At the feeders!

As promised in my last entry, this post is about my birding day, last sunday, at the foothills of Cerro Azul, to the east of Panama City, with Osvaldo Quintero, Osvaldo Quintero Jr and the Cerro Azul's residents Leslie and Cindy Lieurance (The Petrels in Panama) and Claudia Ahrens.  Our intention was to look after a local speciality, the Black-eared Wood-Quail which Leslie videotaped at close range in the Calle Maipo trail entrance one week ago or so.

We walked all the trail, watching some forest interior birds and hearing at least two or three different coveys of wood-quails, but they were reluctant to show off for us... instead, we had a great time birding at the more open areas at the entrance of the trail and the main road, where mixed flocks with tanagers and warblers were the main stars.  The Fulvous-vented Euphonia offered a nice show... two adult males  were engaged in full courtship display.  The one I pictured above perched vertically with wings dropped making lots of noise!  Notice its fulvous vent... the female was more interested in eating juicy berries... she is so different to the male, but still distinctive!

After doing some exercise at the trail, we did what every smart birder would do: sit in front of feeders!  Both the Ahrens and the Lieurance keep feeders at their houses, and the diversity is awesome.  At the Ahrens, we checked a banana feeder where the first visitor was this male Hepatic Tanager.

Notice its dark lores and beak, which separates him of the similar looking Summer Tanager, which is a common winter visitor to Panama... this male was waiting its chance to grab a piece of banana.  Also note that the Summer Tanager is lighter red in general, compared with the Hepatic Tanager.

Soon, the action at the feeder became insane, with Bay-headed, Palm and Plain-colored Tanagers fighting for a space on it against Black-cheeked Woodpeckers, this female Green Honeycreeper and this young male Thick-billed Euphonia.

But the most aggressive bird at the feeder was the Clay-colored Thrush; however, in spite of the size difference, this male Red-legged Honeycreeper was not intimidated and took its part of the prize.  Notice that this male is in non-breeding plumage.

Curiously, at the Lieurance feeders, there were males Red-legged Honeycreepers in full or almost-full breeding plumage... they glow!

The Lieurance also have banana feeders, we checked the hanging feeder during the couple of minutes that we stayed, enjoying their hospitality... it is quite curious to see migrants Tennessee Warblers eating banana in the tropics... though it is not the first time!

Well, perhaps we didn't see the wood-quails... but what a great day we got!  Thank you Claudia, Leslie and Cindy! 

In the way to Penonome. Part II

Yes, we did another stop on our way to Penonome. This time in Cerro Silvestre, Arraijan (west side of the Panama Canal, 15 minutes from Panama City) at the home of Gloriela's godfather where we picked up her cousin and nephew. I amused myself with the birds at the well-kept garden, attracted in part by the bananas that they left for them at the fence. In attendance were Streaked Saltators, Variable Seedeaters, Clay-colored Thrush, Palm, Blue-gray, Crimson-backed and Plain-colored Tanagers.

As you can see, several Plain-colored Tanagers were feeding with the bananas, allowing close approach (they were not intimidated by the Clay-colored Thrush at all). We said good-bye to everyone after few minutes, including to Paco... the family's Yellow-crowned Amazon, in order to continue our way to Penonome.

Penonome pics

Our vacations are almost over, and we spent great part of it at our home in Penonome, Cocle province in central Panama. Now, we are in the city again, but I took some photos of common birds, wildlife and landscapes along the roads and rivers (specially the Zarati river, which we visited at least in four different sites) that I want to share.

Penonome is very hot, considering that we are in the middle of the dry season, and the trees and other plants are blooming or having fruits, allowing the wildlife (specially birds) to feed their youngs. This is the case of the House Wrens and the Blue-gray Tanagers that nest by the roof of our neighbors... always busy looking a fresh meal for their youngs.The great variety of flowers that the people keep in their gardens attract many hummingbirds, including the Garden Emeralds (a female in the picture).Also, it is time for lot of singing... and the most perseverant singers are the Clay-colored Thrushes and the Rufous-browed Peppershrikes. They even sing in the hottest part of the day!Even the all-black birds shine in these bright days, like the Great-tailed Grackles and the Bronzed Cowbirds. No matter their abundance... they look simply great with a suitable light.The insects also enjoy this time of sun... including the pair of damselflies I found in the shores of the Zarati river.Well, these were good vacations, I hope you enjoyed the pics... now, back to the real life!