Stressed out over the current pandemic situation? Alone, and with no idea how to spend your time while practicing social distancing? The National Audubon Society offers you the perfect solution – Birding.
Coffee growers, hoteliers, and chefs are transforming this region into one of the country’s most compelling destinations for eating and drinking.
Birding, the act of seeking out bird species, is considered by some to be a hobby. To me, birding is a lifestyle and an obsession. If I miss a day getting outside, or at least parked by a window for a few minutes to observe visitors to my bird feeders, I feel the void. I never leave home without my binoculars and, much to the annoyance of loved ones, am likely to interrupt just about any conversation to point out a neat bird. (To me, most birds are neat.)
More and more travelers are heading to Colombia as the word gets out that this country is ripe for exploring and offers a plethora of diverse experiences. Colombia’s landscapes range from an unspoiled Caribbean coastline to tropical rainforests to the soaring Andes.
They were guerrilla fighters in a lengthy civil war. Now they’re protecting Colombia’s pristine, richly biodiverse jungles and ecosystems. Jaime Gongora is helping them win the battle and build themselves new lives.
You’ve heard how much fun birdwatching can be, and you’re raring to get out there and start right away. But before you rush out of the door, wait! There are some important things you should know first. These tips will help you have a great time, stay safe, and be kind to birds.
Understanding birds’ bodies can also explain why certain threats affect birds differently, even if they eat exactly the same food. Because of the different ways they digest food, owls can get all the nutrients they need even in polluted habitats, whereas diurnal raptors such as the Eurasian Sparrow Hawk Accipiter nisus cannot. This could be one of the reasons raptor populations have plummeted in degraded forests.
The need to develop sustainable sources of income in Colombia has taken on a new urgency since the government’s 2016 peace accord with the guerrilla movement known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. If peace has made the country more attractive to international visitors, it has also complicated the chances of survival for some of Colombia’s rarest birds. A half-century of violence uprooted millions of rural Colombians and converted large swathes of the country’s interior into no-go zones. Now, the end of fighting has set off a race to recolonise and exploit rural districts, including protected areas.
When José Jarvi Bazán started using organic production methods in 2004, he never imagined that his farm, “El Renacer” (south of Valle del Cauca in the municipality of Jamundí, Colombia), would become such a special place for bird conservation. At the beginning, his main motivation was to grow a healthier crop, as he realized that the pesticides he was using were toxic to the environment and degraded his land. Together with his wife, Nelly Lucumí, he began to produce natural agrochemicals to fight weeds and pests.
I spend most of my day indoors, in front of a computer. The only music I hear is the rhythmic clacking of my fingers on the keyboard, sometimes in adagio and occasionally (if I’m lucky enough to be inspired) in allegro. Before the era of COVID-19, the most excitement I experienced involving a bird was with a blue jay that liked to sit on the ledge of my office window. To not scare it away, I’d freeze in my chair and stare.
