tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30813411806406196312024-02-06T21:22:56.946-06:00Petrels In PanamáThe past account of Cindy & Les Lieurance as they explore Panamá:<br>it's people, culture & birds. We are moving on. Other old stories at petrels.comLeslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.comBlogger172125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-77169704080177475112012-11-13T18:48:00.000-06:002012-11-13T18:48:47.896-06:00Panamá Markets<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crew cleaning up the tree that cut our power.</td></tr>
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It's been a tough 2 months with intermittent telephone and internet connections. Then we were without power for 2 weeks. Learning the ins and outs of getting service restored has been our preoccupation. But, mostly you learn to wait.<br />
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Now we are back with power and communications...starting to rebuild our daily routine. A few weeks before our headaches started we visited the Panamá City markets: fish, meat and vegetables. Our pals Steve and Michael were our tour guides and the video will give you a flavor of the day, right down to the meal at the fish restaurant that sits above the market.<br />
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Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-57122675824661096282012-09-22T17:40:00.001-05:002012-09-22T17:40:22.468-05:00Mr.Toad's Last Ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fourteen feeders dangle from the rafters of the terrace, providing food for hummingbirds, tanagers, honeycreepers, bananaquits, euphonias, plus the seasonal and infrequent oriole, motmot or saltator. There is a consistent cadence and level of sound as the birds get a portion of their daily nourishment. On occasion, sometimes up to three times a day, the sounds from outside change abruptly becoming suddenly louder, faster and more full. All of the birds explode with calls that are insistently warning of danger.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There have been <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallow-tailed_Kite" target="_blank">Swallow-tailed Kites</a> skirting the treetops and somehow flying with those long wings through the branches. Strong talons pluck pigeon and thrush chicks from their nests.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, an immature <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad-winged_Hawk" target="_blank">Broad-winged Hawk</a> passed through the terrace behind our backs, made a double-take, as did we, and then flew up to perch in a pine tree in the yard. There was no prey item that time.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the male <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatic_Tanager" target="_blank">Hepatic Tanager</a> calls are louder than usual and more insistent, a snake is in a tree, stretched out to its full length waiting to encoil the unsuspecting. This past year, we witnessed several <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boa_constrictor_imperator" target="_blank">Boa Constrictors</a> coiling around hummers, euphonias and tanagers. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last month, the alarm calls that went out were unusually close to the house.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below is a description of the incident that Cindy wrote to some friends:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"It was the 25 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-legged_Honeycreeper" target="_blank">Red-legged Honeycreepers</a> in the little 'photographer's tree' directly off the terrace and straight out from the kitchen door that drew our attention to it. Marco stuck a small tree into the ground near our birdfeeders, about 10 or 12 feet from the edge of the terrace. It dropped all its leaves, of course, but retained lots of small branches for perching. The feeder customers use it to keep an eye on the action, to wait their turn, and to sit and digest.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The honeycreepers plus several <a href="http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p_spp=610476" target="_blank">Plain-colored Tanagers</a>, the Hepatics, and a few other assorted tanagers and euphonias and Bananaquits were very upset and raising a ruckus. We were eating lunch out on the terrace, and we got up out of our chairs and walked slowly over there to see what was the cause of their excitement.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The birds were were looking down, not up. Then we saw it - a 3' or 3.5' snake that we (wrongly) presumed to be a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corallus_ruschenbergerii" target="_blank">Tree Boa</a> had a huge (3" to 4" in diameter) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_toad" target="_blank">Cane Toad</a> in his jaws. Only barely, as the toad had gulped air and looked like a balloon with stubby legs. But the snake had a good grip on the head and shoulders (we could still see all 4 toad feet and legs), and was maneuvering his jaws around the beast. The toad was still kicking.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Looking down on the scene, we could see a large, curved fang in the roof of the snake's mouth, which aided in getting the prey to go down the throat, and we wondered if it also helped to puncture the toad so it would eventually deflate. It is a rear-fanged snake, although there is really not much information on the Internet about this species. It took maybe 5 to 8 minutes, and the toad did eventually deflate, and we continued watching until the last of his hind-foot toes disappeared into the mouth to become snake. This all happened in the concrete canal below our first row of trees off the terrace."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marco continues:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a short rest the snake glided with agile speed off the edge of the canal , and wound its way down the hill, past the banana trees and into some brush below a fallen tree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were mistaken about the identity of the snake. When our pal <a href="http://www.panamareptiles.com/" target="_blank">John Kleghorn</a> from the Univ. of Panamá saw the footage, he needed no more than 2 seconds to identify it as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenodon_rabdocephalus" target="_blank">False Fer-de-Lance</a>, He said they move more quickly and are much more aggressive than the real Fer-de-lance.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fer-de-Lance / Equis</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">John drove up to our house with a colleague to fetch another reptilian - a real <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bothrops_asper" target="_blank">Fer-de-Lance</a>, which appeared on the ramp leading to our terrace one morning. That's a story for another blog post. It is the first venomous snake we've seen in our yard in the almost 3 years we've lived here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-1524348449481805512012-09-10T14:12:00.000-05:002012-09-10T14:12:22.353-05:00Gull in the HoodCindy and I wanted to show our pal <a href="http://birdpanama.blogspot.com/2011/06/photos-by-behrstock.html" target="_blank">Bob Behrstock</a> the birds at high tide in Panamá Bay. He’s birded there plenty of times before while guiding tours going back to the 80’s. Whew, that’s in another century.<br />
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This day, we arrived well before the water hit its high mark. <a href="http://birdpanama.blogspot.com/2010/02/costa-del-este.html" target="_blank">Costa del Este</a> provided the usual waterbirds, shorebirds, and aerial hunters. We moved on to <a href="http://birdpanama.blogspot.com/2009/09/panama-viejo.html" target="_blank">Panama Viejo</a>. In short order, Bob asked for the scope and Cindy looked where he was looking. A gull with red legs and bill required a closer look.<br />
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It certainly was different than all the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughing_Gull" target="_blank">Laughing Gulls</a> present.
Bob thought there was a good chance it could be a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey-headed_Gull" target="_blank">Gray-hooded Gull</a>. He remembered the white wedge through the primaries as diagnostic. So although the gull isn’t illustrated in <a href="http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100668090&fa=author&person_id=3809" target="_blank">The Birds of Panama</a>, <a href="http://www.pangeaworld.com/core_team_angehr.htm" target="_blank">George Angehr</a> wrote excellent text describing this and other key field marks. This individual is about the seventh record for Panamá.<br />
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We made several phone calls and waited a short while for <a href="http://www.canopytower.com/our-guides-carlos-Bethancourt" target="_blank">Carlos Bethancourt</a> to arrive and enjoy views through our scope. During the next few days, more of our friends were able to admire this rarity. The video has been previously uploaded and announced on <a href="http://www.xenornis.com/2012/07/gray-hooded-gull-report-by-leslie.html" target="_blank">Xenornis</a>. It’s past time for a post here on the blog.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="256" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uYWDj9Iyky0" width="416"></iframe>Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-39846968340572756532012-08-26T14:56:00.004-05:002012-08-26T14:56:55.962-05:00One Minute from Cinta CosteraWaiting is a fact of life in Panamá. Most anything can take longer than expected. Construction, processes for applications or permits or licensing, appointments, and driving all take their time. Add delays, absences, and traffic to turn a timely project into a time waster. <br />
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One day last week, the people meeting me were running late, again. With some time to kill I walked the coastal strip for half an hour. Cinta Costera runs along a wide boulevard with green space next to the bay on one side. On the other, city high rises crowd in close. There is plenty to see and take in. I watch the water, greenery, and sky for the common wildlife. This day a treat lay in wait for me.<br />
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The introduced <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron_Finch" target="_blank">Saffron Finch</a> feeds on the lawns throughout the canal area. We don't see them in Cerro Azul. The bright yellow plumage attracted my eye and filled the frame of the video camera.<br />
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<br />Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-75875348374016536412012-08-24T15:22:00.000-05:002012-08-24T15:22:49.588-05:00Dancing in the DariénIt was a total blast. Our pal <a href="http://birdpanama.blogspot.com/2011/06/photos-by-behrstock.html" target="_blank">Bob Behrstock </a>visited us for a week prior to leading his tour with the <a href="http://www.canopytower.com/" target="_blank">Canopy Tower Family</a>. Bob began leading Panamá trips in the 1980's, so he tells of some fine bird encounters. Although all three of us had already visited the province, the allure of the Darién still beckoned with the possibility of something else exciting.. There were bugs and birds we all wanted a first or better look at.<br />
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We journeyed out east/south towards the Darién for a couple of days. I was gripping the steering wheel and dodging potholes, while Bob and Cindy kept a lookout for roadside attractions. They would call out and I would back us up for a better look. There were side roads and walks too, of course. All in all, not a bad system, as Cindy and I added seven life birds and Bob added two.<br />
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The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-capped_Donacobius" rel="" target="_blank">Black-capped Donacobius</a> stands tall as a prize of the Darién as they are moving westward from Colombia. From the road alongside a marsh, we heard their wild duet. Seeing them in full song and dance is a highlight for any nature watcher.<br />
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Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-53042306390998850812012-08-16T13:31:00.003-05:002012-08-16T13:31:56.059-05:00"Fighting Owls" Invade Wetlands<span style="font-family: inherit;">Late last month, Cindy and I volunteered for a morning with <a href="http://www.audubonpanama.org/?lang=en" target="_blank">Panama Audubon Society</a>. We aimed our scopes at the birds of Costa del Este for the benefit of students. <span style="line-height: 18px;">More than 70 youngsters of the <a href="http://aip.edu.pa/" target="_blank">Inter-American Academy</a> participated in an educational seminar on the importance of the wetlands in the Bay of Panama. <a href="http://birdpanama.blogspot.com/2010/05/panama-audubon.html" target="_blank">Rosabel Miró</a>, executive director of PAS, guided the event and has a real knack for engaging young minds. Her talk and walk let them experience the benefits of the mangroves and mudflats and highlight</span><span style="line-height: 18px;">ed many of the threats to coastal ecosystems. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">We all admired the flora and fauna of the place.<br />
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<span style="line-height: 18px;">See the "Fighting Owls" in action in the short video. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-52048993890212969912012-08-13T20:19:00.000-05:002012-08-13T20:19:14.798-05:00A Tale of Two RaptorsThe number of bird species in the Republic of Panamá sends me staggering. The country is compared in size to the state of South Carolina in the U.S.A. but is populated with more than twice as many bird species. The Panamá <a href="http://www.audubonpanama.org/lista-de-las-aves-de-panama-2012/?lang=en">checklist</a> swelled to a phenomenal 985 entries with the latest revisions by the<a href="http://aou.org/"> American Ornithologists' Union</a>. Along with the hefty number of birds, some species occur in a variety of color morphs and plumages. The hawks are particularly confusing and not all plumages are illustrated in the field guides.<br />
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Needless to say, some of the birds visiting our yard have sent us scrambling for references. In July 2011, a raptor put the feeder birds into a riot of alarm calls that drew us outside. The ID kept us and most of the other locals perplexed until <a href="http://www.canopyreport.com/kenallaire/kenallaireindex.html" target="_blank">Ken Allaire</a> identified it as a <a href="http://youtu.be/CiqjILjhAYk" target="_blank">Barred Hawk</a> by the vocalization I recorded. <br />
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Early this month another immature raptor gave us a few minutes viewing but didn't call. <a href="http://arquitectopana.com/" target="_blank">Darién Montañez</a> came through for us this time with an ID of Gray-headed Kite. And he didn't know there was an adult of the species in the yard at the same time. For me, the immature looked nothing like the adult it is related to; it had to be another species. Our experienced friends are helping us sort out the vast array of bird life Panamá offers. <br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="256" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qYzIiq8QeWE" width="416"></iframe><br />Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-50151811934220079962012-08-11T13:59:00.001-05:002012-08-11T13:59:56.942-05:00Panama National Artisan Fair<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollera">Tembleques</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Once a year there is a large artisan fair held at the main convention center in Panama City. Our pal, Michael, has enjoyed it in years past. This time he hopped into our truck and we three got to the site to walk all the aisles. Each region of Panama is represented and there were hundreds of booths filled with crafts, trinkets, molas, and art.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">In addition, groups present aspects of the diverse cultural life of Panama, both past and present. The well-known <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollera">polleras</a> waved from the hands of dancers. Wikipedia explains.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">In Panama and Colombia, hand made polleras evolved during time to a very elaborate piece of clothing. Currently it is the National Costume of Panama. Girls and women would generally own two polleras during their life: one before age 16 and one at adulthood. A single pollera can cost from several hundred to several thousands of dollars and take up to a year to create. The gold and pearl mosquetas and tembleques that accompany a pollera are generally passed down as heirlooms through generations.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One other bit of cultural life in evidence was the drawing of the numbers for the national lottery. This is televised weekly with thousands watching expectantly. The cameras were set up on risers to catch the action as the young child reaches into the ball cage to make the selection. An adult at full voice calls out the lucky numbers on the PA. In Panama the volume on the amp is set to where the sound is distorted and then turned up one more notch to make listening painful and conversation impossible.
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>Michael explained that this year the show had expanded into adjoining side rooms. One stage showcased dancers, wearing fascinating costumes with animal masks, acting out folk stories. Some of the hundreds of handmade items were submitted into a judged competition. And there was an extensive food court. We three sampled the strawberry batido, a type of smoothie, which was ample enough to suffice for lunch.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="256" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KrdTJxYXNkg" width="416"></iframe>Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-11451832691190264232012-04-04T11:27:00.000-05:002012-04-04T11:27:11.079-05:00Night Walk<span style="font-style: normal;">We are enjoying a series of "chats" at The Club of Los Altos de Cerro Azul. PACAR, a group of local homeowners, organizes the events, everything from wine tastings to lectures on bird life in the area.</span><br />
<span style="font-style: normal;">Students from the University of Panamá spent 3 nights here looking for venomous critters, then shared their findings with us at the talk. Additionally, Dr. Hildaura A. de Patiño related results of medical surveys of bites and stings throughout the country. Teams from many agencies are looking to create and improve venom antidotes for medical use. One of the scorpions that is toxic, </span><i>Tityus cerroazul</i>, is found primarily in Los Altos de Cerro Azul. Luckily it is very secretive, since there is no treatment for its sting.<span style="font-style: normal;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_kj-hzFCcZxt2wnArEdwPTUiWDg9iJtfYSNuGDBU17EYplB2iEOKKNzDpF6Orcdp2HxYVmW3KyD3DoHn_5R4h9KlGuOg-zRBC8HDF6C5fcM4djeTR2D4DjTgyf88Nu2dM0rj8Euaczfk/s1600/tityus_cerroazul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_kj-hzFCcZxt2wnArEdwPTUiWDg9iJtfYSNuGDBU17EYplB2iEOKKNzDpF6Orcdp2HxYVmW3KyD3DoHn_5R4h9KlGuOg-zRBC8HDF6C5fcM4djeTR2D4DjTgyf88Nu2dM0rj8Euaczfk/s200/tityus_cerroazul.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">courtesy: Roberto J. Miranda</td></tr>
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A few homeowners went with students John, Carla, and Pablo around the development on after-dark night walks looking for snakes and scorpions. As you might suspect we didn't find a specimen of<i style="font-style: normal;"> </i><i>Tityus cerroazul</i><i style="font-style: normal;">. </i>But, several other species of scorpion were present, both poisonous and non-poisonous. We learned the toxic ones have smaller claws that make it harder to handle prey, so they use the stinger in their longer tail to subdue them.<br />
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And we did find one snake: <i>Bothrops asper</i><i style="font-style: normal;">, </i>the fer-de-lance is also called "equis" here in Panama. The poisonous pit-vipers can be identified by their pointed heads and vertical eye slits. The UP students are collecting venom of these snakes to improve medical treatments.<br />
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<center style="font-style: normal;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="246" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/c5a_uL3PYEU" width="416"></iframe></center><br />
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<br />Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-31018839047014116662012-02-10T10:17:00.000-06:002012-02-10T10:17:41.412-06:00Guillermo<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dennis Zechiel</td></tr>
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The title of this post takes a long time getting there, but Bill is in the name of our recent yard resident. Ten months ago I asked Dennis, our good friend and neighbor, to help me suspend a tray feeder. I tied off a clothesline high and between some pine trees while standing on his long extension ladder. I wanted to lure some more reticent members of our community to savor the delights of ripe bananas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zOUyfZTFlpk/TzQPa0APFVI/AAAAAAAABCA/_Hvufz76o-g/s1600/guillermo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zOUyfZTFlpk/TzQPa0APFVI/AAAAAAAABCA/_Hvufz76o-g/s200/guillermo.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keel-billed_Toucan">Ramphastos sulfuratus</a></i></td></tr>
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This past week we finally saw the Keel-billed Toucan that has been calling for weeks in our neighborhood. He is a wary one. It would appear that by size alone he could dominate, but instead, there are many minutes of watchful waiting until the tray is clear of competition before he makes a move. Now I hope the other customers leave some scraps for the new visitor. And of course, I pile on extra to help.<br />
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Along with the wait, there is a long period of croaking as he sizes up the situation, as the video shows. And I consider him a "he" based on the racket. He could only be advertising the bounty for a suitable mate.<br />
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<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="256" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EBR0JqXv35k" width="416"></iframe></center>Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-84283672904601374322012-01-12T11:37:00.000-06:002012-01-12T11:37:45.009-06:00New Yard Bird<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmMVSGRmKOqRK6pAAWZNm5-HTosRCtPgvtLsNjl63iNxpEXwkPNxOZJWWBFBK4-08WdecLKIwfublwrl7s4enhdyOndXhpq-glzLFW_LIrAs7ddnQOGllEVgz0qVVbvGnbu9I2L6sur8/s1600/ladca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgmMVSGRmKOqRK6pAAWZNm5-HTosRCtPgvtLsNjl63iNxpEXwkPNxOZJWWBFBK4-08WdecLKIwfublwrl7s4enhdyOndXhpq-glzLFW_LIrAs7ddnQOGllEVgz0qVVbvGnbu9I2L6sur8/s200/ladca.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
When Cindy and I drive up and down the hill here on errands, we often see small flocks of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_Ground_Dove">Ruddy Ground-Doves</a> milling about in the road near the chicken fincas. But, they occur only down lower, at the guard station and below. We have been hoping to spy one of these cute things in our yard, which is just a few hundred feet higher. Note: As<a href="http://www.naturewideimages.com/"> Bob Behrstock</a> says, they are <i>high</i> on the Cuteness Scale.<br />
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After two years of waiting and hoping, we have our first! He likes the cracked corn I diligently scatter in the driveway and yard for the grassquits, seedeaters and other doves. Now, we hope he encourages some friends to join him in his foraging.<br />
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The video leads off with the Ruddy and then presents other recent yard birds and critters. In quick succession, there are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-billed_Starthroat">Long-billed Starthroat</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lineated_Woodpecker">Lineated Woodpecker</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keel-billed_Toucan">Keel-billed Toucan</a>, a furry thingy (I probably accidentally touched something similar last month and my left mitt swelled up large enough to catch a softball), and a sloth of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown-throated_Three-toed_Sloth">three-toed</a> variety.<br />
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<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="256" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/J5AEqubH604" width="416"></iframe></center><br />
<br />Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-80650535895465702492011-12-21T14:26:00.003-06:002011-12-22T13:24:46.166-06:00Panama Audubon Photos<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnsImxxCfBMMzlNy-y9desG53IxWOv633X-uhyNoayhq8zYziLZY65W4Xb5qjHb1rZTjMQQEagC-nVUMRpu5yZDVu7IEzze6PavtWXbUu4TGQB-gvRyYH4gxvuoy1PzNyoWVBVQbJsp0/s1600/Image2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnsImxxCfBMMzlNy-y9desG53IxWOv633X-uhyNoayhq8zYziLZY65W4Xb5qjHb1rZTjMQQEagC-nVUMRpu5yZDVu7IEzze6PavtWXbUu4TGQB-gvRyYH4gxvuoy1PzNyoWVBVQbJsp0/s200/Image2+copy.jpg" width="187" /></a><a href="http://www.audubonpanama.org/">Panama Audubon</a> hosts a Christmas pot-luck dinner every December where the upcoming bird counts for the season are described. Cindy and I are in our third year of enjoying the Christmas Bird Counts here in Panama.<br />
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We've already completed the Pacific Count which must have been the best ever, at least for us. Our assignment was to walk the Old Gamboa Road to the north, which has been off-limts due to the canal operations. With our authorization letter in my pocket we walked the forested road to more open habitat.<br />
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There were a couple of houses and some barking dogs which didn't mind us as we counted birds. There was nothing rare to report, but it was an excellent, mild day (it had rained the entire night before) and we finished with 93 species. Our companions were Alfred Raab from <a href="http://birdinginaltosdelmaria.com/index.html">Altos del Maria</a> and Paul Roth (search for his name in this <a href="http://www.bluemacaws.org/spxart23.htm">article</a>) from Switzerland. They are both top-notch birders and the four of us made an efficient team. This area of Old Gamboa Road holds a lot of allure for us and we hope to return.<br />
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Back at the pot-luck dinner earlier in the week, this year's winners of the annual <a href="http://www.audubonpanama.org/ave-del-ano-2012-carpintero-canelo/">photo contest</a> were introduced. As you would guess, they are all active birders and talented field photographers. The winners are:<br />
1st Place - <b>Jan Axel</b> found a Cinnamon Woodpecker foraging on a fallen truck and got the image.<br />
2nd Place -<b> Ralph Dessau</b> captured a Scintillant Hummingbird on a nest.<br />
3rd Place - <b>Rafael Luck</b> stopped the wing stretch of a Royal Tern.<br />
Honorable Mention - <b>Celeste Paiva</b> took a short pause with a Volcano Hummingbird.<br />
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All are wonderful photos and we want to see more. In fact, I am lobbying for there to be a gallery showing of all the submitted photos for the year. That would make for a fine evening!<br />
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The video below gives a "taste" of the dinner and the awards.<br />
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-Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-63576233940033550462011-11-21T15:49:00.004-06:002011-11-24T10:14:03.115-06:00Poisonous Ants<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBH-frK8nUCl3k7mH3yQoUNChyphenhyphenZNTsU1SzJ6L3-qdcBSATsyVDDGD38WvNS45JIvxbY34Xee0ATNSG3aXc1QeX0BfxfVcyC7SbZIB_WbRGvEXoI1YHc1QCEPrYd19WZV4M45kQtjTFVwY/s1600/Image1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBH-frK8nUCl3k7mH3yQoUNChyphenhyphenZNTsU1SzJ6L3-qdcBSATsyVDDGD38WvNS45JIvxbY34Xee0ATNSG3aXc1QeX0BfxfVcyC7SbZIB_WbRGvEXoI1YHc1QCEPrYd19WZV4M45kQtjTFVwY/s200/Image1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Warning!</b></span></td></tr>
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Cindy and I don't get to <a href="http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Pipeline_Road">Pipeline Road</a> as much as we said we wanted to and vowed that we would. Our yard in Los Altos de Cerro Azul is<i> too</i> enjoyable. But, we made a date on a day trip to the city. The afternoon was for errands and recycling, and the morning was for BIRDS!<br />
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At the ammo ponds, Smooth-billed Anis were a welcoming sight. As always, we heard the descending, rattling <a href="http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/uploaded/GXNTYBGUCJ/White-throated%20crake.mp3">chuuurrr call</a> of the White-throated Crake. Near the entrance to Pipeline we spotted Nando, the former caretaker of Birder's View, now a guide for <a href="http://www.canopytower.com/canopy-tower">Canopy Tower</a>. He was guiding two women from New Mexico and they were looking at a White-tailed Trogon.<br />
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For something different, we didn't drive all the way to the closed gate on Pipeline Road, but stopped at the always-open entrance gate and walked the first two kilometers. There is always plenty to see in this stretch. Several Western-Slaty Antshrikes made their usual appearance - they're always very cooperative. And I was able to audio record the <a href="http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/uploaded/DSXRVPUBRZ/antshrike_western_slaty_pipeline_111119_06.mp3">"caw"</a> call we hear them also make in our yard. Today was filled with common birds, but still held some surprises, including the hand lettered sign seen above.<br />
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We assume the sign poster was concerned about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraponera">Bullet Ants</a>. There were none visible for us that day. A column of leaf cutters was at work a short distance down the road. The "soldiers" had large mandibles and very light-colored heads. I couldn't resist trying to video their activities. The speed of the little critters is very impressive and, as you will see, makes it very difficult to keep them in the frame.<br />
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<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="256" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OuTNQp5hNd0" width="416"></iframe></center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center><center><br /></center>Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-24314116246093604802011-11-09T07:29:00.003-06:002011-11-11T16:48:55.526-06:00TV<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-size: x-small;"><b>Turkey Vultures</b></span></td></tr>
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Birders keep a lot of checklists. We put little check marks next to bird names in a huge variety, such as life lists, yard lists and bucket lists. Well, perhaps we don't all have bucket lists, but there are birds we are dying to see. One of those wouldn't normally be the <a href="http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/peterson/resources/identifications/tuvu/index.shtml">Turkey Vulture</a>. But, after a day trip to Lake Bayano I feel like starting a bucket list and putting a big check next to TV migration.<br />
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One of <a href="http://janbirdingblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/panamas-vultures.html">four</a> species of vultures in Panama, large numbers of TVs move through Panama in October and November and again in February to April. The birds are concentrated in an area of the <a href="http://www.country-studies.com/panama/geography.html">country</a> that can be as narrow as 36 miles. On the 27th of October 2011, the hawk watch on Ancon Hill in Panama City logged a new one-day record of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=013qM-EbFzI&feature=channel_video_title">893,783</a> raptors! <br />
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We have seen Turkey Vultures in California, of course, and they are a feature of the Kern River Valley <a href="http://kern.audubon.org/tvfest_activities.htm">AUTUMN NATURE & VULTURE FESTIVAL</a>. One of many facts I've learned is that a group of Turkey Vultures roosting is called a Wake.<br />
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The birds over Lake Bayano weren't waiting around to have a name put on them. They were making time! The video shows them climbing up the thermals and heading towards South America. A very few Swainson's Hawks were sprinkled in the flocks.<br />
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The best intro to the video would be by Robert Ridgely in <i><a href="http://press.princeton.edu/titles/5162.html">A Guide to Birds of Panama</a></i>. "A masterful flyer, soaring for long periods without a flap, tilting from side to side to take advantage of every favorable air current....large (sometimes tremendous) flocks of migrants breeding in north pass overhead, providing the observer who is in the right place at the right time with a breathtaking spectacle..."<br />
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<br />Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-71877661630854887282011-11-07T16:09:00.000-06:002011-11-07T16:09:02.034-06:00Sick.<a href="http://janbirdingblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/no-violetears-but-plenty-of-sicklebills.html"><b>White-tipped Sicklebill</b></a> is a much sought after species here in Cerro Azul, although it also inhabits other areas of Panamá, Costa Rica and northern parts of South America. So, it's not one of the 12 or so <a href="http://www.birdingpanama.com/panama_endemic_birds.html">endemic</a> species in Panama, but still a prize.<br />
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<b>A few days ago</b>, with our North American amigo Jorge, we visited a local <a href="http://members.iinet.net.au/~meckms/Heliconia%20Information%20Page.html">heliconia</a> grove with the hope of seeing a sicklebill. We've seen them several times at this location. Sometimes it's just a fly-by, and it always feels like a bonus if one of them hovers for even a few seconds at a flower or in front of our faces to check us out. This time, a sicklebill was sitting for several minutes on a vine just a few feet off the ground, no more than 20 feet from us. I managed some video in the shadows. Pollen is visible on the bird's crown. We watched it resting and preening, until a tree limb fell noisily behind us and the bird took flight. This interlude made our day and was a delight.<br />
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<br /></div>Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-85588548850948001792011-10-23T17:08:00.001-05:002011-10-23T17:08:42.062-05:002011 Big Sit<i>Weather Wreaks Havoc</i><br />
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Cindy and I are not usually concerned about the weather affecting our activities. Our nonchalance could be explained because we haven’t been overly troubled by it, ever. Except for the blinding snow storm on a car trip to make the Denver airport and, it turns out, the last flight out. But, we made it. Weather has now made an impression.<br />
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<a href="http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/connect/bigsit/index.php">The Bird Watcher’s Digest Big Sit</a> was held on Oct 9, 2011. And that’s right in the middle of the rainy season in the Republic of Panamá. Last year we managed 49 species and we were hoping to better that this year. But, the weather had it’s way. The day started out sloppy and it stayed that way, with overcast skies, fog, wind, and rain. Not conducive to adding anything new.<br />
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Even seeing some of the common species proved difficult. Bay-headed Tanagers didn’t make an appearance at our well-stocked feeders. The only bird in flight against the gray skies was a Turkey Vulture. That was a very sore point for me, since I was hoping to see some migrant raptors. But, don't get me wrong, some fine birds did make a pass through the yard, including the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, seen in the video below. We also managed 6 species of wood-warblers, and one each of grosbeak and oriole.<br />
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Our confining 17-foot diameter circle was positioned to gain a look skyward, as well as to various strategically placed bananas and a couple of catastrophic seed spills. The observer must be inside the circle while seeing a bird for it to count. We took that to mean that only one foot need be inside the border. This lead to some helpful leaning, this way and that. I am reminded of the <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FootPopping">Hays Code</a> where the unfortunate actors were required to contort their bodies while in bed and keep one foot on the floor. But, interestingly during the Big Sit, if you see a bird from within the circle you can leave it to clinch the ID. And I suppose that includes hearing a bird and leaving the circle to get the identification.<br />
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The video contains a few of the birds seen during our Big Sit. If you enjoy identifying on your own, the video captions with the bird names can be switched off and on by clicking on the red/white box in the bottom frame.<br />
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The final species list is shown below the video as a report from <a href="http://ebird.org/content/panama">eBird</a>.<br />
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<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="256" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mqxv2BXq1-Y" width="416"></iframe></center><center><br /></center><center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Casita Naranja<br />Oct 9, 2011 5:45 AM - 5:45 PM<br />Protocol: Stationary<br />Comments: 65-67 degrees F, breezy, intermittent drizzle, occasional light rain, fog drifting in & out, heavy cloud cover with no sun or blue skies all day<br />43 species</span></center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Turkey Vulture 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">White-tipped Dove 2</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Squirrel Cuckoo 1 Heard only</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">White-necked Jacobin 3</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Long-billed Starthroat 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Blue-chested Hummingbird 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Snowy-bellied Hummingbird 5</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Rufous-tailed Hummingbird 9</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Keel-billed Toucan 1 Heard only</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Black-cheeked Woodpecker 3</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Red-crowned Woodpecker 2</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Cocoa Woodcreeper 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Western Slaty-Antshrike 2 Heard only</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Yellow-bellied Elaenia 1 Heard only</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Dusky-capped Flycatcher 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Red-eyed Vireo 2</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Plain Wren 2</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">House Wren 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">White-breasted Wood-Wren 1 Heard only</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Swainson's Thrush 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Clay-colored Thrush 3</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Black-and-white Warbler 2</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Tennessee Warbler 7</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">American Redstart 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Blackburnian Warbler 3</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Black-throated Green Warbler 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Canada Warbler 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Bananaquit 3</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Crimson-backed Tanager 5</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Blue-gray Tanager 4</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Palm Tanager 9</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Plain-colored Tanager 4 Begging juv.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Golden-hooded Tanager 3</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Red-legged Honeycreeper 23</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Variable Seedeater 4</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Yellow-bellied Seedeater 8</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Black-striped Sparrow 1 Heard only</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Hepatic Tanager 5</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Summer Tanager 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Baltimore Oriole 1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Thick-billed Euphonia 14</span></div>
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<center><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (<a href="http://ebird.org/content/panama" style="color: #114170;" target="_blank">http://ebird.org/content/<wbr></wbr>panama</a>)</span></center>Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-33315011273191068422011-10-08T19:12:00.001-05:002011-10-08T19:12:12.540-05:00Vulture Lounge<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Y4ZpyF2-M4/TpCzv8Je_rI/AAAAAAAAA8E/YN-yvdYGEZs/s1600/blvu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="109" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Y4ZpyF2-M4/TpCzv8Je_rI/AAAAAAAAA8E/YN-yvdYGEZs/s200/blvu.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Vulture</td></tr>
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Close to the entrance to <a href="http://birdpanama.blogspot.com/2009/07/our-antiest-day-yet.html">Pipeline Road </a>is another road running along the Panama Canal. A locked gate restricts access to the road, but a small area near the gate provides interesting birding. The area is always thick with mosquitoes. Warblers come for the mosquitoes, so we come for the warblers.<br />
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One slow afternoon in the dry season, we thought to stop and see what was hopping. Craning our necks, we saw a few of the common birds high in the canopy, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufous-capped_Warbler">Rufous-capped</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-throated_Green_Warbler">Black-throated Green</a>, Chestnut-sided, Blue-winged and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay-breasted_Warbler">Bay-breasted Warbler</a>s. Then looking lower, we found a small party of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Vulture">Black Vultures</a> lounging about an old concrete bunker. They seemed content and undisturbed by our presence. I moved with speed to the car and the video camera. The video below is the result of our short, peaceful interlude. We left the birds to continue their rest.<br />
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" height="256" src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9uQ-MKPeEl8/0.jpg" width="416"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9uQ-MKPeEl8?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata">
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</center>Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-75786909099176688622011-09-26T19:59:00.000-05:002011-09-26T19:59:24.430-05:00Yard Color<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UTvJvZQyr0hJLIE17nfjPq-xq4h-jrd2KPXtNUzYhNyfnv0-7eNMt3KD7J81kpsxIZwyrqZdDEzzh6caGUZtnoNbh7JhRTKEGEy8BwDEu5MprQNd_WBYwJ3w5h0BjVKpL3o65vyMaI4/s1600/euphi_hummer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBRnAvyYaqXnhBUdN2Q64JVgMi881tY5Yr5yXb26h46tazGpHvXfh1xof9SlAdLSET-scGliNdC_ICEhwljW-6eIOS5LuFpZosIpdtvoUzpTdlDBLqtz5JfF2wlQirpZOCy4UPjPJJkw/s1600/palm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBRnAvyYaqXnhBUdN2Q64JVgMi881tY5Yr5yXb26h46tazGpHvXfh1xof9SlAdLSET-scGliNdC_ICEhwljW-6eIOS5LuFpZosIpdtvoUzpTdlDBLqtz5JfF2wlQirpZOCy4UPjPJJkw/s1600/palm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBRnAvyYaqXnhBUdN2Q64JVgMi881tY5Yr5yXb26h46tazGpHvXfh1xof9SlAdLSET-scGliNdC_ICEhwljW-6eIOS5LuFpZosIpdtvoUzpTdlDBLqtz5JfF2wlQirpZOCy4UPjPJJkw/s200/palm.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-size: x-small;">Palm Tanager</span></b></td></tr>
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Colors are used by many film directors to convey moods and to say something about characters and situations. The people who manipulate the machines to match the director's vision are, in many cases, artists. Their media are the electronic pixels and zeroes and ones of computer technology. All of that is hidden behind the graphic software programs which share some common features.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UTvJvZQyr0hJLIE17nfjPq-xq4h-jrd2KPXtNUzYhNyfnv0-7eNMt3KD7J81kpsxIZwyrqZdDEzzh6caGUZtnoNbh7JhRTKEGEy8BwDEu5MprQNd_WBYwJ3w5h0BjVKpL3o65vyMaI4/s1600/euphi_hummer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UTvJvZQyr0hJLIE17nfjPq-xq4h-jrd2KPXtNUzYhNyfnv0-7eNMt3KD7J81kpsxIZwyrqZdDEzzh6caGUZtnoNbh7JhRTKEGEy8BwDEu5MprQNd_WBYwJ3w5h0BjVKpL3o65vyMaI4/s1600/euphi_hummer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UTvJvZQyr0hJLIE17nfjPq-xq4h-jrd2KPXtNUzYhNyfnv0-7eNMt3KD7J81kpsxIZwyrqZdDEzzh6caGUZtnoNbh7JhRTKEGEy8BwDEu5MprQNd_WBYwJ3w5h0BjVKpL3o65vyMaI4/s200/euphi_hummer.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-size: x-small;">Thick-billed Euphonia &<br />Rufous-tailed Hummingbird</span></b></td></tr>
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The first pass of correction balances the colors and sets a base look for the picture. Then there is something called secondary color correction that can be used to enhance and diminish specific colors. You've probably seen this effect many times in commercials and motion pictures. Check out this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIaknj9kJPo">commercial</a> for Ford Ranger to get the idea.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OlayUgBEWd5FXlcXVPErq_ROVr5C4zoFuuJ9QLDGr8p3fPsSw9UjQtKPFCaGzI8qjY-Ex9CTTNfu3bBmR_G-9ys1TvfdW7axuVSf0aLPUIXrUUfxRIdl3dXo3PHyuRtVTHZAsPc3P8U/s1600/hep2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OlayUgBEWd5FXlcXVPErq_ROVr5C4zoFuuJ9QLDGr8p3fPsSw9UjQtKPFCaGzI8qjY-Ex9CTTNfu3bBmR_G-9ys1TvfdW7axuVSf0aLPUIXrUUfxRIdl3dXo3PHyuRtVTHZAsPc3P8U/s200/hep2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; font-size: x-small;">Hepatic Tanager</span></b></td></tr>
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My background has been to convey a scene as it was reproduced by the camera and altering reality further was never my goal. But, I enjoyed trying this out on some of the colorful birds visiting the yard. The unmanipulated stills here are from the video as it was shot. The video below will show my attempt to accentuate the colors of the birds and minimize the background. The tiny artist in me appreciates how the colors pop off the screen.<br />
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<center><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" height="256" src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4U9LeRdWmhE/0.jpg" width="416"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4U9LeRdWmhE?f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata">
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Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-65453437212794880082011-09-19T16:29:00.000-05:002011-09-19T16:29:17.282-05:00Yo Reciclo<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjn6EX-I_iSIzN5SXdFIP9nVhKDBX9F6dkO4lEfoQmvyaeZbfgNk2UkZoCyUscV9LvkJ9G3Gpv76Sp7J1z89gNKPyiW8yl3NZoLPlz1SCnSeXo2ysGfint_BYqNuXrPN9jPpEWvRAcGI/s1600/recicle.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjn6EX-I_iSIzN5SXdFIP9nVhKDBX9F6dkO4lEfoQmvyaeZbfgNk2UkZoCyUscV9LvkJ9G3Gpv76Sp7J1z89gNKPyiW8yl3NZoLPlz1SCnSeXo2ysGfint_BYqNuXrPN9jPpEWvRAcGI/s320/recicle.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">I Recycle.</span></b></span></td></tr>
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This past week, I delivered a final video to my pal <a href="http://robamorena.com/Home.html">Roba Morena</a>. You may <a href="http://birdpanama.blogspot.com/2011/04/recicla.html">remember</a> he is organizing monthly recycling events in Panama City. This is a BIG deal. There is a lot of demand, which is obvious when I attend the events. <br />
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Anyway, Roba will use this short presentation to explain to corporate sponsors what happens on these Saturdays. There is a lot more going on than just recycling. You'll get a taste by watching the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhQni42ritA">video</a>. It's in Spanish, but then what isn't down here?Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-45364755540285775412011-06-15T18:55:00.006-05:002011-06-16T15:24:34.045-05:00Photos by Behrstock<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iwg_W2rUZ8w/TfkFvAl5fuI/AAAAAAAAA5w/fA05eKGMl4A/s1600/karen-bob_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iwg_W2rUZ8w/TfkFvAl5fuI/AAAAAAAAA5w/fA05eKGMl4A/s200/karen-bob_small.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Karen & Bob</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Our friends Karen LeMay and <a href="http://www.naturewideimages.com/">Bob Behrstock</a> recently spent a few days with us. It was great fun to catch up on their activities in Arizona, USofA. We hit some of the hotspots for birds during their visit, too. Bob sent along some pictures he captured from our terrace of some common birds that bring so much color and energy to our yard.<br />
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<div>Bananaquits have been leading a youngster up to the banana feeders, demonstrating how to hang on and get a morsel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vMydKezZ4VE/TfPxmH5nvGI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/FGOGcclKl3U/s1600/Bananaquit_Altos_de_Cerro_Azul_Panama_DSC06628+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="145" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vMydKezZ4VE/TfPxmH5nvGI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/FGOGcclKl3U/s200/Bananaquit_Altos_de_Cerro_Azul_Panama_DSC06628+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Bananaquit</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The national bird of several countries must have a nest close by since they stuff their bills full and overflowing before flying up and out of sight above the roof.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nKvpUvkrx5s/TfPxnBJnzqI/AAAAAAAAA5c/4gKSOQcXT6U/s1600/Clay-colored_Thrush_Altos_de_Cerr_Azul_DSC06633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="146" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nKvpUvkrx5s/TfPxnBJnzqI/AAAAAAAAA5c/4gKSOQcXT6U/s200/Clay-colored_Thrush_Altos_de_Cerr_Azul_DSC06633.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Clay-colored Thrush</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The tiger-heron was lounging in the river a bit down the road.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rSv75dd1vc4/TfPxolYFTiI/AAAAAAAAA5g/8qg0RU1ioGg/s1600/Fasc_Tiger-Heron_Altos_de_Cerro_Azul_DSC06640+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rSv75dd1vc4/TfPxolYFTiI/AAAAAAAAA5g/8qg0RU1ioGg/s200/Fasc_Tiger-Heron_Altos_de_Cerro_Azul_DSC06640+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Fasciated Tiger-Heron</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Not every day, but frequently, we hear the calls of the Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, a very desirable record up here where they can be seen somewhat regularly.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMNopOsrKCuB789aPhtwhuGUTUy9m6aIJ8rj3uK5Dha8ZMsBQXgV_DaPoAbmKxDQhBLUSbvBuF8M9XTmwi8OMlY9PRX3J6W9Z3y7Bl_-IcgfUN2tdmgn8WHSI2ZjkOm97eYaUdmMLWSo/s1600/Piculus_callopterus_Altos_de_Cerro_Azul_Panama_Prov_PAN_Behrstock_DSC06689+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMNopOsrKCuB789aPhtwhuGUTUy9m6aIJ8rj3uK5Dha8ZMsBQXgV_DaPoAbmKxDQhBLUSbvBuF8M9XTmwi8OMlY9PRX3J6W9Z3y7Bl_-IcgfUN2tdmgn8WHSI2ZjkOm97eYaUdmMLWSo/s200/Piculus_callopterus_Altos_de_Cerro_Azul_Panama_Prov_PAN_Behrstock_DSC06689+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>These hummers own the yard and several of the feeders. Now as other species are increasing, they are beginning to loose their tight grip.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q1mAOVqro8U/TfPxqSGigbI/AAAAAAAAA5o/_5FDSwgzlyk/s1600/Ruf-tl_Humm_Altos_de_Cerr_Azul_DSC06501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="165" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q1mAOVqro8U/TfPxqSGigbI/AAAAAAAAA5o/_5FDSwgzlyk/s200/Ruf-tl_Humm_Altos_de_Cerr_Azul_DSC06501.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;">Rufous-tailed Hummingbird</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div>Leslie "Marco" Lieurancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05641761954288196359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-15924586298119670192011-05-31T20:31:00.000-05:002011-05-31T22:20:15.376-05:00Tortí TidbitsWe recently drove east to<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=torti,+panama&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=56.637293,135.263672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Torti,+Panama&t=h&z=15"> Tortí</a> for some birding with friends. Tortí is within the province of Panamá, about 2 hours from our house. Much (most?) of the forest has been cleared for grazing in this lowland habitat with rich, black, sticky soil. One of our companions, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/11945238368655934952">Venicio (Beny) Wilson</a>, has been there on a few previous excursions, so he knew several excellent places to find some local specialties.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Marco was able to shoot video of several of those specialties - see the video below for two:<br /><br /><center><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="256" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ome9whm2BOk" width="416"></iframe></center></div>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10316864844365672831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-3889138351983337802011-05-27T20:15:00.000-05:002011-05-27T20:44:37.823-05:00Snake SnacktivityThe saga continues. We last left the Boa Constrictor on his pine branch the evening of May 17th, when he went to bed hungry.<br /><div><br /></div><div>The following morning he was gone from that pine branch - but Marco and I easily spotted him a few feet higher, on a branch that was not nearly so exposed. We both thought it was a much better place for him to lurk.</div><div><br /></div><div>After breakfast, I was inside near the kitchen sink when I heard a noisy outburst from the Red-legged Honeycreepers and Blue-gray Tanagers. I yelled to Marco, "They've found him!" We both went out onto the terrace, and sure enough - a flock of little birds was clustered around the snake, they were all chattering and scolding excitedly, flying and fluttering about. As we stood there watching the scene, worrying aloud about the young Bananaquit, who was again doing fly-bys and even landing within centimeters of certain doom, a Snowy-bellied Hummingbird landed <b>right on the snake</b>. It was a tremendously shocking moment - to actually be eyewitnesses to the grab was not something we expected. In a millisecond, the hummer was tightly within a coil and there was no hope for it.</div><div><br /></div><div>For those of you who might be interested in witnessing such an event, see below. Marco had the camera rolling (I know - you've probably already jumped ahead and looked at the video.) It's illuminating to see the action in slow motion. I thought the hummer had landed well toward the rear of the snake, but the video clearly shows that the touchdown was just behind the snake's head. So much for eyewitness accounts.</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="256" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_xYgouvQysg" width="416"></iframe></div>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10316864844365672831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-20229157671782158182011-05-23T19:12:00.000-05:002011-05-23T20:42:40.811-05:00Dogged Serpent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFGVQBd1lMKG_s_9MOzPdCNgotJDetYoDkHCioRmqpFYbi4VSUbstYejlrOvMBCe3JHsywPbuof7AuHRvE3Pw5pzb6a1KEYWl1uqYe5m4NUbFJPO9Z6RuZ_q0Gqym-m1hO5dGtt1DOWU/s1600/boa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFGVQBd1lMKG_s_9MOzPdCNgotJDetYoDkHCioRmqpFYbi4VSUbstYejlrOvMBCe3JHsywPbuof7AuHRvE3Pw5pzb6a1KEYWl1uqYe5m4NUbFJPO9Z6RuZ_q0Gqym-m1hO5dGtt1DOWU/s200/boa.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The Boa is <a href="http://birdpanama.blogspot.com/2010/08/boa-with-bird-habit.html">back</a>! It was here last month, too, but the incident was a bit sad and I decided not to dedicate an entire post to it. Briefly, though, here is what happened: Early on the morning of April 28th, I was alerted to the nearby presence of one of the two Boa Constrictors who haunt the pine trees in our yard. A good-sized flock of little feeder birds, along with the Chief Sentinel and Town Crier (both titles earned and owned by the local male Hepatic Tanager), were clustered around a pine branch, scolding and chattering. I quickly spotted a Boa, the smaller of the two regulars, coiled around a bird. All I could see of the bird was a tail, part of the yellow underparts, and pinkish-orange feet, but these details were enough for me to suspect that the prey this time was a Rufous-capped Warbler.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I had been observing the scene for about 5 minutes when the snake executed a "loosen and recoil" maneuver, during which the snake <i>usually</i> repositions the prey and tightens the grip on it, and/or moves it into a position where he can begin to swallow it. This time, however, the Boa dropped the bird! If I had made a dedicated blog post about the incident, the title would have been "Butterfingered Boa", which is what our friend Jorge called the snake when I told him about it that day.</div><div><br /></div><div>The bird fell to the ground in a spot where I could easily retrieve it, which I did, and sure enough - it was a Rufous-capped Warbler, a young of the year. I was sad because it seemed like a waste of a perfectly good warbler, although I realize the invertebrates would have done their work on it. I left the bird on the terrace so Marco could see it; he was out picking up Gonzalo for some gardening. Then we left the bird on the terrace railing for several days until finally something ate it, leaving only the rectrices and a few fluffy flank feathers scattered on the ramp.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Boa remained on the same branch, in almost the same position, through May 5th. It never did appear to be lumpy during that time, so we don't think it caught anything.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCIRfGUWYCzVSbJBkVmPl9XFrmUtXva8DovlfMXFHHd7iVUGM6dWkZdCqAevS9MOThab27IP_MnMOW8ESsF9FtQrJjh6XNN4XV4IsfHpZxkqUuZVX5rYUSejOjcR6hOKuQhwgKvq4f8o/s1600/feeding_system.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCIRfGUWYCzVSbJBkVmPl9XFrmUtXva8DovlfMXFHHd7iVUGM6dWkZdCqAevS9MOThab27IP_MnMOW8ESsF9FtQrJjh6XNN4XV4IsfHpZxkqUuZVX5rYUSejOjcR6hOKuQhwgKvq4f8o/s320/feeding_system.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Our friend Dennis helped Marco put up a clothesline about two months ago, not for clothes, but for another Cerro Azul Bird Feeding System®. They strung it from a pine tree near the terrace to a pine well down the hill toward the creek. It has pulleys so we can reel it in and out, with three feeders hanging from it: a small hummer feeder, a standard suet feeder stocked with bananas, and a shallow plastic basket also stocked with bananas.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqY4KOVaIv6H1GDHPaZyNgp3ctoppZ3Cw95W0au1mhHCX0ag-gR6SutsejhJq32Hb1WZ9JpjU1eIXXHVY4I0bkakhkzpeKWLS6wX-o89Yb4UMR8wpekzP8eve1Zozt-2agHE05WUFmU0k/s1600/tray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqY4KOVaIv6H1GDHPaZyNgp3ctoppZ3Cw95W0au1mhHCX0ag-gR6SutsejhJq32Hb1WZ9JpjU1eIXXHVY4I0bkakhkzpeKWLS6wX-o89Yb4UMR8wpekzP8eve1Zozt-2agHE05WUFmU0k/s200/tray.jpg" width="200" /></a>Our hope is that by placing the feeders way out there, some of the more wary species (who don't like coming to the feeders near the house) will be brave enough to make an appearance at them. </div><div><br /></div><div>This month's incident began before breakfast on May 16th. We heard the birds being all excited, and saw them gathered on the clothesline. We both gave the birds and the area a quick glance , but didn't detect the cause for their alarm. A few minutes later, while we were enjoying breakfast on the terrace, Marco noticed that the smaller Boa was toward the far end of the clothesline, stretched lengthwise along it, within inches of the suet feeder. We interrupted the meal while Marco spent a few minutes maneuvering the clothesline back and forth, shaking it, removing and replacing feeders. Eventually, the Boa gave up its grip and fell to the ground. All was then calm, and we and the birds had our breakfasts.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next morning when we opened the kitchen door we saw that the Boa had returned - not to the clothesline this time, but to a small stub branch that comes off the trunk a couple feet below the pulley. It would be interesting to know how long it took him to climb up that pine trunk and settle on the new perch.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Boa stayed in position all day - the birds knew he was there, and they would occasionally remember or rediscover him, flitting around the branch to investigate. The young Bananaquits make us especially nervous - their curiosity is so extreme that they get waaaay too close to the snake for <i>our</i> comfort.</div><br /><div>Marco has assembled some footage of the day, a time-lapse series that shows a few of the birds as they keep a watch on the Boa:</div><br /><br /><center><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="256" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uT7APMVWtUc" width="416"></iframe><br /></center><br /><br /><div>To be continued . . . . . . .</div><div><br /></div>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10316864844365672831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-2114813294962658802011-05-12T10:45:00.000-05:002011-05-15T17:50:13.235-05:00Cutest KiteWest of Panamá City as we were driving toward the Chiriqui several weeks ago, we decided to keep a sharp eye out for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Kite">Pearl Kites</a> (<i>Gampsonyx swainsonii</i>). We had seen only 2 of them ever, first in Trinidad and then in Panamá on our 2008 visit. In <i><a href="http://press.princeton.edu/titles/672.html">A Guide to the Birds of Colombia</a></i> by Hilty & Brown, they refer to the Pearl Kite as "Pygmy-sized" and that it is.<br /><br />Deforestation in northern Colombia has permitted the species to range into Panamá during recent decades, where it has begun colonizing. Still, it's not a common species, and the cuteness factor makes seeing them a special treat for us. We saw three along the way. Marco shot some video of one perched on a cable right next to the Interamerican Highway. This individual does not have its rufous leggings yet, and the rectrices are still growing in. But it was out there hunting for its own meals.<br /><br /><center><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="256" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bNjrUupidGk" width="416"></iframe><br /></center>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10316864844365672831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3081341180640619631.post-61928649960551297642011-04-30T03:49:00.001-05:002011-04-30T03:49:00.077-05:00BuzzNo, it's not time for another visit to the barbershop. This post is about one of the several Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufous-tailed_Hummingbird">Amazilia tzacatl</a></i>) who attempt to dominate <i>all</i> the feeders in our yard. Ridgely, in "<a href="http://press.princeton.edu/titles/5162.html">A Guide to the Birds of Panama</a>" describes the species as, "Perhaps even more active and pugnacious than most other members of its family." He nails it. We have so many of the obstreperous little fellows that it's difficult to determine who's who. They all want to rule, and there are more than one who stake out a twig or wire from where they keep a watch on all the feeders within their view. When anybody else flies in for a sip at any of those feeders, the watcher makes a beeline for the sipper and tries to dispel him or her. There is a pecking order - sometimes the sipper is routed, and sometimes not. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze-tailed_Plumeleteer">Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer</a> stands his ground in all dust-ups, as do most of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-necked_Jacobin">White-necked Jacobins</a> most of the time. The little <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-chested_Hummingbird">Blue-chested Hummingbirds</a> always surrender and fly off, squealing as they go. The tiny <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stripe-throated_Hermit"><span id="goog_1964834336"></span>Stripe-throated Hermit<span id="goog_1964834337"></span></a> goes low, sometimes hiding behind our shoulders or even below a chair, or in the terrace bathroom. It waits just a few seconds for the attacker to be distracted by someone else, then sneaks back to the feeder and has a drink.<br /><div><br /></div><div>The past few days, one of the guardian Rufous-tailed Hummers has made a peculiar buzzing sound when he flies. The sound is due to extreme molt of the tail and wing feathers. It couldn't be considered catastrophic molt, such as penguins and elephant seals undergo, but Buzz is not in his best-ever shape. His tailfeathers are varied lengths, the lengths are not bilaterally symmetrical, and it seems that his wings barely have enough feathers to get or keep him airborne. Have a look and a listen at his condition in Marco's video below. Since we have recently been able to pick out his particular flight sound, we've been impressed by the number of attacks and warning flights he makes in his frequent attempts to rule his little patch.</div><div><br /><br /><center><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="256" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vsd3vOyQyHo" width="416"></iframe><br /></center></div>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10316864844365672831noreply@blogger.com0