More than hummingbirds at the garden

If you read my previous post, then I have to say that we saw more birds at the Enchanted Garden (in San Francisco de Sales, Cundinamarca, Colombia).  Except for the hummingbirds (of course), the most common bird at the hummingbirds feeders were the Bananaquits... dozens of them were competing with the hummers for the sugared water!

Others common species stayed close to the ground, inspecting the bushes and all the leftover around... including several Shiny Cowbirds (a female pictured here) and two or more family groups of Saffron Finches.

They also have banana feeders, attracting many tanagers, including this male Crimson-backed Tanager.  Notice the male Thick-billed Euphonia out of focus behind the tanager.

Another thraupid at the feeders was the Scrub Tanager.  They are quite common, but I can't get tired of watching them.

I'm pretty sure than many more species visit this place, but we only stayed for an hour, more or less... but what an hour!

Dry arch's fruits and birds

It has been a while since my last post, I have been busy at work this month... but somehow I managed to accomplish some short trips to the dry coastal lowlands to the west of the former Panama Canal Zone, an area known as the dry arch for its weather conditions, very popular for its white sand beaches and many resorts along the coast. At almost the end of the dry season, tons of fruiting trees are fully loaded in some tropical, tasty and colorful candies. If you drive along the PanAmerican highway in this section you will see lots a tiny fruit stops where you can buy them. One of the most abundant fruit is the plum. Despite we call it a plum, these fruits probably are not related. The plum trees are popular as fence's posts around the properties and houses. Grape-shaped, these fruits are hard, turning red and fleshy while maturing. In fact, many people eat them still green, calling them then "cracker plums" due to the sound they produce with each bite. Many birds visited the plum trees at Gloriela's relatives property in Gorgona (western Panama province, at the eastern end of the arch), including Blue-gray, Palm and Crimson-backed Tanagers (a gaudy male in the photo), Red-crowned Woodpeckers and Brown-throated Parakeets; but, to be honest, I saw none actually eating the fruits. Another common tree loaded in fruits was the cashew. If you don't know from where the cashew nuts come from, then just check my photo and you will recognize one of them attached to that yellow fruit. The fruit itself have a funny taste, I like it more in juice, or "chica" as we say in Panama (in other countries of the region, the term chicha implies some alcohol in the content of the drink... it is not the case in Panama). Again, many birds are attracted to these fruits, but also the insects and others critters that also attracted other non-frugivorous birds, like the female Barred Antshrike or the singing Rufous-browed Peppershrike that I'm showing here, both of them photographed near the fruits while catching the insects. But by far, probably the most iconic tropical fruit in this part of Panama (and perhaps, everywhere) is the mango. There are too many varieties of this fruit, with so many regional names that it is impossible to list them all, but here is a little sample: mangos calida', chupa-chupa, hilacha, huevo 'e toro, papaya, etc... If you know more mango varieties or any other dry arch's fruit missing, let me know in the comments.

Panama City's common tanagers

Panama City is blessed with a great diversity of wildlife within its limits, not only birds, but also mammals and other critters. This is thanks to the many types of habitats surrounding it, like the extensive mudflats of its coast, the forests to the west and north and the savannah to the east. But we can't forget that part of this diversity actually reach the very same concrete jungle, as long as there is any tree or shrub, though decorative. Often, this diversity strikes us as a colorful kaleidoscope in the form of birds so common that most panamanians don't even turn to see them. I'm talking about two beautiful tanagers, antagonist in color and well-known by its popular names. The first is the ubiquitous Blue-gray Tanager, widespread known as the "Azulejo" by its soft blue tones. Think about it... blue tones, big black eyes and sweet chattering make this bird sooo charming. They are found in groups, and are common visitors to feeders (they love bananas). These birds are so sociable, that they even nest in man-made structures, including our own homes! Despite most of the citizens can identify an Azulejo quite easily, not all of them distinguish it form the very similar Palm Tanager, which is as sociable and charming as the Azulejo, but less known and duller-colored in olive with black wings... but a closer look usually reveals its attractive violet tones (enlarge the photo). In some parts of the city, both species can be very tame, sharing a feeder or a bird bath very close to the observers without fear. The other species is known by us as the "Sangre e' toro" (bull's blood)... a name that becomes immediately obvious when you see an adult male Crimson-backed Tanager showing its bright-red contrasting with the velvet black and the silver beack in all its brilliance! Of course, the duller females and immatures (photo below) exceed in number the adult males, but these birds always are found in groups with at least one adult male attending. This species is less common than the Blue-gray Tanager, but still pretty common. A family group regularly visit the Espave tree at the parking lot of the hospital where I work (the other two tanagers do the same), giving some color to the otherwise homogeneous landscape of concrete and glass. The tanagers are only a minimal example of the birds commonly found within the city limits... there is even a book on the theme (A Guide to the Common Birds of Panama City by Jorge Ventocilla, illustrated by Dana Gardner) that I'll follow for future posts. So, take your time to appreciate these colorful birds sharing the city with us!