On arrival in Yopal I met up with Pedro and his
family, who kindly hosted me for some days while I made wheel repairs to
my bike – over 25 000 km had begun to take its toll on the hubs and rims. I
was fortunate to share the New Year with the family, and enjoyed the
festivities and Colombian traditions while bidding farewell to the Old Year.
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| The Colombian flag flying high. |
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| Countryside along the western edge of the Llanos. |
After a pleasant stay, I headed further south towards
Aguazul followed by a detour towards Mani. I had been tipped off some weeks
earlier by a local that the Llanos was supposedly very beautiful near Mani, so
I just had to go see for myself. Sometimes I can be a real sucker for taking
other people’s advice, especially when it involves the chance to see nice
scenery. Maybe I would find a good bird or two, and so I figured it would be
worth taking the diversion.
So after a night in Aguazul, I took the road to Mani.
Nothing spectacular yet, but I am quite patience so continued on. An expected
lifer turned up in the late afternoon, a pair of Double-striped Thick-knee on
an open pasture, grazed to a stuble by the cows. A Crested Bobwhite crossing
the road added a second tick for the day, before I enquired at a farm whether I
could camp there. Sure, no problem, was the reply; one can always expect such a
reply from Colombian folk. As payment for staying the night and enjoying a warm
meal, I had to answer dozens of questions asked by the children concerning my
bike and travels! Always a pleasure!
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| Sunrise over the Llanos. |
An early start before sunrise ensured a pleasant ride
as the fog lifted off the grasslands. Small flocks and pairs of parrots flew
by, undoubtedly making their way from their night time roost to their favourite
fruiting trees. Orange-winged and Yellow-crowned Parrots were the most common,
with the occasional pair of raucous Chestnut-fronted Macaws passing over.
Cattle Tyrants, Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow-headed Caracara and Giant Cowbird
were roadside spectators as I passed by. Black Vultures were still lounging in
the trees, most likely waiting for the heat thermals to pick up so they could take to the
wing. Some large roadside fruiting trees delivered all the parrots mentioned
above, but also various common tanagers (Blue-grey, Palm, and Burnished-buff) and thrushes (Black-billed and Pale-breasted).
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| Chestnut-fronted Macaws were common and usually seen in pairs. |
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| An Orange-winged Parrot. |
While watching an elegant Swallow-tailed Kite from the entrance gates to a finca, I was invited in by the owner to take
a closer look at the other birds on the property. After a brief chat, I took a
stroll along the banks of a river, with a few nice surprises in store, such as
Plumbeous Kite, Pied Plover, Osprey, Ringed Kingfisher, Snowy Egret, another
Sunbittern and the striking Large-billed Tern. The tern flapped its way over
the waters while a lone Caiman lay on a sandbank in the river, soaking up the
midday sun. A brief visit to a nearby wetland, on horse-back and guided by my
host, produced some exciting and new waterbirds, including Limpkin, a pair of
Yellow-billed Tern and Orinoco Gooose. I had been hoping to see the latter
species even since arriving in the Llanos, so was pleased to see not just one
but three birds.
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| A Caiman basking in the midday sun. |
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| Large-billed Terns truly do have massive bills! And a bold wing pattern. |
So after being hosted yet again as a complete stranger, I was
beginning to comprehend why Colombia was quickly becoming one of my top three
countries visited to date. After just three months in the country, I had met
some very special people, who would change my outlook on life…
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| The strikingly patterned Sunbittern, worth watching every time. |
