(Hacienda Rubia) the mesa rises into the foothills of the eastern andes, to the west drops off into broadlands. Most of the mesa tops is flat grassland, the seed stalks of the grass being about 8 to 10 tall. These are dry but the blossom at the bottom are green - the whole much too green to burn. When we arrived much of the mesa was almost marshy with clumps of frogs and even pools big enough for a 4-foot alligator. The swampy places grow a 2 foot sticky "agume". The quebradas were filled with a dry thorny woods. Islands of thorn and organ-pipe cactus (no Opuntia) were scattered across the mesa, separated by several hundred yards. By the time we left, most of the wet places had dried up. Abundant or characteristic birds of the region include: lbises, quail, thrushes, three doves (but not Lophotila) Tupens, Cretophasia ani, burrowing owl, Thamnophilus, Vermilion flycatcher, Muscicora (very abundant), tyrannus, ygarcroati, cactus wren Polioptila Every evening the Muscicora can be seen heading towards and down Quebrada Cascarro, apparently to some roasting fire. Several dozen roast in a the overhang Hacienda San Diego Hernan is still in Neiva, Smith still in Bogota. The new camp is along the swift, cobble, Jujar Creek in the middle of dry thorn forest, quite different than the savanna at Cascarro and not nearly as open as the country along the road south of Villanueva. Savage describes birds like Perelge and has seen dozens of it least two birds mating, a Lophotila with 2 young