Just a few steps away from the El Tesoro shopping center and nestled in a residential area of the Poblado is the UVA “Illusion Green”. The UVAs (Units of Articulated Life) are spaces for cultural, recreational, educational and social activities. These twenty green lungs were conceived to integrate a space of the Public Companies of Medellín with the peripheral zones of Medellín and each one of them has zones of recreation, library, footpaths and viewpoints. In other words, the recreation of the inhabitants of the area is an ideal place.
On one occasion when we were taking a walk, we saw a large number and variety of birds and decided to return on another occasion to birch. We returned on a clear day, at approximately seven in the morning. The park already had a life of its own: The children of a kindergarten played happily, some neighbors jogged along the paths. Before reaching the central part of the park, we walk through the grasslands that surround it. Right there, we begin to see the first species. In the distance we hear the shrill sound of the guacharacas (Ortalis Columbiana), as we approached we saw three of the big birds that were perched in the branches of the trees. We took some steps when we saw a bird of prey that ventured into the undergrowth of the place. It was a pollero hawk (Rupornis magnirostris) who had just found his breakfast in that place. It flew away quickly with its prey in its claws. We continue our journey and we see some common species of the area such as the Mays (Turdus Ignobilis), a pair of Chirigües azafranados (Sicalis flaveola), several types of flycatchers and a couple of yellow-cheeked nurseries (Tiaris olivaceus) that fed their chicks in the nest made in a palm tree.
Already deep inside the park the sky gave us the encounter with three colorful flag macaws (Ara macao) that reside in the area and go in search of food. The gift was completed with the sighting of Albiazul Swallows (Pygochelidon cyanoleuca) and six boisterous tanned parakeets (Brotogeris juglaris).
As we approach the trees, we begin to notice movements within the branches of these trees and we soon identify a Piranga bejera (Piranga rubra) female. She posed for us for several minutes while she finished feeding. In the same tree, we were able to identify a Red-cheeked Verderón that also fed on the berries of the tree in front of us.
Our expectations were even higher, considering the diversity of birds that can be found in Medellín, we wanted to see even more species. With this purpose in mind, we look for a place with a more leafy grove. We walked several meters and we located near a set of trees with our binoculars and cameras ready to any movement coming from that green thicket, without knowing the surprises that were still to come and that would make our morning happy. A small bird jumped from branch to branch quickly, when it jumped to our eyes we saw an adorable spectacled thrush (Catharus ustulatus) that was spinning on the same branch and giving us an overview of its body. With growing excitement, we saw a small pair of very colored tanagers arrive, it was a pair of royal tanagras (Stilpnia cyanicollis) that contrasted in a special way with the green of the leaves. When we were about to return home, the biggest surprise of the morning arrived. Another pair of small-multicolored birds came to our sighting site. This time it was a pair of blue-euphonized euphonias (Euphonia cyanocephala), the male and the female were moving through all the branches in search of food.
After a little over an hour in the park, we saw a total of 26 species. It was comforting to know that such a close place we could see such a number of bird species in such a short time. This is a perfect start to any morning in the city of eternal spring. If you want to know more about bird watching in Colombia and especially the city of Medellín, do not hesitate to contact us.
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