@kovacen]

I live in humdrum Hungary. Your videos make me want to move to Colombia. I would if I knew how to sustain myself.

[@TheBirdersShow]

Thanks for watching, we're so glad you enjoyed it :) you could always visit Colombia and see what happens, that's how Chris ended up here!

[@diegoCOLbirding]

not a too shabby country to live in indeed! ;-)

[@LuisGomez-jq2xw]

Gracias por compartir su Valiosa información. Felicitacion🎉

[@diegoCOLbirding]

gracias!

[@_Creaux]

always waiting for these

[@TheBirdersShow]

🥳 cheers Elliott, hope you enjoyed it!

[@diegoCOLbirding]

thanks!

[@timothyboucherbirder]

Great stuff!

[@TheBirdersShow]

Cheers Timothy, glad you enjoyed it! Spread the word :)

[@diegoCOLbirding]

glad you guys enjoying Timo mate... abrazos to Ellen and guys, when are we doing NEXT one here again!?

[@gregboreham8519]

What a great episode! First time viewer and now a subscriber to your channel. I had the opportunity to spend a week at the beautiful Araucana Lodge with some birding friends from the USA in August of 2021. During our time in Columbia we visited Dora Londono's wonderful El Descanso and also a visit to Javier's amazing La Florida where we saw a family of chestnut wood-quail along with most of the other birds in your video. Thank you for posting!

[@TheBirdersShow]

Hi Greg! Thanks for the kind words and we're sp glad you've subscribed 🥳 that's so cool that you were able to visit these amazing places!

[@diegoCOLbirding]

you've been there, donde that! ;-)

[@djmaharshi]

Wow those are some very colorful species and surprised to see an Indian brand auto there

[@TheBirdersShow]

Some of most colourful species in all of Colombia in this episode! Thanks for watching and commenting

[@diegoCOLbirding]

quite colorful indeed! check our episodes from Caldas on hummingbirds and toucans... more color!!

[@romanspildooren4628]

What a great episode! Really hope that i can get there 1 day

[@TheBirdersShow]

Cheers Roman, so glad you liked it! Hopefully we'll see you here for some birding one day

[@diegoCOLbirding]

come and bird here Roman mate!

[@wingsoffreedom632]

hello im neil a youmg birder from india, i love your channel and i would love to see more birds... do you have birding related stuff(extra) i would love if you can send them as i would love to know more about birds . I wish to be on one episode with you.......

[@TheBirdersShow]

Hi Neil, thanks for watching and commenting. We have loads of bird-related videos on our KZbin channel and social media. We hope to visit India one day so maybe we can bird together then 😁

[@TSUNAMI-MAMI]

15:43 was adorable ❤

[@diegoCOLbirding]

it was indeed... those little chaps enjoyed like cazy so did I !!

[@juandavidvanegasrangel1403]

Excelente el regalo de los binos!!!, felicitaciones!!!

[@diegoCOLbirding]

nos encanta siempre esa parte!!!

[@cherylponter2419]

Another great episode full of amazing birds. It’s wonderful that you can spread the joy of birding to young people. Keep up the great work 🇦🇺

[@TheBirdersShow]

Thank you Cheryl, we really appreciate it and I'm so glad you enjoyed it :)

[@stellaeiland1880]

Gorgeous. Love this. More of Colombia

[@diegoCOLbirding]

keep watching us!

[@paulacaycedo]

Me fascina The Birders Show. Me emociona mucho, a veces hasta las lagrimas por estar lejos, pero gracias a ustedes volver a vivirlo. Hermoso trabajo, los admiro mucho.

[@TheBirdersShow]

Muchísimas gracias, Paula 🥰 que felicidad leer este comentario, me alegra mucho que te guste tanto el show 🥳

[@stevedavis2050]

Just love these videos - congratulations on making ‘real birding’ look as it should ! Fantastic to see another talented guy get a top pair of binoculars too.

[@TheBirdersShow]

Appreciate it Steve, glad you enjoyed the episode. More to come 😁

[@mjgbirder]

Excellent episode :-) As someone with very limited mobility these days I’d figured that tropical forests were a habitat that I’d not be able to bird. This video shows that I’d actually be able to see a decent range of very cool birds without too much effort, thank you. Obviously, I realise that quite a few birds will be inaccessible to me, but there does seem to be some good options… M. PS. Top work on supporting young local birders / guides.

[@TheBirdersShow]

Thank you so much for this comment, and there are definitely good options for birders with limited mobility in Colombia, lots of great feeder birding with easy accessibly. And thanks for the kind words, we all really appreciate it. Giving the bins to young birders is the highlight of each recording for sure! More to come 🥳

[@diegoCOLbirding]

indeed @mjgbirder, many sites nowadays are accesible and easy to move around and get to... glad you liked the episode!!

[@SandraSykes]

Reach out to Chris at Araucana Lodge, not only is his facility easily accessible from Cali but he can connect you with additional accessible experiences in the area.

[@Garcia061]

I was going to say the exact same thing. I used to be a birding guide from S América but I broke my back in a climbing accident and other than going home to Argentina have not birded much on the continent since then. I can still walk pretty far but I have a real issue with sitting in a truck on the roads in Colombia. Some of these places just went to the top of my bucket list, especially km18. Por lo menos ya hay asfalto ahí. :)

[@diegoCOLbirding]

@@Garcia061 sitios como el km18 arriba de Cali, y muchos arriba de Bogotá y Manizales/Pereira son perfectamente accesibles hoy en diá para personas con limitaciones de movilidad y de terrenos... una buena noticia

[@ewajaja771]

Beautiful birds, you guys always make me so jealous 😉

[@TheBirdersShow]

Hopefully you can come and see all these stunning birds for yourself one day! :)

[@charlesweber8774]

I loved this video, people just don't realize just how beautiful Colombia is. My parents lived at km 25 of la caraterra al mar and the first thing my dad did was to put out a huge bird bath/ feeder right below our dinnig room window. And every day we got to see an incredible variety of birds wading and feasting on the seeds and food my dad would leave there everyday. Many of the same birds you have in this video, Thanks !

[@TheBirdersShow]

Thanks, Chuck, I'm so glad you enjoyed it :) and you're right about Colombia: even though it's getting more popular, most people around the world don't realise how stunning it is! But having ambassadors like you around the world letting people know certainly helps 😁

[@TAPavlik]

@8:40 mark. Well done guys. That was cool!

[@TheBirdersShow]

Thank you! It was definitely one of the moments of the trip for us too :)

[@Chris_Wolfgram]

@ 8:48... Giving the young guy the binoculars was SO cool :) He looked SO appreciative :) I bet he puts those to great use ! @ 15:37 "I see the Toucan" ! :) The excitement in that little boys voice is priceless :) He will have a love in his heart, for God's creatures, as long as he lives :)

[@TheBirdersShow]

Absolutely! We couldn't agree more: a love of birds and nature is a gift for any young person. Like you said, it's something they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. We all feel really lucky to be able to help spark that love and joy.

[@adventureswithalexia]

😍😍😍😍

[@johntebbet673]

Your videos are SO inspiring and informative! I’m lucky enough to be staying at the Araucana Lodge in January 2023 for two nights and I just can’t wait! It is so good you are supporting and enabling young birders and to see their joy through your efforts is such a pleasure. I wish you every success in all you do.

[@TheBirdersShow]

Thanks so much for commenting John, and we're so happy you enjoy the show. Enjoy Araucana, it's a wonderful place surrounded by incredible birding, we're sure you'll love every minute of it 😄

[@Chris_Wolfgram]

@ 14:43... I wish more places paid attention to providing a good "bird photography" experience, rather than only for birding. A nice perch is SO easy to setup, but so many places don't seem to even think about this :(

[@TheBirdersShow]

It's becoming more common in Colombia these days, since a lot of new Colombian birders are also into photography. But La Florida is especially good for this, Javier really goes above and beyond to ensure his visitors get good photo opportunities. Thanks for your comment :)

[@gayancooray4503]

Great episode again❤️ you guys are inspiring me as always. Keep it up💚 good luck for the great works.

[@TheBirdersShow]

Thanks so much Gayan, we all really appreciate your support with the show, glad you liked it 😁

[@anthonymendoza1327]

My mother-in-law had a house in Bogota that had some nice flowering shrubs. I remember seeing several species of flower piercers along with Great Thrush and various tanagers. This was in the middle of the city with loud traffic nearby. Unfortunately, it is now the location of a skyscraper with zero birds, but it was good while it lasted.

[@TheBirdersShow]

Urban birding in Bogota can still be - surprisingly - good, despite all the crazy traffic and noise. But we are losing more green spaces every day it seems. I've been fortunate to have a lot of migratory species in the tree in front of my Bogota flat though. There are definitely still treasures to find. And that's the beauty of urban birding I think: it really feels like you're unearthing hidden treasure when you spot a bird in such an incongruous environment. Thanks for commenting Anthony, hope you enjoyed the episode

[@Jhv007]

🤔 💭.. WATCHERS-BIRD!, UP IN CAUCA COLOMBIA 🇨🇴.. 🦜🦚🦩🕊 SUCH A BEAUTIFUL COLOURFUL~BIRDS VIDEO!. AMAZING DIVERSITY ON NATURE + BEAUTY TO SEE THIS LITTLE ANIMALS!. EXPECTED ☝🏻 ONE DAY GO INTO THE GREEN COLOMBIA, + LEARNING MORE ABOUT THIS SMALL BEAUTY ~COLOUR BIRDS. CLOSE TO MY HOUSE, ON THE MOUNTAIN WALKING ON THE ROAD I ALWAYS HEAR THE SOUND OF A BIRDS, IN INTERVALS OF 15 SECONDS MORE OR LESS VERY INTONE SOUND!!, BUT I NEVER CAN SEE THIS BIRDS..LOOKS LIKE THIS BIRDS ALWAYS HIDE!!. 🤔 💭 IT SEEMS THAT ONLY WE CAN SEE BIRDS WITH BINOCULARS??!!!..ALWAYS LEARNING FROM BIRDS VIDEOS, INSPIRED TOO!!!.

[@drferry]

Great show! Can't wait to go!

[@anthonylujan]

such great places! Dona Dora is amazing! La Florida I spent about 4 hours and wish to return as it was amazing!

[@TheBirdersShow]

This little area of Valle del Cauca is easily one of the best birding locations in Colombia, if not South America. We love it there! Thanks for watching and commenting Anthony

[@minidpersaud]

❤

[@TheBirdersShow]

:-)

[@tatianaruizmoncayo5784]

What a great episode. I have just one question, how is the road to go to Doña Dora's place? Is it paved? Is it easy to access in a small car o we need a truck-jeep kind vehicle? Thank you.

[@TheBirdersShow]

A small car is fine, Tatiana. There are a few potholes, but you can easily arrive at her house in a small car. And thank you for commenting, glad you enjoyed the episode :)

[@tomwirtz909]

Wow! Fantastic experience and video. I’ve been wanting to take a birding trip to Columbia for quite some time now. Perhaps, I missed it, but could you provide links to the lodges you visited in this video? Thanks!

[@TheBirdersShow]

instagram.com/araucana_lodge/ instagram.com/lafloridabirding/ instagram.com/donadorabirding/ instagram.com/bosquedenieblabirdingandnature/ instagram.com/sanfelipebirdingrnsc/

[@descendantsoftormaepa]

When is the best time of the year to go bird watching there?

[@TheBirdersShow]

Hi Charley 👋 thanks for your comment. To be honest, this is a year-round destination, it’s one of the perks of birding in this area. It’s generally a bit dryer between December and February though (although often activity can be lower when it’s very hot and dry). But the majority of these birds are active year-round. One factor that’s harder to plan for is when the ficus tree has ripe fruit: this can bring in some really unusual species from the lower Pacific forest. It happens a couple of times a year and seems unpredictable. But Doña Dora posts updates on how ripe the berries are on IG: @avistamientoavesdonadora

[@descendantsoftormaepa]

@@TheBirdersShow Thank you! I appreciate it!

[@HH003]

Great video! do you guys have a recommendation for a good columbian bird guide/book?

[@TheBirdersShow]

Thanks for your comment 😁 there are a few different options available nowadays. For my money, the most comprehensive guide is the new 'Birds of Colombia' book by Steven Hilty. However, it's rather heavy for field use (more of a reference book to study or consult after a day in the field for me). As far as field guides go, either 'An Illustrated Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia' by Fernando Ayerbe or 'Field Guide to the Birds of Colombia' by Miles McMullan are the two options. Both are excellent. For me, the Ayerbe book has clearer illustrations for field ID, but the texts in the McMullan book are more detailed and informative. Either book combined with the Merlin App would be great.