The Upper Magdalena River in Colombia. Home of giant spectral bats and poison dart frogs.

Last week I went to Honda in the Tolima department of Colombia with work and had the opportunity to travel around the area. A highlight of this trip was a visit to the lost city of Falan nature reserve. The settlement was built by colonists along the river valley, where they built numerous tunnels to mine the rocks for precious metals and gems. The jungle had reclaimed the area and plants grew over the ruins and abandoned mine shafts. The river ran swiftly though the steep valley and its sides were home to black and yellow poison dart frogs. One of these was carrying its tadpole on its back to deliver it to an appropriate body of water.

Dendrobates truncatus (yellow-striped poison frog) Falan Tolima Colombia

Dendrobates truncatus (yellow-striped poison frog) Falan Tolima Colombia

Dendrobates truncatus (yellow-striped poison frog) with tadpole Falan Tolima Colombia

Waterfall at Falan 

The tunnels at Falan were home to a variety of bats. The most spectacular was the largest bat in the western hemisphere. The predatory spectral bat. This impressive bat eats other bats, birds and mice. These are rare to find because as they are apex predators there are only usually a few in any given forest, compared to hundreds of other bat species. Nat Geo Article on spectral bats.

Vampyrum spectrum (The Spectral Bat) Falan Tolima Colombia

Vampyrum spectrum (The Spectral Bat) Falan Tolima Colombia

Vampyrum spectrum (The Spectral Bat) Falan Tolima Colombia

This other much smaller bat species was hanging out in a different tunnel.

Peropteryx kappleri (Greater Dog Bat) Falan Tolima Colombia

Peropteryx kappleri (Greater Dog Bat) Falan Tolima Colombia

Honda is a historic town, founded by the Spanish in the 1500s at the furthest navigable point of the river from the Atlantic. The rapids at this point make it impossible for ships to travel further. The river in the town is teaming with water birds including ibis, cormorants and egrets.

Nannopterum brasilianum (Neotropical Cormorant group) Magdalena River, Honda,Colombia

Phimosus infuscatus (Bare-faced Ibis) Honda Tolima Colombia

Flocks of orange-chinned parakeets populate the trees in the pretty town square.

Brotogeris jugularis (orange-chinned parakeet) Honda Tolima Colombia

I travelled out of Honda to visit the site of some ancient indigenous Petroglyphs. These were situated in a large cattle ranch alongside small tributary rivers flowing on a plain between steep sandstone and conglomerate cliffs.

Sandstone cliffs

I arrived at the entrance to the ranch in the early morning to find a large flock of Amazon parrots were gathered in a tree waiting to disperse. They were quite wary and it was hard to get close enough for any good photos. 

                Amazona ochrocephala (Yellow-crowned Amazon Parrot) Tolima Colombia

These beautiful green parrots have a bright red flash on the wings that is revealed in flight.

Sandstone cliffs near the petroglyphs

The petroglyphs were reached by a 45minute walk. By the cliff face where they were located, a number of Morpho butterflies flew past. Butterflies and other animals including owls, monkeys and turtles were represented in the rock art. 

Petroglyphs including owls

Butterfly petroglyph in bottom left corner

The view out from the overhanging rock shelter where the petroglyphs were located was stunning.

View from the rock shelter

This lovely turquoise iridescent butterfly was puddling near a cattle trough at the base of the cliffs.

Papilio (Battus) lycidas (Cramer's swallowtail) Tolima Colombia

On a trip for a swim at a waterfall near Mariquita we found these huge false sphinx hawkmoth caterpillars were heading down a tree to pupate. They flicked their bodies as if to imitate snakes.

Pseudosphinx tetrio caterpillar (Tolima Colombia)

Waterfall near Maquita. A great swimming spot.

On the drive back to Bogota we stopped in Villeta at a roadside restaurant near the Rio Villeta. Some wasteland by the car park there was full of butterflies.

Dione vanillae (Gulf Fritillary) Villeta Colombia

Dione vanillae (Gulf Fritillary) Villeta Colombia