No Black-backed Woodpecker Victory For Me

 During my stay at Groton State Forest I found a place called Peacham Bog on the map. The bog is estimated to have formed about 7,000 years ago in an area where a glacial depression was formed. There was a 4.5 mile loop trail through the area including a boardwalk leading through a portion of the bog. I saw several White-throated Sparrows near the bog and  dozens of Dark-eyed Juncos. 

 My most interesting sighting of the day was a grouse I saw along a portion of trail which was lined with spruce trees. I determined that it was a Ruffed Grouse and not a Spruce Grouse. The bird seemed to vanish into thin air when I reached for my camera. I may change that sighting to- Ghost Grouse. I'm currently waiting for verification from avian paranormal investigators.

 I believe these are what they call pitcher plants. Insects are attracted to the cup of the plants then drown in the liquid within until they are eventually converted into mineral nutrients that are absorbed into the plant. it's enough to make me glad that I'm not a fly. These plants grow in areas where the soil is too acidic for most other plants to grow.

 The morning that I left my campsite I traveled further north to a town called Victory. The estimated population was 97 individuals as of the year 2000. A sighting of a Black-backed Woodpecker was reported there in the month of September so I thought  I would give it a shot. I've never seen one before and thought it would be great to have a blog post with a title something like: "Search For Black-backed Woodpecker Ends In Victory! " I spent the day searching suitable areas along a road leading through the Victory Basin Wildlife Management Area. I had some nice sightings including Purple Finches, Blue-headed Vireos, and White-crowned Sparrows. 

I  heard more whining Red-breasted Nuthatches than I ever have before. Their nasal sounding calls going back and forth almost made it sound as if they were complaining to each other. Do you know how they have terms for a flock of a particular species of birds such as: "A murder of Crows"?  I've decided that from now on that when I encounter a group of vocal nuthatches I'm going to refer to them as: "a nag of nuthatches". 

I made a good effort and found some great woodpecker habitat at the end of this soggy trail. I did scare up another grouse along the way but in the end there was no Black-backed Woodpecker to be found. The only woodpecker to be found was one little downy. You'd think I was wearing woodpecker repellent or something!

I could always change my title to "Search for Song Sparrow Ends In Victory" but it probably wouldn't have the same impact.

Camping At Groton State Forest In Vermont

 I spent a couple of days camping in Groton State Forest in Vermont. What impressed me the most about this forest was that it has 7 state parks within its boundaries. The area has lots of ponds, lakes, and scenic overlooks. This photo was taken at a place called Owls Head. A short trail leads you to the top and offers views of Lake Groton, kettle Pond and the Green Mountains.

 The Civilian Conservation Corps lined the trail on the way up with convenient stone steps and built this tower at the top. All this work was done in the 1930's and has stood the test of time. I wonder why they didn't try a similar program during this past recession? 

I spent most of my time around the park just hiking and looking at the scenery. There were a lot of people from out of state driving around looking for Fall foliage. 

 I stayed in a cabin at Ricker Pond State Park. I found a few species of birds on the day of my arrival including Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Red-breasted Nuthatches, a pair of loons that always seemed to be on the opposite side of the lake, a Pileated Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, a healthy population of American Robins, and one lonely mallard that liked to come out at sunset. 

 There was a Red Squirrel that was kept me company. I think he was trying to tell me where all the birds were hiding but unfortunately, I don't speak fluent squirrel so it was difficult to get a conversation going.

At the end of the day I headed back to the cabin to contemplate my plans for the next day. That's me sitting in the chair by the fire  performing one of my magic tricks.

Celebrating Panama Audubon Society's 50 years!

That's right, Panama Audubon Society (PAS) turns 50!  And for the occasion they have organized a series of activities to share with members and general public, celebrating our birds.  We started last weekend with the first of a series of Sunday trips.  Many members of the board of directors (including me) accompanied our guide for the day, my friend Justo Camargo, very early at the Metropolitan Natural Park, where we met the participants.  Former PAS president, Darien Montañez, opened the event before heading to the trails.

However, I decided to accompany Rosabel Miró (PAS Executive Director), Yenifer Díaz (and his mom) and Celeste Paiva, who expected a very special group of participants to the event: a group of 16 fifth-grade kids and teachers of one of the Elementary Schools where PAS conducts its environmental education program "Aulas Verdes" (Green Classrooms).

Rosabel and Yenifer in front of the group!

Rosabel gave them commemorative t-shirts as a gift, and lent them binoculars.  After a little introduction to birdwatching, we walked slowly around the installations, bordering the forest. The experience of sharing your love for nature and birds with those kids is amazing.  They were curious and interested in everything I was saying...

And everything we were showing...  thanks God the birds were particularly cooperative, allowing great scoped views... like this day-roosting Chuck-will's-widow.

Or this Common Potoo at the little park by the gate of the main trails.

The event was a great success, and we will repeat the experience every sunday of this month... here is the schedule for the trips to come: 

1.  Sunday, october 13th: Parque Municipal Summit (7:00 am - 9:30 am)

2.  Sunday, october 20th: Cerro Ancon (8:00 am - 12:00 pm)

3.  Sunday, october 27th: Panama Viejo (7:30 am - 11:00 am)

Join us and celebrate with us our 50 years!

Blue-headed Pygmy-tyrant

I've been spending a lot more time in the woods than I did in September and the passerine photo-ops have increased correspondingly.

This Blue-headed Vireo was posed in a manner suggestive in silhouette of the neo-tropical pygmy-tyrants

A Yellow-throated Vireo today at Floral felt fairly late.

Most of the birds in the trees at this point though are Yellow-rumps. 

They're pounding the abundant poison ivy berries.

Sparrows are peaking on average as well.  The best one I've seen this fall is Clay-colored; we actually had 2 at Tiscornia that day.

Note the white throat and malar that separates it from Chipping.  You can also get a sense of the gray nape as well.

Swamps are a lot more common though.

As are White-crowns

Avocet eruption

It's actually been a very good year for avocets along the shoreline despite the fact that I've never gone this late in the year without seeing one (in fact these are my latest ever).  Tim called me a couple days ago a couple hours after I'd left Tiscornia that a flock of winter-plumaged Avocets had landed on Silver. 

I walked down to the water's edge.  I scanned north.  I scanned south.  How hard is it to see a flock of 26 large shorebirds patterned like zebras?  I'm not sure why I scanned out over the water, I think it was more out of habit than that I expected to see them there, but see them there I did.

 I can't recall ever using the term "raft of avocets," but there's a first for everything.

A passing boat actually pulled a U-turn to take a closer look, apparently it's captain thought they were pretty unique too.  They flushed, launching basically like teal.  I'm not sure how much lift they needed from leg action, I think most of the flock more or less just jumped up into the air.

 

They'd barely accelerated into powered aerodynamic flight before coasting back to the shoreline.

The flock was fairly entertaining to watch as they would get washed in by the low-breaking "waves."  I'd have liked a lot more time to belly up to them but had to get to work.  Here's a few crops...

and one last closer crop that's still semi-decent

Avocets are easily one of the more skittish shorebirds, there's a good chance I wouldn't have gotten a lot closer no matter how low and slow I'd gone anyway.

Day-flying moths over Panama

During a short break in the work, someone pointed to me a "butterfly" resting in the window of the office.  A quick glimpse and I was able to see many of the day-flying moth Urania fulgens flying eastward, plus the one resting behind the window. These moths have many common names, one of the most widespread used is Swallowtail Moth.  Confusion is expected because these moths show a remarkable resemblance of the butterflies of the genus Papilio, both in physical appearance and in flight behavior.

They present a natural spectacle during its annual migration through Central and South America, specially during those years of "population explosion", every 8 to 10 years approximately when millions of individuals are observed at our fields and cities, almost everywhere. There is still much to learn about these movements, which seems related to food-resources availability, specially its hosts which are vines of the genus Orephaga.

These moths are toxic, a fact indicated by its bright coloration. Its toxicity is derived of the alkaloids present at the plants that they eat during its larval life.  I took the first photo with my phone, through a dirty window, so the colors are not very apparent, but these moths are beautifully patterned in black and electric green.  Well, definitively october is the migration month in Panama!

Literature consulted:
1. Neal G. Smith. Migrations of the day-flying moth Urania in Central and South America.  Carib J Sci 1972; 12: 45-58. 

Migrants through the city

October is the peak of the migration season through Panama, time to have your binoculars handy because you never know what to expect.  This last week has been very productive in terms of new species seen from my balcony.  Eastern Wood-Pewee, Eastern Kingbird, Black-and-white, Yellow and Blackburnian Warblers, Red-eyed Vireo, Summer Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, Common Nighthawk, Osprey and Broad-winged Hawk were all new for the balcony list (we moved in july to our apartment).

I also saw a flock of Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers in the hill facing the frontal balcony... can you see how many are in the next photo?

They were a little bit far for photos... but are still recognizable.  Seeing this species surrounded by towers and skyscrapers was special.

Migration can give you a lifer in or near your home... at least that is what I'm hoping for.  One of those long expected lifers, the Black-billed Cuckoo, was seen in the Metropolitan Natural Park last weekend by my good friend Osvaldo Quintero, who kindly shared this photo with me:

Copyright Osvaldo Quintero, used with permission

This park is just 10 minutes away of my apartment... in fact, I can see it from the window!  I'll try this next sunday, who knows, maybe this is THE year!

The Lowdown on Bird Disease

There are a variety of diseases that commonly afflict wild bird species. People that maintain bird-feeding stations in their yards are often the most likely observers to see a bird that appears to be ill. One reason why bird-feeding enthusiasts are most likely to see diseased birds is because sick birds may be more easily attracted to a free meal. When a sick birds' ability to engage in normal foraging behavior is hampered by an abnormal growth or perhaps a bird's energy level is compromised, they may hang out a single feeder for more extended periods of time. People are also more likely see sick birds at feeders because of the super close up views and longer looks to notice oddities that a feeder facilitates.

 

The two most common diseases that an observer may notice because of the obvious outward signals that all is not well include mycoplasmal conjunctivitis and avian pox. The former avian affliction is also known as "House Finch eye disease' because it was first noticed in this particular species in 1994 by people in the Washington, D.C. area observing birds at their feeders. However, the bacterium that causes mycoplasmal conjunctivitis, Mycoplasma gallispectum, has been known as a troublesome pathogen for quite some time in the poultry industry. It has also been documented to afflict a handful of other species, including Purple Finches, American Goldfinches, and Evening Grosbeaks. This disease tends to be progressive, so you can't always know if a bird is sick, particularly if it has recently been exposed to the bacterium, but it is usually pretty obvious when a bird has a bad case of mycoplasmal conjunctivitis. The first sign of a sick bird is in the eyes, which may just appear reddish or a little bit swollen. In more progressive cases, a bird's eye's may look runny or have a significant build up of crusty goop, while in the most extreme situations a bird's eyes may be completely swollen shut.

Afflicted birds also tend to appear rather lethargic, or even totally sedentary if they can no longer see properly, and often engage in extensive bouts of eye scratching. Scientists studying mycoplasmal conjunctivitis have determined that while it is not always fatal, individuals that develop really bad cases and become blind typically die from starvation because they can't feed normally or eventually succumb to exposure or even predation in their weakened state. Avian pox, which can be caused by several different strains of the poxvirus, also produces prominent outward signs of ill health. It has been documented in some 60 odd species and is known to spread quite readily through direct contact with sick birds or contaminated food or water.

The most common type of avian pox results in ugly looking growths on the bare skin around the eyes, at the base of the bill, and also on the legs and feet. Depending on the severity and location of such growths, bird with this strain may live a long time. The less common form causes a sort of film or plaque to develop on the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat, as well as in the trachea and even the lungs. Birds with a serious case of this form of avian pox often have a hard time eating and simply breathing, so they usually do not live very long. If you happen to see a bird with either of these diseases there is really not much you can do except be more vigilant about keeping your feeders clean or remove them for a while to help minimize further transmission.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5876186

Sayonara September

I didn't have a ton of luck last month, from missing easy shorebirds, unsuccessful chases, and only 50% of my pelagic attempts actually getting offshore.  BUT, it's a new month with new possibilities.  Three golden plovers flew by Tiscornia in the am, though their ID didn't jump out at me at first.  I'd spent a couple hours and then was in the process of leaving to change out a shredded tire on the boat trailer and noticed Tim heading up the beach as I finished a check of the sheltered passerine spots.

We were most of the way to Klock when we started catching up to this bird.

It's a juvenile Western Sandpiper, likely the same one he had 2 days ago on a day I couldn't get out.  It's superficially similar to a Semipalmated but has a longer more tapered and drooped bill, some rufous in the scapulars (though semis can have that), as well as dark anchor markings in the lower scapulars.  The so-called anchors are the dark centers to the lower scapulars that bleed out laterally proximal to the pale edge of the feathers.  Juvenile White-rumped can definitely show this much rufous in the scapulars, but would have longer wings and at this distance a pale reddish base to the lower mandible.  Dunlin is another bird commonly confused with Western Sand, it will have an even longer more drooped bill generally, as well as being bigger bodied in comparison with the Sanderlings.  Last year we had an adult Western Sandpiper transitioning to winter plumage, this bird is marked as a juvenile by having small pale edged wing coverts and scaps.

Westerns are longer-legged than Semi's which means they lean forward more when they feed.  Tim noted that they tend to extend their necks forward as well; it was this behavior that led him to suspect Western on the peep he first saw literally a mile away on Klock from Tiscornia on Sunday.

The bird seemed to prefer looking for the brine flies (?) (midges?) that were washed up at wave's edge, though would follow a group of sanderlings as well that would sometimes forage all the way to the grass practically.  It made a pretty close pass when it flew back out to water's edge at one point, a pic I'm fairly proud of.

No time for auto-focus, you have to just slam it into focus manually.  Admittedly I probably got fairly lucky, but you have to get into Cave Swallow form somehow.

Bird of the Month: Salinas Monjita

The Salinas Monjita (Xolmis salinarum) is an endemic tyrant flycatcher found only in the salt flats of western Argentina, the Salinas Grandes and Salinas de Ambargasta.  It is beautifully patterned in white, black and warm brown, perfect for its unusual habitat.

This range-restricted species has a very specialized niche: it only inhabits the Salicornia and other salt-tolerant bushes at the edge of these huge salt flats.  These is quite unusual... no other bird species occupy this niche.  Check this video showing a 180º view of a tiny section of the Salinas Grandes and you will wonder how anything can survive there?

If you live in such a vast habitat, then the ability to turn your neck almost 360º should be very useful.

As I mentioned in a previous post, this species was described originally as a subspecies of the also endemic Rusty-backed Monjita... but now most authorities recognize this form as a distinctive species.  There are many physical differences in plumage (something unusual among subspecies of monjitas and their allies, the ground-tyrants)... in fact, one of these differences (the wing pattern) may play a role in reproductive isolation, since the monjitas (and the ground-tyrants) use wing-raising displays to attract mates.

Finding Salinas Monjita in Salinas Grandes, Cordoba (with my friend Jorge Martín Spinuzza of avespampa.com.ar) was the most shocking experience of all the trip!  Seeing these specialized birds against the salt, under the burning sun and in my only shot... priceless!

For these, and MANY other reasons, is why we chose the Salinas Monjita as our bird of the month!

Literature consulted:

1. South American Classification Committee, proposal #350 (available at http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCprop350.html)

2. NeotropicalBirds: Xolmis salinarum overview (available at http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=466476)