Last days of migration

At least in Panama, the migration season is almost done.  Most of the migratory species are already in their breeding grounds in the north, or passing swiftly through Panama.  As mentioned in my previous post, I went to Panama Viejo searching for migrants (although I ended photographing herons instead).  By far, the most common migrant were the Laughing Gulls.  This is the most common gull in Panama, but it does not breeds here.  However, big flocks of this species (mainly immatures) can be seen during the summer.  By this time is not rare to see beautiful adults in alternate plumage among the immatures and basic-plumaged adult birds!

Laughing Gulls

In the other hand, the Franklin's Gulls are only passage migrants in Panama, with only few spending the winter in our coasts.

Franklin's Gull

Notice the dark half-hood and broad eye crescents.  Also notice the black-and-white tips on primaries.  The Franklin's Gulls are also smaller and stockier than the Laughings, field marks that helped me to identify the few Franklins among the hundreds Laughings resting in the sand.  And the thin, long and orange bills of these two terns helped me to identify them as Elegant Terns.

Elegant Terns

Like the Franklin's Gulls, the Elegant Tern is an uncommon passage migrant through Panama... and only in the Pacific coast.  As you can see, the bright orange bill added some color to the monotonous shades of white and gray typical of the gulls and terns.  But if we talk about color, then another migrant win the prize:

Ruddy Turnstones

Yes!  This pair of Ruddy Turnstones almost acquired its full alternate plumage... so colorful!  They are always fun to watch.  So what are you waiting for... there is still some time to catch some late migrants!

San Andres Island hotspots. Part II

In the second day of our trip to San Andres Island (Colombia), we decided to travel around the island, visiting its touristic attractions.  I already showed you some of these hotspots.  After stopping for a while in Cove Bay (and watching our life San Andres Vireo), we continue southward along the island's  western rocky shore.  After passing several natural pools, we reached the southern tip of the island.  There, a tiny hole in the rocky beach brings a nice show to the tourists... it is known as the "Blowing Hole".

This hole is the only exit tract to a cave systems that reach the beach.  When the waves push the water inside the caves, the air is expelled through this hole... but beware, depending on the tide, the air can be followed by the water as well (just watch this video).  This rocky shore is coralline in origin... perfect for the Ruddy Turnstones.  They were the most common shorebird in the island.

Ruddy Turnstone

After turning at the southern tip, we drove north along the east coast, where most of the white-sand beaches are located.  These beaches are coralline too, and protected by a coral reef where most of the cays surrounding the island can be found.  Al these cays are major attractions, but we decided to spent the afternoon relaxing at Rocky Cay (the entrance road was property of the Archbold-Suarez family)... its warm and crystalline waters were perfect!

Two thirds of the Cubilla-Archbold family

Rocky Cay

The next day, we hired a boat in order to visit the other cays.  They are close to shore, so you can visit them in one morning.  Our first destination were Haynes and Rose Cays.  The later is known also as the aquarium due to its coral reef filled with multicolored fishes.  In the way to the cays, we crossed a replica of an ancient Pirate Ship.

Rose Cay as seen from Haynes Cay (San Andres urban center in the background)

At Rose Cay we took a tour through the reef aboard a boat with glass floor... simply amazing.  At Haynes Cay we had little time to walk around the tiny cay, finding two other waders (Willet and two Spotted Sandpipers) and a Contopus pewee that didn't vocalize.

Spotted Sandpiper

Then, our boat took us to Johnny Cay, to the north.  This cay is a popular destination due to its white beaches and Caribbean-style... you can have a Coco-loco (a local drink) while hearing Bob Marley or any other reggae or calypso rhythm.  However, the surf was pretty strong for Gabrielle... so we decided better to enjoy the music.  Only Bananaquits and Magnificent Frigatebirds in this cay for the record.

Bananaquit

Magnificent Frigatebird (male)

That was our last day in San Andres Island, and we hurried to make the check-out at our resort.  We still had some time on the island and decided to spend it well, but that's another story.

San Andres Island hotspots. Part I

The day after our arrival to San Andres Island, our only full day, started with a tasty breakfast at our resort.  We planned a full day visiting touristic attractions along the island coast and the hilly interior, an easy trip considering that this island is only 13 kilometers long.  Before departing, I took some minutes to see (and photograph) some birds walking among the tourists looking for leftovers... they were pretty familiar to us.

Ruddy Turnstone

White-winged Dove

I have to accept that it was a bit weird to see Ruddy Turnstones acting as ground-doves picking each piece of bread or anything else they can eat of the ground... and the White-winged Doves acting like our grackles, taking advantage of any neglect to steal food from the dishes on the tables.  After breakfast, we hired a taxi that showed us some of the most popular touristic attractions of the island... the hotspots.  After crossing the urban center at the north end of the island, we took the coastal road that runs along the island's rocky west coast.  Our first stop was at a museum known as the Island House (Casa Museo Isleña), an old colonial style home, property of the Archbold-Garnica family.

Casa Museo Isleña

Friendly guides explain you the details of living in such a house in the colonial times and give you dance lessons (reggae or calipso).  You can ask them to take the family pictures as well.

Cubilla-Archbold family (and a pirate)

Then, our taxi driver took us to the Morgan's Cave, the entrance to a cave system where supposedly Sir Henry Morgan (we Panamanians know him well) hid a treasure hundreds of years ago.  The cave is right in the entrance of the property..., but this is a touristic island, so they first took you in a guided tour through some little museums showing pirates stuff, coconuts stuff, a traditional dance show and the opportunity to take some photos aboard a pirate ship.  Then, you enter to the cave.

Gloriela at Morgan's cave

However, I was more interested in the property itself.  It had many trees... and birds.  I was already familiarized with the common species... like Bananaquits, Caribbean Elaenia and Yellow Warblers.  Then, I detected my second and third life birds for the trip.  First, a colorful Jamaican Oriole.  It remained me several species of yellow Orioles back in Panama, but this had large white panels in the wings.

Jamaican Oriole

In quick succession,  and more close to the ground, a little group of Black-faced Grassquits were working in some low bushes.  This is mainly a Caribbean species (although also found in northern South America), and one I was expecting.

Black-faced Grassquit (male)

Close to them, a Common Ground-Dove also said present.  I was not expecting this one... probably it simply went unnoticed in the bird lists I read before the trip.  In Panama, this species is restricted to the Dry Arc in the Pacific slope.

Common Ground-Dove (male)

In the way to the next site, we passed through Cove Bay.  In a wooded road, bordered by Bougainvilleas, I detected a movement in one of this flower.  I shouted "STOP" to the taxi driver and we left the taxi.  In a nearby fence, a group of three San Andres Vireos were chasing each other!

San Andres Vireo

I feared that I could not find this endemic, because, as I mentioned earlier, this was a family trip... and was not willing to leave my family to go look for it.  So it was simply GREAT to have this group right by the road!  The San Andres Vireo is completely restricted to this tiny island... and was my main target of course.  Notice the yellow lores, the lack of eyering and the two wing bars.  What a great experience!  We were in the middle of our tour along the island's hotspots... I'll write about other hotspot in my next post.

Gabrielle's first Christmas Bird Count

Today we participated in the Atlantic Christmas Bird Count organized by the Panama Audubon's Society (PAS)... and "we" includes my wife Gloriela and my two years-old Gabrielle.  We woke up very early in the morning and took the highway all the way to Galeta Point, in the Galeta Island Protected Area.  There, we met with a group of biology students and their professors who volunteered to participate with us.

After organizing the group, we went to the coastal habitats looking for shorebirds and seabirds.  The activity was pretty low in that matter, probably this American Crocodile had something to do with the lack of shorebirds?

The truth is that I really like Galeta.  Is quiet and scenic, with nice Caribbean beaches and a northwest breeze that keeps everything fresh.  The only shorebirds in the area were the Black-bellied Plovers resting at the breakwater.

However, after a persistent search at every corner of that coast, we found a lonely Ruddy Turnstone resting nervously.

We decided to sit and wait.  Gabrielle seemed to be enjoying the trip a lot!

While Gabrielle was playing with the pebbles at the beach, a small tern appeared over the sea accompanying a pair of larger Sandwich Terns.  The red feet, dark carpal bar and dark wedge to the upperwings confirm the ID: a Common Tern, a rarity for the count.

My distant shot is only for documenting the sighting... at least in this one the red feet are obvious.  By the end of the day, we counted 82 species... not bad at all, including this cooperative Broad-winged Hawk in the way out.

Nice day in the Caribbean coast!

Shorebirding for the CBC

It is December and, as usual, I'm participating in the Panama Audubon Society's CBC (Christmas Birds Count), starting with the Pacific side of central Panama.  For a good number of years in a row now, my counting area consists of riverine habitats, coast, lagoons, open fields and patches of secondary forests around the localities of Farfan and Veracruz in the west side of the Panama Canal.  Both Osvaldo Quintero and Rafael Luck accompanied me this year.  After many years participating in the counts now, I know that most of the targets birds for my area are raptors, waterbirds and shorebirds, specially those found primarily in rocky and sandy beaches (not in mudflats, as in Panama Viejo).

At our first stop, in the dike area of Farfan, we checked all the ducks swimming in the lagoon looking for the vagrant Cinnamon Teals reported some weeks ago, but all seemed to be Blue-winged Teals due to their contrasting pattern in the flanks and small bills.  There were huge flocks of waders in the lagoon as well, mostly Black-necked Stilts and, specially, Semipalmated Plovers, but also many Least Sandpipers.  We saw again the Least Sandpipers in an unexpected habitat in Veracruz beach, in rocks.

Notice the small size and the diagnostic yellow legs.  We checked this habitat through Rafael's scope, finding our targets.  In the next picture you will see at least three Surfbirds and some Ruddy Turnstones, plus others shorebirds like Willets, a Whimbrel and even a resting Sanderling.

We searched the sandy part of the beach looking for more Sanderlings.  Instead, we found a flock of 18  Collared Plovers running from one side to another, looking so similar to the sand that they were actually hard to pick up.  These plovers are delicate and beautiful!

We dipped on two targets: Wison's Plover and American Oystercatcher.  However, we ended with a very nice list of 120 species, 1926 individual, 35 kms and 7 eBird checklists for the morning!  We found our last shorebird away of the coast, a Solitary Sandpiper nervously inspecting a rain pool by the side of a road leading to a patch of forest.

See you in the next CBC!

A bit of colour at the beach

It is a fact that most shorebirds and coastal species in Panama are dull-coloured birds. That is because almost all the species dress its basic plumage (the non-breeding one) most of the time they spend in our country. That is why many panamanian birders simply don't like shorebirds, despite they are so close and easy to see. But some species exhibit an unusual bright or contrasting pattern in their bodies. I saw that this morning in the west bank of the Panama Canal. I went to Veracruz beach taking advantage of the early high tide. The day was cloudy and fresh, but the light was not the best for photography. Anyway, I put on my rubber boots and started to walk in the sand, finding almost immediately an amazing amount of birds. A flock of Brown Pelicans was fishing close to shore. The adults were showing an attractive pattern in white, yellow and blue in the head. In the mouth of the river at the easternmost end of the beach was a huge flock of resting shorebirds and waders. The most common were the Willets and the Whimbrels, with more or less 60 individuals in total. As usual, the plovers were well-represented: Black-bellied, Semipalmated, Wilson's and Collared Plovers all over the place. This site is the only one so far near the city where the Wilson's and Collared Plovers outnumber the migratory Semipalmated Plover. The waders were also well-represented, with Snowy and Great Egrets, Little Blue, Great Blue and Tricolored Herons and Yellow-crowned Night-Herons too (did you notice the Collared Plover at the Great Egret pic?). So far no peeps, which are patterned mostly in white and gray, but colourful plovers (specially those Collareds'). To add more colour, a single Elegant Tern joined the flock awhile, showing its orange bill and even a pale rose tone to the chest (which sadly is not apparent in the photo). I'm posting also a photo of a Royal Tern (that I found later) for comparison.Can you separate them? The Elegant Tern have a proportionally longer and thinner bill, which also is more downcurved. Also have more black around the eye (the eye is surrounded by white feathers in the Royal Tern). The Elegant Tern is pretty uncommon in Panama, so this was a very nice finding. And if we are talking about colourful shorebirds, then some pics of Ruddy Turnstones are mandatory! Despite they are wearing its basic plumage, they still are one of the most colourful birds in the beach.But this is not all. I left Veracruz and stopped at Farfan, closer to the city. Following an advice that I received in situ, I decided to walk along the beach to inspect the vast mudflats and the rocky shore exposed during the low tide (thanks Líder). After awhile, I saw a pair of strongly-patterned shorebirds flying low in the distance: a pair of American Oystercatchers! I slowly approached them until I got close enough to start shooting.This must be the most colourful shorebird in Panama! The oystercatchers are quite rare in Panama City, but Farfan have proved to be a regular site for this handsome shorebird. What a great way to end the day!

At the nearest beach

If Costa del Este and Panama Viejo are close to our apartment, then thePanama City's Coastal Beltway is at our backyard! I almost forgot that there is a tiny sandy beach in its eastern end (by the mouth of the Matasnillo river, in Paitilla), so I decided to check it this morning during high tide. It proved to be a good idea, since I found an amusing flock of twelve Sanderlings running from one side to another, never getting its feet wet! They were not alone... with them were at least six Semipalmated Plovers (three of them in the picture) and four Ruddy Turnstones (two of them still wearing most of its colourful alternate plumage). Notice how the Sanderling and the basic-plumaged turnstone are well-adapted to its wintering grounds, looking similar to the sand, the coloured pieces of shells and the pebbles of the beach.In the list of species represented by only one individual I got a Black-bellied Plover, a Willet, a Whimbrel and a Spotted Sandpiper still wearing some spots.Not bad for the nearest beach to home!