Río Ñambi

Introduction

The Río Ñambi Nature Reserve was established in 1991 after a student expedition to the area. The reserve was purchased with funds donated by individuals in Britain and the U.S.A. and is managed locally by a private foundation. It is the first community run nature reserve in South America. The reserve is important as it protects areas of highly threatened rainforest and some of the rarest species of birds in the World.

Getting to the Reserve

The Río Ñambi reserve is located between Altaquer and Junín on the Pasto-Tumaco highway at a place known as El Barro (The Mud). Take any bus heading from Pasto or Ipiales to Tumaco and get off at the reserve entrance. From here it is a 4km walk along a well marked trail through the forest to the reserve centre and accommodation cabin. It is best to book in advance your stay by writing to The Director, FELCA, AA384, Pasto - Nariño, Colombia.

Birds to look for

Over 300 species have so far been recorded here so the potential is great. In 1991 a new species of vireo was discovered in the reserve and should be looked for gleening high in the canopy. It has also been seen on several occasions from the balcony of the reserve cabin. The reserve is also probably one of the best places to look for the rare and threatened Plumbeous Forest-falcon. It is best looked for before dawn along the trail that leads back to the road. Barred Forest-falcon is also present here. Other rare species that should be looked for are Toucan Barbet, Beautiful Jay, Dark-backed Wood-quail, Plumbeous Hawk, Pale-eyed Thrush, Rufous-brown Solitaire, Torrent Duck (rare) and Fasciated Tiger-heron. Other species include White-winged Becard, Empress Brilliant, Red-headed Barbet, Tawny-bellied Hermit, Golden-collared Honeycreeper, Yellow-collared Chlorophonia, Plain-backed Antpitta, Immaculate Antbird, Rufous-breasted Antthrush, Purple-throated Woodstar, Broad-billed and Rufous Motmots, Olivaceous Piha, Green-fronted Lancebill, Bat Falcon, Barred hawk, Velvet-purple Coronet, Uniform Treehunter, Spectacled Foliage-gleaner, Orange-breasted and Scaled Fruiteaters, Olive Finch, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Moss-backed Tanager, Golden-headed Quetzal and Chestnut-headed Brush-finch.

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