Kevin Ocampo Wildlife Photography

Name: Kevin Ocampo Wildlife Photography
Address: Santiago de Cali, CO
Telephone: +573168880202

Casa
Colombia
Santiago de Cali
Kevin Ocampo Wildlife Photography

Recorriendo Colombia y el mundo en busca de los animales más hermosos. 📸🦉🇨🇴

20/12/2025

An 11-day bird-photography journey across Colombia’s Andes with a Brazilian guest, crafted for photographers who want time on the subject—not rushed sightings. We started in Bogotá and headed into the High Andes at La Calera for hummingbird photography, where repetition and clean setups make it ideal for action shots and sharp, portfolio-ready frames.

The route then continued via Medellín into the Western Andes, working the cloud forests around Jardín with dedicated sessions at reliable hotspots, including Jardín de Rocas (Andean Cock-of-the-rock) and Reserva Los Guácharos. As the trip progressed, we crossed into new elevations and habitats through the Central Andes, adding variety in light, backgrounds, and species—then focused on proven photography sites like Bird’s Home in Mistrató and Río Blanco, famous for close-range forest moments and high-Andean specialties. We also included Hacienda El Bosque before finishing in Valle del Cauca.

The final stretch near Cali delivered a strong closing sequence: Bosque de Niebla, Finca La Florida (with chances for Multicolored Tanager), and a last morning at Doña Dora (Km 18), where the cloud-forest edge can produce frame-filling, colorful subjects to end the tour on a high note.

Tour Leader (Colombia): Hernán Gonzales.
Ocampo Expeditions S.A.S.

20/12/2025

This 11-day Colombia bird-photography trip was built around consistent, close-range photographic opportunities in the Andes, combining curated feeder sites, cloud-forest trails, and proven locations for hummingbirds, tanagers, and other high-impact subjects. We began in Bogotá with a smooth arrival and briefing, then quickly moved into the High Andes for hummingbird photography sessions designed for repetition, clean backgrounds, and strong natural light.

From Bogotá, the route continued through the Coffee Region of Colombia, balancing early starts and productive field time with comfortable pacing and well-timed transfers. As we moved across elevations and habitats, the group enjoyed a wide variety of photographic scenarios—from fast hummingbird action to calmer mid-story forest moments—maximizing both species diversity and image quality.

The trip wrapped up in Valle del Cauca with classic cloud-forest birding and photography, including a final session at Doña Dora (Km 18), a favorite site near Cali for colorful forest-edge species and unforgettable close encounters. Overall, it was a highly successful program for a photographer-focused client, with strong logistics, excellent photo conditions, and plenty of time at the best setups.

Tour Leader: Alexander Muñoz.

27/10/2025

Tyrian Metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina) is a small high-Andean hummingbird found along Colombia’s Andean cordillera. According to eBird Status & Trends, its modeled presence is permanent year-round, with consistent records in the Eastern Cordillera surrounding Bogotá.

On our Bogotá & Eastern Andes tours we observe it regularly in montane areas, where we schedule specific stops because eBird’s relative-abundance layer indicates it is detectable in any season; this allows us to include it as a photography and observation target without depending on a particular “season.”

If you’d like to dig deeper before the trip, you can check on eBird the annual range map and abundance for Tyrian Metaltail in the Bogotá region; these products are based on 2009–2023 checklists and were updated in the 2025 Status & Trends release.

22/10/2025

Blue-throated Starfrontlet (Coeligena helianthea)
High in Colombia’s Eastern Andes, a flash of emerald and violet breaks through the mist. The male Blue-throated Starfrontlet glows with a green forecrown, sapphire-violet throat, and a rosy-purple belly that ignites when the light hits just right. Females trade the spectacle for elegance—golden-green upperparts, a warm buffy throat, and the same long, straight bill built for mountain blooms.

Found in cloud-forest interiors, edges, and shrubby slopes at the lower margin of páramo—and even in flower-rich gardens—this species ranges roughly 1,900–3,300 m. It occurs in Colombia and far western Venezuela, with reliable sightings around Bogotá in Cundinamarca. Globally it is listed as Least Concern.

See it with Ocampo Expeditions around Bogotá in the Eastern Andes.

12/08/2025

Black-billed Peppershrike (Cyclarhis nigrirostris)
A discreet Andean vireo of the family Vireonidae, found in the Colombian Andes with a small range into northern Ecuador. It favors humid montane forest and forest edge, typically between ~1,300–2,700 m where it forages methodically for arthropods in the mid-story and canopy. Global status: Least Concern (IUCN).

ID tip. Compared with the more widespread Rufous-browed Peppershrike, look for an all-black bill and a finer rufous supercilium on a more olive head/neck—subtle, but decisive in good light.

Where we look for it. Join us in Colombia’s Coffee Region and Valle del Cauca, where reliable forest corridors and canopy viewpoints boost your chances. Recent, geo-tagged records and media confirm the species in Caldas/Risaralda (Coffee Region) and Valle del Cauca, including high-quality audio from these departments—evidence that it’s regularly detected (often heard before seen).

15/05/2025

Por primera vez en la historia, se ha logrado captar una imagen —aunque difusa— de un ave endémica de Risaralda que durante décadas fue considerada un mito entre ornitólogos y locales. Gracias a las cámaras trampa instaladas por OCAMPO EXPEDITIONS SAS en la zona rural de Pereira, el misterioso Gallus gallus frisbianus —conocido comúnmente como el Pollo Frisby— finalmente apareció ante el lente.

Con su plumaje reluciente, su elegante chaqueta roja, chaleco dorado y una cresta perfectamente formada bajo un gorro de chef, esta carismática especie ha sido imposible de confundir. Aunque algunos han reportado avistamientos similares en el extranjero, ninguno ha sido verificado oficialmente, y esta imagen capturada el 15 de mayo de 2025 a las 6:00 a.m. en PEREIRA, RIS, confirma que esta especie única habita exclusivamente en nuestro territorio.

Más allá de lo anecdótico, este hallazgo es una poderosa metáfora. Así como el Pollo Frisby ha sido protagonista de debates recientes, muchas aves reales en Colombia enfrentan amenazas invisibles y urgentes: tráfico ilegal de fauna, deforestación, expansión urbana y pérdida de hábitat.

Esta imagen, aunque simbólica, nos recuerda que proteger nuestra fauna va mucho más allá de una especie: es una causa colectiva. Hoy más que nunca, necesitamos mantenernos unidos, defender lo nuestro y asegurarnos de que las generaciones futuras puedan seguir admirando la riqueza natural que nos rodea.

Porque tenemos que cuidar lo nuestro… porque nadie lo hace como Colombia lo hace.

⚠️ Este relato es parcialmente ficticio y con fines humorísticos.

29/09/2024

Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)

The Black Vulture, commonly seen across Colombia, plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of our ecosystems by scavenging and cleaning up carrion. Despite their frequent presence, capturing an aesthetically pleasing image of these birds can be challenging. Their dark plumage absorbs light, and their often-skittish behavior makes it difficult to frame a compelling shot.

However, during our visit to Hacienda El Diamante, the conditions were ideal to capture this striking image. The soft, natural light brought out the fine details of their feathers and skin, while the vibrant backdrop of the location added depth and contrast. In this moment of stillness, the vultures displayed an unexpected elegance, allowing us to appreciate their beauty beyond their often misunderstood role in nature.

This photograph highlights not only the impressive physicality of the Black Vulture but also their significance as nature’s cleanup crew, essential to the health of our ecosystems.

27/08/2024

I’m sharing the fourth and final photograph from my recent visit to

This time, I focused exclusively on the hummingbirds in the area, a difficult decision given the presence of spectacular species like tanagers and toucans, including the Toucan Barbet, Glistening-green Tanager, and Black-chinned Mountain Tanager, which also frequent the feeders. However, exploring only the photographic possibilities with the hummingbirds turned out to be a great choice.

27/08/2024

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with new photographic techniques, exploring different angles, distances between the birds and the camera, and even playing with the tones and gradients in my images. In this photograph of a beautiful male Green Thorntail (Discosura conversii), taken at Doña Dora Birding, one of my favorite places for photographing hummingbirds in Valle del Cauca, I managed to capture a clean and striking focus. This location is ideal for hummingbird photography as they have set up perches specifically designed for photographers seeking images without distracting branches or overly detailed backgrounds, which further highlights the beauty of the subject.

26/08/2024

Photographing birds in their natural environment is a deeply rewarding experience, filled with fleeting moments that reveal the beauty of wildlife. In this image, a Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) delicately perches on a flower as it extracts nectar, showcasing an intimate interaction between the bird and its surroundings. The symbiosis between the bird’s colorful plumage and the vibrant hues of the flower highlights the harmony and intrinsic connection that exists in nature. Capturing these moments requires not only patience but also a profound respect for wildlife and its habitat.

Dirección

Santiago De Cali

Teléfono

+573168880202

Página web

http://www.ocampoexpeditions/

Notificaciones

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