BirdGuides

12 World of Birds • 2023 www.birdguides.com GREAT DESTINATIONS COLOMBIA of Pasto lies some 520 km south-west of Bogotá. Some of the world’s finest co ee is processed here and a chance to sample it was then followed by a short visit to Las Lomas de Tescual on the outskirts of the city, where the rolling, open pastures and scrubby Andean secondary forest harbour a number of interesting species for southern Colombia. Blue lagoon The principal destination, however, was the nearby Laguna de la Cocha. Located in the Andean massif, at an altitude of 2,760 m, it is of volcanic- glacial origin and is the second- largest natural lake in Colombia. It has also been declared a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention and is the source of the Guamués River that flows into the Putumayo River which, in turn, flows into the Amazon. This was to be the base for local birding over the next two days. It was also the venue for the global launch of the new Swarovski ATC compact spotting scope, which was unveiled shortly after our arrival and would be put to the test in varying terrains over the following days. After the great unveiling of the ATC, we crossed the water by boat, at the northern end of the lake, encountering a number of species which were unique to the trip. The shallows held good numbers of Andean Coots with yellow bills and red frontal shields – an ‘upmarket’ version of what we are used to seeing in the UK. Andean Duck were also very much in evidence, as were small numbers of Yellow-billed Pintail. It was also pleasing to see a high- altitude speciality in the shape of Andean Gull, which is found only in a small inland area within southern Colombia, as well as Bare-faced Ibis. It’s worth pointing out that, because of the elevation of the area, the average temperature is only 11°C. Furthermore, although it was August and despite our proximity to the Equator, the days were chilly and the nights very cold! Cold, too, was the visit to Páramo Bordoncillo, located nearby over the Andean portion of the Colombian Massif. Broadly speaking, the term ‘páramo’ covers a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes. Bordoncillo has been transformed primarily due to arable and livestock farming; however, the remnants of this ecosystem hold birds of restricted distribution, as well as local species that are uncommon. High on the list of target species in this category is Chestnut-bellied Cotinga, which required a mini- expedition, ascending elevated, muddy trails into the otherwise impenetrable cloudforest in order to connect with it. From certain points along these trails, the vistas across the mountain valleys and lushly vegetated slopes were breathtaking – in more ways than one. Lugging heavy optical equipment up into such montane environments, where the air is thin, can result in altitude sickness, including significant shortage of breath – indeed, some of our party su ered more than others. This is where the advantages associated with the use of Swarovski’s ATC became clear. Having a small, light and easy-to-carry scope – at the same time retaining the high standards of optical quality inherent in the company’s established ATX range – was a boon in such circumstances (a full review can be found online at bit.ly/3RaXsgX ). The scope did not disappoint as we located, and zoomed in on, three di erent Chestnut-bellied Cotingas after some considerable trekking. Back down at lower levels we passed through an impressively bizarre-looking hillside, extensively covered with large, spiky-leaved Espeletia shrubs – a high-altitude native to Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador and endangered due to destruction of the páramo. Here, it was a great delight to see one of those wonderfully gaudy birds of this Chestnut-bellied Cotinga (inset) was one of the key targets seen by Mike and others at Páramo Bordoncillo (main). The lightweight Swarovski Optik ATC was a very handy companion at such high altitudes, where the air is thin and breathing can be difficult. MIKE ALIBONE This Ferruginous Pygmy Owl was digiscoped using the Swarovski ATC. LUIS EDUARDO URUENA ALEJ PINTO