[Animals] This is Cali, the 'paradise of birds' that serves as a biological sanctuary in Colombia

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Cali, the third most populous city in Colombia, is also one of the places with the most diversity of birds in the world. So you can visit it.
The last thing I see is a dense forest invaded by mist. Seconds later, someone covers my eyes from behind. In the bewilderment of the darkness, a hand rests on my shoulder and tells me where to walk in the middle of the cold of the mountain; I only hear the wind through the trees and the leaves that break with each step we take.

Again and again, I stumble over the roots that rise from the ground until I find a metal line that I use as a support and guide to the interior of a wooden shelter, where I am asked to take a seat next to other people who remain silent.

Inside the Valle de Cauca

Those around me are not part of a drug cartel or criminal group, but members of the Cali River Association, a non-profit organization that promotes the natural conservation of the basins of Valle del Cauca, in the southwest of the country, and that today it promotes the Birdwatching Route for People with Visual Disabilities in the San Antonio Fog Forest Area of Importance for the Conservation of Birds, a forest haven just 20 minutes from the departmental capital: Cali, Colombia.

As the second most biodiverse country on the planet, Colombia is home to the largest number of birds in the world with 1,954 registered species. 30% is found in the freshness of the Western Cordillera, one of the three slopes into which the Colombian Andes are divided. Here, at kilometer 18 of the road that leads to the sea, is the mecca of ornithology.

Still ovijendados, they invite us to pay attention to the sounds of nature, songs that reveal the vast plurality of the avifauna of the region. A chirping there, a chirping there; then a squawk, a shriek, a distant howl. Soon there are countless sounds that are discovered and it is inevitable to remove the bandage from our eyes to try to transform those melodies into plumage and colors.

In a matter of seconds, one bird after another perches on the feeders installed as a camouflage throughout the 22 hectares of San Felipe Birding, where Clara Cabarcas and Carlos Calle created their inclusive bird tourism company based on strategies such as reforestation, placement of nests artificial and forest maintenance. Here alone, between 140 and 160 species have been recorded, which can even be identified by ear thanks to the sound guide produced by the NGO and available through QR codes at sighting points.

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The first thing revealed was a rainbow of feathers made up of tanagers, small neotropical birds of colors as diverse as their species. Among them, the crowned one and its yellow heads, the turquoise shades of the naquirrufa, the burning scarlet of the flaming one, the capirotada with its electric greens, the saffron of the sea bream. This was followed by larger feathered ones like the common tile, with its elegant and pale indigo; a green honeycreeper and its shimmering emerald iridescence, and the swift blue-white of a collared hummingbird.

However, it was an iridescent red-tailed toucan who was in charge of closing the winged spectacle before returning to Clara and Carlos's home in the hacienda, an eclectic space designed by the Colombian national architecture award winner Jaime Vélez between the forest and its symphonies. A traditional and excellent red (black coffee) could not be missing on the porch, while the couple shared their passion for collecting and photography.

But this is not the only bird-tourism undertaking in the region. The members of Río Cali invite us to the nearby La Florida farm, better known as the Bosque de las Aves, where they also work to maintain camouflaged observation posts that serve as a showcase for other polychrome specimens such as the red-headed bull.

WITH CAMERA IN HAND AND ANOTHER TINTICO ON ORDER (NOW WITH A REFRESHING TOUCH OF LEMON PEEL), WE DISCOVER THAT LIFE DOESN'T ONLY DEVELOP AMONG THE BRANCHES WHEN A SIMPLE BUT ENORMOUS GORGIBLANCA-PARTRIDGE DOVE PASSES WALKING AT GROUND LEVEL, A FEW METERS FROM OUR DEN; MINUTES LATER, A GUATIN LOOKS OUT STEALTH TO GNAW SOME ROOTS AND COLLECT SEEDS.

The function continues to look tirelessly and, from time to time, enjoy the peace of the mountains until it is time to leave. But just before getting in the car, as if that hadn't been enough of a sighting, a chicken hawk betrays itself by watching over a bromeliad that sprouts from the top of a light pole. Without a doubt, this is the paradise of birds.

https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/como-es-vivir-en-cali-colombia/