With something close to 75 endemics and a bird list longer than that of any other country on earth, Colombia has long been every birder’s dream destination. For years, though, it was essentially off limits to most foreign travelers; that’s changed, and now, with careful planning and good local contacts, Colombia is once again “open” for birding.

Recurve-billed Bushbird, courtesy ProAves

Barry Walker has created a new WINGS tour that specifically targets the rarities and endemic specialties of the Colombian Andes. Scheduled for August 2009, this will be a rugged, even challenging tour to see places and birds that so many of us had, until recently, almost given up on ever experiencing. Barry’s deep-rooted familiarity with Colombia and its birds combine with the skill of our driver and the presence throughout the tour of a local Colombian travel coordinator to ensure that our time in the country is smooth and utterly bird-filled.

We’ll be staying at some of the reserves owned and patrolled by ProAves, a Colombian conservation NGO devoted to the preservation of Colombia’s endemic birds and their habitats. The accommodations at Mirador are very basic, but the other preserves we’ll be staying at feature comfortable lodging with private bathrooms. And all of them are satisfyingly birdy, often with specialties visible without even leaving the balconies!

The main tour is followed by an extension concentrating on two of Colombia’s finest endemics, the critically endangered Yellow-eared Parrot and the recently discovered Chestnut-capped Piha. Together, the tour and its extension run for some 21 days, just time enough to fall completely under the spell of some of the most enchanting birding, and the most enchanted places, in the world.