Of all the virtual experiences being offered to us these strange days, this was the one that caught my attention: virtual bird watching in Colombia. The creators of The Birders, a 2019 documentary about a birding road trip through northern Colombia have created a checklist of all 102 birds that appear in the hour-long film (free on YouTube) so that you can mark them off as you watch.
The documentary, which stars Diego Calderón-Franco, an expert guide, and Keith Ladzinski, a wildlife filmmaker, is part of an effort by the Colombia Ministry of Tourism to establish the country as a birding destination. It’s a pretty easy sell. Nearly 2,000 species can be spotted there, more than you can see in any other country. Colombia’s birds range from hummingbirds so tiny they look like bumblebees to tall, pink flamingos that manage to be both gawky and elegant. The movie shows off the mountains, rain forest, beaches, and coffee plantations that attract all those birds, too, so the film is a nice escape, even if you don’t want to “bird” it. But if you do, here are some tips.
Read the full article from Jeremy Saun with Afar here.
I went bird watching in Colombia from my couch and you should too
